I sit and watch youtube at night rather than watch the garbage on TV.
Junk yard digs is entertaining.... I guess. I have been waiting for mook to show some more resto on her '78.

They went to Arizona a few weeks ago and resurected a Bronco in a storage unit. It is a cool series.

 

Me too. I watched Uncle Tony's Garage the other night when they did a live-cast of a cam break-in on a Buick 455.
Spoiler alert - the HEI died about halfway through...

Cleetus McFarland, Neutral Drop, Classic Truck Rescue, Elderly Iron, Weird Beard, and Watch Wes Work, are just a few of the great channels on there.

 

Another weekend- another task done. Changed the oil! No real surprises here- just for giggles I looked up the oil change procedure in the original Ford service manual, basically "drain the oil, fill the oil, change the filter". One odd thing was seeing the capacities listed for US and "Imperial", honestly I didn't realize that a US gallon/quart was actually different from an "Imperial" UK gallon/quart...I always thought they were the same.

From a sticker on the window, the last time the oil was changed was about 3 years or so ago, surprisingly it still had 2000 miles to go till the next change was due. The oil didn't look too terrible for being at least 3 years old thankfully.

I elected to go with Pennzoil 10W30 Ultra Full Synthetic High Mileage. I honestly didn't even know they made high mileage full synthetic...since I've always been under the impression that old, high mileage engines need dino oil at a higher weight so not to leak. After some extensive research and considering the engine runs like a top and there aren't any leaks I can see, I figured I'd give it a shot. Also put on a Pureolator PureONE oil filter. I've used them on all my cars for their filtering capacity, seem to run well.

Also added an oil dipstick- basically filled the oil with the exact amount listed in the service manual (6qts with filter), got a universal dipstick, and a tube for the valve cover. Worked out well- now I can actually check my oil without a coat hanger.



I still wonder what happened to the original...the timing cover looks like maybe it's aftermarket...perhaps the timing chain has been replaced with the non-retarded timing version at some point...following the "hot rod" theme the old owner seemed to prioritize...

While I was at it I decided to take care of the brakes, another common job I've been told is very easy. After replacement the pedal feels better, but stopping and pedal travel doesn't seem to be any different...maybe I put it on wrong? It did only take 30 seconds rather than the hour or so I thought it would take, let me know...


They told me I needed to replace the pads...I could only find this one pad?

 

Those pedal pads? Ford used those for decades! They were used in the 1980-1996 OBS trucks, and I think they were used in later F-series trucks too! I believe that pedal pad design goes back to the early 1960s!!!

 

I wonder if they didn't mean brake pads.

 

Yep the hole at front of hood looks like it is for an emblem

the headlight surrounds look like they are missing screws and that is why they are taped in place?

your front turn signal lenses look clear and not painted, so they would be aftermarket and not an original option on these trucks

wheels look like dodge wheels from the 2000s. I saw in a Roadkill garage episode or roadkill extra show where David Freiburger was pulling the chrome plastic off of the steel rims. These look like those.

there should be "F150 Custom"(or Ranger) badges on the cowl between the hood and the door on both sides, so because they arent there then that means those holes were filled with something and not sealed from inbehind as it's nigh impossible to seal that spot inbehind.

you can get new rear window with seal, still available brand new, order for either years 1973 to 1979, or order for years 1980 to 1996, the metal cab window opening is the same size 1973 to 1996 but the seals are different widths to accomodate the windows, so seal must match the window.

Is there an auxilarily gas tank in your passenger side rear wheelwell? COOL!

looks like previous owner (PO) painted wiper arms black instead of leaving them aluminum colored.

a decent air cleaner housing will get you a few extra horsepower, 3" by 17" round or whatever the number is, someone else will chime in here, or find a stock aircleaner housing and plumb it to to the rad support hole for it

there is a stock plastic wiring channel thingy that screws to the firewall above and behind the carberator to run wires through

looks like under hood hydraulic jack is missing

you are missing the stock windshield washer tank on the driver side inner fender, it sits on those two 7/16th bolts there and slips into a bracket further down.

looks like they made the wrong power steering hose line/hose work, or installed the correct line/hose wrong

the series of rectangular holes at very top of firewall is for clips for the hood to cowl rubber seal that keeps water out of there, it is was available in the aftermarket last time I looked for it

brake lines were replaced from master cylinder as they don't have the "coils" that the original lines would have had, should be fine as long as there is some slack or length in the line to accomodate flexing of everything

radiator was replaced with a different unit, has champion rad cap on it so probably a champion radiator and aluminum instead of copper

looks like Edelbrock carb and valve covers and maybe intake for more power along with MSD distributor

guessing water pump was done as it looks like newer or fresher paint than rest of engine

yep they removed the factory A/C unit that was on the firewall

they changed the gauge cluster trim piece as there should be another A/C vent on the far left there above headlight and washer *****

glove box would have come out to remove A/C hvac stuff

they might have removed the fuse for the gauge cluster and thats why those lights dont work

looks like they used a washer **** instead of a headlight ****, headlight should be a round one, washer is a 5 or 6 sided ****

headlight **** and shaft it is on is supposed to be one-piece. to remove the gauge trim plastic piece you have to remove that headlight "stalk" from the light relay behind the plastic trim piece. but I bet they didnt do that, pried just the **** off or borke it completely and may have damaged the light switch/relay unit in their process.... theres a button on top of the switch to press down on and then you can remove the headlight ****/shaft as 1 piece

Because the truck had A/C there is a good chance it was also a "Ranger" or "Ranger XLT" trim package, which would mean you have the delay wipers feature, and the under the dash lights that illuminate the floor when the door is opened or the cab light is turned on

AND Because it may be the higher trim level it MAY have had cruise control as an option, which they would have disabled to change the carb over to the edelbrock, which is WHY they put the different steer wheel on there as well as they deleted most but not all of it. UNLESS they stripped this cab of all the luxury options including wiring harness and put a basic wiring harness in it's place?...

If the carpet starts falling apart on you there is new carpet available thru aftermarket companies.

And seat materials are available to re-upholster brand new as well.

They painted over everything so you can go restoration green route or you paint it any color you want

Wow! You did the steering box, that's more than I would try, I congratulate you much-ly!

Reverse lights not working can be in the NSS (neutral safety switch) adjustment, or the NSS needs to be replaced with a new one, and it is on the transmission in years 1978 and 1979

Good find with the mirrors!

Speedometer cable will need to be removed and have lube added to it or to be replaced if end that goes into speedometer gauge is rounded and not square.

Could still check adjustments to rear drums with the star wheel adjuster so that rear brakes are not dragging and engaging correctly. Your drum wheel cylinder looks a bit grimy, the seals may be seeping, so something to think about.

The e-brake pedal assembly in the cab can be lubed appropriately, and the cable from that assembly to under the truck at the junction point can sometimes seize up because of rust. So there is 1 cable from cab to a junction where it meets the 2 cables from the rear drums.

Maybe they had the wrong length U-Bolts for the leaf springs?

It runs and drives so it is a good starting point and you'll end up with the truck you want when you are done repairng/fixing/restoring/modifying it to your whims

 

Wow, thanks for all the info! Will definitely come in handy for reference.

Yeah, as far as I can tell, it's all zip-tied and taped together. Since the grille is cracked anyway I think I'll replace all of it, LMC has a nice all-chrome OEM-style grille and inserts rather than the silver-ish plastic pure OEM style

Yeah, I don't know if the PO was going for a really lazy white-out look or what...the clear tail lights looked really dumb. Definitely on the list to replace.

Yup, I think you're right about that after looking at pictures online, good to know! I don't mind them for now, they're simple and clean looking and in good shape.

There are actually two, one in each rear wheel well for a total of three tanks! There's a switch under the seat to change tanks in the cab with the address of a custom tank shop in Dallas. Might drop them and clean them out before I try them...though I'm not sure I'd ever need that much gas at once.

I was wondering about that, I saw references to a cooler line in the parts catalogs, would this particular model have the cooler line? I just replaced the lines with non-cooler versions.

I found a 1978 Explorer package brochure, and it was possible to get the power steering and automatic package without AC ("Package B"), I guess without any of the original HVAC equipment and only trim piece to go off of, assuming it's the original trim piece it wouldn't have had it.





My wife is so upset that the original seats are trashed, she loves the pattern. So far as I can tell, I can get regular vinyl upholstery in green, but doesn't look like there's any way to get the original Explorer pattern.

Thanks! I do feel a lot better about doing major projects on the truck now that I pulled the steering gear off, the original factory service manual is absolutely essential. I figured I would just have to get a new/rebuilt one anyway if I ended up trashing it trying to fix it, so it was worth a try.

Yup, I'm eager to get the brakes and coolant taken care of, maybe get new tires and do a tune-up (it shakes and idles pretty high). At that point, most everything else is cosmetic, so I can start doing truck stuff with it!

 

So I guess my "brake pad" joke wasn't as funny as I thought it was...but this week I replaced the front brake pads & rotors, and flushed the brake fluid. The fluid was gross and as I suspected the master cylinder is trashed, all rusted at the bottom. Figured it would be OK to just flush the fluid for now until I have some time to replace the master cylinder.

I've done plenty of brake jobs before on newer cars, so I've never actually had to do the wheel hub and bearings- it was a fun adventure packing bearings and getting grease EVERYWHERE. Also, the brake pads I ordered from Rockauto were too thick by just a millimeter or two, I couldn't fit the caliper back on the new rotor. I thought maybe I hadn't bottomed the caliper enough but it was down as far as it could go...so I ran down to Oreilley and got pads from there, which fit just fine. Guess that's what I get for getting cheap pads...

Also an odd thing- is the smaller reservoir supposed to be connected to the rear brakes, and the larger one to the front brakes? I thought I read it's supposed to be opposite?



Nice and shiny new!

 

One thing I noticed while testing the brakes after it had gotten dark, is that all the lights pulse on the truck. I had noticed this before, once I'm up to speed on the road it's less noticeable, but when sitting idling it pulses as shown in the video. I'm thinking voltage regulator, but I'm not sure:

 

So went to look at the wiring, and hopefully figure out why none of the interior lights work. Checked the fuses, all were good as tested by a multimeter. I messed around with the headlight switch, and figured out that the interior lights actually do come on when I twist the switch to the "click" position where the dome light comes on. I even was able to get the lights on in the "dimmer" range, but not consistently. I'm guessing maybe the switch itself is bad, upon inspection it looks like a replacement, with a "Made in Taiwan" sticker. Though there were still no lights in the gauge cluster- just random lights from the missing hvac and the transmission gear indicator.

Went to take the instrument panel out...and it basically disintegrated as I pulled it out. Don't think I've ever seen what looks like plastic get so brittle and crumble so easily...not only did it shatter in places, it grinds down to powder. So all the gauges are functional, and the printed circuit board looks to be in decent shape, so my best guess is that the bulbs aren't making good contact because of how the plastic has worn away where the bulbs contact, not to mention a few are missing. I found replacement plates on LMC, so I guess I'll get one of those, and reuse the printed board and get new bulbs.

Also I discovered evidence that the truck did have A/C at some point- the remains of the driver-side A/C duct. All that's left is the metal frame, the material that it would have been made out of was completely gone. So I guess someone replaced the original bezel as @four-sixty-power noted earlier.

 

Thanks for the update. You are doing good. Hang in there.

Hobo

 

Looks exactly like my '78 behind there. The Texas sun does no favors to all the plastics under the dash!

I'm going to go with one of the retrofit kits and totally replace the stock stuff because I can't find original flex bits anywhere.

 

We got a back panel from LMC and are happy with it. FYI the cheapo LED bulbs work in the cluster. I did get some genuine Sylvania 168 bulbs for the two back lights for a little more light at night. The Sylvania's are about 7.00 a piece, while the cheapo's are much less and can be used for the side marker lights too.

Check the bulb above your wiper/washer and light ***** to see if it is good. Also the one behind the climate control. They are odd ones. I don't remember the numbers off the top of my head. I can look it up in my manual if you need me to.

 

I just ended up just picking up a bulb kit from HiPo Parts Garage Been real happy with them, and no spending a bunch of time trying to figure out what bulbs I needed. Probably paid a little more than I had to, but it was worth my time.

 

Interesting tidbit, so those aftermarket side-saddle gas tanks with the switch on the floor in the cab? So they were made (sold? installed?) by "Auxiliary Gas Tank Co." according to the switch itself. The address is now an empty lot and I can't find anything on the company, I'm guessing it went out of business a very long time ago. But I did stumble on an article that mentioned the company, I guess it was started by a funny car/drag race guy named "Big Mike" Burkhart back in the 70s during the energy crisis and was quite successful. There's a whole article about him that was an interesting read: https://www.nhra.com/news/2013/legend-big-mike-burkhart

I guess if you were a farmer at the time and gas was hard to come by, loading up when you get the chance makes sense...