I'm late to this post, everything looks great!

If I was close to you I would've taken the original black bed off your hands. Being from Ohio, I'm amazed at how people see rusty quarters or braces and say a bed is trash. Stuff we have around here is barely hanging together!

 

Take a look all over the country with craigslist for a good deal and see if the seller is willing to drop it off at a Fastenal. I got mine shipped for dirt cheap from store to store - a great way to send large items like beds.

 

Yeah, probably the best route at this point.
If you're handy with your hands and have some time on them as well, you could pull it apart and clean it up and even renew it with parts from a kit. But if all that sounds like too much work, or you're in a hurry to get it all buttoned up while you have time (and ain't that always the case!) then a new/rebuilt one is the quickest way to get it done.

Paul

 

Hey, folks. I'm buttoning up my T18 transmission and the service manual says:


Is there a reason it needs to be shifted into second before putting the housing on? Thanks!

 

What's the best way to splice fuel lines together? I'm running 3/8" steel line and I can't figure out how to crimp the ends in the same way the original lines were done. Kind of a taper sort of look. I can't even find many pictures of that style of taper/crimp online.

1. Do most people just use fittings and couplers?
2. Is it ok to use a short segment of fuel hose clamped on either end of steel line if the steel line isn't flared or crimped?

 

What exactly do you need to do, and where? For low-pressure fuel delivery to a carburetor, you could get away with simply cutting the steel line and clamping rubber hose between the two. A good clamp and good quality hose will last for many years.
The preferred method though, in lieu of being able to flare the ends and use a reverse flare junction, is probably a coupler using compression ferrules(sp?) for a pretty tight and reliable seal. Same thing used in some house water fittings in fact. At least in the old days.

You cut the steel line, slip female threaded fitting over each end first, then each side gets a ferrule (little collar). In between there would be the male threaded coupler with the proper interface shape (I think there are several types, but you can probably buy this whole setup as a "set" most likely) and away you go.
You would tighten the female fittings down pretty tight to compress the ferules for (presumably) a permanently leak-free seal.

There are flaring tools too of course, and they're not that hard to use. Inexpensive ones can be had as well, but here again is one of those placed where the $10 version of the tool is likely not as good or as easy to use as the $30 version. We'd all lust after the $200 version though!

Wait for some with more tubing expertise to give their thoughts. I've used both the hose/clamp method and the ferule method, and don't have a preference in some situations. In other situations (such as along the frame rail behind a gas tank for instance) I would much prefer to use all steel and compression or flared fittings. Just don't want to have to go back in to replace degraded rubber hoses 10 years later.

Paul

 

I have an aft axle fuel tank and about halfway from there to the engine, I have a rubber fuel line spliced in, but the end of the steel line aren't flared. It's just a straight steel tube with fuel injection clamps on the rubber.

 

I spaced out on my reply! Thanks for the info, Paul. I'll go back along the frame rail and replace the rubber section with a compression or fitting. Thanks!

 

When installing a thermostatic choke in warm weather, how do you orient the choke and plan for cold weather? The coil spring inside will be a lot smaller in the winter. Right now, the spring in the choke is just barely making contact with the choke tab on the carb.

 

Where are you located? Around here in our milder climate I don't think I ever changed the choke setting more than maybe once or twice in the life of any vehicle. And the Ford never that I remember. One setting was good all year.
That works out because in the slightly colder climate, you want the choke to stay on a little longer anyway. If the engine is dialed in well, and fuel isn't finicky at different times of year, you might change it just a couple of notches on the adjuster scale on the outside of the choke cover.

For a climate with wider swings though, I'm not sure if you need to do anything or not. Guessing you set it for your warm weather running and wait to see if it needs any tweaking in the colder weather. Usually the only thing that bothers people is if the high-idle hangs on longer than you like. But that never bothered me either, as I knew it was doing it's job and just took longer to balance out. Rather a little longer high-idle than a funky running engine in the cold.

Paul

 

I'm in New England, so mild summers and darn cold winters. I'll play with it as time goes by and see what needs doing.

In the meantime... any idea what diameter hose I need to go from valve cover breather to air cleaner? Looks like 1/2" on the air cleaner, but noticeably bigger on the valve cover breather elbow.

EDIT: Is it just heater hose? I've seen some folks say they just use heater hose.

 

I'm replacing the elbow pigtail stud connector doohickey that connects to my oil sending unit (it's stripped right up to the connector). Can I use just any electrical connector for this or does it require something special?

 

Should have those 90 degree thingies for sale at most auto parts stores easily enough.
Not sure why, but I believe there are a couple of different size studs that were in use. However, I've never seen different sized push-on connectors available and when mine were too tight I just spread them out a little bit with some sort of pokey implement of destruction.

You can use a simple ring/eye terminal at the end, but on most sending units those are NOT threads on the stud. Just ribs of a sort. Or if they're threads, it's not always easy to find the right nut to thread on.
But lots of sending units have a nut holding a ring terminal on, so it seems to be a backup plan. Personally I'd try to get the right 90 first.

Paul

 

Thanks, Paul - I think it's a #8 stud, but not really sure. I'll take the old one in and shop a replacement to splice in.