Did a little more chopping on The Train...

 

on my 85--put a battery, drivers interior door handle and oh yeah- - she moved for the first time in 6 months. then I had to get inspection and registration . but w the 92 down she came thru like always

 

Found the maintenance records on the '85 F150 Lariat w/a 351W HO I bought last week as a parts truck - the one w/the frozen oil pump. The original owner changed the oil, and presumably the filter, every 2,500 to 3,000 miles for the first 112k miles. But, at that point a rebuilt engine was installed by Midwestern Engine Rebuilders and the radiator rodded out for total of $2,400. That was when the guy I bought it from acquired it, and no records were kept from then on. But, the truck only has another 30k miles.

Brings up lots of questions, like what happened to cause the engine to fail, but my guess is overheating given the rodded radiator which shows on the ticket. And, btw, that is the thinnest radiator I've seen in a pickup - esp one w/the HO engine, auto, and air. And, it is aluminum - did Ford use them in '85? Further, this causes me to question what cam is in it, as I don't see anything unusual on the ticket that would suggest an HO cam was put back.

So, 'tis going to be interesting when I get the engine on the stand and pull the pan to see what the bottom end looks like. At 32k miles one would expect good bearings, but then what caused the oil pump to seize and how lingering was its death? Similarly, what do the cylinders look like and how much wear do they show - on top of what was probably a .030" overbore? The plot, along with the oil, thickens.

 

Been having a lot of vibration in first when I start off. Checked all the easy stuff before I decided to dive into the clutch. It's a Burte Force with 2500 miles on it. I didn't know they weren't made in USA any more.

I replaced it today with a for sure, made in the USA, Hays Super Truck clutch. Problem solved and boy is that a smooooooth clutch!

 

Installed a slider in the Dumpster today.

 

Poked around under the hood for a while, finally **** canned the charcoal canister that wasn't actually connected to anything.

Also noticed that the end of the rubber fuel line between the pump and the frame hardline was starting to crack severely. Trimmed it back past the damaged area. Glad I saw it now, and not after a fire.

 

All the hose, in fact all the hoseS, are surely the same age - old. On both my truck awa my Dad's I've had to replace all the rubber fuel lines as they were porous and leaking in many places. Do yourself a favor and replace the hose in question and check out all of the others.

 

Replaced the belts on Dad's truck, along with the return hose for the power steering. Filled the pump with fluid, and went to bleed the air out of the steering system. Jack under each I-beam, start engine, and turn wheels back and forth. Discovered I installed the seal incorrectly.......
On the other hand, the area that was just welded on the frame now has a good coat of oil covering it, so it shouldn't rust.......

Pulled the column out, and pulled out the seal, confirming it was a bonehead installation error. Put it in backwards. Lemme tell ya, that seal was just a bit easier to get to when the gearbox was laying on the driveway......

Damaged the seal slightly getting it out, so I will get another tuesday, when the parts stores reopen. At least it was only a $10 mistake. While there's always a chance it would hold, I'd rather not chance it.

 

All the rubber fuel line is practically new- I replaced the pieces connecting the hard lines to the tank and pump less than 4 yrs ago when I got the truck running. The rest of the hose is from less than a year ago when I swapped to a 4bbl.
Both rad hoses, all heater hoses, both belts, and even the one vac hose I need for the distributor and the PCV/Breather hoses are less than 3 yrs old also.

 

My mistake. I assumed, and ........ Anyway, good job!

 

Found a parts store that was not only open, but actually had the seal kit in stock, so I went and picked it up. Might not get around to installing it for a couple days, but when I'm ready, I have it.
Did have to drive about 20 miles round trip, but no biggie.....

 

Ray's driving further than that to pick up an A/C compressor. Oh, guess I'd better leave that to him as this thread is "What have you done to YOUR truck today".

 

If it weren't so derned hot, I'd go put the seal in and reinstall the steering column. I'm supposed to be going out to the ex's mother's house to watch the kids send over $500 worth of fireworks into the air. I'd LOVE to see the look on that old bitties face with me driving up in the "Green Monster"....
Surprisingly, she has told my daughter that she could have the 86 XLT supercab that her husband bought new and drove till it dropped (about 175K) due to the rear main seal dumping out all the oil. He died shortly thereafter, and the truck has sat for over 10 years now.
The reason she will allow my daughter to have the truck, even as bad as she hates me, she does know I can make it run again.......
That, and senility has allowed her to *occassionally* forget that she hates me. LOL.

 

Wow, 27 hours and no post. Guess RW's last post was a hard act to follow.

I finally got the HO engine out of the '85 Lariat (parts truck #2) today. Will get it on the stand and the pan pulled off hopefully tomorrow. Anxious to see whether the oil pump failure was lingering or abrupt. The bottom end should tell the tale.

 

Hope you find nothing bad inside that HO.

I wish I has access to an A/C shop closer, I still need to get the seal kit installed and reinstall the column. I did go dig out my little 10" fan and get it all cleaned up and oiled, working great. Unfortunately, it will still be hot air that it's blowing when I set it up in the truck to perfom this work......