What a pretty helper! Grand daughter?

 

Now it was back behind the fence to install the EFI system. The front fuel pump quit naturally, so I had to order a replacement from Archion. I could not find the original fuel lines to the engine or the fuel filter mount, so Mtnplow sent me the extra stuff he wasn't going to use. FTE is great! Rather than swap the entire engine, I opted to just change the top end. So a few days of heavy lifting later it was done. I cheated, and used a board an one side at a time to set first the old head and then the new one on and another board on top of the radiator to sit on.

 

Sort of, I made her grandfather a promise that I would take care of her mother and siblings when he was dying of cancer, you know, one Marine to another. She has called me "grandpa Bill" since she learned to talk. She was 14 when that picture was taken, turned 15 December 27th. BTW, she loves doing this stuff.

 

Gotcha. Must be the gentleman Archion was talking about, and maybe you as well, that passed away recently. Good to know there are people like you around, Bill.

 

After getting the EFI system running, I had to change the transmission. I had not been able to find a cable shifter C6 in a junkyard and the factory stuff is all NLA. So I had done a "field expedient" fix in order to be able to move the truck till I got the EFI system so I could use the E4OD. It isn't pretty, but it worked.

I thought I had a bad rear seal, and it was going to stay that way for now, turns out it was the converter seal on the C6 that was leaking.

 

Kaitlin helped me again on the transmission change, unfortunately I didn't get too many pictures as both of us were greasy, and just plain filthy I do have a Walker transmission jack so it wasn't totally a pain, just mostly. The front driveshaft section a friend had gotten me turned out to be quite a bit larger splines than the 86. End result, I had to have my front section shortened. For the uninformed, the E4OD is about 3" longer overall than a C6, but 7" longer to the mount.

I had to drill 6 1/2" holes in the frame, 2 on the lower side and 4 on the upper side. Ford puts the upper bolts in with out the cab installed, The E4OD sits far enough back that the rear upper bolts are no problem, the front ones I installed upside down, as it was that or holes in the floor.

You can see that I simply left the original bolts in place and put nuts on them. The tie wrap through the cable clip is to ensure it won't slip through. I think Ford used metal clips on some of them. The original lower bolt location is visible in the picture.

 

After getting the driveshaft cut and balanced and re installed, it was off to Auto Muffler King to have the system hooked up. Keven did a beautiful job using a flange from and old catalytic converter so the H pipe can be removed. A hanger purchased from Riff Raff Diesel and you can here yourself think again!

After that it was time to put the 160amp 3G alternator on. I had built the cables previously but had not installed it yet. I made the alternator end long enough so I could loop it and not have any strain on the terminals.

 

Wow Bill!
You've come quite a way.
Glad to see you are not trying to do it all alone.

Nothing is "cheating" when it comes time to pull those heads and intake.
That's some heavy iron there!

 

For people our age that is called "working smart".

 

I had been using a set of taillights similar to a Flareside on pieces of angle iron so the truck could be driven. One of the other items I had found was the rear running boards (bedside) had very flimsy rear supports that had been braced to the inner fenders. I decided that when they go back, they will be entirely attached to the frame.

I went to Hibbard's Iron Works, also called Hitch Headquarters, in Hampton and bought a piece of 1 1/2" square tubing long enough to span the frame out to the ends of the old angle.

 

The next major item now was to install the "new" bed. I thought I had all the correct bolts, so I got Kaitlin's father, Mike to drop by on his way home one afternoon, and with some assistance from a floor jack, we turned the bed over and set it on concrete blocks and boards. That's when I found that I had 6 center bolts and no end bolts, I also had 8 nuts since the come in packs of 4.

Off to Wynne Ford to order the 4 end bolts, 2 of each length. Ford is proud of those! At least they weren't made in China. Before I installed the bed, I wire brushed, sanded, primed and painted the back of the cab and front of the bed black.

Nice new Keystone Platinum series taillights and a $35 tailgate.

 

I have a desk plaque from the shipyard that says "Work Smarter not Harder".

 

Gary,
I didn't say it was "cheating". Bill called it that.

I've always heard the saying 'Using your brain instead of your back'

 

Last weekend was a three day weekend for Government employees and city schools, so Saturday afternoon, Mike, Kaitlin, John (good friend) and I played bed time for dually. The fragile fiberglass fenders aren't on yet. I had already put the taillights and wiring including the clearance light harnesses on.

 

No, the one who passed away recently was a fellow named Garry Wilkins, colon cancer at age 51. The grandfather died of Pancreatic cancer a number of years ago.