I have a '91 F350 Custom 2wd crew cab that was my dad's. It has a 5.8 and automatic. I'm trying to sort out it's problems and decide if it's a keeper or a donor. I'm OK with putting a few hundred dollars into it but I don't want it to run into thousands of dollars. Any thoughts on what I should do with this beast that is setting in my driveway?

The pros:
It starts and runs pretty good
It passes safety and emissions
It's registered and insured
Body is in pretty good shape, no cab rust and just a little bed rust
10.5 mpg on the fillup this morning
Custom trim level, Not many thing to go wrong
Dents and scratches are beauty marks :-)

The cons:
Custom trim level, It's a truck with no creature comforts
6.5 mpg on the previous few tanks
It was a former fleet vehicle, original color M6284 school bus yellow, it has been repainted white
Front fuel tank not working
Speedometer has rolled over at least once
Needs cleaning and lots of neglected maintenance
Needs body work and paint
Lots of TLC
AM Radio that doesn't work
leaking fluids everytime I park it. "I know it's not leaking, it's just marking it's territory"

Punch List;
done 5/95 - New Starter
done 7/10 - New battery
done 7/11 - Replaced windshield, needed to pass safety inspection
done 8/12 - New starter soleniod
done 9/12 - Changed tire pressure from 35 to 60 psi, will probably go to 80 psi soon
done 9/12 - Changed oil, oil in the motor looked like something fresh out of the ground
done 9/12 - Changed air filter, it needed it badly
done 10/2/12 - fix leaking transmission
service transmission
check engine compression
service brakes, I sometimes hear one of them dragging
change oil again soon
replace oil pan plug because it's dripping
replace all the filters I can find
ABS light on all the time
fix front fuel tank
body work and paint
replace dried out rubber stuff

Any other thoughts for my punch list?

So after that long winded intro here is my question;

Last night I was checking out the leaks and discovered the bolt on the back end of the transmission pan can't be tightened. I took it out and the threads are fine. I swapped in another bolt and it wouldn't tighten either. So does that hole need a different sized bolt or that hole stripped? If is stripped any ideas to fix it?

Thanks in Advance,

Rod S in Utah
'91 F350 Custom 2wd Crew Cab "The Beast"
'81 F150 Custom 2wd Explorer "The Beauty"
'53 F100 50th Anniversary "my high school beater - gone but not forgotten"

 

Checked this problem out again this morning. I'm finding metel shavings in the hole. I'm thinking this hole is stripped. It's dripping about a drop per minute, making big puddles. Is the trany an aluminium case? Would something like a Heli-Coil work on it?

 

yes, its aluminum. A bigger bolt or a helicoil should take care of it.

 

Thanks bashby, I was hoping for that answer. In a fight between an aluminum trany case and a steel bolt the bolt will win every time. My guess is don't over troque the bolts. I ain't done Heli-Coil before but it don't sound to tuff, I hope.

The Transmission code on the door is E
That looks like an E4OD. Would that be correct for the engine and model and year?

Also don't you just love the guys that post stuff before they search. Here are a link that will probably help me.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...olt-holes.html

 

I followed the advise of Casey and Clubwagon on the link I posted earlier today. Spent a few hours gathering parts and watching a couple of You Tube videos on Heli-Coils. Just finished up and I think the problem is solved. I'm going to top off the trany fluid tomorrow and monitor for several days.

Thanks Everyone,