No guarantees that is the correct one. I'll find out soon, though! Good luck.

 

They do make reproduction wiring harnesses with same wire color codes and connectors, matter of unplugging the old and plug in the new. I was not able to find a company that reproduced the dash harness at the time and ended up with a 'do it myselfer' repair using plastic ties to keep each trunk separate while making the repairs. They do make harness wrap which is none adhesive, just wrap the wires and I use blk electrical tape to secure the ends. This kit thru Carolina Classics looks like the answer for a complete wiring replacement, to include upgraded features, too bad they were not available few years back. Bookmarked the referral, thanks for posting. The reproduction harness will run approx. $100 ea. for the head and tail light harness, and approx. $50 ea. for the alternator and engine harness I will have to check and see if the company that makes the individual harness replacements is the same company that makes the kit, is so, I was very pleased w/ the quality, and workmanship of the individual reproduction harness.

 

Not sure if you're aware of this so I thought I'd better just mention it: Fuel quantity senders and gauges need to be operating in a compatible resistance (ohms) range in order for the gauge to read correctly. Not all gauges and senders are compatible with each other. So the Ford factory sender referenced by ND may or may not be compatible with your non-Ford factory Sun Pro gauge. You need to know the ohm range the gauge is operating in and the ohm range the sender is operating in. They need to be the same. Unfortunately, industry wide, there are a lot of differences. This is irrespective of any issues you may or may not have with the IVR (Instrument Voltage Regulator). The test you ran, grounding out the sender wire to see if the gauge has life and full travel gives you that answer only. It has no bearing on compatibility. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks supersabre, amazingly enough I did know that about the ohm ratings for the gauge and for the sending unit. :-) However, one question I would ask is did that grounding out of the sending unit wire just test the gauge or does that mean that the voltage regulator is also okay? I am guessing that it is just for the gauge.

If I replace the sending unit, right now my plan is that I will replace it with an auto meter unit and an auto meter gauge, as I don't really like these SunPro gauges anyway. But that's not something I planned to do in the near-term, instead trying to focus on the things that might make the truck more safe, like brakes. :-)

 

If I recall correctly (and with me you never know), once you're into aftermarket gauges, they have their own wiring that does not use the IVR. When using OE Ford gauges, wiring, senders, the IVR plays a role. Usually, if you had factory gauges, the fuel quantity, coolant temperature, and oil pressure gauges (NOT the amp gauge) would be routed through the IVR. And if the IVR went bad, usually you would get all three gauges malfunctioning, and in the same way, such as all three needles going off scale high, or something like that. One word of caution on AutoMeter gauges (I have 3 cars/trucks with them), they have a Ford set using Ford resistance values which isn't as accurate as I would have expected from AutoMeter. Apparently they also have a non-Ford set which can be used that is more accurate, but the gauge markings are not quite symmetrical. At least that's supposed to be true for classic Mustang applications. Don't know if it applies to trucks. So you might want to call the AutoMeter tech guys and inquire. If you get any good information, let us know. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the tips on t he gauges. I will make sure to call AM and ask when I get to that point.

Been working on cleaning up the rear end some but noticed today when I hopped in the cab that the gas smell was GONE. So the gasket I cut out and replaced for the fuel sending unit fixed the problem. Gauge doesn't work but at least now it is just glorious old truck smell

 

Well six months and a week later, I finally post again in this build thread.

I did do a few things over the last 6 months that I posted in other threads specific to that topic, i.e. fixed the rear wheel bearings, rear axle seals, rear brake lines. That made the truck drivable and I was able to get my NC VIN (out-of-state antique requires a whole mess of bureaucracy). Anyway, I have been thinking and thinking about what I want to do and how I want to go about it, so I have a tentative plan and would like feedback from all of you experts.

(1) Basically, the only thing that is a safety/mechanical issue that I am aware of is the steering. I have taken it to two places and both agreed that kingpins, tie rod, etc etc are all fine and that the box is fine, rag joint newish and the problem is in the column itself. As the column in it is not original anyway (a 66/78ish hybrid) I am just going to replace it with an ididit collapsible. If I need to redo it, might as well get an added safety feature.

(2) While I am handy enough to fix something with appropriate instructions, I am less confident in my abilities to pick up on a problem and diagnose it, thus I found a retired mechanic that likes to work on classic cars and I am going to have him go through the engine, etc with me just in case I missed something. It does have a small coolant leak seeping from water pump to block but is very minor.

(3) Now the real plan - this is backwards from what I have seen normally done so tell me if I am totally crazy, but I plan to fix the interior first. This is the one area I know what I want for sure and I do not foresee doing anything to the rest of the truck that would change how I would do the interior. And as I need a new column and I need to fix the gauges, perhaps even rewiring the truck if I cannot figure it out, I will have those parts out anyway. I want bucket seats, perhaps with integrated belts so those are coming out and carpet is nasty around the doors as both seals are leaking on the doors. So, I plan to tear down the inside, fix the leaks (one around the windshield too) and re do it. Nothing crazy and custom but get it the way I want it. After that, I will work on the exterior. The one caveat to all of this is if the mechanic tells me my engine is at death's door, but I do not foresee that.

I was thinking of moving the gas tank but my wife convinced me I had no reason to do that - this after I spent dozen plus hours reading about mustang tank swaps, bronco II, etc. Bah, but she is right. For the time and money I can do something that actually NEEDS to be done. I did order a new grommet and filler neck rubber thing as there is a gas smell after it sits for a week. Also a new vented cap.

Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts guys!

 

Heres my story: For years I wanted a 61-66 F100. I like classics in mint condition that look like they just rolled off the dealers lot.


I bought a 66 F100 352, 3 speed, long bed, custom cab. I loved it, it ran great, steered great, I added power brakes and cleaned up the interior. I was owner number 4, owner number 2 had the truck over 40 years. No a/c or ps made it a tough ride in the summer. A couple times we headed to a show or swap meet and arrived soaking wet, tired, and cranky. The truck needed 10k in paint and bodywork, 5k in interior work, and another 5k in misc odds and ends to make it the way I wanted it.


I sold it and bought a 64 F100 for 13k that is in mint condition. 292/AT.


Its to nice to use as a truck and to nice to use as a DD. So Im going to sell it and buy a not-as-nice truck so I can use it as a truck.

 

What plans do you have for the exterior, and how soon? The reason I ask is because if you plan a total repaint, that usually involves removal of the windshield, back window, door window felts and seals, etc. No one says you HAVE to, painters can work around it, but it usually doesn't come out as well. You were going to replace the windshield gasket anyway. I'd try to plan out what you want to do to it and when, then try to put things into some kind of order that minimizes the number of times you have to remove the same piece of trim or whatever. Can't remember if you have a Custom Cab, and if you are using a stock headliner, but it seems to me I remember it tucking into the top of the rear window gasket, and it was a pain in the butt. No point in having that gasket and window out more than once if you can avoid it. Same for the windshield gasket. Plan, plan, plan and then execute the plan. Good luck.

 

Thanks SS - you are right about the seals on the windshield and back glass. The windshield is leaking on the driver side. I had wondered about just putting a bead of silicon to try and stop the leak since the rest of it appears OK.

The headliner does indeed tuck behind the back glass gasket. Can you reuse these gaskets once you pull them off? The back is fine but if I need to remove for paint and/or headliner, will I have to buy a new one?

I started removing some of the easy parts on the interior yesterday, but I agree it makes sense to think about taking out that glass and doing it all at once. I had planned on doing the exterior too but in stages as I still have not found any steps and the bottom of both rear fenders need repairing.

I have another question about the firewall pad and heater. On the heater, how much heat are thse things supposed to put out? I got it up to operating temp yesterday and turned on the heater and there is some warm air coming out but it's not anything exceptional. I've seen a few threads on here with people refurbishing them with a kit for a Bronco and replacing the core...how do you know if you need to do that or if it is as good as you an expect?

On the firewall pad...my truck does not have one, or not much of one. PO or whoever did the carper ripped out the firewall pad everywhere except for behind the heater - assumedly because he did not want to take it out. I had not noticed any problem with heat while driving it...is it good enough to put down some type of insulation/sound dampener and then the carpet or is a firewall pad truly needed? $235 for the pad seems expensive versus doing a couple layers of insulation up there. Planning to use EZ Cool.

 

Papa - you can reuse the windshield and rear window gaskets IF: they fit correctly, the rubber is soft and pliable, there are no splits or cracks anywhere. Using silicone to chase a leak can be a frustrating experience because frequently the source of the water isn't necessarily where you see the leak. Heaters do vary in output. Mine is quite warm. Since you're pulling the interior anyway, remove the heater (which is relatively easy), don't forget to drain the engine coolant and heater hoses first, take the heater box apart, remove the heater core and take it to a good radiator shop. They can tell you if it is OK, needs repair (which they can do), or needs replaced (which they can order). Then you can clean up the heater box, install new rubber, reinstall the core, check out the fan motor operation, install new heater hoses, and have a refurbished heater! And you can get to and remove what's left of the OE firewall pad. Speaking of which - it's your truck and you're the one who will be satisfied with the look of what you put down there and how effective it is keeping out heat and noise, so install whatever you're happy with. I agree $235 ain't cheap (I paid $185 five years ago). Maybe you can find a better deal on CL or somewhere else on the net. Good luck!

 

Thanks again SuperSabre. Now if it just stops snowing/raining, I can inspect those seals. I think the backglass may be reusable but as you mentioned, I think the windshield gasket likely has some additional cracks/splits in areas.

I will check out the heater as you suggest. While I am taking things out, that sounds like an easy one to remove so might as well have a shop take a look. Radiator shop 2 minutes from me so easy thing.

I don' think I will replace the pad. I can do a double layer of the EZ Cool all the way up the firewall and then see where my new carpet ends and fabricate something to cover the remaining space. Excited to finally start doing things, even if it is just taking things apart.

 

instead of removing the heater core, flush it. most of the time you can get them to work pretty well again, and if it's actually plugged, you'll be able to determine that pretty quickly. just take the hoses off wherever it's easiest,(engine or core) and take a hose to it, flushing both ways. free, easy, diy.

 

First update in three months. Things have been busy with work and a new baby boy born 7 weeks ago. Three kids is a lot more than two.

Anyway, since the last post I fixed the steering issue. As noted in another thread, it turned out to be a loose nut in the u-joint that is part of the title mechanism. You have to tear the entire column down to get to it, but once that was done and a little loctite added, the truck steers MUCH better. No white knuckled driving now.

I also removed the lift blocks in the rear and properly seated the rear leaf springs as they were not, although I did not realize this until taking off the blocks. That probably has helped the handling too.

And finally, I tweaked the idle speed and mix on the carb. She always smelled really rich sitting in the driveway and I had to make sure the garage door was shut or it would stick up the hole house. I had also noticed that it wanted to die at stop lights. I tweaked til I got about 625rpm in Drive and leaned the mix down over half a turn from where it was previously, idles much better now and does not smell so rich. However, this is a 289 and the 650cfm Edelbrock is probably a bit much unless there are some upgraded internals.

Next up is a compression test. I pulled a plug to see the state of them and there was a good bit of oil in the plug well. The valve cover gaskets are leaking so I am hoping that is where the oil is coming from but before I replace them I want to see where this engine stands.

 

Matt,
My truck is in about the same condition as yours, and I have some of the same issues. I'll be watching your progress. thanks for posting.
Wayne