40 something year old "cougar"
 

I couldn't help it. I was seduced into buying another 40 something year old truck!

Bought it from the original owner. He even has the original window sticker. Also came with the 1973 Ford Truck Repair Shop Manual 5 Volume Set. :) Good timing helped me get this. Certainly not easy to score one of these in So. Cal. Saw the ad about 30 minutes after it was posted on Craigslist and called the seller.

1973 F-250 4x4, auto, cruise control, paperwork for a rebuild at dealership. Says its a 390, but we all know the saying...
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I will be bringing it home in a few days.
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Step one will be to remove the camper shell and put the tailgate back on. I'll have to put the back window in when I toss the camper.
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I'll fix the soft brakes and then drive it how it is.

Tires have some flat spots if they don't smooth out I may grab some Goodyear 36 x 12.5 x 16.5 tires from 100Dollarman - Tires!.

Other option is to buy some 16" wheels and tires. That seems like the more sensible long term approach as I can buy the wheels that'll go on the crew cab and then swap the crew tires onto this if needed.

I'll swap the auto 4x4 stuff into my crew cab & put the NP435 in here. At which point I'll rebuild the auto transmission. Ultimately this is a parts truck to help me not get nickel & dimed on things I need for the crew cab. Somewhere down the road I'll sell it once I've swapped everything around unless we decide to make it the teenagers daily driver.

Nice score, maddog

It's cool being the 2nd owner of a Dent......I am......

Got the truck home today!

I have a receipt for an engine long block replacement from 1987 at Keystone Ford in Norwalk. The part number for the block is listed as:

C8TR,6012,H

What does the 6012H cross referent to?

I bought the truck from the original owner last week. He said a 360 was ordered but a 390 was delivered. He provided me with a bunch of receipts including original window sticker and sales contract! Motor only has 10K miles since a rebuild in 2002. I'll check stroke to confirm displacement.

But, what the owner didn't say, is that when the engine was replaced in 1987, a 390 was installed.

GPD (Genuine Parts Distributors) has been the Ford authorized parts rebuilder for the 11 western states for over 50 years.

Originally located next to Farmer John's meat packing facility in Vernon. I hated going there, the smell would gag a maggot! Now are located in the City of Industry.

Their part number for a 390 rebuilt long block would be: C8TZ-6012-HX .. X refers to rebuilt.

If the rebuilt part number was: C8TZ-6009-HX .. this would be a 390 short block.

If the rebuilt part number was C8TZ-6009-GX or 6012-GX .. this would be a 360 short or long block.

Short block does not come with heads or oil pump. Long block comes with both.

btw: Only dealer installed Speed Control was available for 1973/74. The Speed Control switch attaches to the T/S handle.

Factory installed Speed Control was introduced in 1975. Speed Control switch/buttons located on the horn pad.

Thank you for the enlightening reply NumberDummy!

I should clarify that the truck definitely came with a 360 per the original window sticker.

When the truck was taken in to diagnose and repair the motor problem in 1987, the original owner asked for a 360 to be installed once he knew it had to be replaced.

He said the dealership called him and said a 390 came instead of a 360 when the replacement block arrived. Original owner told the dealer to go ahead and install the 390 rather than wait for a 360 because he needed to get the truck back on the road quickly. According to what NumberDummy stated it appears it was a new 390 long block, because there is no X at the the of the part number. Looks like a 390 long block was ordered per the paperwork. Seems like good fortune to me.

Cruise control is on the T/S handle as described.

The 390 block was subsequently rebuilt again in early 2002 and only clocked about 10K miles since that time. I also have full documentation for this rebuild, which was actually done at a Chevy dealership that the owner was employed at. It's pretty cool to see the history of the truck through the paperwork that was passed on.

Transmission has never been rebuilt and has 319K miles on it. The front seal is leaking quite a bit so I'll pull the transmission out in the near future.

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Oh man! When you said 40 something Cougar, I was thinking, like 1969-70 Cougar Eliminator. I'll take mine with a Boss 429 or a 428 SCJ, ram air, drag pak with a toploader 4 speed.

The R in the C8TR part number prefix reflects a rebuilt engine. If the engine was new, the part number would have been C8TZ-6012-H

The rebuilt long block was most likely sourced from GPD, as this was the only authorized Ford parts rebuilder.

There were no new 390 engines available in 1987. No 390 crankshafts either, as I bought the last one in 1981.

The parts manager at Keystone Ford at this time was a native of PA which is ironic, as PA is the 'Keystone' state.

His daughter handled the inventory control, called around at local dealers for parts that they needed, and charged out parts on RO's.

I've pulled off the camper shell and put the tailgate back on. Here is how it looks now.

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I haven't put the back window in yet. The rubber that was on it is cracked quite a bit so maybe I'll get a new seal. I'll probably put it in how it is and see how it does when I wash the truck.

Along the lines of cleaning things out...

Here's what my fuel filter looked like after about 10 miles of trying to drive.

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It bogs down on acceleration sometimes and just plain dies quite a bit especially under load going up a hill so I know its starving for fuel. I'm hoping to run things out thru the filters but am thinking I'll have to take out the tank to clean it. Maybe I can get away with just replacing the fuel pump and keeping on top of replacing the fuel filter until it gets less sediment in it?

Key word TRYING I'm sure. Not laughing at your pain, just your excellent choice of wording. :-X04
Just get the pain over with quickly and drop the tank and clean it. If the tank is full, maybe try the above strategy until it is low enough to be a little more manageable, but it will take forever and a lot of frustration before it will clean itself out. Go for the extra work, but keep your sanity intact. There is NOTHING worse than walking home.

This is an aftermarket auto parts store in-line fuel filter, it's not the original fuel filter. None of these trucks came from the factory with an in-line fuel filter.

The original fuel filter was a corrugated paper cartridge type (C4AZ-9365-B / Motorcraft FG-1A) that fit into a canister that threaded onto the fuel pump.

Some people were unaware of this filter, so they installed an inline fuel filter.

When the engine was replaced, the fuel pump may have also been replaced and back then, 1973/76 360/390's were available with two different fuel pumps. One had the cartridge fuel filter, one did not.

If not, the fuel filter threaded into the front of the carb with a short neoprene fuel hose clamped to its nipple, then to the metal fuel line of the fuel pump.

Bogging down, stumbling, hesitating from a dead stop or when accelerating at speed: Defective carburetor accelerator pump and check valve. Common problem with the 1963/74 2100 series 2V carbs.

My '77 has that cartridge filter pump, as I'm pretty certain that a PO swapped in a 1969 240 in place of the original 300.:(
And more irony is that the '68 Cougar I used to have had one of those cartridge filters on its small block. The VIN said "F" for 302, but the sticker on the air filter lid said 289...:-roll

Carburetor was just rebuilt on Friday so I know I'm good on that front.

I have a new mechanical fuel pump waiting at Napa for me to pick up. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/CFPB0113P

There is also an electric fuel pump mounted on the frame, so it feeds the mechanical fuel pump.

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I actually put my bicycle in the bed of the truck in case I couldn't limp it home during my test driving. The max I went was about 3 miles from home.

I put the inline filter on to see how bad things looked. I've got about 4 gallons of gas to burn thru and then I can remove the tank.

I can easily bypass the electric fuel pump and only run on the new mechanical fuel pump once I clean the tank. That way I wouldn't introduce any crap caught in the electric fuel pump into a fuel system where everything else is new and clean.

1968 Passenger Car VIN engine code: C = 289 2V; F = 302 2V; J = 302 4V

302 introduced in the Spring of 1968 (cars), but the 289 was also available.

The corrugated paper cartridge fuel filter was introduced in 1964, installed on almost every I-6 & V8 thru at least 1972.

Also installed on some 1973/79's.

i was a little bit disappointment based on the thread title...
cool truck tho!

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Nice truck.
Love the patina, I'd leave it just like that.

Thank you, I really like the way it looks now too.

It's kind of hard to tell, but the paint is two tone, with the top being brown.

I'm going to be putting new wheels and tires on it because I'm currently using the spare due to one tires having a flat spot, plus they are 16.5" wheels.

I've bought some 17" wheels. New tires will be arriving tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have time to get them mounted tomorrow. The wheels and tires are actually for my crew cab, but I'll run them on the 73 until the crew is back on the road.

While some people love patina, some do not. If it was mine, I'd scrub the acrylic enamel paint with Ajax or Comet, then rub it out and wax it.

Does your residencia in "copville" have a garage? If not, that may make a difference.

I do have a garage but only the Mustang gets to be in it.

I live in an area without an HOA and only a few neighbors. It's fairly private.
No neighbors across the street or behind us.

First pic shows the 'Monte Carlo' bar, so I knew this '65 deserved a garage.

Santa Clarita and Simi Valley (where I now live) are where many police officers live (copville), so both are fairly safe cities.

out if curiosity, what was the selling price of the truck when it was new?

Loan documentation says:

Vehicle, etc. Price $4,691.00
Sales tax $281.46
CASH PRICE $4,972.46

The window sticker has $5,216.88 hand written on it.

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Got the new wheels and tires on yesterday. Three of the old wheels had wheel locks on them. They were a bit of a challenge to remove. The front passenger side gave me the most grief. A lot of impact wrench time, PB Blaster, 1/2" breaker bar and finally had success with a 3/4" breaker bar.

I also pulled out the gas tank so it can get cleaned out, so no road time on the new wheels and tires yet. It's not too terrible inside, but I'm glad I pulled it out to clean as there was a fair amount of sediment.

You can just see the top corner of the gas tank in this picture:

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New rear window seal arrived yesterday. I had tried to install the rear windows last weekend, but the rubber was old and brittle enough that it tore off in a few places while I was trying to install it.

Are those your gauge pods on the dash? :)

No, they're just the center caps for the wheels that I tossed up there to get out of the way.

If they were gauge pods they would be pretty serious in size and number. :)

I do have a three gauge cluster under the dash to the left of the steering column.

I took the gas tank down to Valley Radiator to have it cleaned by them. They said it was bad enough that it would need to be chemically dipped and I might be better off buying a new one if available.

I'll be dropping it off to be chemically stripped at the same place that did my oil pan and valve covers for the crew cab's 390 FE motor last week.

In the mean time, last night I pulled the in cab tank out of my crew cab and put it into the 73 F250 last night. The gentleman I purchased the crew cab from confirmed to me that he cleaned and coated the tank and that the gas in the tank has stabilizer in it. It wasn't easy to carry the tank around and install it myself with all that fuel in it. I didn't slosh too much out of it :-X21

I still need to blow out the lines to make sure they're nice and clean.

I'll be installing a clear inline fuel filter off the tank exit (under cab) and putting a new mechanical fuel pump on. Everything for the fuel delivery system will be new/rebuilt and clean. I'm pretty sure I'll just leave this fuel tank on this truck and will put the one that was originally in it, into my crew cab.

Here's the tank I pulled out of the 73. It has the vent line that comes into the cab from the passenger side of the cab (top of upper circle) and also has a tube that runs off the filler neck to the center of the tank.

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Is this what they call the 1973/77 18 gallon in-cab tank with Evap/Em: D3TZ-9002-G? Where would I find the part number on the fuel tank?

I checked with BOTP and the tanks they sell do NOT have the additional vent tube that comes off the filler neck.

I'm probably not going to be much help but I tried.
I have that same tank and rember seeing a Ford sticker, unfortunately it's illegible.
There is a stenciled number, don't know if it means much but it matches the number you listed.
My tank is exactly like yours with the vent on the filler neck.

Thanks for your post NM76F150. I appreciate your help.

Today I had a bit of time, so I disconnected and blew out all the hard fuel lines. I disconnected the electric fuel pump and bypassed it for now. I installed a new mechanical fuel pump with a clear filter between the pump and carb.

I did have a bit of a fuel leak that I had to fix because the brass fitting into the carburetor was not fully seated. Once I got that squared away I pulled out of the driveway.

Truck would die as soon as I gave it gas. I figured I may have still had bad gas in the carb bowl to run thru so I let it run for a bit. At the same time I also carefully looked over the carb and plugged any potential vacuum leaks. Once I did that it started to run great.

Took it down the street a few times and gave it some good hits of the throttle to make sure it was not bogging down anymore. Went about a mile in a loop close to the house. Upon return I noticed my temperature gauge was higher than it should be and still creeping up. Had my son grab the infrared thermometer and took a few readings. I could hear some rumblings in the radiator but there was no boiling over.

Upper radiator hose was 186 degrees and felt like there was no pressure in it.
Intake manifold was around 206 degrees.
I don't remember what the lower hose read.
I imagine the thermostat is stuck closed so I'll take the upper hose off tomorrow and see how things look.

Here's the stance with the 35" tires.
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Now that I have all the gas tank switcharoo done I can put the back window in. It sure was convenient to have the window out for removing and installing the gas tank, especially installing it myself when there was about 1/2 tank of fuel in it! With the back window in, I'll be able to wash this filthy thing!

16" MT Classic 3's?

Need 1/4" spacer for the rear center caps to fit over the rear hub...

you can buy open front's that work fine.

Looks good.

Good job getting the carb dialed in. Looking good...I especially like hose wheels!

Truck looks great!

Lovin it. Very interested in the new wheel and tire combo. You said they was 17'' What width and brand are they? Im guessing 9" What kind of tires are those. Are they a 35x12.50 or 315/70/17. Just curious New wheels and tires for my highboy have been on my mine lately and I want to go 17s and there is very few pics online to check out.

Wheels are Pro Comp Alloys - Series 1069, 17x9 Polished finish. They have 4.75" backspace and drivers side does rub on full right turn.
P/N PXA 1069-7982 from 4wheelparts.

Tires are MasterCraft Courser MXT, 35x12.50 R17.
Overall diameter is 34.76"
Load Range E
Max Load 3,195lbs

I've only gotten up to about 55mph briefly a few times and driven a grand total of abut 5 miles on them so I can't comment on highway speed and tire noise yet.

These wheels and tires are temporarily on this truck. Once I get my crew cab on the road these wheels and tires will go on it.

Thanks For the info!

Sweet score on that truck. But did I understand you correctly? Is this truck going to most likely a "parts truck"? Please tell me that I misunderstood you. That truck is too nice to be a parts truck.

When I say parts truck I mean it as a source for knickknack parts that are either missing from my crew cab or to swap onto the crew cab, in return for something in not as nice condition that is on the crew cab.

This truck is an automatic transmission 4x4.
My crew cab is a manual transmission 4x4.

I want the crew cab to be an automatic transmission, so I will pull the automatic transmission, torque converter, brake pedal assembly, steering column, radiator, lines for the radiator to transmission, transmission cooler, flex plate, kick down linkage and drive shaft out of this truck.

I'll pull all the necessary stuff off the crew cab to make this 73 into a manual transmission truck.

I need mirrors and the the emergency brake pedal assembly which the crew cab does not have. Rather than have to stop in the middle of the effort to get the crew cab on the road, it will work out better to have this truck for parts immediately available. I went to the junkyard Friday looking for parts and there wasn't a single dent or bump in the yard. Too many times in the past I've unloaded parts only to need them down the road and having to pay a premium to acquire them when I already had them on hand for less.

I'll swap rear bumpers between trucks and anything else that I like better into the crew cab.

When I'm done, both this and the crew cab will be roadworthy vehicles. (maybe minus the mirrors unless I acquire one's I like. I know that this truck is far too nice to not stay on the road and I'm actually fond of it. I wouldn't mind keeping it, but my daughter who it would be for doesn't want a manual transmission. I may hang onto it for a father sons restoration project.

I'm with you on what you're saying. With my trucks, the 79 gets the newest, nicest and bestest stuff first. Good stuff gets handed down to the 78. Same from 78 to 77. More or less...

Why do you like the automatic for the crew cab?

Ok maddog I understand. But fwiw if I'm correct on this, and if I'm not someone here will correct me on this. But Ii do believe that your crew cab has a married transfer case where as your 73 has a divorced transfer case. So what you're planning won't be a simple swap. And in doing that swap between those two trucks would mean a trip to a driveline shop for new custom drive shafts for those two trucks.

They are both NP205 divorced transfer case F-250's so I'm good on that front.

I spent a few months simply getting familiar enough with these trucks to know what I needed to make this as seamless as possible. Lots of time reading, searching for trucks across the western states and occasionally checking out trucks in person until this 73 came up for sale in LA.

Other bonus is the 73 has cruise control and power assist steering that I could swap onto the crew cab.