Truck:<O</O
1969 F-100 LWB Styleside

<O</OI purchased the truck from a retired guy who began rebuilding this truck years ago with his son & has since lost the time & interest in completing it b/c he’s got other projects that he’s more involved with.

<O</OStarting point:<O</O
The truck has a really straight body (except for a bullet hole in the bed, which I plan on keeping) & decent original paint still.<O</O

There is very little rust (almost none) in the body as well. 2 spots on the driver side door & rocker panel, a couple of spots in the bed & some minimal rust (no complete holes at all) in the floor boards.

The previous owner began the EFI & AOD swap. The 5.0L EFI & AOD (plus wiring harness, computer, fuel tank, radiator, driveshaft, etc.) came out of a running 1990 Lincoln Town Car w/86K miles on it. I was informed by the previous owner that the intake gasket needs to be replaced but other than that it’s supposed to be in good shape.

It also came with the power disc brakes up front & power steering swaps already completed. The brakes seem to drag a little & there is a little slack in the steering wheel but all the components are there so I’ve got a good foundation to start my build on.

<O</O


Planned repairs/restoration:<O</O

• Clean & paint the engine bay<O</O
• Clean & complete a minor restoration of the interior
• Clean everything under the body<O</O
• Complete the EFI/AOD Swap<O</O
• Tune up brakes & steering components<O</O
• Drop the suspension 4”-5”<O</O
• White wall tires w/black stock rims & chrome “moonie” hub caps<O</O
• Leave the original paint (add lettering door graphics)<O</O
• Replace weather stripping & anti-rattle tailgate kit<O</O
• Replace windshield<O</O
• Add side mirrors & polish up all chrome/trim pieces<O</O

Below are photos of what I’m starting with & over the next few months (hopefully not years) I intend to update this thread with photos & info about the process.<O</O
<O</O
<OIf you're interested in reading an unabridged version of this project you can check out my blog at www.thenudnik.com</O
<O</O
<O
</OHere it is catching a ride home.
</O
</OMy truck is now sitting in it's new home for the next couple of months until I get it back on the road.
</O
</OThe previous owner started the EFI swap & fortunately for me, he labeled every connection on the wiring harness as he pulled it out. That's going to save me so much time.
</O<O</O
<O
</OThe interior is in pretty good shape. I'm going to reupholster the bench seat & polish up the dash but fortunately it's already been recovered so that saves me some time right there.
</O
</OAs you can see, the bed is in pretty good shape too. I have the bumper in the bed but it's pretty rough so I'm probably going to replace it at some point.</O
<O</O
My 1st step in the project is to pull the motor/tranny so I can clean & prep the engine bay & undercarriage for some fresh paint.</O
<O</O
Stay tuned as I keep y'all updated.</O

 

Subscribed.

'looks like yours and mine are on parallel tracks: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ide-build.html

My project is on hold right now due to an unexpected rental house remodel. But I got TONS of parts ready to go.... Next parts to buy is an EFI (MSD Atomic, E-Street, or FAST EZ-EFI).

 

This should be cool....keepin an eye on it

 

What he said...

 

I just finished reading your thread it's amazing how similar our builds really are. I'm definitely going to steal your electrolysis vat idea for my clean up.

The funny part about this all is the fact that I had to promise my wife I'd do some home repairs before I started my build so this weekend I'm putting wood floors down in the nursery. My build starts Monday when I go on vacation.

 

Yessiree... do the vat. It's takes very little capital but a bit of patience... it's like a science experiment every time I do a new part. After it comes out, ya gotta scrub the black oxide-looking stuff with a wire brush and either put it in a real dry, low humidity environment or hit it with primer. The new virgin metal will flash rust almost immediately. .. "new virgin" - that's funny.

I figure it's gonna be a new world record laying down that floor, right?

 

Haha! I mounted the flat screen to the wall last night & I laid down the flooring in the nursery today. Tomorrow morning I'm going to get up & put the finishing touches on it so I can head to the shop and start wrenching.

 

Project "Rat Rod Shop Truck" day 1 was a success. I got the front clip off, pulled the motor, cleaned the engine bay & prepped it for paint. I ran into a few issues but all in all it went fairly well. Since this is my first F-100, I never removed the motor and/or front clip before so it took me a little longer than it should have but I managed to have the front clip & motor pulled in 3.5 hours.



As you can see from the photo below, I found some significant rust damage under the battery tray.



I decided it needed to be repaired so I took a crack at my first patch panel. I've never done this type of metal work before & obviously my welding skills leave a lot to be desired. The sheet metal was really thin so I burned quite a few holes but managed to get it tacked in place.



As a part of the clean up process for the engine bay, I learned about a product from Jasco called Prep & Primer which supposedly neutralizes the rust & preps it for primer w/o having to grind it all away first.



I've never used it before & I did take a wire brush wheel to all of the surfaces beforehand but I'm told that after it soaks overnight, I can wipe it down & primer it all w/o fear of more rust happening down the road. I guess we'll find out in a few years. Hopefully when I get back to the shop tomorrow morning, it'll be ready for paint.



Tomorrow's goals are:

 

Today's Goals:

• Paint engine bay
• Sandblast & paint master cylinder
• Replace intake gasket
• Clean engine & prep for re-install
• Flush radiator
• Prep front clip for paint
• Develop strategy for fuel tank placement

So, how many of the things on this list happened? 2. Why only 2 do you ask? Because after I primered & painted the engine bay flat black, which turned out great.



And then sandblasted, primered & painted the master cylinder (flat black as well).




I started replacing the intake gasket (b/c the P/O told me it was on his list of repairs) & ran into my 1st of 2 obstacles for the day. When I pulled the intake, I discovered that a "dirt dobber" had built a nest on the underside of the intake. As I lifted the intake, I noticed a significant clump of dirt fall into 1 of the intake ports on the manifold. "Great, now I have to pull the entire intake." The upshot is that now I have a reason to put some color on my engine since I have to pull the valve covers to pull the intake manifold.



Before I started painting the valve covers, I pulled the intake manifold to clean out the dirt & ran into my 2nd obstacle for the day. I managed to snap off a rusty intake bolt in the block. That was when I decided to take a break & paint the valve covers while I pondered how to get the bolt out. I also decided to rotate the intake 180 degrees so that the master cylinder won't interfere with the routing of the air box.

I called it a day & left the engine in pieces on the shop floor soaking that rusty seized bolt in PB Blaster overnight. Hopefully, it'll spin right out tomorrow.



Tomorrow's Goals:

• Throw my gameplan out the window & just keep working

As usual, you can read a more in-depth write up of today's efforts on my website.
TheNudnik.com

 

As some say that... One thing leads to another. Expect things to get a little bigger. Nice work & keep going.

 

I've made some more progress on my build in the last 2 days. I was able to get the snapped off intake bolt out of the block (without too much difficulty, thank goodness).


I also got my brake master cylinder installed & my exhaust manifolds sandblasted & painted.



Not to mention, I got my engine cleaned & put back together. I also made a decision on where to mount the fuel tank from the donor Lincoln Town Car. I've decided that since it won't fit under the bed between the frame rails (without major modifications & reduction in size) that I'm going to mount it in the bed & cover it with a truck bed rail to rail tool box. Anybody got an old used one (preferably white with some rust spots on it) that they don't want/need anymore?


I also started fabricating the mounts for the radiator. I decided to notch out the front clip support braces to get as much room as possible between the engine & the radiator for a fan. I'll post some pics of the final mounts once I get them completed.


Since my free time for the next few days is already claimed (late Thanksgiving day celebration & home improvement projects I promised the wife) my progress on the Project "Rat Rod Shop Truck" is going to slow down significantly. Hopefully I can get it back on the road before 2013. I'll keep updating at I move along.

Feel free to check out my website for a more thorough write up of my build at:
TheNudnik.com

 

Project Rat Rod Shop Truck is moving along slowly but surely. I ran into my next obstacle this week. I drained the oil from the oil pan & about a cup of water came out. Yikes. I then pulled all the old spark plugs & more water came out from one of the cylinders. I put the engine back in the truck & put a big wrench on the crank to turn it over. It didn't budge. Yikes again. I poured about a quart of oil into the cylinders & let it soak for a few days. I tried to turn it over again but it still wouldn't budge. That's when my stubbornness kicked in & I became determined to get it to turn over. I hooked a battery up to the starter & spent a solid 5 minutes bump starting it until it finally broke free & began to spin. Yay!!! I just poured 5 quarts of oil & 1 quart of ATF in it, & turned it over a few more times. Now begins the long soak & turn over process to get the engine cleaned out. Fingers crossed that it all works out. I've also got my neighbor (who's a crackshot welder) patching up the rusted front clip & finishing the fabrication on the radiator mounts. If everything goes smoothly, the front of my F-100 will be back together by this weekend. Stay tuned.

 

Ya that sucks about the motor the previous owners always say Ya I ran fine. HAHA. but good job on getting it free and good job on the build looks good

 

I'm so good that I’m actually making progress on Project “RRST” w/o actually working on my F-100. HAHAHA! Ever since I got the crank to finally turn over, I’ve been swinging by the shop each night after work to manually turn it over a dozen times & each night it seems to be turning over smoother & smoother. I think that rusty spot in the cylinder is slowly getting resolved by soaking in oil & ATF. Let the oil & time do all the work right?
<O</O

I was also able to talk my neighbor (who was on vacation & a crack shot welder) into doing the patch work on the rusty front clip & radiator mount fabrication for me. As you can see from the photos below, he did a great job on the lower mounts. Way better than I ever would have done. He will finish the upper mounts on Friday.

<O></O>
<OThat dreaded "cancer" ate away a lot of this front clip.</O
<O</O
<O </O
Fresh, new metal ready for paint.


The driver side radiator mount.


The radiator fits right into the bracket & a piece of hose will be used for a bushing.


Prior to stabbing the tranny/motor back into the truck, I pulled off the A/C compressor & air pump. The great thing about using a 1990 Lincoln Town Car as the donor car is that their engine accessory setup is ideal for this project. The power steering pump, water pump & alternator all run off the same belt, while the A/C compressor & air pump run off the other belt. This means that since I’m not going to have A/C on this truck (at least not right now) I can use a stock belt on the front of the engine. I’ve also decided to put an electric fan, in place of the mechanical fan to create a little more room between the radiator & the engine.<O</O
<O</O

I have come up with 3 possible solutions for turning the upper intake 180 degrees as well. The only thing stopping me from doing it was that the fuel pressure regulator was too tall to allow the upper intake to seat properly on the intake manifold.<O</O
<O</O

My mechanic friend said that we might be able to delete it all together by taking the FPR off the fuel rail & capping it with a plate. I haven’t been able to verify if that will cause any problems or not (he doesn’t think it will) so I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this?<O</O
<O</O

The other option is an intake “heat spacer” which will allow me to raise the upper intake 3/8” which will give me enough room to fit the FPR. Here is a link to one I found on Summit.com that looks like it’ll work. The drawback is that it costs $70 & I’d like to find the cheapest solution possible.<O</O
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tfs-51520001<O</O
<O</O

The last solution I came up with is to find a different fuel rail that has the FPR on the passenger side. There are 2 drawbacks to this solution. First, it means I’ve got to run the fuel lines up the back of the engine by the firewall which means a lot of tight cramped work. Also, I’ve got to figure out which donor vehicle to pull the fuel rail from & then I’ve got to find one at a junkyard which would eat up half a day driving around or making phone calls. I’ve heard that an 80s model Thunderbird fuel rail would work. Does anyone know for sure which vehicle I can get a fuel rail from to fit on my engine?<O</O
<O</O

I’ve ordered a new fuel pump assembly for the gas tank, transmission mount & a fuel filler neck grommet. Tomorrow I plan on installing the tranny mount & cross member as well as mount the fuel tank & run the fuel lines.

You can find a more thorough write-up on my website at:
www.thenudnik.com

 

You absolutely need the regulator.
A spacer will work. But its not a good solution because you can't check the fuel pressure with the upper intake on.
What you need is either a fox body mustang 5.0 fuel rail, or a 5.0 explorer fuel rail 96-01. Be sure it has a return on the rail. I cant remember what year they went to a returnless fuel system on the exploder. Those are the only two factory applications I can think of that had the TB on the passengers side. Maybe some of the HO Tbird/cougars??