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Hi everyone,
I'm new to posting in the forums but I've been lurking around for the last few months. Back in November I bought a 1973 Ford F100. When I went to see it, the owner was trying to jump start it and pouring gas down the carb. He told me he had let his son drive it and his son had let someone rebuild the carb while he had it. The truck started but wouldn't idle. I checked the coolant and the oil, both were ok It had a flat tire and mismatched rims with 33s. He told me it had 390 in it and that the engine and 4sp manual trans were both good, it needed brakes. I told him I would like to think about it over the weekend but I would let him know on Monday. Well on Sunday I called him and told him I wanted the truck. I met him early afternoon in monday and paid him and took care of the paperwork. I had gotten an uber there to get the truck but there was a parts store a block away. I went and picked up a battery, battery terminals, a small set of sae wrenches and one of those tire pumps that plugs into the cigarette lighter and the walked back to the truck. I put the new battery and terminals in the took a good look at the two barrel carb. It was leaking from the weep hole on the accelerator pump cover, the choke plate was hanging vertical even though it was stone cold and the fast idle screw was barely touching the stop, also a couple of vacuum lines were not connected. Back to parts store for a flat and a phillips screwdriver. I got the choke set about halfway closed, adjusted the fast idle screw and hooked up the vacuum lines... well it cranked and ran but the idle was too fast. I backed off the fast idle but it died before I could get it down to a reasonable idle. I put it back to the high idle speed and started stuffing a rag in around the base of the carb, bingo right in the back there was a big port open in the spacer plate. I capped the port with electrical tape I found in the glove box and then backed down the idle to something reasonable, it was a bit rough but reasonable. I did the rag trick again and found the spacer plate was sucking air in the back under the port. I stuffed the rag back in under the port and the idle smoothed out, not perfect but it was better. I got the mismatched flat tire aired up(skipping a few more trips to the parts store) and the correct lug nuts on the mismatched rim. The matched rim was in the bed with three more of the other rims, all of them 15x10 with 33s. Time to see if it would move and stop. 1st gear moved it forward and reverse moved it back but the brakes were not great.... I wouldnt have let my kids drive it like that but I was getting it home on its own power. I set off and did the 20 mile drive home sticking to backroads(my insurance carrier would not be pleased with me). I made it home ok, the drive was uneventful if noisy.
The dual cherry bombs were both rusted out, so basically straight piped. I have a ToDo list a mile and a half long but I've put a new set of 33s on matching rim, I've rebuilt the carburetor, I had actual mufflers put on it when the new dual exhaust was done, changed the oil, drained and filled the front diff, transmission and transfer case. The rear diff... well I pumped almost the total capacity of gear oil into it. It still howls like a banshee when I'm accelerating. Yes the rear diff is next on the list. I'll be asking for your help when I get into it. I've never done a ford 9 inch before but I'm confident I can get it done. I'll be pulling the bed off to weld in the new sheetmetal, its rotted above both wheel wells and a little inside the bed too. Oh and it turns out to be a 360 instead of a 390, at least according to the valve cover label.
It isnt pretty but it works. Maybe it'll get paint after the mechanicals are all sorted out and the new sheetmetal is all welded in. I just noticed in that pic, I think I need a new gas cap...
Turned out mine came stock with a 360. The valve cover label was for a 360 and then I decoded the vin and it came back as april 1973 from the Kansas City, Mo plant with 4wd and the 360.
Great story!
I love the idea of going to the seller's place and raising a truck from the dead and then driving away.....LOL.
The guy that has the "Vice Grip Garage" youtube channel is a huge chebby nut but I like to watch him go raise a vehicle from the dead and then drive it home. COOL!
The one I love is the one where he buys a Torino with a locked up engine, loads it on a trailer and takes it to his brothers house. Then gets it running! Not only that.... he drives it back home over 600 miles!
Now THAT is Ford Tough!
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