Building a lo-pro 73-79 F600 utilizing F650 parts
#1
11-18-2017, 10:47 PM
Building a lo-pro 73-79 F600 utilizing F650 parts
So.. I have a gaggle of F600s now and Ive always wanted a lo-pro version... but as everyone knows 20 inch rims dont really lend themselves well to lo-pros.. the tire height is around 36 inches
I found an 2012 Ford F650 motorhome on Craigslist that had been burned from the floor up... mine for the taking if I wanted to deal with the mess. The fire got hot enough to blow up the front tires and melt the brake lines and even the rubber spring bushings took a hit.. but otherwise everything looks intact. A bonus.. the motorhome's fuel tank didn't go up and its a 150 gallon steel in-between the frame rail tank is in great shape... as well as the on-board propane tank.. if they had gone up I think it would have melted everything as the tank was nearly full of fresh fuel.
After negotiating a price of 350.00 back charging the owner because of the mess I stripped the f650 of is remaining burned carcass. He was desperate to have it towed away and none of the tow companies would touch is because of the mess.. and none of the scrap yards wanted it because of the hazmat. So.. in the back already by 350.00 this cost me a box of contractor cleanup trash bags filled with gook and charcoal, 180.00 in dump fees and one day labor and some very dirty coveralls and gloves.. I just threw them out.. I looked like one of Charles Dickens waifs covered with gritty black soot when I was done. Motorhomes have a lot of hazmat built into them.. especially whens its a burned charred mess.
Underneath the burnt floor was a low mileage V10, six speed, 19.5 tires, Dana 80 rear with 4.30 posi and disc brakes and a I beam disc brake front end. Both the front and rear have massive sway bars and huge rotors and calipers and the rear was also equipped with air overloads. The springs were wider and longer than the original F600 (for a softer ride) and it has spring brackets that will bolt up to the F600 frame without modification (other than drilling new holes). The dana 80 is a thing of beauty with a massive aluminum differential cover and huge axle tubes..can you say American beefcake?
With the 19.5 lo-pro tires the 4.30 should be just about perfect for the 300 six
The axles under the motorhome were rated more than the original Roc's
The V10 and six speed were sold immediately. Still way in the plus column on this conversion.
Some preliminary measurements showed the rear end should be a bolt in at 34" frame width... the same as the 79 F600 USAF 300 six, 4 speed, base truck it was going into. The truck was on the flight line and had only 12k miles on it. I picked up the truck for 500.00, originally just as a parts truck.. but hey.. my wife has already nicknamed it "Ramon" from cars,, so "low we go"
Here's the truck stripped of it Rockwell 6.19 axle,, about an hour labor air chiseling the spring brackets off (kudos to the latest version of the husky air chisel which worked well)
*****FAB tip*****
(if you just kiss the rivets with the plasma cutter in the center of the rivet they come off like butter with the air chisel... the plasma takes all the hardness out of the rivet)
Then a shot of the F650 rear... no rivets.. everything on the F650 frame is bolted on.. all the frame rails.. everything..its completely modular.
A shot of the F650 front.. it's spring width is wider than the original f600 but I think there is enough room on the spring pads to re-drill them for the narrower width. The F650 motorhome frame is much wider in the engine area than the f600.. I surmise to handle the variety of engines Ford or aftermarket might stuff in there.. anything from the V10 to large cummins or cat power
The F650s steering box and pitman arm goes forward. My preliminary thought is that the original F600 pitman arm ( and rear mounted box) will work.. at least thats my thought. This front end was set up to fit more than just a motorhome chassis
Some problems to overcome
Reinforcing the spring bracket locations on the f600 frame ( the f650 brackets simply bolt to the side of the frame and f600s are riveted to the side and bottom... my thought is to appropriately plate the inside of the f600 frame in the areas of the spring perches using the diamond shape technique to distribute the stress
Building shock mount brackets for the f600 to integrate into the f650 system.. easy peasey
Finding the right combo of hydroboost to work with the 4wdb.. Im thinking one off a 90s vintage F450... which is large and has dual ports. Ill have to play lets match fitting and rod lengths as well as reinforcing the firewall
Custom driveshaft.. easy peasey
Custom brakelines.. no sweat
Eliminating the abs.. easy.. just dont connect the sensors
Some preliminary measurements show about a 12 INCH DROP FROM STOCK..which really makes a difference
The truck will be used for light towing...maybe even throw a shorty tow truck body on it...
My plan will be to get everything working then disassemble the truck entirely for restomod... this is number four F600 for me doing the complete frame off...
Any thoughts and ideas are always HIGHLY welcomed...
Current cost.. still in the black profit margin by about 1000.00 dollars.. but as we know once you begin to fab that goes away quickly
notme
PS.. As an aside my bud just gave me this big rig sleeper.. which is a massive two bunker... I cant decide which F600 to put it on..but one of them is going to end up with it. Its 8 feet long which will fit at least two of my f600 C& C using up the entire frame.. so that chassis would become a bumper pull only..... further to follow
I found an 2012 Ford F650 motorhome on Craigslist that had been burned from the floor up... mine for the taking if I wanted to deal with the mess. The fire got hot enough to blow up the front tires and melt the brake lines and even the rubber spring bushings took a hit.. but otherwise everything looks intact. A bonus.. the motorhome's fuel tank didn't go up and its a 150 gallon steel in-between the frame rail tank is in great shape... as well as the on-board propane tank.. if they had gone up I think it would have melted everything as the tank was nearly full of fresh fuel.
After negotiating a price of 350.00 back charging the owner because of the mess I stripped the f650 of is remaining burned carcass. He was desperate to have it towed away and none of the tow companies would touch is because of the mess.. and none of the scrap yards wanted it because of the hazmat. So.. in the back already by 350.00 this cost me a box of contractor cleanup trash bags filled with gook and charcoal, 180.00 in dump fees and one day labor and some very dirty coveralls and gloves.. I just threw them out.. I looked like one of Charles Dickens waifs covered with gritty black soot when I was done. Motorhomes have a lot of hazmat built into them.. especially whens its a burned charred mess.
Underneath the burnt floor was a low mileage V10, six speed, 19.5 tires, Dana 80 rear with 4.30 posi and disc brakes and a I beam disc brake front end. Both the front and rear have massive sway bars and huge rotors and calipers and the rear was also equipped with air overloads. The springs were wider and longer than the original F600 (for a softer ride) and it has spring brackets that will bolt up to the F600 frame without modification (other than drilling new holes). The dana 80 is a thing of beauty with a massive aluminum differential cover and huge axle tubes..can you say American beefcake?
With the 19.5 lo-pro tires the 4.30 should be just about perfect for the 300 six
The axles under the motorhome were rated more than the original Roc's
The V10 and six speed were sold immediately. Still way in the plus column on this conversion.
Some preliminary measurements showed the rear end should be a bolt in at 34" frame width... the same as the 79 F600 USAF 300 six, 4 speed, base truck it was going into. The truck was on the flight line and had only 12k miles on it. I picked up the truck for 500.00, originally just as a parts truck.. but hey.. my wife has already nicknamed it "Ramon" from cars,, so "low we go"
Here's the truck stripped of it Rockwell 6.19 axle,, about an hour labor air chiseling the spring brackets off (kudos to the latest version of the husky air chisel which worked well)
*****FAB tip*****
(if you just kiss the rivets with the plasma cutter in the center of the rivet they come off like butter with the air chisel... the plasma takes all the hardness out of the rivet)
Then a shot of the F650 rear... no rivets.. everything on the F650 frame is bolted on.. all the frame rails.. everything..its completely modular.
A shot of the F650 front.. it's spring width is wider than the original f600 but I think there is enough room on the spring pads to re-drill them for the narrower width. The F650 motorhome frame is much wider in the engine area than the f600.. I surmise to handle the variety of engines Ford or aftermarket might stuff in there.. anything from the V10 to large cummins or cat power
The F650s steering box and pitman arm goes forward. My preliminary thought is that the original F600 pitman arm ( and rear mounted box) will work.. at least thats my thought. This front end was set up to fit more than just a motorhome chassis
Some problems to overcome
Reinforcing the spring bracket locations on the f600 frame ( the f650 brackets simply bolt to the side of the frame and f600s are riveted to the side and bottom... my thought is to appropriately plate the inside of the f600 frame in the areas of the spring perches using the diamond shape technique to distribute the stress
Building shock mount brackets for the f600 to integrate into the f650 system.. easy peasey
Finding the right combo of hydroboost to work with the 4wdb.. Im thinking one off a 90s vintage F450... which is large and has dual ports. Ill have to play lets match fitting and rod lengths as well as reinforcing the firewall
Custom driveshaft.. easy peasey
Custom brakelines.. no sweat
Eliminating the abs.. easy.. just dont connect the sensors
Some preliminary measurements show about a 12 INCH DROP FROM STOCK..which really makes a difference
The truck will be used for light towing...maybe even throw a shorty tow truck body on it...
My plan will be to get everything working then disassemble the truck entirely for restomod... this is number four F600 for me doing the complete frame off...
Any thoughts and ideas are always HIGHLY welcomed...
Current cost.. still in the black profit margin by about 1000.00 dollars.. but as we know once you begin to fab that goes away quickly
notme
PS.. As an aside my bud just gave me this big rig sleeper.. which is a massive two bunker... I cant decide which F600 to put it on..but one of them is going to end up with it. Its 8 feet long which will fit at least two of my f600 C& C using up the entire frame.. so that chassis would become a bumper pull only..... further to follow
#2
11-18-2017, 11:13 PM
#4
11-22-2017, 09:32 PM
Actually one of my f600 restos,, cab and chassis sitting in the shop
Ok.. a little work done today
Measured the F600 and F650 frames and they were identical (in the rear) at 33 3/4" or 34... as most people refer to them
Unbolted the F650 rear leaving the upper shock mount to move later and wheeled the differential under the f600 for trial fit
and ..it fit
Then I went about stripping the rivets in the way... and determined the rear cross member was also hindering the install so I removed the rear half of it. The upper F650 shock mount acts as a cross member because its so beefy.. so that will take any load lost from the removal of the rear half of the rear cross member... I may also additionally put a cross member right at the rear of the truck as one side of one of the cross members had been cut for a lift gate and has to be repaired anyway. I was really surprised when I found two holes in the frame right where the sway bar needs to bolt up to... pretty good for a 33 year later differential... and tells you Ford medium duty truck lines have been successful for years in design
After initially placing the rear in its correct fore aft position three of the four side bolts "almost" fit... but the holes in the frame were too large from the rivet removal... so I decided to plate the inside of the frame rail and weld up the holes and re-drill them... everything was flap disc ground to a smooth finish ready for primer
Left to do
More fit-up for the front mounts.. (I will plate the inner frame as well) and four more bolts for the rear (2 sides and two bottom) but I ran out of daylight
Driveshaft angle is correct... and it looks like the F650 driveshaft will even work with minor shortening... I think the front splines match the F600,,but Ill confirm that for a later post.
Rain for turkey day and the shop is chock full of other trucks so this one will sit until the sun comes back
Postscript.. just a seat of the pants shows the truck is about ten inches lower in the rear...which gives it a low rear rake look.. "Ramone" from Cars here we come
Today I saw a F650 slider back tow truck with 19.5 inch tires on it which gave me a good impression of how this truck might sit.
Happy Thanksgiving my FTE friends.. it is nice to be alive, healthy, and building Fords.
I cant wait for blasting and "purdy" black paint... I hate dirty rust
Ok.. a little work done today
Measured the F600 and F650 frames and they were identical (in the rear) at 33 3/4" or 34... as most people refer to them
Unbolted the F650 rear leaving the upper shock mount to move later and wheeled the differential under the f600 for trial fit
and ..it fit
Then I went about stripping the rivets in the way... and determined the rear cross member was also hindering the install so I removed the rear half of it. The upper F650 shock mount acts as a cross member because its so beefy.. so that will take any load lost from the removal of the rear half of the rear cross member... I may also additionally put a cross member right at the rear of the truck as one side of one of the cross members had been cut for a lift gate and has to be repaired anyway. I was really surprised when I found two holes in the frame right where the sway bar needs to bolt up to... pretty good for a 33 year later differential... and tells you Ford medium duty truck lines have been successful for years in design
After initially placing the rear in its correct fore aft position three of the four side bolts "almost" fit... but the holes in the frame were too large from the rivet removal... so I decided to plate the inside of the frame rail and weld up the holes and re-drill them... everything was flap disc ground to a smooth finish ready for primer
Left to do
More fit-up for the front mounts.. (I will plate the inner frame as well) and four more bolts for the rear (2 sides and two bottom) but I ran out of daylight
Driveshaft angle is correct... and it looks like the F650 driveshaft will even work with minor shortening... I think the front splines match the F600,,but Ill confirm that for a later post.
Rain for turkey day and the shop is chock full of other trucks so this one will sit until the sun comes back
Postscript.. just a seat of the pants shows the truck is about ten inches lower in the rear...which gives it a low rear rake look.. "Ramone" from Cars here we come
Today I saw a F650 slider back tow truck with 19.5 inch tires on it which gave me a good impression of how this truck might sit.
Happy Thanksgiving my FTE friends.. it is nice to be alive, healthy, and building Fords.
I cant wait for blasting and "purdy" black paint... I hate dirty rust
#6
11-23-2017, 05:38 PM
Turkey day... but the sun came out and I snuck out for a couple of hours... more disassembly.
I got the front end unbolted out of the F650. I took lots of extra brackets and cross members... just in case,, the fuel tank,, and some brake fittings... my scrapper friend is going to use the 30 foot frame as the skeleton frame for a light duty bridge across his creek .. recycle recycle recycle
and pulled the really nicely built upper shock mount off.. bolt in, yes sir..!!!! Thank you Ford
I think the tires might need replacing....:-)... charcoal rounds pretty much
Thats all for today.. movie time with Momma!
Happy Thanksgiving all
I got the front end unbolted out of the F650. I took lots of extra brackets and cross members... just in case,, the fuel tank,, and some brake fittings... my scrapper friend is going to use the 30 foot frame as the skeleton frame for a light duty bridge across his creek .. recycle recycle recycle
and pulled the really nicely built upper shock mount off.. bolt in, yes sir..!!!! Thank you Ford
I think the tires might need replacing....:-)... charcoal rounds pretty much
Thats all for today.. movie time with Momma!
Happy Thanksgiving all
#7
12-01-2017, 09:29 AM
Ok.. a little more progress
Driveshaft pulled for modifications. As it turned out the front half of the F-650 driveshaft was the same length.. so it only needed the front u-joint pulled for the F600 to work. The rear F650 driveshaft was cut to fit the new length of the F600 chassis. A new center bearing and new lifetime grease style u-joints were also added. ( which is my preference over the lifetime sealed ones)The F600 u-joints were 1410 style ... the F650 one size larger.. so the shop recommended going all F650... and even though this is just a 300 six truck.. why not... no real extra money
It was still spendy.. coming in at 480.00.. but that was new and fully balanced.. as much as the truck itself... but no good way around it.. do it right once
After some Kentucky figuring it looked like the OEM F600 springs were the better route to go. The F650 springs would have had some clearance issues on the forged beam itself. I pulled the front sway bar.. Ill see if I can reuse it. The steering fore aft is ok.. but the arm on the axle is 4 inches outboard of where it needs to be for a straight line up.. so that will require work
The factory F600 shocks will work (when replaced with new) and bolt right up to the F650 lower shock mount
The truck has dropped ten inches in the front.. has about six inches under the center of the axle. It is almost pickup height now...
"L'il Bit" my F600 restored shop truck sits looking at it's younger well worn air force brother
Nice rust patina from years sitting on the flightline.. needs a good clearcoat
Some truck building critics in the background.. they live here..momma..spirit, ghost girl, and sister
This weekend ..rear shock mount.. weld up existing holes and re drill for f600 frame
Driveshaft pulled for modifications. As it turned out the front half of the F-650 driveshaft was the same length.. so it only needed the front u-joint pulled for the F600 to work. The rear F650 driveshaft was cut to fit the new length of the F600 chassis. A new center bearing and new lifetime grease style u-joints were also added. ( which is my preference over the lifetime sealed ones)The F600 u-joints were 1410 style ... the F650 one size larger.. so the shop recommended going all F650... and even though this is just a 300 six truck.. why not... no real extra money
It was still spendy.. coming in at 480.00.. but that was new and fully balanced.. as much as the truck itself... but no good way around it.. do it right once
After some Kentucky figuring it looked like the OEM F600 springs were the better route to go. The F650 springs would have had some clearance issues on the forged beam itself. I pulled the front sway bar.. Ill see if I can reuse it. The steering fore aft is ok.. but the arm on the axle is 4 inches outboard of where it needs to be for a straight line up.. so that will require work
The factory F600 shocks will work (when replaced with new) and bolt right up to the F650 lower shock mount
The truck has dropped ten inches in the front.. has about six inches under the center of the axle. It is almost pickup height now...
"L'il Bit" my F600 restored shop truck sits looking at it's younger well worn air force brother
Nice rust patina from years sitting on the flightline.. needs a good clearcoat
Some truck building critics in the background.. they live here..momma..spirit, ghost girl, and sister
This weekend ..rear shock mount.. weld up existing holes and re drill for f600 frame
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#8
12-06-2017, 05:38 PM
Well because of FTE I couldn't leave well enough alone.. I had only intended on making the conversion and driving this truck.. but because of all of you,,
I have decided to restore it underneath and keep the old school patina body and paint.
To that end I pulled the front clip.. and then I said..well the front clip is off why not do the radiator... and heck its so easy why not new spring insulators.. and Ive always wanted the one piece pan cover and oh.. the oil pump is right there.. why not,, and next thing you know there's a pile of sheet metal next to the truck and the engine accessories are being replaced.. I already built a dual battery box for the passenger fender.. which is what started everything rolling.. I didn't like the surface rust under the battery on the fender.. I HATE RUST..patina..ok.. rust nope
So.. next.. blast the frame, inner fenders , paint them and then coat the underneath.. all new bolts and hardware... new on the bottom.. old school on the top.. thank god the goberment spec'd inner fender panels.. the fenders are clean on the inside
Further to follow.. "a 'ten hut" Ramone
I have decided to restore it underneath and keep the old school patina body and paint.
To that end I pulled the front clip.. and then I said..well the front clip is off why not do the radiator... and heck its so easy why not new spring insulators.. and Ive always wanted the one piece pan cover and oh.. the oil pump is right there.. why not,, and next thing you know there's a pile of sheet metal next to the truck and the engine accessories are being replaced.. I already built a dual battery box for the passenger fender.. which is what started everything rolling.. I didn't like the surface rust under the battery on the fender.. I HATE RUST..patina..ok.. rust nope
So.. next.. blast the frame, inner fenders , paint them and then coat the underneath.. all new bolts and hardware... new on the bottom.. old school on the top.. thank god the goberment spec'd inner fender panels.. the fenders are clean on the inside
Further to follow.. "a 'ten hut" Ramone
#9
12-14-2017, 08:39 AM
Senior User
#10
12-14-2017, 09:19 AM
Rust will be removed and primed.. then a sand thru.. then clear coat entire body... but.. and there is a but.. Im getting advice from friends that the truck will be so nice underneath why not go the whole route and paint it.. so I am vacillating back and forth.. Summit blue metallic with silver metallic fenders would be a natural... but keeping the patina would be perfect for junking so that potential sellers don't see money rolling up to their house. Low and slow... and low profile!!!.. So far my wife says.. PATINA
My friends say.. make it "purdy".. Im already dreaming about the aluminum bed Im going to build. I have an uber rare stainless F600 grill and chrome front bumper both in excellent condition sitting in the shop off of my fire truck that beg ..take me Im yours... hmmm what to do
I looked at a bunch of "how do I seal my patina" u-tube videos
Ive been dealing with lots of little issues..
I pulled the motor mounts and am waiting for an answer from ANCHOR industries as to whether their ANI 2048 & 2050 mounts might work.. they are listed for earlier Ford truck applications but not this one.. if they do fit it means NEW mounts at a fraction of the cost of NOS mounts, which have been sitting around forever
-Welded up original rear F650 shock mount holes to be re-drilled for smaller bolts (original were 1" going through frame.. they only need to be 3/8 or 1/2 for the f600 application)
-Got the converted driveshaft back from driveline specialties... can you say beefy.. (pics to follow)
-Trying to incorporate air overloads from F650 ( add-on Firestones) into the shock mount to reduce holes drilled in frame
-Made a template for the front end install for F600 u-bolts to F650 front axle
-Looked at how to overcome steering arm issue... one end is smaller (steering box pitman arm) (F600) and one is larger F650 to axle.. to that end I found this company
Custom Pitman Arms - Montpelier, OH - Powers & Sons, LLC
Im hoping I can put together an adjustable steering arm with different size ends because I cant weld anything as FMC/NHSTA law dictates no welded arms.. no matter the quality of welding
-Ive cleaned up the engine blasting and painting stuff and am replacing all the accessories with new.. all new gaskets,high amp alternator.. new OEM water pump (an ebay find.. so I bought three for my other F600 300 six builds).. reman'd starter.. new fuel pump.. new plugs, wires, voltage regulator and starter relay, finished the dual battery box build
I did the late model pan gasket Felpro silicone conversion by surfacing the oil pan bolt holes flush... Joy.. no leaks from the silicone gaskets!!! I also added a new style magnetic drain plug with plastic gasket. Crank and bottom end still look new to me...
There is actually a aircraft company that makes silicone valve cover gaskets (for the large bolt hole style these engines have).. but they were spendy and I decided new Felpro OEM would be fine with some "right stuff" sealant backing it up. Felpro makes a silicone gasket for later 300s that have smaller bolt holes inserts.. these can be removed but its a PITA I understand.Anyway.. OEM wont leak if done correctly...
- I tried my first attempt ever at lettering the air cleaner cover. I also ordered some silver metallic printable sticky back vinyl paper and hope to reproduce the emissions stickers for **** Kalifornia emissions. The air cleaner cover is painted in black heavy metallic. I am not sure I like it.. but it may grow upon me
The front inner sheet metal and radiator core support and lots of little pieces are blasted and painted now.. and since we are scheduled for good weather I hope to wrap up the engine in plastic... blast the light surface rust off of the frame ...and then paint it this week.... finally start reassembly
Slow progress
#11
12-16-2017, 07:38 AM
Ok....
Last night I did a mundane but important job for a smog legal California truck. The emissions stickers were long worn away so I figured out how to make decent reproductions good enough for the smog techs. While most of you will never have to complete such a task for California trucks that smog... it helps
Utilizing printable sticky back automotive grade paper I filled in the necessary information just using MS WORD. Then I covered it in matte clear sticky paper.... pretty much replicating the oem sticker (leaving off some of the verbiage)
I downloaded the FORD script font
My 140 amp alternator arrived from Summit.. and a new smog pump from Oriellys to replace the frozen one... who knows how long it was disconnected..possibly for years..it was the OEM one... I figured out the missing air filter (WIX 42077)... and anything pretty much bolted on the engine Im slowly replacing.
The starter proved to be an issue,,, the nose on the 300 six medium duty is different than the light duty and while I found rebuilds by application through Wilson..their generic picture was of the light duty... so Ill be investigating that
The motor mounts are also being elusive.. I got some in by number application and they were for the light duty... more investigation..Ive been keeping Bill-Number Dummy busy
Last night I did a mundane but important job for a smog legal California truck. The emissions stickers were long worn away so I figured out how to make decent reproductions good enough for the smog techs. While most of you will never have to complete such a task for California trucks that smog... it helps
Utilizing printable sticky back automotive grade paper I filled in the necessary information just using MS WORD. Then I covered it in matte clear sticky paper.... pretty much replicating the oem sticker (leaving off some of the verbiage)
I downloaded the FORD script font
My 140 amp alternator arrived from Summit.. and a new smog pump from Oriellys to replace the frozen one... who knows how long it was disconnected..possibly for years..it was the OEM one... I figured out the missing air filter (WIX 42077)... and anything pretty much bolted on the engine Im slowly replacing.
The starter proved to be an issue,,, the nose on the 300 six medium duty is different than the light duty and while I found rebuilds by application through Wilson..their generic picture was of the light duty... so Ill be investigating that
The motor mounts are also being elusive.. I got some in by number application and they were for the light duty... more investigation..Ive been keeping Bill-Number Dummy busy
#12
12-16-2017, 04:25 PM
The "Smog *****" may or may not like your repro labels based on past experiences. I had a '71 Ranchero with a 351C-4V that did not come with the Thermactor from the factory. I purchased resto-quality labels, applied them and upon the next smog inspection, ended up at the referee station where they verified it had never had Thermactor parts installed.
You know, Indiana doesn't do smog on the older vehicles. Gonna be nice to move to the Hoosier State . . .
You know, Indiana doesn't do smog on the older vehicles. Gonna be nice to move to the Hoosier State . . .
#13
12-17-2017, 08:07 AM
The "Smog *****" may or may not like your repro labels based on past experiences. I had a '71 Ranchero with a 351C-4V that did not come with the Thermactor from the factory. I purchased resto-quality labels, applied them and upon the next smog inspection, ended up at the referee station where they verified it had never had Thermactor parts installed.
You know, Indiana doesn't do smog on the older vehicles. Gonna be nice to move to the Hoosier State . . .
You know, Indiana doesn't do smog on the older vehicles. Gonna be nice to move to the Hoosier State . . .
Hopefully Ill be ok as this truck was sold here.. so I am assuming it was smogged in its past at least once after the Air Force surplused it... here's hoping...
Another good reason to leave goofy Kalifornia
#14
01-09-2018, 01:10 AM
#15
04-30-2020, 05:29 AM
G'day from Sydney Australia. My daily driver is a 2007 F150 Lariat privately imported from the USA (as they don't sell them here). Unless it gets wrecked this will be my last vehicle as I love this truck (touch wood for no accidents).
I am replying to this post because you've been working on a similar truck to me (the F600 from similar vintage). I am modifying an Australian 1977 D-Series (about 10 metric tonne tipper). I purchased a year 2000 F650 Spicer rear end with disc brakes and font axle all of which fitted in perfectly centre pin to centre pin....like you said....thankyou FORD
I have been trying to get brake parts which is difficult because I don't know the VIN of the truck where the axle came from.
Specifically I have been searching to buy Guide Pin kits, boots and bushings without any success. I also need new pistons and seals. They simply don't seem to exist (at least not on eBay) and it may be more economical to buy new calipers. I have come across a number of replacement calipers which are four piston instead of 2 which appear to be a different animal. The 4 piston callipers seem to be two pistons on each side. I'm not a brake expert by any stretch so I am after clarification..... Are these fixed calipers as opposed to the floating calipers that I have and therefore don't require the guide pins, boots and bushings ??
Are these guide pin kits so difficult to find because the other type of piston arrangement is an improvement and nobody buys them anymore?? So owners just upgrade to the other type of caliper. Im worried to buy 4 new calipers US$1000 at least AU$1600 and find that they wont fit and pay an arm and leg to ship them back to the USA. A financially painful exercize.
Also I didnt know how to start a new thread where I could get more people to see my F650 brake problem. Maybe you can refer me to the site administration for assistance.
BTW Did you ever galvanise that F600 frame ??
Regards,
Steve Newlands
I am replying to this post because you've been working on a similar truck to me (the F600 from similar vintage). I am modifying an Australian 1977 D-Series (about 10 metric tonne tipper). I purchased a year 2000 F650 Spicer rear end with disc brakes and font axle all of which fitted in perfectly centre pin to centre pin....like you said....thankyou FORD
I have been trying to get brake parts which is difficult because I don't know the VIN of the truck where the axle came from.Specifically I have been searching to buy Guide Pin kits, boots and bushings without any success. I also need new pistons and seals. They simply don't seem to exist (at least not on eBay) and it may be more economical to buy new calipers. I have come across a number of replacement calipers which are four piston instead of 2 which appear to be a different animal. The 4 piston callipers seem to be two pistons on each side. I'm not a brake expert by any stretch so I am after clarification..... Are these fixed calipers as opposed to the floating calipers that I have and therefore don't require the guide pins, boots and bushings ??
Are these guide pin kits so difficult to find because the other type of piston arrangement is an improvement and nobody buys them anymore?? So owners just upgrade to the other type of caliper. Im worried to buy 4 new calipers US$1000 at least AU$1600 and find that they wont fit and pay an arm and leg to ship them back to the USA. A financially painful exercize.
Also I didnt know how to start a new thread where I could get more people to see my F650 brake problem. Maybe you can refer me to the site administration for assistance.
BTW Did you ever galvanise that F600 frame ??
Regards,
Steve Newlands