Some pics:

The one with the grandson didn't come out very well, too dark.....

 

Replaced the belts, PS return hose, and filled the PS with fluid. Jacked up the front with a pair of jacks, and started to bleed the air out of the system. Discovered a bonehead error. Installed the seal in the gearbox wrong.....
On the other hand, that area of the the frame which was just welded is now covered with a nice coat of oil, so it shouldn't rust......

Pulled the steering column, and removed the seal, confirming it was boneheaded install error. Damaged the seal slightly getting it out, so I will get another upper seal kit tuesday, when the stores reopen. No point in taking a chance on whether it will hold or not.

Lemme tell ya, that seal in MUCH easier to get to with the gearbox laying on the driveway. Not near as easy to do this thru the firewall, but still not too bad.
Oh well, it was only a $10 mistake. Plus, I can (hopefully) line the wheel up a bit better going back together this time around. Thankfully, I hadn't fastened the column back to the firewall yet.....

 

I went and picked up a new seal kit for the upper steering gear section. Got it installed, and loosely fitted the column back into place. Topped off the PS pump, raised the front wheels back off the ground, and proceeded to bleed the air out. Started with just a couple times back and forth with the wheels, and shut it down to top off the pump, and look for signs of leakage. Also letting the smoke clear from the last attempt, which resulted in lots of PS fluid on the exhaust.
Seems to be holding. Amazing how much better a seal works when it's installed correctly.......
I then proceeded to finish buttoning up the column, and found all but 2 of the screws that dad had left out when he replaced the flex coupler shortly before the truck was parked. No biggy, can get some later and put in pretty easy. He left it loose, planning to replace that pesky seal.
Couldn't drive it, since my buddy was out on his bike, so his truck was blocking the driveway. Did let the wheels down, and checked to make sure the PS was gonna work. Seems a bit stiffer than I remember, but it's been quite a while since I drove anything with the old style pump. Could just be my imagination.... It wasn't as stiff as the non power steering on the 95 B2300, just stiffer than my 80 F150.

 

I got it out for a short drive around town tonight. Power steering feels pretty good.
I didn't see any signs of leaks, which is always good.
Stopped by a parts store, and replaced the front turn/marker bulb, so both now work. Oddly enough, a single bulk bulb was gonna be $2, while a twin pack was only $3.50. Whatever happened to the bulk bulbs being much cheaper than the twin "bubble" packs? $2 for a single 1157? Man, I remember they were like $1 each not too long ago....... Sheesh, I'd hate to see what they wanted for an 1157A or 1157NA. Thankfully, dad converted to amber lenses up front years ago, by cutting the lens off the plastic housings for a 76/77 model......
Oh well, I've now got a spare. It's not like it can't be used somewhere, since I have several vehicles that use this same bulb......

Rant over, for now..... LOL.

 

Great to hear you're making some good progress. It's always nice to see dentsides get saved, and both of those in the pics are especially in good shape.

Keep on truckin!

 

Great job RW, I always keep spare bulbs in my toolbox, they tend to come in handy.

 

I've only got the 1 dentside, so I'm guessing you are refering to the 80 F150 also being in pretty good shape. I've owned that one for nearly 15 years. Was in good condition when I bought it, so it's just been kept up during it's time with me.

Dad's 74 was kept up for nearly the whole time he drove it. His health started going downhill, so the last couple years he wasn't able to do as much. Then it got parked and fully neglected. It wasn't a question of IF I would get my hands on it to bring it back up, but when. Took 3 years, but I finally got it just over a month ago.

Yeah, I usually keep spares around too. Used to buy them in the boxes of 10. Still have a couple 1156's, but was completely out of the 1157's.
Let me tell you, a box of 194's don't last long when you need to replace dash lights in a couple trucks, at the same time...... I think I used nearly a full box on the 95 B2300 between the dash lights and tag/marker/glovebox lights. It was a hungry critter when I got it.

 

Looks like you are make great progress on the truck Rogue. Are you getting close to taking your Dad out for a drive now?

On the subject of bulbs; lately I have been pulling them off the trucks in the boneyard when I stop buy. I grab the bulbs and an assortment of fuses at the same time. The counter guys just kind of shake their heads but I have pulled a large assortment of both for basically nothing. Yes I am being a cheapskate but like it seems like the price of both bulbs and blade fuses has really increased.

 

Not sure how long before I can take dad for a ride in it. I am supposed to go see him saturday, and while there, we're gonna go get a bite to eat.
I'm tempted to try driving it over there, but it's about 25 miles. The A/C needs recharged, and the temps are predicted to be at or above 100. That's a bit too warm for no A/C. Not to mention those 11+ year old rear tires....... And low brake pedal.... And swelled radiator hoses....

I'd really hate to chance going that far just yet, given all that could go wrong.

 

I went over to work on it a bit tonight, and she fought me a bit. I decided to check the points before firing it up. Gap wasn't right. After adjusting them, no fire. I fiddled with them for a while, and nothing seemed to help. Dug out an older set from the toolbox, installed them and just "eyeballed" the gap. Fired right up.
Drove to the car wash 2 blocks away to rinse off the frame, rear brake backing plate, and the outside just for kicks. Opened the hood and gave it a quick rinse, trying to avoid getting any water near the dist. Failed at that. Took a while to get it started back up. Somehow, the condensor was loose.
Got it back over to my buddies, and ran it at around 1500 RPM to build the battery back up. Lazy alt, doesn't charge well until around 1000 RPM. Shut it off after about 5-6 minutes of charging time, and the driver side exhaust manifold was glowing, near #6. I suspect the intake gasket is leaking. Dad swapped the DS head a few years back, and I know he did not pull the intake to do this. I've seen him do it too many times in the past, and since he performed the head swap solo, I seriously doubt he would have even attempted to lift that "2 men, and a boy" intake. He says it takes 3 men to lift it, but space limits the 3rd to being a small boy.....

I guess that just makes the plan to swap for a 4 bbl even more appealing. If it has to come off anyways, might as well shave a few LBS off too... Well, that's assuming I don't locate that iron 4 bbl intake dad swears he had.

I guess that about covers it for now.

 

Unbelievable luck today. A freind and fellow FTE member that's local sent me an alert about a new CL listing for headers listed to fit this application, NIB for $45. On a hunch, I pursued it. Turned out, the seller also had an edelbrock performer intake, like new.
Offered both to me for $120, and since we both happened to live on opposite sides of the city, offerd to meet somewhere in between. Turns out, he was heading to look at a vehicle less than 1/2 mile from dad's, and I already had made plans to have dinner with dad.
True to his word, the intake looks like new, aside from having been painted blue, and the headers were still in the box, though the box was a little faded. $120 was a bargain, so I didn't even hesitate. They are sitting about 6 ft behind me......

Headers may not go on for a while, but as the previous post mentions, the intake is likely going to need to come off soon, so the 4 bbl will go on along with the edelbrock 600, FPR & PSI guage I already have......

 

Wow, I cannot believe I haven't updated this thread in such a long time.
The extremely hot summer (100F+ in July and 110F+ in August) prevented me from really making a lot of headway on the truck. September brought cooler temps, but my attention was diverted to preparing for the SCCA RallyCross Nationals held in Tulsa Oct 7-9, which I managed to enter. Didn't finish high in the standings, and didn't really expect to, seeing as this was only my 4th ever event.
I did determine the ignition timing was extremely retarded, and was the cause of the exhaust getting so hot along with the massive stumble anytime the throttle was opened.
I have yet to swap the intake and carb, as the stock carb seems to be working ok for now. I will pursue getting the brakes back into tip-top shape before doing any additional tuning to the engine. No point making it run it's best, until after it can stop like it should.
Rear axle seals are needed, possibly axle bearings, and brake shoes. Will be getting on this within the next few days. Then, points and plug wires should have the engine running it's best. At that point, I'll start the intake/carb upgrade.

 

I was just thinking about your project the other day, wondering how it's going.
Thanks for the update.

 

Great project! all for the right reasons, can't wait to read more.

 

Thanks guys. This isn't just any "project". Most of the stuff I have left to do is fairly simple, and not too costly. Still, I won't be going too quickly. I hope to have the rear axle and brakes done in a couple weeks. Parts aren't that much, but I'm still catching back up on my utilities from the extreme summer weather.
This truck may never see a return to full "daily driver" duty, but it will be kept in shape to assume that duty anytime wanted/needed.......