rich, lean, thermo, purring
 

Well, the truck always sort of ran before I did the thermostat. I could drive it to work, and it'd drive OK after a few miles and immediately after startup (running on the choke). But in between, it would just run like hell off-idle, and stink worse. Sputtering and bucking with no power. When warm, if I wailed on it shortly before shutting it down (there's this great little stretch of road by my place) it'd diesel.

Then I changed the thermostat, and it ran crappy. Just crappy, all the time. So I figured it had always been on the choke a little bit, and jacked the mixture screw out a half turn. Well that smoothed it out quite a bit. But I burned a half tank in a day and a half, and it smelled horrible. Raw gas in the air. And it didn't run very well. No power.

So I cranked the mixture screw back in one night- but this time without the benefit of a screwdriver and light. It'd been idling for a while already. I knew about where it was, and so I just reached in from behind the hood and by feel (that carb is COLD when it's running) found it. I guess it's back in a half turn or more. Sounded better just idling there, and eventually the choking fumes dissipated.

I think there was a carbon buildup in the head from running cold for so long.

The truck has never run better. I looked at the speedo on the highway the other day, and I was going about 75 without strain on a stock carb & log manifold. The 5 mile stumble is now about 30 seconds worth, and then the truck just purrs around, has adequate power and burns ALOT less gas. Might be a hitch lean, but I don't think I care at this point. The YF is getting dumped soon, and so are the Autolite plugs. If it is a hitch lean, that'll help burn the carbon out of the head.

I got a new set of Gas Magnum shocks to put on, and a set of EFI manifolds arriving on Monday. I got alot of work to go, but it'll get there. I'm totally drooling over this guy's interior:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...74-hi-boy.html

EFI manifolds acquired today. Took long enough. They're painted. A little pitted, the mating surfaces aren't totally smooth, but they'll do just fine. Nothing a good gasket can't fix.

The timeline, for those who like drama:

Mon, 20 NOV. UPS attempts delivery at my apartment. I'm at work. Call UPS, have redirected to rental office.
Tue, 21 NOV. Rental office refuses to sign for package. (!)
Wed, 22 NOV. Call early in morning, have package redirected to apartment. I'm home all day. Redelivery attempted at Rental Office. (!) Call UPS in evening, very helpful service rep named Chris Hodgins calms irate customer and arranges for package to be held at depot in Chantilly (10 mi away).
Thu, 23 NOV. Thanksgiving!
Sat, 25 NOV. Weekend!
Mon, 27 NOV. Drive to Chantilly. Package is already on the truck. Irate customer calls UPS. Apolagetic, but unsympathetic and untrusting service rep tells me I never called on Wedesday (and never talked to someone named Chris Hodgins). (F!!!!!) I roar off to work in my unmuffled F100.
Mon, 27 NOV, 6PM. I hear the diesel klatter of the UPS truck over my TV. I throw on shoes, untied, grab my ID and keys, and BLAST out of the building around the complex. I find the truck at the far end, near the main road, backing up to another truck. They start tossing packages between them, emptying one truck. I ask if they've got anything for my address. After a few minutes, nope, they don't. I wait around anyway, and tie my shoes on the bumper of an S-10 (they're good for something, right?). Eventually, I'm cold and they're ready to leave. They've got nothing again, but say I can go to Chantilly. I explain additionaly that it was scheduled to go to the rental office one day, with a different address. They guy dissapears for a second. "Whats your last name again?" xxxxxx, I say. "You got any ID on you?" "Yes sir, I sure do". Beep-beep-beep, I sign for it, and run trot back to my apartment with the package over my shoulder and open another beer.

And I don't have to miss Prison Break to drive to Chantilly in rush hour. Happy happy joy joy!

Whats with UPS lately? I have been having similiar problems with them myself, real pain in the rear end.

I can see why your drooling, that interior looks amazing. Are those seats out of an 06' Lariat? I'm looking forward to doing some similiar work on my truck. I have the 99 4.2L V6 with a 5 Speed. So what I'm thinking about doing is getting the seats and center console out of the same series Expedition. Place a new boot on the shifter so it forms well with the console, maybe even put an entirely new shifter. I'd also like to put in an overhead console, change my bumper valance to the 4x4 version and install the fog lights. Maybe if I can find the correct parts, install power windows and doors. I would defenitly be shopping for new door panels if I did that, no cutting and puddying, that's a waste of time.

- Chris

'03 Lariat on the seats, I think. Cost him $540. It's in the early posts on that thread. The Lariat seats look great; that truck looks like a custom out of Hot Rod Magazine.

I like the way the bench seat fits me, though. My neighbor has an 05 King Ranch F150, and while the seats are nice, they don't fit me. I'm 6'2" with a 32" inseam, and always feel hunched over in bucket seats.

I like the two-tone job he's done on the high-boy. My truck is black with black on black interior and tons of chrome. I've been thinking of a different color scheme. I'd repaint the bottom of the truck cream or tan, below the trimline where it's easy to mask and paint, and then change the carpet and seat color in the interior to tan as well.

Fog lights are a definate for me, with relays all around in the harness. I hate the stock pencil-beams. Center console is a nice touch; so is the overhead console.

Maybe a light charcoal color? Then have a fire pinstripe down the side, that would look really awesome with chrome.

- Chris

Looking at the pictures of that truck, it looks like something that belongs in a museum. He shouldn't be allowed to drive it, lol.

I really love his color selection, those colors go together so well. I also like how he painted the engine to match the rest of the truck, it's just perfect. Ontop of it all he's using that good old Motorcraft oil filter :-X22

:-drink This only makes me want to have an older truck to rebuild even more!

- Chris

Wow, I'm jumping in here kinda late lol.

major props to you BB88 for getting your truck running right. I like the timeline, when do you think you'll have the manifolds in? And are you doing the walker down-pipe or fabing your own creation. . .true duals?

TC, there are quite a few old Ford trucks for sale in the Trading Post. . .and they have some nice prices }>

If I had the money and the time to invest...

Just curious, in 74' did they come with headliners or was it all metal inside? <DREAMING>

- Chris

Tomcat- I think the 74 had a headliner; they guy said he used the old fiberboard as a template.

FrankenTruck- I think I'm gonna do the Walker downpipe, but I'm not quite sure. I need a cat for visual inspection, which makes the Walker a nice choice. I've already got a 2.5" turbo muffler and tailpie that I was going to put on my little red Mazda, and they test fitted just fine on the F100. I can install the entire setup in my friends garage.

Now there's an exhaust shop down the street that was recommended to me for custom work, and I should talk to them. Dual 1.75" pipes with two glasspacks each would be saweeeet. 1.75 is all you get out of the EFI manifolds.