Getting "little girl giggly" close to having this thing road ready. Have a few more wires to pull between the cab and the new bed and connecting the fuel filler necks: Here-in lies my problem.

As you can see in the above pictures, the flatbed has 2 fuel fillers built into the bed. The rear one lines right up and I was able to re-use the stock filler neck. The front one, however does not. The 1970's front tank (which this bed was designed to) fills in the front of the tank, whereas the 80's front tank fills in the back. Moral of the story is, I have to "create" a custom filler next that has 2 relatively short radius 90* turns in it, and also does not look like a "hack job."

I checked out the autoparts stores thinking MAYBE I could get by using some pre-bent radiator hose since thats what the stock filler necks look to be made of. The auto parts guys thought this was a bad idea. The DO have filler neck material. Its about $2 per inch and is too ridged to make the tight radius bends that I need to make with out "kinking."

Anyone ever run into this? Anyone ever use radiator hose successfully? Any other ideas?

 

A guy at work suggested having an exhaust shop bend up some 2" exhaust pipe and then just use the rubber fuel neck material as a connector. Only problem I see there is getting that piece bent to the proper dimensions with tight enough radius's in the bends. Exhaust is not meant to have tight bends.

 

Marine fuel hose is available corrugated with a wire reinforcement.
It won't kink.

Here's one example; http://www.tridentmarine.com/stage/d...ationSheet.pdf

 

Thanks! The auto store DID have filler line that was "corrugated" like that and would bend properly. (still not as easily as I would have liked, though) The problem I saw with that was it wanted to go back to straight. It was difficult to hold it in the right configuration.

Oh, that was also the stuff that was like $2 per INCH. Crazy. I need about 36"

I will check at a marine service place though after work today to see what they have or suggest.

 

I didn't look to see you were in North Dakota.
Around here marina's are common and the yard workers are friendly.

Boats die from neglect, accidents, unpaid storage fees.
They'll often let me scavenge some little thing like that before the excavator chews it up and throws it in the dumpster.
Usually they are only after the electronics, mechanicals and scrap metal.
OR, If they really like you some new material might just 'fall off the truck'

ANYTHING for a boat costs 3x what it should.

 

Well, I ended up going to the local salvage yard and robbing 5 vehicles of their filler necks and cutting them up to get the bends I needed. Actually turned out better than I thought. Just no way to do it with ridged pipe from the autoparts stores, and the marine hose was actually MORE ridged and steel belted.

To bring this thread to a close, since it was all about getting the truck back on the road... We will make our maiden voyage to work tomorrow morning.

-Started with a non running, towed off the farm, truck
-new 750 cfm Edelbrock carb and fuel regulator
-new plugs and wires,
-cleaned up a bunch of "farmer wiring"
-Eliminated a bunch of unnecessary vacuum system
-new rear tank
-both new fuel pumps
-new fuel selector switch
-nasty burned rusty flatbed from 70's era ford
-custom routed filler necks
-LED running lights and tail lights
-forward and rear spot lights
-chrome rear bumper (stolen from my father-in-laws 78 F150)
-Class 5 receiver hitch
-new rear shocks
-new single exhaust system from "Y" pipe back
-Chrome rims and 245/75/16 tires

man... sounds like alot when you add it all up, but still worth three times what I have into it considering I basically got the truck free....

Here it is as it came out of the shop tonight. Dirty, but ready to rock!!

 

Looks great. Hope it runs out as good as it's looking.

 

Thanks. Made it to work this morning with it. Good thing I replaced the wiper blades! March thunder storm. Quite out of place this time of year for ND. Some of our worst blizzards are in march and april.

 

Hey guys. Been driving the crap out of this truck lately. Per 'er through the paces the other day too. Moved some dirt and so I pulled a bobcat trailer w/ cat as well as quite a few loads of dirt with the dump trailer. Was probably pushing 13,000 to 14,000 lbs loaded (GVW)!
Pulled well, but with the 3.53 gears in the back, starting out was a bit tough.

Anyway, I have another question for you guys. The truck is missing the flywheel cover on the front of the bell housing. It is specific to the 460 w/ the manual trans. I found one at the salvage yard, but the motor and trans has to be split to get it out (or so it appears). Does anyone know where I can buy one? I was not able to split the motor and trans in the salvage yard myself with the truck laying on the ground with the wheels off and the yard is not real fond of the work involved in pulling a blown motor and trans just for a $10 piece of sheet metal.

what to do? anyone have one or run into a better solution for this?

 

The spacer goes on before the flywheel is installed.
Not having it allows crap in at the bottom of the bell housing and affects the engagement depth of the starter too.

I don't know of any available in the aftermarket.

 

You need what was once referred to as:

E3TZ-7007-C PLATE ASSY. (ENGINE REAR) Fits 1983/87 F250/350 w/460 engine. Identified by markings: E3TE 6A373-AA

Apparently that number has been superseded with something else, I shall ping ND....

 

E8TZ-7007-A (replaced E3TZ-7007-C) .. Engine Rear Cover Plate / No one has this either.

Applications: 1983/97 F250/350 & F(Super Duty) 460 (7.5L).

The MSRP & dealer net prices are listed on the Ford Dealer Parts Locator System, but there's no PDC status for it, so it's either on D99 backorder or obsolete.

I have no way to find out if it's on backorder since Ed has gone. I suppose I could call Horizon and ask, but that's not my job. 'Course, none of this other jazz is either, but there's a limit on how much free info I'll pass along.

So, someone will have to contact a dealer and ask.

 

Crap! Thanks for the info! I just cant believe the design for a simple flywheel cover. I guess to me, the point of that cover for most vehicles is that it is (to some extent) an inspection point. The fact that you have to split the motor and trans to remove the plate seems crazy.

more investigation to come....

 

It's more than just a flywheel cover; it's also used by the starter motor and is something of a shim between the engine & transmission.

It's the 7007 in the picture:

 

whats not the right transmission and thus not the right flywheel cover. I just took the truck in to get a windshield put in, so I cant grab a photo, but the bellhousing is not round at the bottom, its slanted towards the back of the truck.

I do think its very similar installation and use as what you have posted above.