[***************]

I have tried adjusting the high-idle cam screw.

 

As far as the choke problem goes the auto choke should have a heat tube coming up from the exhaust manifold to warm the spring inside the cap. If the tube is missing the choke won't warm properly and won't come off fast idle. If the choke cap has a wire going to it, you just need to know that you need both the electric part and the heat tube part to work in tandem for the choke to work properly. The tube should loop from the air horn at the top of the carb, go down through the exhaust manifold and back up to the thermostatic cap, and the heated side should have insulation on it to keep it warm. If the manifold has failed internally it could bring up raw exhaust into the carb and plug the passages up. I have wrapped 1/4" copper tubing around the exhaust manifold with great success. You just have to insulate the tube very well when doing it this way.
I hope this helps. As far as the fuel tank issue it sounds like you know what you have to do. Good luck

 

Damn, it is March already??

After a long winter's slumber with occasional trips out to continue to burn down the gas for the tank repairs, I replaced the choke with an electric unit, wired to the (unused, smaller) secondary post on the alternator. This has the benefit of only energizing the choke spring when the engine is actually turning.

It fixed everything! Good, high idle on cold start, settles down nicely after a minute or so warm-up with a single blip of the throttle. I'm sure that there is a need for a proper choke stove to run it properly - but that entire rig is long gone, and I'm not sure one was ever there when the '78 250 was installed.

It seems to be working fine without it. While I found a drilled spot in the exhaust manifold where a tube could come from, there's no corresponding hole on the carburetor. It seems to be working fine for now, but if anyone can send photos of what the choke stove set-up is supposed to look like, I would appreciate it, For some reason, it's not shown in my Econoline FSM.

What else is new?

Installed new shocks, which eliminated most of the loud knocks, especially from under my butt. I have one passenger side front knock remaining, which is probably a spring insulator. Ordered leaf springs, shackles, and mounts. The ones on it are shot, and there's a 2" sag on the driver's side.

Finally ran it out of gas! Pulled the tank without getting saturated;



Replaced the sending unit & seal, after blowing compressed air through all of the vent tubes



Hard to believe, but that OEM unit actually worked briefly. The filter screen had probably dissolved by the time Nixon was President.

Scrubbed the opening with a brass brush to promote seal and avoid self-immolation - lots of vapors floating round.



and, Fin.



Success!

https://i.imgur.com/sUAIVZM.mp4

The whole job took under an hour. It helped that I had replaced the rubber collar from the fill tube to the tank - it just slid out of the way so the fill tube could be left untouched. Two strap bolts, one fuel hose, pull off signal wire. Boom.

The first project I started, though - and is still ongoing - is repair/restoration of the tailgate. Like the rest of the truck, Bondo Michelangelo worked his magic in abundance; In keeping with the rest of the truck, the sins hidden by the bondo were strangely minor. No weld! only Bondo!



This is what I started with...there was a piece of diamond-plate wrapped around the bottom tailgate hinge/rolled steel; it was mostly cosmetic. The underlying steel is heavily perforated and has (a strangely upward) bow in it- as though the truck was rear-ended at some point, although I can't find any impact damage.

The 'ripped' part there is where the centered single-thickness steel panel is tacked to the frame. When standing, the gate is hollow, so water can get in and sit at this apex and it just...rusted out along that apex seam. There are air gaps at the top of the left and right edges, where water (and wasps) entered. Dug a ton of old wasp nest out.



After a test cut (that accidentally went through to the other side) I got a better idea of the build, and so how to remove & prep for repair





This is what the flip side looks like (and a good look at the cheesy roll hinge):



I've been beavering away on stripping the rest of the paint. I ordered a patch piece for a '67 Bronco tailgate that should be moddable to replace the roll. One option is to snap it right over the existing, then spot-weld it in place. I do not like layering metal that way, and the bow along its run may make that impossible (since that roll hinge is supposed to be straight), so I will probably cut out as much as possible. I have a good-sized sheet of 16-GA steel - which is what this is - so I should have enough to repair the entire thing.

The Mig welds 16-GA just fine, and CO2 works well. I've been filling in small holes all over the place:





and am increasingly confident that I can weld this back.

The one issue with that long patch on the back: there's a wave in the existing steel. I have to find a way to straighten it before welding in the patch.



I know it looks like some hack added it, but that roll-hinge section came like that from the factory.

Almost done stripping it; primed to avoid flash rust.

Last thing was to cut off the bushings for the hinge pegs. They were firmly rusted on:





I'm hopeful that the tailgate will be ready within a week or two.

After that we'll start on grinding the bondo off the rest of it, and do a detailed survey of the rust holes that have to be welded around the windshield and down along to front end. The windshield will have to come out for that, and I may have a local glass shop to do it (all of the window gaskets are shot to hell, anyway).

Also in the process of modding one of the spare instrument cluster tubs to take three modern gauges, instead of tying up my cupholder/phone holder/USB charger ports location with the cheap triple set.

*****

My one engine issue: This 1978 250ci L6 smokes like an old Trabant...but only when it gets good & hot. For the first ten minutes or so, not a wisp, and a good, clean, full burn.

Sit in line at CVS long enough, though, and it gets positively Bondian:

https://i.imgur.com/LTAGiit.mp4

(the Jeep actually backed up & away after that cloud emitted)

I will be running a wet/dry compression test & pulling the plugs at some point, so yeah, that's the only way to really know...but I suspect valve guides / seals. In the absolute worst case, I can score a remanufactured 240 or possibly a 300 long block for less than $2500 delivered...but am hoping it's a head issue. Thoughts?

Finally, the bed. It looks like hell, but the rust-through is only bad up by the cab and along the left wheel arch. Unless someone knows where I can score reproduction bed sheet channelled like the original, my plan is to pull sections from the series of vans I located, and weld them in, strip the while thing, and prime/POR-15//paint/bedliner it. Once it's done I'd love to have a drop-in plastic liner for it but again, no one makes one...

 

I'm ahead of you on the front springs and the fuel tank repairs, but I have a feeling my tailgate will set me in 2nd place. I actually have mine drive-able , I was running errands with it last week, but I ran out of tires. Wasn't sure about sizes so I bought a pair of stock steel 14x6 with a 4" backspace from Coker for too much money and painted them last night. I bought a pair of "Cheap" Cooper Cobra Radials in P225/70R-14 that I'll mount today and see how they fit front and rear. Then I'll buy another pair of whatever size I think I'll need for the other end. Should be my daily driver in a week or so.

 

Sorry that it's been so long. Been beavering away on the body since March; procured patch panels for the various rusted areas from the yard in Winslow Twp: bed section, right headlight/fresh air intake; channelled areas under the turn signals; left rear 1/4 under the taillight to the roll pan (where I finally uncovered old collision damage); a left roll-pan section (that was almost as cheesy as the existing); sections around the windshield at the lower corners...

Found a metal fabrication shop with old car enthusiasts, who were delighted to take a whack at repairing the tailgate - which they did for $600. Still have to finish some welding & grinding on it, but it works great!

As of today: the largest rust holes on the bed have been patched with van bed sections that match. I am currently working on the last major hole - tying the bed to the left fender - after which are a dozen or so holes, 1/2" and smaller. After contemplating the prep, set-up, and the likely overspray mess: The bed will be sprayed with rhino liner at a shop. I am a crappy welder, the bed is ugly, but the bed is solid & strong, and the spray will cover the worst of my sins.

Rear 1/4 and roll-pan are welded up.

The remaining body work after the bed: the rockers, and the lower front end corners; the windshield then comes out, and the final repairs to the lower corners and any pinchweld issues will ensue. Some bondo work (THIN!!) and sanding to feather in (entire truck was skin-coated in bondo; someone spent a TON on bodywork in the '90s). Them the rest of the glass will come out, and off to Maaco it will go. Hopefully by the beginning of November.

I am planning to build a solid tonneau cover. My friend abandoned his plans to build a VariEze kit-plane, and has a few large sheets of dense cellular foam and large blankets of fiberglass mat he wants to get rid of. Ironically, I may need to rent a larger truck to transport the sheets from Somerset, PA to NJ. The chief reason is protection, but having a metallic-orange truck with a black cover with a couple of surfboards on it would be cool for a car show.


Will post photos later.

PS I have left-over bed section if anyone needs it. It's not complete - I'll post a photo - but there's a lot of good repair material there.

 

Nice start, I have a similar project I bought last December on Nantucket. It's been my daily driver since then and I'm having a blast with it. I'm tight for time today have to work at 6am, so we'll chat later. I've been a mechanic all my life and owned 60-70's fords for most of them, but these things have a couple of quirks all their own.
Good Luck, Eric

 

Thread necromancy!

Finished up the welding in November. All metal.

Completed bondo (thin) surfacing & shaping in March; got it painted at a local Maaco, after which I realized that I really suck at the last mile on bodywork.



Maaco smoothed out the nose and tightened up my rear fender lines.







Replaced the leaf springs in April. Working on a few remaining mechanical issues:

- My right-front drum has two loose lugs and the drum separates from the hub easily. Since I can't find new ones anywhere, I obtained front drums/hub units at the yard - all with good & solid lugs and very meaty surfaces. Waiting on bearings.

- Replacing the clutch soon. It works OK, but it's at the end of its useful life - I have trouble getting it up ramps.

- The steering remains a little loose (though miles tighter than it was, since having the box rebuilt) - Does anyone know where I can find a drag link the goes between the Pitman arm and the spindle? I want to replace that, along with the tie rod ends. The steering wheel jumps when I hit bumps. I have a new damper mounted, and maybe it would be a lot worse without it, but suspect there's play there, that I need to eliminate.

- think the head on the 250 needs to be rebuilt. It burns oil when hot & no blow-by, so probably valve seals. Which means valve guides. I have no idea how many miles are on this engine, which is out of a '78 Fairmont.

- Am thinking of replacing the 7.5" rear with a 9" if I can find one. May get lucky at the yard. Eaton sent me clamps for the 9" because their spec said that all '65s had 9" rears. Mine is a very early '65 - has the floor-mounted heater as well. Any advice on where/what to use will be helpful.

 

It's most likely just valve seals that can be replaced with the head on, although, those particular sixes are easy to take the head off of.

I've done several sets of valve seals with the head on. Fixed the smoking completely each time. The 250 is a stout engine, based on the original small Falcon six, which is almost indestructible.

 

I was afraid to hope.

I was thinking of trying the valve seals as you described (I have done it on a cooked Plymouth 383, using a bent rod to hold the valve in). I have a 60-gallon compressor, so will use the compressed-air method. Thank you! (and here's hoping...)

 

Also: picked up an oil-bath air filter at the yard, and have nearly completed cleaning it out and painting it.

https://i.imgur.com/Uju0CWr.mp4

My '66 van had one, back in '82. They seem to be hard-to-find. I am not yet sure if there are mounting points on the head for it since the engine is from a '78. I want to get rid of the 4" paper thing that was on the truck when I bought it.

I'm also guessing that the hole in the side of the outer case was for a vent hose that is supposed to be routed to a breather-style oil fill cap, with a hose nipple. I'm not venting any vapors through the valve cover that I have noticed, so I may close it up for the time being.

 

Do you have links for the springs and installation kit? I am think about replacing my springs

 

https://www.eatondetroitspring.com/findmyvehicle/

This oughta do it.