I got my '78 F-150 tilt column (mostly) installed this evening.

(Pictures from IPhone aren't the best but you get the general idea).

 

"Looking good Billy Ray".... ;-)

 

Thanks. The former gear selector lever was just plain dangerous. I couldn't leave the truck unattended if the engine was running. It would randomly fall out of park and right into reverse.

The new gear selector lever won't move until I pull back on it then, pull it down into gear.

 

I got the new (newly rebuilt) Saginaw power steering gear box installed and a new rag joint connecting it to the tilt steering column shaft.

The NOS Ford disc/drum combination (metering, pressure differential and proportioning) valve body assembly arrived today. I got the valve mounting bracket I made bolted to the top of the steering gear box and the valve bolted to the bracket.

 

I didn't get to spend any quality time working on the truck this past weekend. --had to spend ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday putting a new roof on my house and my shop. Glad that's over and don't care to ever have to do that again!!

I slipped in a little time this evening mocking up the brake line from the primary port (feed for the front brakes) of the MC, down to the primary inlet port of the disc/drum brake valve.

I had to flare the end of the tubing, going into the MC, for an ISO metric bubble flare fitting. The primary port on the MC is a 10 mm x 1.00.

I still have to slip the Armor Guard over the tubing and then double flare the end of the tube going into the primary infeed port of the valve. That fitting is an SAE 1/2"-20 inverted flare fitting.





....4 more lines to go after this one.

 

Armor Guard installed and valve end of the line double flared.

 

Secondary line mocked up. 12 mm x 1.00 bubble flare fitting in MC secondary port. SAE 3/8"-24 inverted flare fitting in brake valve port.

 

Lookin' GOOD Ultra. You going to wire that reservoir low fluid sensor in with the Proportioning valve's trip switch? So either of them will trip the dash lamp.

 

Thanks, Jeff.

Since the MC/reservoir is a 'modern' version and doesn't require removal of the top to see what the fluid level is inside it, I'll likely just attach the existing pigtail to the pressure differential warning switch sticking out the top of the brake valve.

I check under the hood often enough and it will be much easier now to see how much fluid is in the MC reservoir, just by glancing over at it.

 

I got the line done for the secondary side of the MC.

Looks like the next move needs to be to install the power steering brackets, pump and hoses. I need to see where the power steering hoses will be to know where/how to route the brake lines out to the front and rear brakes, since the power steering hoses will be running right beside the brake valve.

 

Beautiful work UltraRanger.... you set thee standard.

 

Ha ha. I don't know about all that but, thanks.

I had no idea, initially, of how I was going to form the lines. I just stood beside the truck for a while, looking over at the MC, then down at the valve and back again. I mapped out in my head the basic layout of how I would run the lines and just started bending the tubing.

The loops in the original Ford lines were larger and looped perpendicular to the ground. Since air travels to the highest point, I figured it would be much easier to bleed the system out if the loops were laid out horizontal to the ground. --less likely for the air to try to stay trapped like it would with the loops turned up edge ways.

After I made the first two 90-degree bends, coming out of the MC ports, I hand bent the lines around a 15/16" deep well impact socket. From there, I finished making the runs down to the valve with a Rigid 3/16" tubing bender. I made the bubble and double flares at the ends of the lines with my Mastercool hydraulic flaring set.

I started with a 60" stick of 3/16" brake tubing. After I got through making these two lines, I had about 8" of it left over. I bought two 60" sticks to start with. --definitely gonna hafta go pick up some more tubing to have enough to finish the rest of the runs.

 

Nice work!

 

Thanks, Bobby.

Are you closer to getting your '77 discs installed and plumbed on your truck?

 

Very very nice work amgio, as mentioned above, you set the standards... Your truck is now the way Ford should have, and could have made it from the start... Its too bad, and sad, that many corporations are accountant driven, not engineering improvement driven... Seems that there are never enough beans in the bag for the bean counters..

BTW, does anyone know of a disc brake conversion for the 72 F250 4x4 with the Dana 44 HD closed knuckle front end? Is it even worth thinking about? Already, there is a scarcity of front drums, and someday, they will run out...

Baja