1972 F-250
 

Guess if I had thought about it, I would have started with this title, and then the thread would have just built on itself over time. Oh well...

Wheels. It seems I have split rims. While I understand these are original equipment, I am hearing that many tire shops won't mount tires on them.

Do they present any danger when airing up - I mean just adding air occasionally?

I assume that as long as I get new wheels with a 8x6.5 lug pattern, I can switch to solid wheels. Correct?

Any recommendations on where to get basic steel wheels?

Junkyard is full of them

2x.. Econolines would be the preferred donors... 16x7.

Thanks! Great to know about the Econolines, as websites keep pointing me to 16.5" rims, and the tire selection for those is much smaller.

The yards I go to have TONS of retired Econolines since they are more or less working and delivery vehicles these days. Potential donors are up to the mid-90s if I recall correctly.

HIO, for Econo wheels it would be up to 2013 as the Econo's still used the Dana 60 with the 8x6.5 pattern. The regular Econo is dead. They might have gone to 17" in the last few years.

FYI. Econolines still show 16" in 2014 model year.

quinletc The wheels became quite a hazard when reloading a new tire. There have been several men that have been killed and or badly maned when the wheels would blow apart when refilling them with air. As posted replacements should be common to find from 3/4 ton and up trucks

I believe you will have more tire choices available to you in 16" rather than 16.5.


John :-X06

Again, thanks for all the info - very helpful.

Incidentally, I've been watching the new season of Falling Skies, and there are a bunch of 70's and 80's F-series trucks in the show.

Yellow Primer?
 

There are a few spots on the hood where yellow is showing through the old, weathered red paint.

Is the yellow actually primer? The hood and paint are allegedly original.

It could be the hood was replaced at one time. Many thinks happen in 40+ yr old vehicles. Most were dark primers used.
orich

I'd check with a dealer and see what new ones go for. Around here new wheels are about $10.00 more over used. Or look for new steel after market wheels too. The tire shop I go to all the time has like new steel wheels for not a lot of money as well. Let your finger do some walking before heading to a bone yard.

I work in a tire shop and Im one of the few that will do.split rims. Voming fron my experience your better off buying different rims 16.5 tire are expendive and limited and you can get plain black or steel wheels for cheap

Lug size
 

What size are the lugs on a '72 F250 with 8 lugs? Was there more than one size?

The studs are 1/2" X 20. The nuts are the same as F100's and cars back then. From memory I'd saw 13/16" socket.

I was going to answer this but it was to easy since all f-100's & f250's were same same by 13/16" same a the spark plugs used for these..

orich

I feel like I should record everything I've done, before I forget. So far, I have:

1. Covered the seat. Just a saddle-blanket cover, not a re-cover.

2. Installed 3-point seatbelts

3. Found one-piece wheels, painted them, got new tires, and sold the old tires and wheels.

4. Replaced fuel tank sending unit float and gasket.

5. Replaced temperature sending unit (and some of the coolant as a result).

6. Replaced the windshield washer hoses.

7. Replaced a bunch of bulbs - was thrilled that it was all bulbs and no bad wiring.

8. Installed cigar lighter.

9. Repaired floor pans.

10. Replaced windshield and gasket - finally, something someone else paid for. Glass coverage is my friend. (I know, I paid for it already, but it was nice to not have to pull out my wallet at the glass shop.)

Coming soon to a driveway near you:

1. Install new shocks.

2. Install dash cover.

3. Reseal drip rail.

4. Repair holes at bottom corners of doors.

Need some help. Truck starts fine and drives fine. Getting out of the driveway takes a little coaxing. We can start the truck and let it run in the morning for a minute or two, but when we first put it in drive (or reverse) it stalls. And it might do this a couple of times.

Once it's going, there's no problem. Pre-tuneup, it would stall at stops, but that's not a problem now.

Is there something we are not doing in the start-up/warm-up sequence that we should be doing? Is there a choke adjustment that might help?

I'd Set air/fuel jets screws with vacuum gauge for highest reading. For a Auto tranny idle in D 550 rpm.
If idle to low it will stall.
The Plugs gap 0.34, The dizzy timing 6* BTDC. The points with points .017 unlessit's got the cail. smog crap then .021. Also check that vacuum advance is in good and not leaking sucking air.
orich

Sounds like choke needs adjustment. Next time you go to drive it remove the air cleaner lid. Start it up as you usually do. To protect you from burning carb backfires, use something like the eraser end of a pencil. Slowly close and/or open the choke flap just a tad by pushing on it with the pencil. In one of the 2 directions see if the idle raises a bit. Adjust the choke to match. 2X Orich on his advice.

Damnation! The nuts and bolts on the front shocks were rusted something fierce. I hosed them down with WD40 penetrating spray several times, and it was all I could do to get them off. The top ones were the worst. I ended up grinding them off on both sides:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...011e118942.jpg

The bottom ones were pretty tough too, though. Had to have my daughter bang on the Vice-Grips with a rubber mallet to get the first one loose. In the end, though, we got the new Monroe Gas Magnums (34900's) in:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...fd21e7fcc5.jpg

It was too late to do the rear by the time we got these in, but I took the truck for a quick spin, and the difference was AMAZING. I mean, I knew it would ride better, but it rides a ton better. And the rear is still to come.

Yep those can be a real knuckle buster..

But, I've got see more things for you to change out. As, I look at your pictures your brake hose those rubber lines. I would not trust much longer. Looks pretty bad and like what came on the truck when new..

Orich

Aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning! :'(

I am sure you're right about them being 42 years old. The PO was a shade-tree mechanic (not that I am not one also), and he made some odd decisions about what to change and fix and what not to. He also employed some questionable improvised techniques. But overall, the truck runs (and stops) just as it is supposed to.

All that said, I guess I'm adding brake lines to the list.

Can you say bucket list?



John :-X06

If you're implying that the list will not be completed before I am dead... yeah, that sounds about right. :D

After just doing my front pads my old rubber lines are sketchy at best. Where or who do you get your metal lines through?

No sir, not at all, Bucket list is a fairly new term for a list of things to do. ;)


John :-X06

2X Orich! Holy Cow TQ! I can see the 1st hard panic stop bursting fluid out where that rusted metal collar meets the rubber hose. We'd like to see ya sticking around ABOVE ground. Please change these ASAP. Check all metal lines also for rust.

Check with Inlinee Tube. See if they got 'em.

Tech Support 586. 532. 1338

www.Inlinetube.com

I think I just narrowly avoided disaster.

Daughter was pulling in the driveway and says, casually, "Daddy, the engine is smoking a little."

Of course, I was yelling, "TURN IT OFF!"

Steam comes billowing out the grill, and I think she's burned it up for sure. After it quiets down and I've pushed the truck up into my driveway, I take a look, and it seems she didn't run the coolant all out. The oil is still amber. I think Harriet will live to ride again.

It seems the little pin-hole I noticed last week was really the start of a 2 inch crack in the leading edge of the radiator, where the metal is turned up. I washed it off, scrubbed it, cleaned it, dried it, and slathered the whole area with JB Weld.

Going to give it at least 15 hours to cure before re-filling and starting her up again.

OK, so brake hoses are at the top of the list.

I will say brakes were part of the check-out I had a mechanic do when I first bought her, so I wasn't worried about them. But I trust y'all's judgment.

A patch will only let you down when you really need it not to leak.
As most guys forget about the leak once it's stopped.

Then one fine day you go fishing or hunting and go a number of miles from home or into woods getting wood is when the old patch comes lose and this went you burn up the motor.

Well then having a patched rad. only run with the cap loose on the first catch safety cam tooth if not it will build up pressure and leak..

Put it on the list of getting the top tank fixed..
I don't think the rad shop repairman will like to see that on the rad tho!
And may not even try to repair it. Just want to sell you a new one.

Orich

Orich's pessimism aside, any suggestions on any further steps I should take with regard to the radiator?

The hole-turned-crack was very near the top of the radiator, which is why it wasn't really noticeable. I think we lost fluid mostly as vapor when the engine was at operating temps - there was never a green puddle under the truck.

I wire-brushed and sanded around the crack to get good adhesion with the JB Weld, and it appeared to me that the radiator is copper. Is that right?

While I feel good about the patch (again, despite the dire predictions), would adding one of the stop-leak additives be worthwhile? Do they work at all?

Is there a better DIY repair than JB Weld? Currently, I don't know how to weld, so that's not on the table. Taking a class in November, though.

The good thing about this truck is that it is unlikely to ever leave the city limits. So, it's not going to strand anyone in the woods or boonies. That said, I do want it to not break down if at all possible.

I would only use one of the stop leak products as a last resort to get home. They can clog up the water channels and other areas of coolant flow. They are not designed to fix, but to get you home or to a shop and then be flushed from the system.

That answers that question. Thank you, sir.

I've seen Saw black pepper as home fix its.
Only the tubes our copper, the upper & lower header plates a long with the upper tank & lower tank our all brass. That are all SOLDER together..

The basic home fix it guys generally will end up still need to have a shop fix it.
It looks ez to solder but it takes a while to be skilled enough to re-solder the top tank & header back together with no leaks.

Repairing a cracked header plate most shops won't even mess with the only real fix is record it. Or buy a new one..
orich

Brass. That makes sense, and now that you say it, the color was more brassy than copper. Brass just didn't occur to me.

Solder, eh? Well, to solder this, even if I thought I were capable, which I do not, I would have to take the radiator out and flip it upside down. The crack faces the ground. So, it's JB Weld for now - passed it's first pressure test this evening - and if it starts leaking again, a shop or a replacement.

As it turns out, the coolant was much lower than I thought. Not sure if I didn't put enough in after the temp sending unit incident (most likely) or if it's leaked more than we thought (can't see how, or we'd have seen the green on the ground).

Well, I meant saw dust. And even to this day saw dust mixture is used as a stop leak.
As saw dust won't settle in to lower part of the block like all the Alum- seal & copper powder crap. That is the worse stuff to use as it builds up in between cylinder.

As I used some when only needed in a pinch to get by until I could get the rad fixed.

Years later, I was replacing all the freeze and found all that Aluma-seal packed between the cyl.
I had to use a coat hanger hook to pull it out that stuff from between each cyl.
Then air/jet high pressure water blaster think, I made up to get it all removed.

So try don't use any of the metal powder shxt..
Orich

Try calling a local welding shop. They can prolly Brass weld the split with rad still installed. Oh, and by the way, from your pics of the original shocks I suggest you invest in a nut splitting tool. I had one when I lived back in Ohio (rust belt).

The edge of the header tank can't be brazed as it will make it lose all the solder on the seem of the top tank & upper header platea & tubes.

I had a shop keep repairing my old C/S Supper cool Rad like every 4-5 yrs
at the cost from $45 to $100 bucks every time until I had it record.

They would fold a piece of brass into an L shape and soldered in place over the split header seam..

This one of the problems with the c/s supper cool rad the top tank and header is to wide and it flexes until it becomes weak & splits..

I been down the road for like 15 yrs of keep repairing my old rad..

Orich