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This is a bit of a whiny/venting post but maybe some of you can advise me how to avoid this problem!
I keep getting crap parts! I am not cheap with my baby! I will buy the good stuff. This whole project was about old-school reliability and I am not getting that due to part failures!
In the last 9 months and 3,500 miles since I finished the rebuild with all new parts I have had to change the
Starter selonoid
Fuel pump
and now
The harmonic balancer (HB) has slipped and needs to be changed!
The HB that has failed is a Doorman. I just ordered a Pioneer DA-3003 HB which is 20 bucks cheaper so I have no idea what I am getting but I know I am not putting another Doorman on there!
Last July, with less than 2,000 miles when I changed the sticking starter solenoid I read the reviews and the cheaper one had better reviews than the more expensive one that was failing had so I got it and so far it has lasted longer than the expensive one. Maybe I am doing this all wrong! Maybe I should be going cheap?
I don't have enough hair left to be pulling it out! 3,600 miles and three failures!! This is NOT the reliability I expected out of my classic 300!
I often regret throwing away the old parts on teardown and replacing them with all new! In fact, I just replaced my starter with a new one. The old one had not failed; it just was not spinning the engine so fast anymore but it worked! I blew off the $12 core charge and kept it just in case this time!
Last edited by Nerdyredneck; Dec 10, 2025 at 05:14 PM.
This is a bit of a whiny/venting post but maybe some of you can advise of how to avoid this problem!
I keep getting crap parts! I am not cheap with my baby! I will buy the good stuff. This whole project was about old school reliability and I am not getting that due to part failures!
In the last 9 months and 3,500 miles since I finished the rebuild with all new parts I have had to change the
Starter selonoid
Fuel pump
and now
The harmonic blancer (HB) has slipped and needs to be changed! The HB that has failed is a Doorman. I just ordered a Pioneer DA-3003 HB which is 20 bucks cheaper so I have no idea what I am getting but I know I am not putting another Doorman on there!
Last July, with less than 2,000 miles when I changed the sticking starter solenoid I read the reviews and the cheaper one had better reviews than the more expensive one that was failing had so I got it and so far it has lasted longer than the expensive one. Maybe I am doing this all wrong! Maybe I should be going cheap?
I don't have enough hair left to be pulling it out!
3,600 miles! This is NOT the reliability I expected out of my classic 300!
I often regret throwing away the old parts on teardown and replacing with all new! In fact, I just replaced my starter with a new one. The old one had not failed, it just was not spinning the engine so fast anymore but it worked! I blew off the $12 core charge and kept it just in case this time!
Unfortunately i think all electrical parts are suspect these days, with the high volume of imported parts. And its an old Ford Truck, not a Lexus.
Welcome to the club. We try to tell people if you have a original part that is working, cherish it and keep it on the truck. The mentality of replacing it all with new so you won't have any problems has been out the window for the past 5 years or so. There is no one holding the manufacturer accountable for their inferior parts. Why? Because they are all made in China. You go and buy a more expensive name brand part, guess what you get? Made in China, just like the cheaper one.
I never throw away an OEM part, even if it has failed, as many can be repaired or rebuilt. Down the road you're going to need a Cuban mechanic mentality, figuring a way around no reliable aftermarket replacements.
I would not be replacing parts just so they were new and not break, only replace when they are broken.
On the solenoid there is a post of what ones are good and what ones are bad. Look that up before needing to replace the one you got.
I went with top of the line NAPA years ago and not had a problem.
Fuel pumps is a crap shoot. I had a non-Ford replacement that put out 18+ PSI before shutting the motor off and it was a name brand I thought I could trust.
The replacement was some no name but was ok when installed so here's hoping it works the next time I start the car as it sits a lot.
On the starter most of the time it is the brushes and / or bendix that fails.
Check out a few Youtube videos on how to rebuild it and if you think you can do it look the parts up on Ebay (brushes is what I am thinking it needs) and rebuild it.
Stick it on the shelf for when the one in the truck fails and then pop it in.
On parts when I need them I first look for a brand I know then look for top of the line, read more $$, an most of the time go for that one.
Also ask us before going to buy parts and most of the time we can tell you what has worked for us.
Dave ----
The HB that has failed is a Doorman. I just ordered a Pioneer DA-3003 HB which is 20 bucks cheaper so I have no idea what I am getting but I know I am not putting another Doorman on there!
On my 351W, the original damper started to fail after about 40 years. I replaced it with a Dorman last summer and it has been fine so far. Here's the old one:
Did you save the original? There are several outfits that will rebuild them. Search for "Damper Rebuild Service" or similar.
Originally Posted by Nerdyredneck
Last July, with less than 2,000 miles when I changed the sticking starter solenoid I read the reviews and the cheaper one had better reviews than the more expensive one that was failing had so I got it and so far it has lasted longer than the expensive one. Maybe I am doing this all wrong! Maybe I should be going cheap?
Funny you should mention a sticking starter relay (aka solenoid):
On the starter most of the time it is the brushes and / or bendix that fails.
Check out a few Youtube videos on how to rebuild it and if you think you can do it look the parts up on Ebay (brushes is what I am thinking it needs) and rebuild it.
Stick it on the shelf for when the one in the truck fails and then pop it in.
Dave,
I do NOT recommend trying to replace the brushes on an OEM Ford starter. I tried doing that and turned a functioning unit into a unwieldy paperweight. I have rebuilt many other starters and alternators. Unfortunately, this design does not lend itself to a simple repair or brush replacement with home equipment. Ideally, you'd need a spot welder for the electrical connections. Gory details here:
I would not be replacing parts just so they were new and not break, only replace when they are broken.
Well, I don't normally replace parts just "because" but in this case, it was a total overhaul from the frame up. Seemed silly at the time to repaint fenders inside and out then bolt 40-year-old parts back on to them or to bolt an old water pump back onto a freshly rebuilt engine. Ya know?
(On that note I wonder how long my new water pump is going to last! That is one thing on a 300 that is pretty well buried. )
Originally Posted by FuzzFace2
Check out a few Youtube videos on how to rebuild it and if you think you can do it look the parts up on Ebay (brushes is what I am thinking it needs) and rebuild it.
I will look into that. I remember when I was young we rebuilt almost everything. You would either buy a rebuild kit or take it to the corner rebuild shop. Even water pumps - they just need new bearings/seals. The last time I took something to a rebuild shop was in the late 90's with an ACDelco alternator. None of those shops exist anymore. End of an era (And hey - with shop rates of $100 an hour nowadays no wonder. Right?)
Last edited by Nerdyredneck; Dec 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM.
I never throw away an OEM part, even if it has failed, as many can be repaired or rebuilt. Down the road you're going to need a Cuban mechanic mentality, figuring a way around no reliable aftermarket replacements.
Reviving an old thread... And it is a boring one no one should read but it might make me feel better so here we go...
To review I bought this truck in 2024. Torn it down to the frame and built it back up all new. If I took something off I put a new one back on. The whole point was to have and old yet new truck. (you all already told me above that was just a stupid thing to do! lol ) Still, I am am old aircraft mechanic. I get doing it RIGHT and since this was my baby and I literally intend to drive it the rest of my life I even tried to do everything extra right. {sigh} I got it back on the road in May of last year.
In July, a mere two months later my first fuel pump died and left me stranded on the side of the highway. A week later my first selonoid/relay went out.
There were a few other few other repairs during fall I wont blather on about then I have a thread out here where I blew a head gasket on a purchased long block over Christmas. I got it all back together in late Jan and drove it for a week and the ignition module went out! At least it died at home. I went to leave and it would not start. Still, less than 4000 miles and since I can see my purchase history online I know it is right at one year old.
So this is the interesting part of this post... I have an after market HE distributor. It uses all GM parts. The ignition Module is an LX301. My first google search turned up like 20 makers with prices in the $20 range. Since it was in the drive way I decided to find the best one regardless of cost -- still in search of the legendary reliability of the Ford 300 engine!
I watched a you tube video of a hot roder extolling the virtues of MSD's LX301. Tunable and made...to...LAST he said with a list of features to that very end. Bingo! I don't need tunable or hot rodding but BUILT TO LAST are my key words! It's $87. MSD is a top notch name right? I am game! I am in! Price be dammed! Then I read the reviews. Oh my! 3 out of 5 stars. Reviews like "only lasted 10 minutes", "ran for two weeks then died", "Did not work out of the box!" What the heck MSD?
Well OK, so what next? So I Asked Goggle AI who made a high quality LX301 ignition module. SMP (Superior Motor Products) it says! Ok, an SMP LX301 is 50 bucks and my local O'Reilly's even has one in stock! Better and better! Lets read the reviews... Egads! 3 out of 5 stars. Reviews like "only lasted 10 minutes", "ran for two weeks then died", "Did not work out of the box!" Really?
So now I go to Amazon and pull up the 20 or so they have and sort by best reviews. Best one has 4.5 out of 5 stars and costs 8 bucks. I am just flabbergasted. This is not how the world is supposed to work. I buy two of the 8 bucks ones to keep a spare in the glove box and get her running again. 2 days and 15 miles later I am dead on the side of the highway. Is is the ignition module? NO! My fuel pump died AGAIN! Stranded on the side of the road AGAIN. It's 8 PM. Wife picks me, NAPA is already closed so we go to Autozone. They have one in stock!
Long story short it does not work out of the box!
Huh? Is something wrong with the fuel system? Broken pickup tube or a clog or something. uhhhh... to test I bungeed a 1 gallon gas can wedged between the fender and master cylinder in.
Still no fuel! So I got a bad pump out of the boz! Ok Back to Autozone and exchange it then back out to the truck still on the side of the highway and the second NEW pump wont pump either. Not from the fuel system or the can! I took it out to make sure I had it in right, I do I can see the first faint wear marks where it is riding the cam as it should! Yet no fuel! I am at my wits and end and am tired of working on the side of the Highway and call a wrecker.
Folks I am massively depressed right now. I do not know how to do this any better (and I am not an amateur) and I can't keep this thing running for 1 month at a time.
I have more into this ground up restore than I can ever hope to get back (and never planned to) yet I can't drive it. In over 60 years on this earth I have never felt quite so powerless, so stuck, so crushed.
Ok, cry session is over. If you actually read this thanks for letting me vent.
Last edited by Nerdyredneck; Feb 14, 2026 at 08:14 AM.
That is a china made pump based on a Carter design. Do some research on it, I think it used to be a good pump till china got a hold of it. I did a bunch of research a couple of months ago for a pump, and this one was considered very reliable and made in USA. The pressure is a little high, so I am not sure it will work with your setup but it is made for gasoline engines also. You can see it has a nice see-through filter for the suction side already incorporated with it. Make sure to get the one with the red sticker if you get it. China is copying this design also, they are just silver and do not say "Facet" on them.
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