I never even considered fluid spitting out of that port but it's very likely the case.

What I was going to do, and should have done instead of getting lazy/ rushed was to find the correct female flanged fitting to mate to the male on the return line, then swedge down to a barb fitting that I could clamp the hose down to.

I put my calipers on the threads and I'm pretty sure it was .625" or 5/8" which might have been the reason I abandoned my search - it's a pretty rare size. I imagine a plug might be equally hard to find.

We might just have to put up with a little spillage - but that stuff stinks! I'm going to have to clear out my garage and give the floor a good wash.

 

Yes. The Hutch mod involves removing the in tank strainers. They can clog up and cause issues. The small frame rail filter replaces these (outside of the tank for easy access) and is to protect the pump. You don’t want something that will “super filter” but more of a strainer for the large stuff. The WIX 533972 works nicely.

Well that would be nice... We fought with a 1/4 tank of fuel. Obviously the lower the better. We ended up wearing a lot of diesel when trying to awkwardly dump it from the tank to some buckets. Siphoning wasn’t working for us for some reason.

Nothing wrong with going appearance first. It’s your truck, do whatever makes you happy.

 

Another vote for filter on the frame before the pump. Many options there but I like something you can see thru to check blockage easily, and not a fine filter, just a screen. The purpose is to protect the pump. The filter in the bowl protects the engine. Prepump I'm currently using a generic Case filter but WIX and Baldwin and Racor PS-120 are very popular.

Attach some hose to the end of the fuel drain pipe by the right front tire. Aim the hose into a clean bucket and open the yellow fuel drain valve. Cycle the key on and let the fuel pump empty your tank 20 seconds at a time. Not a bad idea to have a way to charge the batteries if that takes a while.

 

Beautiful rig! I also put a Raptor grill on my Excursion. ;-)

What is "QC" in the title of your thread?

 

I really struggle with the naming conventions for cab sizes in trucks. I spent 10 years saying my Ram is "the one with the bigger doors in the back, but not the mega cab".
The rams have regular cab, Crew Cabs, and Quad Cabs, and Mega Cabs. I mistakenly referred to my Ford using Dodges naming.
Fords use regular cab, super cabs and crew cab
"QC" on further investigation, stands for Crew Cab. (the one with the full size doors in the back)

Thanks for stopping by!

 

duplicate - delete

 

Hello I really like what you have done to your truck. Can you tell me if the headlight conversion was straight forward or was there some modifications involved.
Cheers

 

Hi, thanks!

Headlight conversion involved some cutting on the plastic bracket behind the headlights and purchase of pigtails for new style bulbs. I did all the cutting with a oscillating tool and whatever tutorials there are online about adding 05+ headlights, I had to cut more than that.

It was a pretty easy conversion, wish I would have taken some more pics.

 

Well just killing a few minutes here while I siphon the remainder of my tank into the jerry can. Last night I did a Seinfeld and went farther than I should have on the low fuel light, about 30 miles or so. Pulled the tank today and there is at least 5-7 gallons left in the bottom of the tank

Edit: after siphoning, no more than 4 gallons in the tank. A good guess is the tank light comes on with about 5 gallons of "usable" fuel left. Or 6-6.5 gallons total.

. Easy enough to manage for weight but I'd rather have it empty for install.

What I found inside...was disappointing. The tank internals were pretty darn pristine. Strainers as well. Oh well now I have peace of mind till the truck gets parked in the bush.

I'm sensing a theme that this truck is still in pretty darn good reliable shape even if I didn't do all of these reliability mods. I struggled a bit with some cheap fuel line removal tools and I broke a rotted old vent line but the tank removal went fairly well otherwise. - For the mod, I'll do the SSJ mods but I haven't bought a single part yet.

Some pics:

Slow siphoning hose, all I had:


Arrow on assembly, pointing to the inside of the truck

Pickup assembly, looking disappointingly pristine:

Internal screens, really clean
A

 

Screens look good! Your right, these trucks can be reliable after some TLC. They are 20 years old after all.

My truck runs better now than the day it rolled off the KY plant floor and I am very grateful for what it does and provides for our family. Keep up the good work and you will be enjoying driving it instead of working on it in no time!

 

Has anyone added a steering stablilizer to a truck that did not come equipped with one? I'm assuming I would need to purchase the centerline bracket in addition to the stabilizer (shock)?

I've heard mixed reviews, I think properly installed - It wouldn't hurt to have.

What it looks like under my truck:


Installation pic from bilstien:

 

I recently added a stabilizer. Not enough miles to give a good review but it’s easy to do. Here’s the kit. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAN-RS5542

Edit: The hardest part was getting the original passenger side bracket to cooperate. It had gotten bent so required some persuasion from a long spud bar.

 

I'll wait for a review before I pull the trigger. Lots of jobs ahead of me in the next couple weeks.

 

Speaking of: This coolant OK for the 7.3?

https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/RCI1...dInput=coolant

 

Well the h&h mods are done ssj style. I give this job a 0/10 on the fun scale and about a 5/10 on the solo difficulty scale. Definitely had to have the tank empty to reinstall.

I did struggle for quite a while trying to get that lid back screwed on. What ended up working for me was marking where the threads started on both the tank and the lid. I then lightly coated the threads on both with atf. When I slowly started tightening the lid I noticed it "popped" right where the thread start intersected. I gave it a smack with my fist and the threads were set and it was good to go.

The pre pump filter is on the way along with the fancy hose. Should be later this week.

Getting there!

I filled it with exactly 130l, and I assume about 115 of that is usable for sure.