OH, I forgot to mention that I can see the road between my left foot and the door when the door is closed.
It's a mean draft in the winter time.

The windshield leaks and I had to replace the ignition (barely working) and door locks as they were both seized with rust.
I must cover it in the winter with a plastic bag as it will have a block of ice cast around the ignition in the morning!
And the passenger seat belt gets wet and freezes in it's roller assembly!

The heater fan only work on high.
Even with a new thermostat and the radiator completely blocked off at the front of the grill, (if I don't use the block heater) it takes 15 minutes of driving to get warm air into the cab!

The FORD oval in the grill has been replaced with an out door electrical outlet where the block heater has been wired to the plug under the gray door.
I got lucky that the block heater only had wiring issues!

If there were a "My truck is more junky than yours" competition, anyone wanting to compete will loose to me!!!!

If it were parked in a wrecking yard, nobody would know it ran as I see trucks that look much better than mine!

Anyone know where I can get a reasonably straight 8 foot bed preferably with a tailgate for free near Joliet IL?

 

here is a good deal on a decent bed off a f250 where would you be located on the craigslist list of citys in illinois i hope this one is close but if not srry guy will sell it by part he said but i would buy entire truck for that price 78 ford f250 supercab (Parts or whole)

 

Well since Congress failed to extend unemployment benefits, my "income" drops to ZERO in 2 weeks!
Not that what I was getting was enough to pay the bills!

 

well thats bout all i saw worth while not toattly junk

 

For a while I was tempted to try and use a come-along and pull the bed straight, but the part that is pushing against the back of the cab I can't get a hold of.

I think the truck was used for hauling scrap as the tail gate is bowed out as well as the sides of the bed.

There is also bondo on the top of the sides of the bed to make them look straighter than they really are, so if I pull the sides straight, it will pop off!

 

what a mess lol

 

At least it stars and runs reliably now.

And I remembered another one.
The glow plugs click on then right off no matter how cold it gets, so I rewired it to a momentary button on the dash so I can start it.
It's not the relay so I assume it's either the controller or the wiring, but since I no longer have a wiring location diagram, I don't know where the connections are.

 

Here is the front of the bed.


The grill that is blocked off all year around.
And it has never overheated, ever!


And the new block heater plug.

 

neat lookin grille cover.

 

I've pulled box fronts like that back, use a ratchet strap, go down through and hook onto a cross member underneath. Up over teh front of the box, then you can hook a tree or something as an anchor.

 

This morning I pulled the belts and spun them, and I found that the vacuum pump is much easier to spin unmounted and sitting on a bench.

Funny thing is that when I loosened the alternator belt, it slowly (and squeaking loudly) rolled 180 degrees turning the vacuum pump that had not been loosened yet!

After loosening the vacuum pump and removing the belt, I then I spun the alternator.
The pulley went up and down like an egg trying to roll down hill.
My dial indicator shows .070" wobble!
It was not wobbling like it was bent, but more like on a bent shaft, or out of round.

After pulling it and taking the nut off the shaft, the hole in the pulley was much larger than the shaft!

The hole was .055" larger than the shaft!

After cleaning it, the inside was all scored up like it was spinning with either a loose nut, or on a seized alternator for a long time, but there was no damage on the alternator shaft, so I assume he replaced the old, probably seized up alternator, and he was either too cheap, or too stupid to replace the screwed up pulley!

I took a piece of aluminum plate that was .025" thick (from the bed ID tag off this gasser bed) and cut a strip as a shim.

The pulley is now only .010" out of round and looks much happier.

If I had access to a lathe, I would bore it out and press in a brass shim from Menards, but there is $ 0.00 in my budget right now, so as mickey mouse as the shim is, it will have to do until I get to the wrecking yard for a replacement.

Although the belt still flops around like the scalded dog it was before, I'll bet the vacuum bracket will last much longer.

OH, I accidentally mounted the alternator main wire facing a little too far back grounding it out and torching the fusible link at the relay.

Anyone ever try to find a 100 amp fuse and connector?

The larger plug in ones only go to 80 amps and the smallest in line bolt in type is 175 amps.

I would wire 2 of the 50 amp blade fuses in parallel for a 100 amp total, but I can't find the plugs for them, and the "normal" sized ones are rated at a 30 amp maximum!

Ah, well, another trip to the wrecking yard next Friday for an alternator pulley, some of the larger fuses (and their plugs if I can find them) and perhaps that one fusible link if I can't.

Ya know, I still remember where that guy who sold me the truck lives!

BTW, in step four and five it's a toss up as to who is the one on the right.

Step one

step two

Step three

Step four - - - - - - - - - -

Step five

 

i have a full set of brackets you can have if you still need them. i'll have to look for an alternator pulley, dual v correct? if you can make it out to the 2010 rally i could give them to you there. only thing is.... there purple. oh nd the fuse you can get at any car stereo shop. let me know

chris

 

Yep, it's a dual belt pulley
Purple, even with pink polka-dots would be fine.
As long as they work I could care less about the color.



Thanks!

I'll look into the stereo shop source.

I have no clue when and where the 2010 Rally is.

I'm down by Joliet, near where Interstate 55 and 80 intersect.

 

up by belividere. a little town called Garden Prairie right off of US. 20. look here
were going to be in and out all weekend. check the updated schedule. come on out and stay a spell. theres a timing clinic, racing, pig roast, visit to a train museum, and a trip to chicago

chris

 

DANG That's all the way up by Rockford!

That's a little too far for me to go with the cash reserves I have these days.