How do you adjust electric brakes, I thought they just "are" and you just control how much power is put to them when the brake light comes on?

I definitely think your way will be better, so that the battery charges every time the trailer is being pulled. Plus can always put a trickle charger on it in between if needed.

 

All the trailer brakes I have worked on have adjusters just like a auto drum brake set up has.
So you adjust the same way till they just start to drag.
The magnet on the long arm is what moves the shoes out like a wheel cly. dose to slow down.
The arm can only move so far till they dont work like they should.

I know trailer brakes rust where the magnet grabs so it takes some time before they grab good but I dont really feel it on this trailer.
Andre did say they were good but I want to check and adjust my self so I know.
I think I have my controller adjusted to the MAX just feel a little something.
I have not used this truck / controller with any other electric brake trailer but I dont think it is the controller.
I also know my car trailer with both the Blazer I had and the Durango will not lock up but you can feel it help slow you down.
I dont know if I will get to the brakes before Sunday as they are calling for rain just about every day

Think I got maybe $30 worth of parts (electrical box & cover, wire connectors, 30 amp breaker, 10ga wire) into rewiring the trailer.
I am sure a replacement battery for the break away would have been that much or more.
Now they have just 1 battery to worry about, can be charged when being pulled if the tow is wired that way.
And as you said can hook a charger to the battery with out the need to get inside.
I should mark the plug what pin is the "HOT" hooked to the battery so a charger can hook to it.
Dave ----

 

I've only ever had something with trailer brakes one time, and when I replaced them I just did as an assembly I never thoroughly familiarized myself with them. I had to pull up a diagram online to look at and I see what you mean, it has an adjuster just like the drum brakes on a car or truck to push the brake shoes outwards. I will need to order a set for my trailer soon.

 

The only real difference is trailer has a magnet & arm that replace the wheel cly and no self adjusting cable like on modern drum brakes.
That is why once in a while you need to adjust them on trailers.
May see how the weather is Saturday and hook up and pull it up to the garage where my tools are and adjust them.
Dave ----

 

Did you get a chance to mess with the trailer brakes any? I had a full week, our granddaughter came to stay with us for 5 days, and part-way through her visit, one of my close friends that I grew up with in Louisiana came for a visit with 2 kids and 2 grandkids. So it was a houseful and rain every day of course screwed up any plans we had to do anything fun. They left yesterday so I'm available today to go out for the Peach Cobbler cruise-in this afternoon.

Previous week, I did disassembly on the drivers side of the Studebaker. I had already taken apart the passenger side last year, so I was already familiarized with it so that I could make a video of doing this side. But it took 2 days of editing video clips to finish that up, and despite speeding up boring parts where nothing is happening the video still ended up being almost 40 minutes. I did put a guide at the start to tell you what timepoint to scroll to for each individual component.

Another year and I should be finished with your coil spring compressor..


Man it was really great to see the video of Kurt's engine fire up, full 12 volts and 60+ pounds of fuel made 110% difference! I like the idea of doing a Holley Sniper for myself even more & more.

 

Yes I did the trailer brakes Sunday morning before the Peach Cobbler Cruise
What a PITA it was. They put the adjuster windows kind of behind the axle as it has dropped axles.
Then the little window plugs were made of hard plastic and melted, I guess someone had them adjusted to tights, controller was bad or they were driving with the brake away pin pulled? First one I adjusted I went the wrong way so took me twice as long on that one. The rest just a PITA
I also found a broken wire to one of the brakes so I had to fix it.
Trailer did seam to stop better.

Good thing and bad thing about re-wiring the trailer so the puller can charge the on board battery.
First I found the small break away battery out front was dead so wiring the break away switch to the on board would fix that.
The light plug was tied into the trailer system in the break away box all with 3M wire tap blocks, 7 of them.
I mounted a box up under the trailer and used butt splices some weather proof. I did have to use 1 3M wire tap

I trickle charged the battery for 5 hours a few days before but only showed 65%?
It would not work the jack after the re-wire it was too low.

The good, Plugged the truck in and I could use the jack.
The bad, went to leave the cruise and the truck had a dead battery
No jumper cables and only Tony with his VW for a jump start. Cobbler had cables and the guy with the red & white 50 something Dodge 300? gave me a jump start after I unplugged the trailer. Plugged back in for the drive home for lights & brakes and it had power to work the jack.
The battery will have to be replaced at some point. I also dont know how old it is but it is NFG!

Good to hear you got 1 side back together and started on the other.
I forgot you had the compressor good thing I did not go looking for it
Let me know when you have to hone the bushing, I got you covered
Dave ----

 

For all the pain, at least it sounds like the brakes on the trailer are better now. But the electric, that battery was so bad that it sucked your truck battery dead at the cruise-in?! How old is it, I thought that Andre put a new battery in there. Or at least I think I remember him saying it needs a battery?

I am part way through doing the harmonic balancer seal replacement on my 66 Mustang. Suffice it to say, it is not the walk in the park I had hoped for. Ford made the early timing covers to where the seal goes in from the inside. What a pain!

I did do the sleeve though, this was a "spare" 289 balancer I had up in the shop attic.


30 years ago, I sandblasted it, painted it, rolled it up in a towel, and stuffed it in a shoebox.


This one has a wear ring which I'm sure my current one also does.


Balancer in the freezer for about 2 hours.


Sleeve in the oven at 400 for about 5 minutes.


Tapped right into place.

 

Hello fellow NC Ford owners. I am in the Goldsboro area. I just recently picked up a 1973 F100. I've owned several Fords over the years but this is my first "classic" or older ford. First plan is wheels and tires. Then headers and exhaust.

 

Welcome I see you made it to the NC chapter.

As you can see we are I guess not to far from you.
We both belong to a car club out of Smithfield and head out that way for some shows mostly Wilson area.

Sounds like you have a plan for the truck and more than you posted above that I seen from your other post.
Hope you keep us here up to date on the truck.
Dave ----

 

So how did the balancer install go?
Or still figuring out the fit on the crank?

On the trailer I dont know how old the battery is but it has been to hot to do anything on it.
Had to take Mary to Clayton today for blood work and was way to hot when we got home.

Been doing yard work last 3 days.
Monday 3 hours cutting the grass with the tractor - little sweaty
Tues weed wacking, did along 210 & around the house - lot sweaty
Wed cut the bush & tree line at the back yard line - even more sweaty and body hurting. Have not worked that hard since before I retired
Still have a little more to cut so I can get close with the tractor.

I also seen today a rear tire on the pick up is low
Did not see a nail or screw but only gave a quick look.
May look at it early before it gets hot and hope it is something I can fix as I dont want to buy a tire or 2.
This heat has to go!
Dave ----

 

Hello Twisted Ginger, I like that old F100. I have a 69. What motor is in yours?



Dave I know what you mean about the heat, I am soaked and sticky after just being out 2 or 3 minutes. Even now at 3am it's still muggy outside.

The harmonic job is not going well, everything has to come off in order to get to it. So the water pump, alternator, radiator, etc, just to get the timing cover off. Which I did get the timing cover off, but look at this mess. This nasty area was behind the alterator. Now that I am taking it apart I am wondering, is my harmonic balancer seal even the problem? Maybe it's the intake, leaking out and filling up that annoying "bathtub" in the SBF timing over, leaking down the front and then getting blown around by the air from the fan?


I have ordered a gasket set and other parts which are all due Saturday thru Monday so it will still be a while before it goes back together. Which is fine, gives me time to work slow in the heat and to clean and repaint everything while it's apart. And to ponder whether I should just take the intake off and re-gasket it.

 

I dont know how bad the leak was but it only looks damp in the pictures and wet?
And it look pretty dry at the crank unless you cleaned it up.

If you do pull the intake dont use the end seal, I see cork there now.
Use the head side gaskets with sealer if it calls for it on them but I would run a thick bead of RTV (black hate the red or blue just dose not look right) on the ends let skim some then drop the intake back on smushing the RTV down. I have had the end seals get pushed out when installing the intake.

I do see where the corner of the oil pan looks wet. Is that from cleaning or from a leak?
The pan gasket also looks like cork.

I hate oil leaks. My 300 had one and after many cleanings found it was coming out the top of the timing cover.
It would only leak when the RPM was above 2000 RPM making it hard to find.
Been a few years now and no leaks, replaced it on new years eve. Great way to start the new year no oil leaks
You got 1 week before the Gimp show in Lucama at the race track as I think that may be a little far for the Silver Stang.
2 weeks to get it together for the clubs food hall cruse on the 11th but the Sliver Stang can make that as it has done it before.
Dave ----

 

Well before it got really hot and the pick up trucks tire totally flat I moved it to my garage to blow it up and check for a leak.
I went around it 2 or 3 times with soapy water checking tread, both beads and the valve and nothing
Only thing I can think of is before the cruise in Sunday I checked the trailer and trucks tires and maybe the valve got stuck and was leaking a little?
Then with me filling it, it re-seated and no leak when I checked? I almost wanted to find something so I know what it was.
Now I just have to keep an eye on it and hope it dose not go low again.

Then hit Sheets to fill the Durango, $73, and gas cans for the tractor and came away $124 dollars lighter
Just that little bit of work and I am soaking wet. It is too hot to do anything else out side so going to hold down my chair and stay cool.
Dave ----

 

Thank you everyone for the welcome.

Here are the specs of the truck:
1973 F100
360 FE
Auto (not sure which trans, I havent researched it yet)
2wd.
Long bed.

Current list of plans:
Short-term: (1-3 months)
Tires and wheels
Headers and exhaust
lower the rear (for now)
wash, claybar, buff and polish
steering wheel swap
Identify the leak from the trans (and repair)
Update lighting
Long-term goals:
Intake, 4-barrel carb
Classic AC Install
Lower entire truck (eventually airride)
Replace tailgate with period correct tailgate
repair bed floor
find an old aluminum bed topper

This is the start and eventual plan. Here are some pictures that I shared on the 73-79 forum.







​

 

Twisted-Ginger
You have ambitious goals for the next 3 months! I would guess the transmission to be a C6, although I guess FMX is also a possibility. If you take a pic of the trans pan from underneath we can help identify it.



Fuzz
Hopefully a stuck valve-stem was your problem, I guess in a day or two you will be able to tell if it is going low again.

Everything has a funky oily coating, so you cannot even work on anything in the engine bay without getting filthy. So at the start I did spray purple power and hit it with the pressure washer, so that it would be a little cleaner. And the area around the crank opening, I did wipe it very well, because I couldn't believe my eyes, that there was no seal lip there. So it's not a good example of the before, however no pics. This is just the spot where the pressure couldn't get to because it was blocked by the alternator.

On a side note, remember all the time & effort I went through a year or so ago, flushing, backwards flushing, flushing again, etc, in order to clean all the rust out of my cooling system? I even replaced the radiator and water pump as well. So instead of beautiful green coolant as I had expected, I found this: