I just purchased a 1973 F600, and could use some info.




Thanks for your help.

---
[later]
Resource links so I can find them later:


1973/79 Master Parts Catalog ("MPC") FPS-8097-A (text portion)
1973/79 Master Parts Catalog ("MPC") FPS-8097-B (illustrations portion)
Both are req'd in order to do anything meaningful, and there's a learning curve. Read the "How to Use", slowly.

The "OCR'd/Unlocked" versions below have been . . . OCR'd/Unlocked, so you can search them
OCR'd/Unlocked 1973/79 Master Parts Catalog ("MPC") FPS-8097-A (text portion)
OCR'd/Unlocked 1973/79 Master Parts Catalog ("MPC") FPS-8097-B (illustrations portion)

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1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual, ver 20240717a (of the mis-rotated pages in "original" file, some have had the rotation corrected)
Contains vols 1-5 covering all trucks ranges:
1: Chassis
2: Engine
3: Body
4: Electrical (but no wiring diagrams!)
5: Maintenance & Lubrication

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1973 Ford Electrical Diagrams F500-F750
1973 Ford Electrical Diagrams B500-B750
(others models are on paper, but I haven't scanned them)
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Note: the 1973 Wiring and Vacuum Diagrams (Course 0333-001, 365-163) do NOT contain any engine vacuum diagrams, only for things such as HVAC vacuum plumbing I learned that the hard way, after buying one.



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1973 Ford Truck Service Specifications (for viewing)
1973 Ford Truck Service Specifications (for printing)
Contains specs not listed in the 1973 Ford Truck Shop Manual

---
Link to repair of my accelerator pedal hinge
Link to floor mat information
Link to brake booster vacuum hose replacement (1)
Link to brake booster vacuum hose replacement (2)

 

I moved you to your own thread for the full decode and any future posts so all your info will be up top.

F61 = F600 gas, 4x2

E = 361 2V FT gas V8

C = Ontario Truck Plant

Q86400 = 1973 numerical series, December 1972 production

194 =194 inch wheelbase

M = White

F615 = F600 gas, 4x2, 23,000 lbs GVWR

638
6 or 63 = Light Green/Medium Green Vinyl

8 = Regular cab, cab and chassis vehicle

2 = Clark model 282V five speed direct transmission

E2M
E2 = Eaton model 16244 two speed rear axle, 17,500 lbs capacity, 6.17 / 8.58 ratios

M = Ford 7,000 lb capacity front axle with power steering

23000 = 23,000 lbs GVWR

HP/RPM not shown, but 361s were previously shown at 182 certified net HP @ 3800 RPM.

74 = Seattle District Sales Office

No special order. This is a nice combination IMO. 5 & 2, 23,000 GVWR, 361. Better with a 391, but lots of times the dealer inventory trucks seem to be be 330MD, 4 speed, single speed axle, 15,000 GVWR. A low, low, low price could be shown....

Duvall. Been there with a relative, lots of family history there for his wife.....

One BIG thing--look at your wheels. Split locking rings, and certain others like that are OK. No locking ring and tube type? Post pictures. Could be the dreaded widowmaker wheel.

 

Thanks for that work

Duvall was 2010-2022; I'm now in Oak Harbor (North Whidbey Island). I've been a member here since around 2000 I think, though not active for the past seven years. I campaigned several Aerostars from 1999 to 2017, when the last one, a '97 AWD 4.0l and 5-spd auto, was getting long in the tooth, needing heads (recessed valve seats + coolant leak into #1) and I could see the writing on the wall for it; replaced with an EV for commuting and a 2010 Sienna AWD. The EV now has 70k miles on it from me in seven years (I've retired and don't drive as much) and the Sienna has about 35k since I bought it (towing, etc.).

---

My new-to-me yesterday F600 has a dump bed, which I need for two summer projects that involve moving ~40 yds of dirt offsite: making a 7" crawl space more like 18", so a re-pipe of a 1950 home (that has galvanzed) can be reasonably accomplished, and also to fix a sagging issue in one area.

I drove it home today, for the first time, around 70 miles, and it is a handful. Starting with your request to see my wheels:



1973 F600, dump bed



Due to the visible lock ring, I don't think this is the "widow maker" RH5.

I may replace this tire, or both fronts; this one is looking marginal on the inside tread, but I don't plan to campaign it much, so its replacement decision can be put off.

Indeed it is a 361 2V and 5-spd, 2-spd. The syncros are shot on 3rd, and the trans is not silent, but I can dbl-clutch into 3rd fine, I just have to become accustomed to doing that again Engine won't idle (must have the choke out around 1/3) and it's very lean below 2k. The main vac. hose on the intake is hard as a rock and I can't vise-grip it shut as I'd like to for testing, but this smells of a vacuum leak (hydro-vac: do they have vacuum leaks?), plugged-open PCV (but that's not how they usually fail, and the magnitude of the lean condition seems like that's not likely), or an internal carb failure (plugged-up, though supposedly it's been replaced two years ago, and looks both clean-ish and OEM, with the governor bits intact).

So, engine runs uneven, but I got home. No big leaks, no big clouds of grey smoke, no funky noises -- aside from some trans whine -- and the PTO & hoist are silent and dirty but not leaky. I'm hopeful.

Clutch disengage is right at the tippy-top and there's no free play; I'll adjust it, but this usually means "new clutch time", IME.

Wiring . . . ugh. I guess the OEM turn sigs weren't working so at some point an aftermarket turn sig switch was clamped to the column, and separate wires run to all four corners to new lamps, and it all just sucks big. I'll be chopping it all out, figure out why they didn't fix the OEM sig switch (it's still there, though the lever is missing and the cowl around it). Get some brake lights working -- none are now. Only three cab marker lights and the HLs work.

The mechanical tach works; the ammeter works. No other gauge is operable (temp, oil, fuel, speed). Nothing.

Good news: the OEM wiring has not been butchered, so much of this should be reversible.

No rust, original worn 50-yr-old-paint. Supposedly an ex grain hauler, repurposed for roofing/siding for the past seven years. There was 1/4" of sludge showing on the stick when I pulled it This just makes me sad to see:



Gotta feed it oil occasionally! This is not normal

I put two quarts of cheap stuff in to get it home; it'll get the good stuff when I change it out this week.

I stopped at a car wash on the way home and treated it to $20 of hot soapy water, so I could find the oil fill cap, etc., lol.
Having done this before, I had purchased a new cap/rotor ahead of time, and swapped it out after the wash. Plug wires are UGLY.
Pertronix 1281 kit ordered last night. I've had them before (check out this vintage write-up of mine from 2001!).





I'll need a driver's door inside latch handle soon, or I'll be bleeding one day. I recall this is a one-bolt replacement:



1973 Ford F600 driver's door inside latch handle, cracked halfway through.


My most pressing concern (other than no idle, which makes dbl-clutching from 2-3 difficult) is the steering box. See attached vid: when turning right, the box's input shaft climbs out of the box ~3/8" and doesn't impart motion to the sector shaft; the entire inside column rises through the floor. No leaking. The power steering is operable and quiet, but this lost motion makes for a hair-raising drive. Care to point me to a topic that will educate me on fixing this aspect of steering box failure?

[later: turns out, this box input shaft movement is normal for this design.]

 

Working on fuses. Lots of corrosion to attend to. I'm told the connections on the rear of the fusebox can corrode; I haven't unscrewed mine from the passenger kick panel yet, but I think I've tracked down the FIVE DIFFERENT types of fuses that are used; ordered online from NAPA five-packs of each type, for pickup tomorrow (as today is Sunday and my local NAPA is closed on Sundays).

I will note that yesterday I carried in some fuses to a different NAPA, and they were unable to match them -- with a sample in their hands!






Bare links:

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_0AGA002VP
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_0AGW015VP
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_0AGX020VP
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_0SFE004VP
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_0SFE075VP


---
Next day: I picked up the fuses. Yes, all were in stock.





Pictures I've found on the web of other F600 fuseboxes of this era:

 

Regarding the steering box, some previous discussions:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post20908592

This and the next several posts:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post17032082

This is older but points to another outfit--

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post15387573

 

Thanks. I know about RedHead in Seattle and Straight Ahead in San Jose, but I'm resisting installing a rebuilt box when this does not look like a "needs rebuild" situation.

I received my paper copy of the 1973 Truck Service Manual today, Vols. 1-5, and 13-44-01 is the HF54 section. I read the R&R procedure and got under the truck for a half-hour just now (38°, but blowing hard, so I lost fingers feeling in about 35 minutes), and verified what the manual states for removal: have to remove the floorboard around the shifter and park brake, loosen the front engine mount, unbolt both exhaust headpipes, remove the bellhousing mount bolts, jack up the engine/trans and shift it to the right side as far as you can, in order to drop the HF54 out the bottom.

Not happening here until the weather cooperates, but I'm not a a great hurry. I have to work on this outside/on the grass, as I have no facility that can accommodate its size.

I have a line on a used HF54 on a parts truck, and will go look at it next weekend; it's in snow right now.

The TRW/Ross service manuals I've found online have pics that are crap resolution, but this one is pretty nice:







At the least, I want to pull Valve Cover - 3A729 and check out the Thrust Bearing Adjustment Nut - 3707 before deciding to throw money at a rebuilt unit. With as much movement as you saw in that short vid I posted above, I'm expecting something obvious.

---
I was disappointed to find no electrical diagrams in the five volume shop manual set, but I'd forgotten that Ford does their docs that way I guess. I have the parts manual CD coming, and just ordered the wiring diagram paper manual (used) from Faxon, be here mid next week.

Oh, this might have something to do with the no-idle condition:




---

For 13 years, since Dad died, I've been lugging around his cheap Chinese 3/4" socket set, sure that I'd never need to use it but keeping it around anyway. Today, I thought I'd pull off the LF wheel, in prep to remove the drag link & pitman arm. Hey! I get to finally use Dad's set!







Nope. Lug nut turned maybe 1/8", protesting loudly, then the ratchet stripped (great fun, when you're balancing on a cheater pipe!).

So, I broke out the T-bar that was in the set.




Strike II:




Dad liked his HF-class tools :/ For reference, I weigh 265 lbs, and that's approximately 2.5' from where I was bouncing on the cheater pipe = north of 600 ft/lbs. Usually, the tool breaks, not bends . . . I'll have to look up the torque spec for these lug nuts*, but I suspect this was another case of Les Schwab (Tire chain here in the PNW) zealously using a pneumatic tool -- they were reportedly the last ones to have these wheels off (all the flexible brake lines are new ).

Now I have an excuse to buy more tools, though, so all is not lost.

---
Later: from the 1973 Truck Shop Manual, pg. 11-10-07, 450 ft/lbs:




[later]

That chart above is kind of vague, and I just found this more-precise version:


1973 Truck Shop Manual, pg. 50-11-06 fragment; chart of wheel lug torque specifications.

 

Look closely at the ends of your studs. Them's LEFT HAND THREADS! I think..I think I see a L.

 

Ahahahahaha!




I hadn't run into left-threaded lug nuts since pre-'71 Chryslers

I'm sure not as smart as I think I am

 

Bill/ND said:

With that interchangeability, there should be a few good HF54s extant, if'n mine can't be reasonably home repaired.

 

It's surprisingly difficult to tease some information out for this rig.

Ignition timing? (10° BTDC, 600 RPM, vac. advance disconnected?)

Spark plug? (Autolite AP45, Motorcraft BTF-31, Motorcraft SP420?)

I don't need spark plug gap or dwell, but OEM timing would be a nice starting point, and there seems to be a lot of confusion about the correct spark plug for this '73 361 2V.

If this info is in the 5-volume shop manual, I haven't found it.

[much later]
I bought the 1973 Ford Truck Service Specifications, and it's not terribly helpful, either. "Set to specification shown on engine decal". Nothing of that left after 50 years, thanks.


This Specs booklet's Performance Specifications chart doesn't even list my 361 2V, much less initial timing.

 

Timing might have been as low as 6 degrees. But most here report moving it up a bit, and 10 degrees seems to work.

As to plugs I tried to cross reference and my eyes glaze over. I think the ones you list will work fine.

 

Using the MPC, I tried to determine the correct Brake Booster Air Cleaner, and failed: the MPC lists one for '74 F600(81) and '73 F600(84) but not '73 F600(84). As UHaul is selling off a bunch of the D3TZ-2363-A for cheap, I bought one.

My old, crushed air filter has a 3/4" hose and barb. Pics before and after I replaced the bench seat and cleaned out the cab.




The one I received from UHaul (D3TZ-2363-A) has the same mounting tabs but a 1" hose barb, so I adapted the 3/4" hose to the filter's 1" barb:

 

I replaced the 50-yr-old green bench seat with a very nice '75 seat. While it has holes in the bottom cushion for the seat belts, I haven't unbolted the belts from the cab to thread them through the cushion (yet).

The original green seat has the build sheet, but it's in very poor condition and little of it is legible.

 

For my future reference, because I'll never remember how to find this stuff later.
My Clark 282V36 has no synchronization happening on 3rd.



The door plate indicates this ought to have a 282V, and the MPC shows two configurations offered. Mine has no metal tag that I could find.

[later]
Wow. It was really hidden under grime. I found this in the Eaton Parts Manual, which helped:




This, from the MPC, was useless, because whoever serviced the left-side PTO left off the tag, apparently:




Then I really started scrubbing and spraying solvent and scrubbing . . . the paint began to come off, but not before I could reasonably read this:



Clark 282V36 , s/n 111301N D0TA 7004M ?

I'll have another go at it in daylight, but "7004M" does match below . . .

MPC offerings:


Note 5: D0TA 7004-M
Replaced by
D3TZ 7004-B
D3TZ 7203-A
B7QH 7213-A


Going to the Illustrations catalog, section 70.5, pg. 2:





That leads me to the Parts Catalog to look for 7107 Blocker Ring & 7124 Synchronizer Assy.





Synchronizer Assy. C8TZ-7124-B
Blocking Ring C8TZ-7107-A

OK, those are part Nos. that can still be had. How about chasing this from the Eaton/Clark end? This thread led me to the Eaton Service Manual and 1989 Eaton Parts Manual that covers the 280V series. The latter has a nicer version of the exploded view:



Clark 280V exploded view from Eaton Parts Manual.

It lists the Synchronizer Assy. as Ford's No. E3HZ-7124-D, which goes nowhere on a search, though the Blocking Ring ("Synchronizer Cup") No. is the same as in the MPC.





Eaton likes to sell both those parts as a kit, K-2141.

 

What's the point of having a data tag, if'n you're not going to stamp it?

I realize it's only the PTO, but still . . .