I would seal up the intake with a folded garbage bag under the air cleaner or something, and pressure wash the engine.

Then, pull the glow plugs and spin the engine over a few times.
See if you can get fuel to the injectors.
If so, install new glow plugs and maybe a new controller and drive it.

If not, you're looking at a full on resto, starting with the whole fuel system.

How many miles and how much rust?

 

I can't see pressure washing it doing any good, could cause lots of problems.

 

It can't hurt anything, unless you get it down the intake.

Blast away all the walnut shells and mouse droppings and anything else that could catch on fire or fall into the engine while you're working on it.

A clean engine is so much easier to deal with.

 

As for rust, I'm not entirely sure. Floor and box ribs for sure. Miles, i cant be sure. I dont think its more than 100K, but it's only 5 digit odometer.

As for pressure washing, i cant see it causing any problems that may come up down the road. A good idea i think. I'm aware i could be in over my head, but this is more just for fun, and im not going to dump all of my money into it.

 

It's been a while, but I finally went and looked at the truck yesterday. I was surprised at the shape it's in. The paint is in immaculate shape, and so is the frame. Somebody hit the doors a while ago and now they won't close all the way (or open :/), so all the rain and winter snow got in and now it needs rocker panels. The door would open about 6 inches, just enough room to fit skinny little me in. The interior is muddy and full of cobwebs, but otherwise good. I opened the hood and the engine appears to be in great shape. My uncle told me that the clutch safety switch had gone bad before he stopped driving it, but he bought a new one and never got around to installing it. (He would just park at the top of a hill and bump start it). Also, I didn't notice any pests inhabiting the truck, which is always a plus.

The bad: The rear cab mounts have sagged, which seem to be a common problem with OBS fords, and the box ribs do appear to be starting to rust. I have decided I'm going to pull the box and cab and paint the frame while they're off. Then inspect and repair the box ribs and cab while they're off. Before I paint the frame, I will be tending to those cab mounts I mentioned earlier. The radiator mount may be going bad, it seemed loose when I set my hand on the cover. Also, I pressed the clutch pedal to go between gears, it felt like it disengaged, but it did not return when I took my foot off. Is there a return spring that could be missing? Maybe the pedal assembly is seized? Or worse, I bent the teeth/fork. Other than that, the tires are bald and flat. Like I said, I was really pleased with the condition after sitting 10 years.

Of course I will make sure the engine is in good shape (I don't want to spend a fortune, I'll cut my losses if I have to) before removing the box and cab, but I am looking for advice on the seemingly challenging task, as it's something I've never done before. From what I researched:

To remove the box: Remove the break light assembly, and unplug everything, and feed it out of harms way. Then unscrew the filler necks and push them back out of the way. Then there should be 8 bolts in the bed that will be a b**** to remove, so I may have to cut them. The final step of course would be to lift. How many hands should I have? Am I missing anything?

To remove the cab: Remove the seat and floor mat. Disconnect the wiring harness. Disconnect the break lines (I may end up flushing the system anyway), The lower steering column (in the engine bay?) Then the throttle cable. Take out both shift boots and sticks. Remove the four cab mount bolts, and voila. Thinking about this logically, there should also be a clutch linkage somewhere to disconnect, where might this be? Again, how many people can comfortably lift the cab on one of these trucks?

Please let me know if I'm forgetting anything. I will happily accept all forms of advice.

Finally, is there a way to paint the frame in the engine area without removing the engine? My plan is to just take the hood and fenders off, the front clip and rad, and the inner fenders. I don't have a hoist, I was planning on painting it as a rolling chassis. Also, what is your favorite paint to use?

I know everyone here is a fan of pictures. I will post some when I get a chance, it's a long drive out to where the truck is, and on my next trip, I will be bringing a trailer. That may be a couple of weeks though, because my uncle works away.

To clear up any burried/important information. The truck is a 1989 ford f250. Reg cab, 8 ft box. 4x4 5 speed.

Thanks in advance!

 

I talked to a buddy at work, and I can't believe I never thought of this. The clutch pedal probably didn't return because of either air in the lines or the slave cylinder... duh.

As for painting the frame around the engine, I think I will undo one motor mount at a time, and support the engine with a jack and a block of wood. This will also allow me to inspect the mounting points.

Does nobody really have advice for taking off the cab?

Thanks again.
I will return with pictures soon.

 

To deal with the clutch hydraulics for cab removal, just leave the whole hydraulic system in the cab; slide the slave off the ear on the tranny, tie it to the firewall. May be shot anyway. Complete master-line-slave kit is a WAY easier and more reliable fix. When you hit the pedal, did you confirm that the lever/arm is actually engaged to, and pushing, the pushrod? It could be something as simple as that arm disengaging from the pushrod; very common problem.

Clutch starter lockout switch can easily be bypassed. Not a great idea, but better than bump starting it every time, hoping you can park it in an opportune place.

 

Thanks for the tip.

And I didnt look for movement.. I just ran it through the gears, and it slipped right in 1 through 5. To get into reverse I had to put it in first, and then reverse, but every vehicle I've driven has done that from time to time.

 

Does this mean you have it running? If so that's an indication the synchros in the ZF are failing.

If it's not running then disregard.

 

Mind you, even if this is the case, you can just run it like this for many many thousand miles - it just takes wiggling and pushing it into reverse a little more sometimes.
I've driven four of these trucks, and *all* of them have done it; not that any are getting their transmissions rebuilt anytime soon.

 

The truck isn't running yet. I don't even have it in my yard yet. It only failed to go in reverse after I had it in fifth gear. To be honest, I didn't even push that hard. I've always found being gentle when sliding into gear has a higher success rate than forcing it.

 

There is a lockout worked into the shifter mechanism that does not allow you to go directly from fifth to reverse. Dropping the shifter to the neutral position, the left-right gate across the H-pattern, should reset that and allow you to hit reverse.

 

The clutch pedal not returning is very likely a result of a broken plastic bushing where the clutch pedal arm connects to the linkage.

On the far right of that image, there is a little metal dowel that sticks out and pivots when you push the clutch pedal in. There's a plastic bushing that goes on that dowel, and the dowel goes into the linkage mechanism. If that breaks off, that dowel can wear out the hole that it goes into and cause it to stick when you push it in. You can buy those bushings for cheap at Autozone. I keep a baggy of them in my glove box.

 

Two permanent fixes to the cr@ptastic plastic bushing issue:
* Cheap/easy - get some bulk 1/2"OD x 7/16"ID brass tubing, and a 7/16" drill stop collar at the hardware store. Cut a piece of the tubing just enough to fit in the eyelet of the pushrod. That will be the replacement for the bushing. Assemble the dowel to the pushrod, and put the drill stop collar on the part of the dowel that sticks through, and tighten. That will keep the dowel from popping out.
* Fancy fix - cut the eyelet off the pushrod and replace with a heim joint. Kit available on eBay, or you can set up your own cheaper.

If the plastic bushing wore all the way through, and it's been driven a while that way, the eyelet on the pushrod may be ovaled out ("egged") from metal-on-metal contact. If that's the case, the second option above is better.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I will definitely take a look at the bushing when I get it in the yard. But would the bushing fail from just sitting? The clutch pedal worked when it was parked.