Thanks for all the info. Welding in patches will be my next project... or next big one. Still have a few odds and ends to work on before then.

Tonight, I taught myself how to solder and install LED dash lights. I went with white, which turned out exactly like I had hoped. I had seen Blue and green on the forums. I considered going with red for the preserved night vision, but decided against it. It is a little bright, but it sure beats not being able to see any vehicle information at night.

$20 for a soldering kit and a strip of 24 LED's


One of the truck for good measure.


Dash apart. It's amazing how easy it is on this. It would have been a nightmare to get that much apart on my Dodge.


Down to the cluster


My first solder


Testing on my quad battery because it was closer.


Test fitting


A photo of the light distribution. I have three, three LED strips on the top and 2 on the bottom


Now one with it in the truck with the the truck on.


I wired it to my radio fuse because I don't have a radio and it is late. Might move it, put it on a switch, or attach it to the lights. They have a life span of 30,000 hours or something ridiculous, so I am not worried about wearing them out. It's cool they way they come on with the truck.

One thing that I want to mention for anyone else that wants to do this. Make two separate strips of lights and hook them together instead of doing all 5 or 6 at once. I ended up twisting the darn strand so much, and the solders were so strong, that the copper it was hooked to twisted off. Had to redo a lot of work.

Otherwise, it is a fun mod to do and adds a lot to drivability. I am not sure how you could do less light as they are chipped in sets of three and you need a light under each gauge. Anyways, Another project of the list. This things becoming a worthy daily driver!

 

Are you saying the LED's are so bright you have to where shades ? or that it is the eye-wear needed for soldiering ? Nice upgrade



Some good welding info ..

 

Thanks! I should have put a sunscreen bottle in the photo too...

 

Well,
I had been smelling gasoline intermittently when driving the truck and finally found the culprit. It is leaking on the connection from the fuel pump to the engine. So, I took the hose off and it was split. Cut it, put it back on with a new hose clamp, and gave it a little tug to make sure it was good and tight. Unfortunately the whole nipple came out of the "canister" for lack of a better word. I put it back in and tightened it up and it leaks like a sieve.

So, I am guessing that it is time for a new fuel pump unless there is some way of taking it apart and fixing it?

I was looking on summit racing and saw a few pumps there. What do you recommend? Common problem?

Thanks!

This one looks right on Rock Auto for 20.00 https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...991&cc=1123018
Or this one for $26 which maybe seems better? https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/mor...124&cc=1123018

I am half tempted to pull the trigger on this and really instill some reliability. What would I be missing though?

 

I would go for the best quality on the water pump you can and replace the radiator hoses if you haven't already and the small hose between the pump and intake .. Also if your in that deep already consider replacing the front seal and timing chain set ..

 

Makes sense, I think I may just stick with the fuel pump. My woman gets back today and I want to do some camping and driving!!!! Then before fall I'll do all that stuff. Feels like I brought it a long way already, and I am getting pretty confident in it's reliability!

Any advantage to some high end fuel pump? or is $26 a good enough investment (I am used to stock quality costing 1 heck of a lot more than that!!!)

Lloyd

 

What you've chosen for a pump should serve you well .. Yes you have come far Enjoy the Summer with your woman The truck will wait .. Advice from an old timer .. When talking to your woman moderate your talk about your truck until after your married and even then don't let it dominate the conversation My wife swears she's going to start a 12 step program for the wives of ford truck enthusiasts ..

 

While you had that dash apart you should paint those gauge needles orange to see better.

 

Yes that is great advice my wife calls my 62 F100 the "FT" Fu** Truck and my 73 is now the "MFT" Mother Fu** Truck. But she still loves me...

Your has come a long ways have fun it.

 

👍 sounds like good advice. Thanks! She has already heard a lot about it and is supportive. But there is that fine line.

I can't multi quote from my phone, but I can see the needles very well with the white light.

A little off topic, but I wanted to show you guys this old ford tractor that I was driving and doing the maintenance on today. It's a pretty cool, old, simple machine that still does the job well. It's funny comparing it to the big john deeres we have with a/c and fancy computers

 

My dad's got a 1919 Fordson Model F tractor that still runs and drives.

 

Nice Ford 800 We have an 8N

 

I think you are on the right track, just keeping the rust at bay. Sure you can cut out all the rust and weld, fab, grind, bondo, sand for hours, but I caution you to going too far with the labor hours as down the road it can change the vibe of how you drive the truck. Right now you are blasting through mud and gravel roads in God's country having a good old time. Right now all the rock chips are self sandblasting the rocker panels. Those same rock chips hitting new paint and bodywork will sure take the fun out of that truck. These trucks can hold together for a long time regardless of how much or how little attention they get.

 

Well, no real work in this post, just play. I fixed my pump and put new fuel lines on with a NAPA pump. Works great, truck is running great. Finally got out camping. Truck made it, that is all I ask. Now the photos.

We were camping on Rabbit Ears pass on one of the random turn offs. It's funny because it is less than an hour from home, and less than 20 minutes from town, yet we didn't see a single person for nearly two days. We'll start with the truck parked back in the trees:



The treed part of our little secret spot


The open part on the other side of the trees


Our tent and it's versatility (closed up at night and open when we lay in the shade for an afternoon nap)




Over the hood, climbing the pass


And then just some fun photography

This Saturday was a super moon. But this isn't a picture of the moon, just the light from it.


I don't know about you, but I like BIG fires (within reason in the woods)


So then we get home, and have a spectacular sunset, it's like trading one camping spot for another


And then last but not least, some massive thunderstorms rolled through this afternoon and I got some fun pictures of this colorful storm. These are from our front porch and the buildings are a part of the ranch that I work on.








Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy!

 

Thanks for the update, it looks like fun!