Newbie here!
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New User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 7
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From: Oregon
Newbie here!
Hi folks. I bought a 72 F250 last year and absolutely love her! See my avatar. http://images.ford-trucks.com/forums.../happy0161.gif
She needs a few things... vacuum brake booster, electronics (the following don't work; gas gauge, wipers, radio, interior lights, fan, the headlights can't decide which one wants to work at any given moment), she needs new seats and minor body work. Right now she takes my crap to the dump and the dogs for a ride, but I wanna take her to work with me!
My goal this month is to replace the vac boost on the brakes and get the gas gauge (i.e. electrical components) working. That way she'll stop AND go at any time. Goals for the rest of the year are disc brakes, at least in the front, body work on the doors so that the "camper" mirrors don't flop, re-mount the windshield mirror and get a new seat that dosen't have springs poking me in the butt.
I'm no gear head, but I can do minor work on her, so I'm hoping some of you folks can give me a clue as to what to do and how to do it. I have tools, a garage and a passion for my ride. So, be gentle and guide me along and I'll give you all the credit!
Thanks to you all!!
Barabbas
She needs a few things... vacuum brake booster, electronics (the following don't work; gas gauge, wipers, radio, interior lights, fan, the headlights can't decide which one wants to work at any given moment), she needs new seats and minor body work. Right now she takes my crap to the dump and the dogs for a ride, but I wanna take her to work with me!
My goal this month is to replace the vac boost on the brakes and get the gas gauge (i.e. electrical components) working. That way she'll stop AND go at any time. Goals for the rest of the year are disc brakes, at least in the front, body work on the doors so that the "camper" mirrors don't flop, re-mount the windshield mirror and get a new seat that dosen't have springs poking me in the butt.
I'm no gear head, but I can do minor work on her, so I'm hoping some of you folks can give me a clue as to what to do and how to do it. I have tools, a garage and a passion for my ride. So, be gentle and guide me along and I'll give you all the credit!
Thanks to you all!!
Barabbas
Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 218
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From: High Desert of Oregon
Welcome aboard; as a pretty new member myself, I've found it helpful to use the search function and look for key words to see if there are already threads for certain subject as a starting point. There is a lot of history in the forums. Vac booster should be a pretty easy job; I mean, there's nothing hidden or hard to get to. Gauges? Yuck. I hate all problems electrical but somebody here is bound to have troubleshooting hints.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 473
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From: SW Florida
The wiring issues are hard to get away from on something this old. A number of years of bad repairs and the effects of the harness aging and corrosion making everything have higher resistance makes the problems you can have just keep on and on. If you're planning on keeping it long term, think about making the plunge on a new wiring harness. It will change the whole personality of the truck if the harness is reliable and everything works.
You can of course spend time troubleshooting and patching the existing setup, but more than likely something will always be wrong, just because of the overall condition of what a 40 year old harness is.
You can of course spend time troubleshooting and patching the existing setup, but more than likely something will always be wrong, just because of the overall condition of what a 40 year old harness is.
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Joined: May 2011
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From: Oregon
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Thanks for the kind welcome guys!
So Jeff, where can I get a wiring harness? What is it? Is it the whole Maryann, wiring connectors and everything, or just a "central nervous system" for the truck? Should I start by ripping all the old wiring out and labeling everything, using a Chilton's for the scheme to wire it right? I don't know how to go about it...
So Jeff, where can I get a wiring harness? What is it? Is it the whole Maryann, wiring connectors and everything, or just a "central nervous system" for the truck? Should I start by ripping all the old wiring out and labeling everything, using a Chilton's for the scheme to wire it right? I don't know how to go about it...
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New User
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From: Oregon
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New User
Joined: May 2011
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From: Oregon
Newbie
Also, someone said in another post that the interior of newer trucks would fit and work well in my old gal. That would be nice.
Hey Talltruck, I saw your '70 F100. Looking good! I like the chopped bed. How hard was that to pull off? And are those Cragar SS mags? Very nice!
Hey Talltruck, I saw your '70 F100. Looking good! I like the chopped bed. How hard was that to pull off? And are those Cragar SS mags? Very nice!
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