Notices
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Dentsides Ford Truck
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Moser

Engine Compartment Cleanup!!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Feb 10, 2007 | 07:45 PM
  #1  
tom1979's Avatar
tom1979
Thread Starter
|
Mountain Pass
20 Year Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 181
Likes: 5
From: Zachary, La.
Engine Compartment Cleanup!!

Hi guys, is there a source here on the forum for ideas and steps to clean up the engine compartment? I would like to do something between stock and full custom. Keep it stock looking but address some of the things that can be done to make it a show and daily driver. Mainly to get rid of the wiring as much as possible. You see these trucks with full custom jobs and wonder how they did it, to have all the wiring to disappear. Thanks, Tom
 
Reply
Old Feb 10, 2007 | 08:53 PM
  #2  
79-400-POWER's Avatar
79-400-POWER
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,495
Likes: 0
From: In a hole
Well you could just cut all the wires off, but then it may not run just right.
 
Reply
Old Feb 10, 2007 | 09:05 PM
  #3  
timothy47129's Avatar
timothy47129
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 424
Likes: 0
From: southern Indiana
To do away with alot of the wiring and clutter ,I would recommend getting rid of the duraspark sytem and installing a points type distributer with an electronic conversion.If you know wiring well enough you could also upgrade your alternator to one than puts out more power and has a built in voltage regulator.I belive there called a 1 wire hook-up alternator.Between the dist.and alternator you could eleminate at least 8 or more wires to just about 3.I hope to do this one of these day when I get my body and paint work done.

Tim
 
Reply
Old Feb 10, 2007 | 10:18 PM
  #4  
pcheyne's Avatar
pcheyne
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
I would go to a H.E.I. distributer and a one wire alt. There are also some connectors that are not used you can get rid of.
 
Reply
Old Feb 10, 2007 | 11:04 PM
  #5  
Mil1ion's Avatar
Mil1ion
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 0
Likes: 24
FTE has special systems forums for what you are asking about.

The electrical forum for wiring.

The appearance forum for clean-up under the hood.
 
Reply
Old Feb 14, 2007 | 03:14 PM
  #6  
PerfDistIgnition's Avatar
PerfDistIgnition
FTE Sponsor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 755
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by tom1979
Hi guys, is there a source here on the forum for ideas and steps to clean up the engine compartment? I would like to do something between stock and full custom. Keep it stock looking but address some of the things that can be done to make it a show and daily driver. Mainly to get rid of the wiring as much as possible. You see these trucks with full custom jobs and wonder how they did it, to have all the wiring to disappear. Thanks, Tom
Although it's not stock appearing, our D.U.I. will definitely clean up your engine compartment.

If you decide to get a new distributor, consider our D.U.I.-Davis Unified Ignition or our custom curved Duraspark distributor. Please see them at:


<O>http://www.performancedistributors.com/forddistributor.htm </O
 
__________________
FTE Sponsor
Performance Distributors
www.PerformanceDistributors.com
Reply
Old Feb 14, 2007 | 03:29 PM
  #7  
73f350sc's Avatar
73f350sc
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
From: Murray
I guess the question is...how much do you have to hide? Does the truck have AC,cruise control, stock air cleaner , dual batteries and so on and so forth. As for wiring one thing comes to mind..ZIP ties and lots of em even on plug wires. You could also get a serpentine system which would eliminate all those acc. belts. An E fan instead of the mechanical one would give you some room between the rad. and front of the engine (plus it might free up a pony or two). If you have room behind your seat or in the bed somewhere you could move the battery out of the engine bay and free up some room there (just make sure you have it secured and vented in need be). Umm so basically...it boils down to how much you want to spend and how much you wanna work. Things like ZIP ties and relocating the battery are pretty cheap and could be done on a weekend, heck even the E fan as well. If you wanna take out any more my suggestion would be to fab up some sheetmetal inserts that can hide other things.
-Chris
 
Reply
Old Feb 14, 2007 | 05:23 PM
  #8  
79driver's Avatar
79driver
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 787
Likes: 1
From: Stephenville, TX
I put my jack in the toolbox and the vacuum canisters on the inner fender, i swappped them to where they bolt to the bottom side of the inner fender out of sight. I also ran a few wires under the inner fenders so you dont see them.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old Feb 14, 2007 | 05:49 PM
  #9  
George Frasier's Avatar
George Frasier
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,327
Likes: 1
From: Kingsport, TN
Instead of zip-ties on the plug wires, I'd suggest using the plastic plug-wire separaters spaced about 4"-6" apart. They come is different colors. They can also help when the plugs get changed by keeping the wires in position. & shorten the plug wires to eliminate Xess length.
 
Reply
Old Feb 14, 2007 | 09:41 PM
  #10  
73f350sc's Avatar
73f350sc
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,254
Likes: 0
From: Murray
Only problem with those seperators is that they fall off too easily. I went through a set or two and finally settled on ZIP ties. They work great dont fall off and are practically invisible....after all they were designed to keep wires bundled.
-Chris
PS
They come in different colors too
 
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2007 | 06:02 PM
  #11  
ArcadeTom's Avatar
ArcadeTom
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 321
Likes: 1
From: Arcade, Georgia
Talking

A suggestion on the use of zip ties: When I have used them in the past for plug wires, I took four ties and put all of them togetherafter the wires are in the middle of the box the four ties create. You can then pull two opposite sides short and leave the other two long which creates a nice rectangle with the zip tie head at each corner. Nice, neat, won't fall off and looks better than just one bundling all of them up into a circular bundle of wires.



Originally Posted by 73f350sc
Only problem with those seperators is that they fall off too easily. I went through a set or two and finally settled on ZIP ties. They work great dont fall off and are practically invisible....after all they were designed to keep wires bundled.
-Chris
PS
They come in different colors too
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Htchevyii
1957 - 1960 F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
7
Jan 24, 2016 09:17 PM
Tom in NH
1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
12
Sep 14, 2015 06:11 PM
1979-Old-Blue
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
18
Jun 24, 2015 02:54 PM
Tom1.0
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
1
Oct 16, 1999 12:14 AM
Tom Cheatham
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
5
Jul 11, 1999 02:19 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:54 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE