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Thank you, I got the idea after seeing a buddy's '65 Mustang with some.
Was looking today, I see that where normally I'd have a mess of leaves & pine needles stuck in the vents & wiper area, virtually none now. Wind keeps moving them right along, off the truck.
1-19-2020: The above was written December 2nd. I just wanted to add, by now where the truck is parked, it would normally have a big mess of pine needles on it getting caught in vents. There are hardly any (maybe a handful total laying on the wipers) on it with the "vent block plates" in place, these things work!
A couple weeks ago, was using the '77 to move parts of old dead just downed pine tree, found the right rear tail lamp busted, then noticed the bed side was even deformed a little there beside the light and the trim ripped in a chunk. A rock from a mower, ours or the neighbor's. Today, putting new tail lamp in found the trim piece that was ripped was wrapped back around the edge of the hole, the light housing busted too ... sure glad it didn't hit my '07 or other vehicle? The race track trim was also popped loose. It even popped the tail light edge behind the lip inside the bedside opening, I had to wedge it out. The clip nut was down inside the bedside with the lower hole of the tail light, screw, and broken ear it screwed to.
When I was a kid my Mom would keep us in the house when ever a neighbor was mowing because a kid in our town of Del Rio was killed when a neighbor mowing across the street hit a rock, this would have been a kill shot.
Maybe this year I'll get those bed sides & tail gate & doors on her?
I also put my black D-spoke 18x8 wheels back on today, still like new 31/10.50-15 Bridgestone Dueler HLs, not a mud tire, but smooth. Found out why the left rear brake seemed tight, it was adjusted really tight. I guess I did that myself last time I adjusted them?
Back in the Fall I bought a MAXXTOW hitch crane, I made a few minor mods, now I can use it with my '07, my '77, or my trailer. It has three positions, the 500, 750, and 1,000 pound holes. I set it up on my '77 and on my trailer. I'll be a back saver I think.
As it comes in the box, it has a TEE adapter with three positions that inserts into a receiver. Then there is the long part I labeled as a TEE that has a 3" diameter tube on the end and ears for attaching the two adjustable legs that are intended to carry the weight. The vehicle supplies a heavy well anchored third leg. The thick walled square and rectangle tubes prevent twisting. The handle and back strap on the upright yellow boom part that goes up are additions I made to add some strength and give me a easy to grab hold. I added provision to fasten the TEE to the tongue of this small but really heavy trailer, it weighs easily 750 pounds empty, frame is 3x1.5 x 1/4" wall channel, has near 1/8" steel diamond plate floor, and besides the ends, has 5 under floor cross members and a 3,500 pound rated axle.. Railing is 2x2x1/8" steel angle. It has two couplers, the second allows me to dump it. You can see the TEE I painted grey metallic after adding extra receiver at 90 degrees to the long one. You see extra lower leg struts that I made longer and are adjustable to allow the legs to spread further if needed for a lower hitch like on my lowered '07. It uses three 5/8" bolts ... at both ends of the jack and at boom "hinge" but I made longer pins as do not really need bolts. Might add a pin for chain/hook moving, but I like the longer reach at 500 pounds. I'm going to add a couple pulleys and a worm drive $30 hand winch to the uprite I think. It sets up and takes down in minutes. In short moves like across the yard, etc, it can be left in place and just pick up the legs. Maybe even a few miles if boom is secured from swinging with ratchet straps. In longer transports, I would dismantle the yellow upper portion and lay the pieces in the truck. I also added a pipe to the lower base arm that you see with the yellow pipe cap for easy carry.
Updated late 01-17-2022:
I outfitted my HF-2500 pound hand winch (has a 25 feet cable) with a removable handle and added a 13/16 hex nut welded to the shaft under the handle, it really works fast and easy with a 13/16 spark plug socket on my DeWalt 20v lithium 1/2" heavy duty cordless drill, so I added a chain loop from side to side of it with a clinch hook so it can be hooked onto a pipe, axle, post, etc ... at will. It's fast and the drill doesn't seem to be working hard at all. Helps to have a helper pull cable hook while unwinding, but being cordless, can just hook to your intended load and walk towards the anchor point as reversing the drill, then hook it to hitch ball, etc.
Last edited by tbear853; Apr 9, 2026 at 03:40 PM.
Reason: added details.
Wow, that's exactly what I need to offload a big snow plow from my truck tomorrow at the scrap yard. I'm gonna bring my engine hoist, and should be able to get it safely out that way.
It breaks down really easy and quick, is adjustable, think I'm gonna add a light easily detachable hand winch to it too. I even set it up in my basement on my Wheel Horse garden tractor. I can think of a hundred times I wished for something like it, but last fall a big pine tree convinced me. I ordered MAXXTOW MT70238 from e-trailer, had the best price on it then, below is a stock pic. I made some longer adjustable lower leg struts to let me use it if lower and I added a piece to the TEE to let me use it straight behind the pickup.
Of course, it would need the legs added. The crane yellow part has a 11-1/4" long large near 2" dia. solid steel shaft with two big bearings and it just drops into the round pipe of the base. In this position, the tailgate will open too. I can close up the mount so the tailgate is just a couple inches from the crane base.
Also, I did have an estimated 300 pound wood stove to move, I plumb forgot to photo it, it was a hot humid day. If you look at the large picture in post #50 just above this, that's how I used it to lift the stove and swing into the bed (but I did insert & use the yellow parts too). It was adjusted in so that the hole with unused pin in it was at the hole used in my tee. I tried it with no legs, it worked too. I placed a lonely bottle jack directly under it and the square / rectangle tubes sections provided ample support for that stove. I now wish I had taken pics. I think for such a light lift, the jack was some overkill too. It snatched the stove up, then a swing .... and eased it down in the bed. Truck hardly dropped at all, but 300 pounds is light for it.
I'll try to remember to take a camera next good lift, maybe a heavier lift. Below is a photo from awhile back as I was studying my mods that let me run the long arm under the rear of the truck, my hitch is made of a longish 2.5" x 2.5" x 0.25" wall tube welded / gusseted to a 2.5" x 3" x 0.25" wall cross tube, includes angle braces from receiver tube to cross tube too. ... to the frame rail mounts also of 0.25" plates, I've lifted the truck with a jack under the center there (Overkill you say?..... maybe so?). The rear of the hitch is well braced & hung to a 2.5" x 1.25" x 0.25" wall C-channel crossmember added between my rear most frame horn/bumper mounts. There's a gas tank above the hitch, but it's safe. If it was extended outwards it would need the two legs attached I think ... or for sure the jack. If inserted in that tee from the side, the legs or jack are needed before lifts too I think. Once assembled, the tube keeps it from twisting.
I was taught to weld by my Father in Law, and so like him, I use a bit of other's scrap, stuff I find discarded, or stuff I've been given and repurposed. I learned with 7014 rod and a Lincoln 225 AC welder,
I do OK.
Last edited by tbear853; May 22, 2026 at 09:12 AM.
Just updating my thread here. 06-11-2022, she's wearing those new bed sides and front fenders and doors, and the tailgate is half way swapped on ... as the old one is off (new one is primed and getting paint this week and put on) ... and she has a fresh coat of white paint, new glass rubbers, door panels .... just need to reassemble and detail her now. We are gonna get a new 'nother windshield seal put in though, it tore. Damn if it doesn't look like she gained a few inches height out back? Maybe was the long inside race track red that made he look longer in relation to height?
I'll cure it.
06-16-2022 In time, I'll update this post when she's "more done", but this has been a long time coming ... ... Still a lot to do, but now the new sheet metal is all on, no rust in body at all, just surface rust on frame, NO rust "issues", no danger of loosing a finger or developing lock-jaw while washing or waxing. She is home. This journy started with my purchases of many parts as long ago as the early 1990s.
07-28-2022: Lowered rear by 2-1/8" yesterday or 5/8" rake ... in rain .... and it has a rear bumper and T-G letters again.
Well first we tried LMC ... it tore getting it on, too short on one side. Next was Precision ,... and a professional glass installer. He got three corners in, but wrestled with this top left corner for hours, finally called to see if he should keep at it or what, I told him I could wrestle with it later. Well I have a couple hours in it andd still no go, and the chrome mylar is already peeled like in places, so I have decided to just let him order a solid, no chrome strip one and try again. He said he liked them better anyway. I had gone with the lock strip kind first because was what was in it OEM, but then when the mylar goes south, turns white, looks like crap, not to mention it shrinks over time.
At least I made it look no worse.
The LMC was as good as the Premier it seems, the Premier might have been softer. Glass guy says there will not be any such issue with the solid Premier that he gets.
07-10-2022: Solid rubber is at the glass shop, Eddie is gonna do it in the morning after I drop the truck off. If I decide later that I want trim, I'll maybe stick a narrow bead of it to the glass next to the rubber. PS:He got it done and it looks nice.
:
Originally Posted by tbear853
Today, I set out to fix my booboo ... first I tried single piece base plates, but did not like that idea as it presented a hard edge to the back of the hand ... so I took some 1-1/4" stainless washers with 5/16" holes, polished them after I bent the edge to conform to the weatherstripping, redrilled my low holes 1/2" higher ... it's fixed and I like the look with the stainless base washers ... and so does Wife. I have measured several ways from sundown, they are now equal.
Yellow is just a witness line. We had various clouds, the hood looks greyer when I took that picture, it was grey clouds reflecting. The other side, hood looks really white, was sun then.
Refurbishing the old steel tool box was a screwy idea ... so I dropped it ....
This just a "Paint" image to maybe help me decide. Biggest thing is, the box if black really sort of doesn't show up ... .
Just me thinking is all. 02-26-2024: As one will see below, I bought an aluminum tool box. It's amazingly lighter .... and much easier to remove/install ... even if doing it alone ... and the black diamond plate looks good on my truck. It does "set deeper" into the bed, but only 4" above the bed top edges ... so no spare will fit under it. I'll adapt.
I was seriously thinking of pulling that old one out and refurbishing it, it's plain steel and seals are old, it has some rust in the bottom, and I'm thinking the new offerings, in a black, new seals, etc ... low top might be the way to go now. I can likely get one for what it'll cost to get mine painted anyway, and a good tough black in diamond plate would be OK.
Was just looking, looked several places, was in a Lowe's, looked at the Craftsman tool boxes, with my contractor discount, bought one that's all aluminum, matte black, just over 16" high, with only 4" above the bed rail. I'm not going to be hauling heavy tools and it'll look nice on my truck and give us extra space at times. It's light enough that I carried it into the basement, but it's still wrapped up. I figure I can easily empty / remove it if desired. It run me near $350. It does have linked handles so it can be opened either side, and it locks ...it even has two keys.
I thought hard about a "chest" type, but I do not want to drill my bed liner.
It came with four J bolts, nuts, washers, etc. My bed rails have round based chrome tie downs and 3-1/2" wide plasticized like rubber Rail Guard. I used a 2" hole saw to cut carefully placed holes, one on each side to allow the tool box to sit down and index on the secure tie downs, then the J-bolts (4 supplied) got some rubber added and they hold it down on the rail tops well.
I considered modifying this new box, but didn't. I'm gonna cut a piece of plywood for the floor, to lay over the aluminum ... but I can do it later. Might add organizing low walls, but not planning on tools, etc ... just extra space for like maybe groceries, veggies, my tire plug bag, camera bag ... when we are out so my Wife doesn't feel like she needs to pile stuff in her floor. I'll fabricate a bumper that slides under it and contacts the front bed wall, but keeps items like spare tires from contacting it at stops. There is 6-1/2" free space underneath. I didn't get pictures before dark, but the black diamond plate looks great on the truck. Lowe's item number # 1053448 / Model # CMXTBAK1055301
Before it rained today, while dumping the pellet stove ash pan, I took a few "done" pics of that light weight tool box. I figure if I only use it for extra room of temporary use, I can remove the 4 nuts on the J bolts and remove it in total if I need 8 feet of bed space. As it sits, there is 72-1/2" (over 6 feet) from the box to the closed tailgate's inner cover surface Things like old but still good RR crossties, a player piano, etc ... or ... I'll just use my "lower and easier to load" trailer. The '07 truck and '01 Merc pulls it too.
I think it looks just fine as it is. That's how 4" above the bed front lip looks.
The 2" hole just lets it set down over the nearly 2" base of the chrome tie down. Once the two J-bolts are just snugged, it can't move and the lid if closed, covers it all.
Just pull a latch handle, the lid opens to here. I was worried that it might would contact the raised aluminum slider frame, so I mounted it what would be about 5/16" from the bed's front wall lip. I looks closer because I have a piece of black steel angle and a rubber strip between them, plus at least 1/8" of space. That steel has a "wing" on each end that attaches to the bed side lip too, I did that when anticipating hauling a motor cycle occasionally ... long ago. I just reused it last year.
Zip ties just use existing holes once used for heavy duty tie down loops, they hold the rubber in place. It has a strong high strength adhesive, but I like a well trimmed zip tie as security.
Look close, you can see the piece of split fuel hose between the bed lip and the business end of the J-hook.
This is the view from below of the front J-hook that conveniently hook on to some Eye bolts that were already there.. If look closely, will see a piece of 1/8" steel between the nut of the eye bolt and the truck's bed side top lip, it is welded to an angle that runs across to the other bed side, along the top of the bed front wall lip. The darker (it's not rust, it's a coating ... "something chromate" I think) nylock nut with two washers is what secures the chrome bed rail mounted tie down in place, those studs are lock-tite-ed into the tie down itself, and the tie downs can rotate with very little effort.
A hair over 6-1/2" tall space under it. Red & white "CRAFTSMAN" tag is well color coordinated ... I removed it once ... but then I put it back on.
I have a sheet of 3/8 plywood in the floor of it, 60" x 16-1/2", with a handle ... and I cut some industrial rubber bonded (from a "Georgia Bonded Fibers" local factory) carpet squares to fit in place in there on top of the plywood.
02-26-2024: I did open the tailgate, removed the 4 J-bolts, picked the empty tool box up (after removing the plywood and carpet) and grand total, in 10 minutes had placed the tool box on a bench to to add those eight screws I mention, then I picked it up and walked back out to the truck and slid it into the bed, then stepped up and easily set it back down over the two large chrome tie downs and reinstalled the J-bolts, maintaining perfect placement. So, if I refrain from stuffing it with heavy tools ... and just use it for "temporary cab overflow area" as intended ... it's ever so easy to remove if desired for longer stuff. I added eight 1/4-20 thread 3/32 hex socket head screws with nuts in spaces between those rivets attaching the hinge to the box so that it's all very stout now and those rivets should never loosen up. I also added a 1/4" thick a "inch wide" piece of aluminum across the outside of the long hinge too, after pics, partly just to give a better "hand hold" via a lip when toting it alone and it has 7 through 1/4-20 bolts to it, better for the hinge attachment. The hinge didn't provide a deep grasp for fingers so the added 1/4" helps. I thought the hinge half was formed from lid, but it's welded (or "bonded") I think.
I might still section in a space to slide a spare up into, yet keeping deeper storage near the ends where it'd be easier to reach into from the side standing on earth. Certainly would be unique ... and give a nice storage spot for a spare. I could do it pretty easily too. My old antique heavy duty screw type truck jack would even stand up in it, could set it in a milk crate. Taking a 5-12" high 32" bite out in the center would let a 31" tire on a 15" wheel slide in and not slide from side and leave only about 7" of tire sidewall exposed with the wheel and other side of tire sidewall concealed. Two pieces 2x6 for the inner sides of the bite, through bolted into box, add a floor above of good plywood, all hidden and coated black. Still on the fence about that.
04-19-2024:OK ..... I am maybe not gonna cut or section the tool box. Maybe ... I will create an "easy to quickly remove with no trace left" tonneau cover that will be near to flush with the bed side top rail surfaces ... and while not totally waterproof, will neatly cover things like spare tires, gas cans, or groceries, etc. The top surface will be water proof itself ... and black. I will have it coated Line-x or do myself with HF Iron Armor. Such a cover from the tool box to tailgate, rail to rail, will also serve to support a truck cover that I'm expecting, without it sagging and puddling water. I would provide access to the two tool box latches.
It's a '77 F-150 4x4 but it has '78-'79 steering linkage including the long straight tie rod. Ball joints are good, tight, smooth,. I had set toe in at 1/8" in 30" which is 0.229 degrees, I could go a tad further, maybe even to 3/16" (which is 0.358 degrees). Truck does have an abundance of caster, between the +C-bushings and the "lowered to level" rear. The rag joint looks OK, upper steering U-joint is OK, it has a RHS box. My "wander" issue really wasn't too bad, but these newer "R&P" steered vehicles will about ruin one for a "Recirculating Ball" gear box steered vehicle.
Seemed to me that it could maybe drive better, so I decided to add a little "toe in". It was set pretty precisely at "1/8" total toe in" I think. I made a "wooden dowel with snug fit in conduit" type gauge, and I set it on two stands across front of truck about axle height, set it to just fit just inside the tires at tread edge, marked it, rechecked, and added second mark out near 1/16" from it to thus shorten my gauge by a hair ... near 1/16" .... and then loosened / removed two sleeve bolts and the turned sleeve clockwise if viewed from driver side towards pass side ... (like imagine if the tires were rolling in reverse ... that direction), just a hair over1/2 turn of sleeve until the wooden dowel was pushed in that nearly 1/16". This would also have pulled the rear of the tires behind the axle apart by that same nearly 1/16", so I added near 1/8" to total toe in spec. Likely total is now between 3/16" and 1/4"
I did get cold out there on the ground. Monday is gonna be drier (no rain) and in the 60s here so I'll check toe then. I saw in a Ford book, 1/16" is minimum and 5/16" is maximum and 5/32" is optimum or sought figure according to Ford back then. I know exactly where to put the sleeve seam if I need to return it.
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Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
Gave it up.
Maybe was the long inside race track red that made he look longer in relation to height? 
... Still a lot to do, but now the new sheet metal is all on, no rust in body at all, just surface rust on frame, NO rust "issues", no danger of loosing a finger or developing lock-jaw while washing or waxing. She is home.
