1978 non - rust pile

kb426 · May 04, 2020, 08:11:51 PM

O&S has entered the waiting room. I removed everything from the underneath side today. The anti-freeze is drained and the truck is outside where it will sit for the engine swap. I ordered a front sump pan and pickup which could be monday before delivery. The flywheel should be here on thursday. I decided to order a fuel tank because of the rust issue with the original . Now, I wait for parts. Back to body work.

kb426 · May 06, 2020, 08:38:18 PM

O&S didn't get started until after lunch today. The engine is removed and set on my H.F. trailer, waiting for the next owner.

I started scrapping more grime. The white pan is 3' square. I have most of the grease removed. It needs a solvent bath which may not happen right now.

kb426 · May 07, 2020, 07:51:20 PM

Murphy's law chased O&S all day. I started off by giving the engine bay a solvent bath. More scrapping and more spraying. Next, I removed the engine mount brackets. One was easy, the other had several obstacles to work around. They needed to be moved rewards and bolted to the next set of holes. Right side is finished. The left side needed the bracket trimmed to clear the steering gear box. I left it off because I was going to install a seal on the input shaft of the steering box. I pulled the box loose and tried to remove the seal. There wasn't enough room to do that. I bolted the box back on and removed the tie rod from the pitman arm. The steering box is in the shop and I'm working on it. That's the end of the day.

kb426 · May 08, 2020, 07:46:40 PM

Another fun filled day at O&S. Last night, I sold the six from the truck. There's one less item to deal with. I installed the front sump oil pan on the 5.0 engine. I will need one of those cable dip sticks to be able to check the oil. The original hits the pan rail and shoots across the oil instead of going into it. The new flywheel and clutch is installed. I welded a piece into the frame adapter to replace the amount cut out for steering box clearance. I ended up disassembling most of the steering gear to make sure there wasn't a surprise hiding in it. It's bolted back in place. I have many hours in this. O&S at it's finest.

kb426 · May 09, 2020, 07:10:13 PM

O&S is creeping along. I pulled the pan and made an indention for the dip stick tube. When I measured the dip stick versus the depth of the pan, I realized if it's more than 1/2 qt. low, it won't register on the dipstick. :oops: More work on that. I installed the engine and found out several items that don't work. 1st is the engine mounts. They actually come in behind the frame adapters. So much for internet info. LOL. I see cutting and welding in my future. The drain plug will come out on top of the crossmember. I think I'll pull the pan again and install a drain plug on the front of it. That would allow most of the oil to drain without mess. The original plug would have very little to drain after that. I'm planing on using the radiator out of the 88 that provided the engine. It's a fairly new copper unit. I had to trim two braces on the core support for clearance. After the engine is in the proper location, I will need to fab a bracket to hold the clutch ball for the z-bar assembly. The later blocks don't have the boss cast into them. I doubt that it would be the correct height anyway. That's enough fun for today.

Crosley.In.AZ · May 09, 2020, 11:34:50 PM

Years ago,, when I did general auto service work. Many Ford trucks had the drain plug on top of the cross member.

My 2001 F-150 truck had a factory installed oil trough panel to carry the oil off the cross member to the back side. You placed a drain pan on the rear side of the cross member, pull the plug and the oil drained over the cross memeber thru the little metal trough ..

WZ JUNK · May 10, 2020, 08:22:54 AM

It looks like you have some fabricating in your future. It is a lot like a giant puzzle at times. Then when it seems like you did a great job on a very hard to make part, the next piece you need requires that you change the last part you made. The fun of building a not rod.

kb426 · May 10, 2020, 02:02:45 PM

The annoying part is that if I had access to the correct mounts and clutch part, this is a bolt in deal. I did a little looking and found nothing. I may call a salvage yard tomorrow but I don't think I'll find anything. This is old enough that most were scrapped when steel was so high.

kb426 · May 10, 2020, 06:20:22 PM

O&S had half a day today. I picked up the engine and removed the frame adapters. I removed about an inch from the tops. I set the engine back down on them and checked everything. I believe that is where the original height was from the factory. I removed the adapters and cut plates for the new tops. They are welded on the outside and inside where it was easiest to get to. I will drill holes for the mount stud and see where I can install a brace without interfering with access to the nut. I removed the engine and set it back inside. The weather forecast for the next 2 days is not good for outside work.

chimp koose · May 11, 2020, 01:48:45 AM

I went from 6cyl to windsor on my 65 merc 1/2 ton , and had to change to a different pedestal . The FE and 6cyl use a different pedestal than the windsor .I think it lowered the mounting pads about an inch . I also moved the mounts back 2" as that is what was said to do on the forums I looked at . I ended up having to shorten my driveshaft 1 3/4" and the back of the head on DS was pretty close to the firewall . If I did it again I would not have moved it back at all . I was just following the instructions I had found before I even tried to fit the motor in the truck .

kb426 · May 11, 2020, 06:04:18 PM

O&S put in a few hours this afternoon. I machined slots in the plates and welded braces on each side. They are finished unless I found out I made a mistake.

kb426 · May 12, 2020, 07:14:12 PM

O&S was in between crawling and plodding today. At that speed, does it make any difference?

I pulled the oil pan and installed a drain plug in the front of it. While it was off, I drilled the boss on the front cover where the earlier models had a dip stick. My friend at the machine shop donated a 8 liter chevy dip stick tube. I used a tube bender and re-contoured it. I used the Ford dip stick cut to length and marked with a file. Next on the agenda was the bracket to hold the ball for the clutch linkage. I told WzJunk that they make these but I'd be surprised if they were in the correct location for this truck. He was in agreement on that. I won't weld the parts together until the engine is in the truck and I can be more accurate in locating the correct spot for it.

chimp koose · May 12, 2020, 08:45:52 PM

my plan for my 65 1/2 ton was to run the 4spd behind the windsor . The clutch pivot was right in the way of both the factory manifold and the mustang header on my install so i used the auto trans that came with the 351.

kb426 · May 12, 2020, 08:58:56 PM

C.K., I'm using the 88 manifolds. The left side runs in front and under the clutch apparatus.

kb426 · May 13, 2020, 07:15:14 PM

It was drizzly here in the am. After it cleared up, I put the engine back in. The right side frame adapter was off by 3/4's of a hole so it was removed and milled to allow the motor mount stud to fit. C.K., the pics are to show the exhaust manifolds that i'm using for future reference.