While waiting for the carb kit to arrive, I put in new battery cables and puttered around with a few other things:

Cables: Being a CS, did they come stock with 2 battery trays? Mine has 2, both look factory, and the existing worthless battery (thank you, PO; you said it was "newer") was in the tray on the driver's side, with (-) post running to a big switch also bolted to the inner fender. Another jumper ran from the switch to the AC compressor for ground. The (+) was a skinny wire that ran across the top of the radiator to the solenoid. _hit-canned these ghetto cables for new ones over on the Pass side tray.

Spark Plugs: What is the correct Autolite # and gap? I pulled one plug from each bank, Autolite 45. They looked OK (dark brown but not oily, clean, figured the running on choke probably darkened them up), but by my calibrated eyeballs the GAP was easily .050, maybe more! Is this anywhere near correct?

Factory AC: How likely is it that it will still work, and can I remove it and leave the heater intact? The main fan switch on the dash works, but all the other slide controls are frozen in place. I didn't try to budge them. But the truth of it is I won't be using the AC, and would rather remove it just for simplicity. Is the heater core contained within the big underdash assembly, or can I remove that big assembly and maybe replace it with a heater box from a non-AC truck? Any market value for the original factory AC components?

Front shocks: Can I change them by just removeing the front wheels? This seems almost like a dumb question to me, but I'm wondering if I'll need air tools, or have to remove an inner fender or something. Right now they're non-existant, I can't WAIT to drive it home on those. Front end bounces for a minute after I stop leaning against it.

 

I973: First year dual batteries were available (as an option). Your setup was likely installed by an RV dealer.

Factory A/C: I'm sorry to inform you that your A/C/Heater control panel is probably history. There's no EZ fix for it, if there's a fix at all. There are none of these panels available NOS.

The levers attach to the housing using plastic bushings that are pressed into the metal housing, the damn things crack apart. Ford never offered replacements, the entire panel had to be replaced.

If the levers are stuck, you might try squirting WD-40, but to get at those fracatta bushings, the panel has to be removed.

Factory installed integral A/C is combined with the heater. How can you separate the heater from the A/C and still have a heater? You can't.

Your only option is to find a 1968/72 w/a heater (1967 is 1967 only), then swap it in place of the A/C/Heater combo.

 

If you are just interested in heater controls, here is a new looking one here. I don't know how this will work for you seeing that you also have A/C, but I'm sure someone here will know.

 

Another confusing ebay ad. Seller calls it a control panel, then a switch, then a panel again, says it's for a 1972 F150, then sez if fits all 1968/72 F series trucks.

This used heater control panel is C8TZ-18549-A = 1968/72 F100/750.

 

Plug gap is .034/.035, 50 is too much unless it has a hotter, later model electronic ignition (Duraspark, etc.) and hotter coil.
All I had to do on my front shocks was raise and block the frame on each side, remove wheel/tire, and replace the shock. I had to use the 4-inch grinder to get the top nut off the shock...they were way gone/rusted/solid...but that was easy enough. Took me about 30 minutes for each wheel, not including jacking and wheel removal time...but I am slow and methodical.

 

Very good. I'll re-gap the plugs before I try to re-fire it up, and put new shocks on at my leisure when I get it home. I'm used to only pulling (6) plugs, all on one side; more work now!

 

I looked at that control on ebay, and also the entire heater box being sold by the same seller. Tempting to think of just swapping my integral AC-heat apparatus to just plain-ol' heat, but.....


Isn't the heater-AC control on my truck just an analog/mechanical contraption, similar to the one in the auction? If so, can't I pull the control assembly and de-corrode and lube it up so the levers operate again?

And if the AC and heater are seperate systems, can't I just dig in and replace the heater core and restore the function of the flaps/diverters, etc, so that the heat functions but not AC?

 

If the plastic bushings that retain the levers to the metal housing are OK, that's just ducky. But if they have cracked apart, you're up **** creek without a paddle, because the bushings were never available and AFAIK, there's no fixum.

The heater core used with factory A/C is not the same as used with a heater and dealer installed A/C. Very few of the parts interchange. Even the cable controlled heater water valve is different, and it's under the hood.

When you take a look-see behind the dash at all the parts that make up this Factory A/C system, you may have apoplexy, cuz it's a confusing mish-mash.

 

What I MEANT to say was:

I understand that the AC/Heat are not "seperate" in that they are housed in the same housing and share a control panel, but my aim would be to restore the function of the heater "side" of that housing and leave the AC side alone. If there is a heater core in there (and it's useable OR replaceable), and ducted fan air blows across it, and there is a blower motor that works (already tried the blower switch and something turns on), then I should be able to resurrect the heat. No?

 

I don't know, because this scenario never arose when I was a parts guy.

The parts were available, most dealers would not do half-assed repairs, as this could lead to problems arising from warranty issues on the replaced parts if a new problem cropped during the warranty period for parts that were not replaced.

The original warranty on parts and labor was 90 days or 4,000 miles, then in the 1990's was one year or 12,000 miles. What it is today, I dunno.