I was bleeding my brakes last night, and noticed that the firewall flexes quite a bit. I know there is a fix for this, some kit from Ford from what I've heard. My question is, is the dealership the only place to get these from? And if I walk in there, what exactly do I ask for? I assume that this is a pretty common problem and they will know what I'm talking about, correct? Anyone know how much this kit costs?

Thanks

 

as far as i know ford is the only sorce for this kit, have no idea what the cost is, you can call for a price.

 

I checked with the dealer and the parts man said Ford does not make this anymore (not for these trucks anyway, he said something about a kit for 98 and newer). Anyone know of another way to get one? Anyone know what exactly was in the kit so I can make the parts myself? Thanks...

 

I don't know why your Ford parts counter guy said that.

I just bought firewall repair kit for my 87 F150 few weeks ago.

small kit cost 12 dollars.

large kit cost 100 dollars.

 

What is in each kit, do you know? Any chance you know the part numbers? I get a feeling the guy was just too lazy to look them up (I called them up rather than driving down there).

 

Is this something at only applies to F150's or do all the F-series trucks around those years have the problem? I haven't noticed any problems with my '92 F350, but then again I've never had a reason to really check it out either.

 

the small kit consist of::

template for drilling correct holes.
4 bolts and nuts.
instruction sheet.
re-inforcement bracket.

large kit consist of::
instruction sheet.
large re-inforcment bracket.
hardware kits.

let me get back to you on part numbers. I don't recall on top of my head.

 

it is common on some F series truck with manual transmission.
My old 86 F150 with manual trans got perfect firewall but my 87 F150 with manual trans got cracked firewall.
My friend's 1990 F350 got perfect firewall but my father's F350 got cracked firewall.

I would check it out and make sure. Sometimes you'll get Lucky.

 

Mine's not cracked (yet), but it does move quite a bit. Very noticable when bleeding the brakes with no power assist. Thanks for looking up those numbers.

 

you got manual brakes???

 

They are power, but with the engine not running there is no vacuum for the assist.

 

I have the automatic trans in mine. I'll have to check it out next time I'm messing with the truck. Thanks.

 

Actually, a lot of vehicles experience firewall flex. You can buy a kit of course, or use a piece of sheet metal (around 16ga or larger) and cut to fit on the firewall, and weld it on, then prime and paint. I haven't needed to do this on my crewcab, but I did this on my 75 dodge truck because the flexing of the firewall affected how the brake pedal felt in normal driving. Apparently the firewall had gotten thin and was flexing like a floor mat. I used 1/8" mild steel on that truck just because I had a big piece of it. Drilling out the bolt holes for the booster and clutch cylinder is easy, its a matter of marking the holes from the inside with a center punch while a friend holds it on the firewall on the outside, and for the larger holes, you can use a bi-metal hole saw in a drill press and make really nice round holes. Go slow as not to have the holesaw bite into the metal and jerk the work and the drill press. Around 300 RPM on the drill press is about right.

Hope that helps...

 

I have had this problem with many dealers over the years. I have always driven older Ford trucks and when you mention the year, they lose interest. Some smaller dealers have been great, they are rare.

 

Thanks for the idea frederic. I was thinking of welding a couple pieces of angle iron on there, but this sounds much better. Better yet, maybe I'll weld on the plate like you suggested and weld some angle iron onto that piece. I'll see what turns up with this kit, then go from there.