1953 Ford F100 Diary

Diary

10/8/2017 Replaced fuel pump. Discovered the flex fuel line supplying the fuel pump had deteriorated so badly that it fell apart when I tried to remove it. That may have been the problem all along.

8/2017 Horace gets really rough after about 30 minutes. Completely stalled down in Manayunk. Thankfully AAA was only FOUR HOURS AWAY:( Folks recommended to first try the fuel filters the the fuel pump.

8/15/2017 Replaced the starter solenoid

9/18/2012 Rebuilt drag link

8/18/2012 Oil Change 78923.8 – New line to oil filter

8/2/2012   Posting on FTE returned advise to clean the caps of the starter. Removed the starter and cleaned it from top to bottom. Also cleaned the battery terminals. One of those two fixed the issue. In fact, the truck turns over quicker than ever.

8/1/2012   NAPA had a replacement bolt. Noted that with the sector shaft centered, the groove on top did not allow the bolt clean passage. Move the shaft slightly off center and the bolt inserted like a dream. I realigned the steering wheel and reassembled the rest. Works like a dream. Except……The truck started began to not engage. No noise or anything.

7/30/2012 Assembled the steering box and mounted it on the truck. With the sector shaft centered and the wheels straight forward however, the bolt for the steering arm was hard to insert. So I pounded it in. That stripped the bolt. Had to go to work the next day so pause until Wednesday.

7/29/2012 Tony Mignogno stopped by with a portable welder and tacked the pin in the sector shaft. Now for assembly.

7/27/2012 Picked up the sector shaft from ECAM. Joe said it was all good but then began to explain what I needed to do the get the bearing to turn. I asked him to do what was necessary to get it rolling! Later that afternoon the sector shaft was rolling.

7/26/2012 Picked up the completed parts from NAPA. Took the sector shaft to ECAM. He said he could do it but did not weld.

7/25/2012 Took sector shaft, bottom plate, housing cover & adjustment screw to NAPA machine shop. He said he could not weld and could not manufacture a pin for the sector shaft.

7/24/2012 Disassembled and cleaned the steering box. The tube for the horn wire was not connected to the bottom plate. Also discovered the kit received from Antique & Classic Ford Parts had all but the pin for the sector shaft roller pin. The adjustment screw fit very tightly in the housing cover.

7/23/2012 Removed steering column and box for rebuild. The bolts were not hard to remove.

2/4/2012   Oil Change 78537.7 – Lube, new spark plugs

8/5/2011   Oil change 78226.9

3/29/2011 Installed new shocks on Horace. Took about an hour. 77982.6

                    Old shocks had TAAA 18045A1Front, Ford, RB3G8 RD4 9C3 inscribed on front. Could not read rear.

3/27/2011 Oil change and lube. 77975.4

2/20/2011 Sent wiper motor to Ficken Wiper Service in NY. He cleaned and rebuilt the motor. Installed the motor today and it works great!

1/30/2011 Removed wiper blades and the wiper linkage. Cleaned and reinstalled. Wipers still don’t work but on a test run, the speedometer works fine and is quiet.

1/29/2011 Removed speedometer cable. Cleaned and reinstalled.

1/17/2011 Took Horace to the grocery store but out on 611 the speedometer started screeching and pegged past the fuel gauge. Came home.

12/5/10      Warm up Horace for 15 minutes. Some water came out of the overflow tube on radiator. A few drips came out of the exhaust pipe early.

                    Checked compression. 1 – 108, 2 – 83, 3 – 73, 4 – 95, 5 -105, 6 – 105, 7 – 105, 8 -105

                                Rechecked after a few squirts of oil 2 – 85, 3 – 75, 4 – 100

                    Oil looks clean, no extra substances

11/29/10   Topped off radiator. Disconnected water pump and fan belts. Ran for one minute. No bubbles observed in radiator.

11/26/10   Observed yellow in oil puddle on floor and in oil fill tube.

                    Drove 20 miles

                    Changed oil. Radiator water low.

11/25/10   Drove 15 miles

11/24/10   Drove 15 miles

11/23/10   Added ½ can SeaFoam to oil. Full tank of gas. Drove 15 miles.
           

9/5/10        Removed flywheel housing to install seal. Replaced missing bolts.

9/4/10        Installed right side mirror. Installed new door seals. Doors no longer rattle!

8/29/10      Lubed chassis. Topped off trans & differential fluids.

8/18/10      Removed oil pan. Had to remove exhaust to get pan off. There was about a quarter to half inch of gunk in bottom. J. Burgess assisted and devised great ideas to get the dad-gummed thing back on.

7/23/10      New points. Gapped and set timing. Dwell still at 19°.

7/6/10        Found a disconnection to the right front headlight. All lights work.

                    Removed and cleaned the windshield wiper motor. Works without a load but when connected to the wipers, it stops going up.

7/5/10        Checked point gap. It was less than .005. Discovered the relationship of the gap and dwell setting. The dwell was 19° when it should be 28°. Regapped the points to .014 and advanced the timing to 2° BTDC. The dwell is now at 14°. The vacuum is shaking around 17”.

                    Checked the wiring to the left front headlight. No continuity to the bright connection on that side.

7/2/10        Adjusted idle fuel mixture. Vacuum gauge between 17” & 18”. Adjusted idle speed down to 475 from 700. Dwell at 19° should be 28°.

5/31/10      Oil & Filter Change

4/25/10      Checked temp gauge with 2 AA batteries. It works.

                    Rechecked line from gauge to dbl pole temp sender – continuity. Rechecked line from dbl pole to single pole sender – continuity. Continuity between dbl pole sender’s poles when cold. Continuity between single pole and ground.

                    Temp gauge works!

4/24/10      Temp gauge arrived.

4/16/10      Temp gauge from Obsolete arrived. 12 volt not 6 volt like catalogue. Returning. Found another 6 volt on E-Bay. Ordered.

4/10/10 Purchased new fan belt from NAPA. Apparently the one on the truck is slightly smaller so the fan ride lower in the radiator shroud. Sometimes it scrapes at the bottom on acceleration. The new belt allows better clearance. No scraping on test drive.

4/9/10 Ordered 6 volt temp gauge and senders from Obsolete Auto Parts.

4/3/10 Cleaned engine. Installed gauges. Fuel gauge works, temp gauge does not.

4/2/10 Fuel gauge arrived. Kept my paws off it.

4/1/10 Temp gauge came in. Checked and had continuity first try. Second try. Did my meter (9 volt battery) fry the 6 volt gauge?

3/29/10 Won a fuel gauge and a temp gauge on E-Bay. Hope they work!

3/28/10 Removed the temp & fuel gauges. Took the faces off. The wiring looks complete but there must be a disconnect somewhere as still no voltage passes through.

3/24/10 Drove to Fitzgerald’s to get the inspection stickers. They liked the work. Truck stickered and ready to legally roll.

3/22/10 Hooked the linkage up and installed the drive shaft. The truck drove great down to the bank and back. Felt much better in the initial reverse.

3/19/10 Removed the transmission. Removed the clutch pressure plate and disc. Cleaned the inside of the bell housing. NAPA said the tool to remove the pilot bearing from the flywheel would be around $100. Carlos in the machine shop advised packing the void behind the bearing with grease, inserting a dowel in the bearing and wacking it. It worked. A few times, and only one wacked finger, and the bearing popped out. I then had to go have Carlos remove the release bearing from the hub and press the new one on. Got the pressure plate and disc installed. Installed the transmission but didn’t have time to hook the linkage up.

3/9/10 Jacked truck back up. Removed clutch access panel. Removed drive shaft from transmission

3/7/10 Ford Truck Enthusiast Forum recommended checking for a clutch access panel.

3/6/10 Jacked up truck. Removed transmission cover. Jim Burgess & I got cold feet when we discovered the clutch bell housing is the motor mount for the engine.

3/4/10 Ordered clutch parts from NAPA. All parts should be in next week.

3/3/10 Had truck towed home

3/2/10 Drove to Fitzgerald’s Tire for new tires and inspection. Spinning metallic noise 1st, 2nd, & 3rd gear.

They called to say it was ready. As I was paying the mechanic (Mark) came and said the truck wouldn’t move. Clutch disintegrated. He said the brake work was excellent.

2/28/10 Drove around to jr. high and back. Spinning metallic noise in first gear

2/27/10 Received Title from state in mail

Changed Oil & Filter

Tightened brake lines

8.3 – 8.6 ohms fuel sender. Added 5 gal. gas. Ohms rose steady at first then very erratic after filling 8.1 – 8.4 ohms

2/23/10 Picked up tag at Ardsley Auto Tags – PA – YXG-8086

2/15/10 Applied for tag & title at Ardsley Auto Tags

1/24/10 Replaced O Ring in heater valve

Checked leaks at heater hoses – Heater 9/16, Valve 11/16

Added rubber to heater tube and tightened clamp

Spare left tire flat….tack in tire. Replaced with original tire and plugged hole.

Checked fuel & temp gauges

Continuity on temp gauge line

Continuity on fuel gauge line

5.91 volt at temp gauge in. No volt out

5.91 volt at fuel gauge in. .01 volt out and .01 volt at fuel sender

1/23/10 Replaced front brake retracting springs

New right rear star wheel – Now all up to loosen

Replaced rear retaining springs caps & pins

Rechecked pressure on tires & installed (spare on left rear)

Leak on master cylinder at rear and possibly at boot. Tightened outlet fitting.

No leaks at other fittings

1/18/10 Bled the brake lines. Stopped a leak at the master cylinder.

1/16/10 Rebuilt the master cylinder. Took a while to remove the stop washer. Guess 57 years of build up and freeze metal together. Installed the master cylinder and the rear brake hose. Installed new brake lines to rear and left front. Connected all fittings.

1/15/10

1/10/10 Removed master cylinder. New dual cylinder doesn’t fit.

Removed rear brake hose….finally. Broke nut for the mount and cut the lines.

Left Front – Rotate star wheel up to loosen

Right Front – Rotate star wheel up to loosen

Left Rear – Rotate star wheel up to loosen

Right Rear – Rotate star wheel down to loosen

1/1/10 Replaced right rear brake shoes

12/31/09 Replaced right front and left rear brake cylinders.

12/30/09 Replaced right front brake shoes and hose and both rear brake shoes. The right rear brakes lack the parking brake link. Can’t break loose the rear brake line.

12/28/09 5 quarts of oil & filter.

Removed all tires.

Replaced left front brake shoes & cylinder.

Found out how to remove left front brake line. Also discovered how to break the brake line on the other side of the frame.

Replaced the left front brake hose.

12/25/09 Replaced parking light wiring from light switch to lamps. All lights work!

12/24/09 Installed heater, valve is leaking

Installed front parking lamps. Turn signals work – parking lights don’t

11/28/09 Front turn signals

Cleaned and primed housing. Replaced bulb sockets

11/27/09 Heater core

Razzi’s Radiator repaired hole in heater core $53

11/13/09 Tag

Ardsley Auto Tags – Looked at pictures. Said state wouldn’t approve without paint one color, hub caps, emblem and no rust.

EZ Tags – Awaiting state paperwork – referred to Ardsley Tags. Advised need complete truck in front & rear pictures

10/11/09 Checked gauges

Sent Fuel Sender to Oil Gauge – No Motion

Sent Oil Sender to Fuel Gauge – No Motion

Sent Temp Sensors to Oil Gauge – Moved all the way to right (disconnected immediately)

Connected volt meter to Temp – Cold 5.85 cold, 6.77 at start, after 20 minutes 6.78

10/4/09 Jim Burgess stopped by with his engine analyzer. (Heathkit he made as a teen)

The Dwell was 17 – reset to 30 (specs say 28 but we took what we could get)

Adjusted the idle to 500 (specs say 475) the throttle linkage has a catch in it.

Replaced #3 & #6 plugs with the original.

Engine ran smoother – Jim hears an exhaust leak on the passenger side.

Vacuum wavering around 16 – (vacuum chart reading between 17 & 21)

Readjusted timing to -2º BTDC – Vacuum now reads steady at 18

Changed Oil 5 qts

9/26/09 Kevin Fitzgerald

Checked compression – Most cylinders 100-110 – 4 & 8 lower. Initial reading 60 psi

Said the rough running definitely ignition

Questioned position of #1 cylinder

Rich Jonas called later to say Kevin would get back to me on a weekend in the future. Replace spark plugs and mark all relevant portions of the shop manual.

9/5/09 Advanced and retarded timing – still backfire and rough

8/23/09 Checked Timing – My engine analyzer is for 12 volt system only

Applied 1.5 volts to fuel gauge – No movement – stayed on E

Applied 1.5 volts to oil gauge – from 0 to center

Temp gauge indicating H with no voltage. Disconnected gauge and taped – no change. Applied 1.5 volts – no change

Continuity across thermal sending units indicate good

8/29/09 Checked cylinder compression again. Factory specs 125 psi but cylinders ranged from 20 to 40.

Cylinder First Check Squirt oil

1 32 35

2 40 40

3 30 25

4 25 35

5 40 50

6 35 55

7 40 40

8 45 55

8/4/09 Evaluated brake drums

Specs should be shoes 3/16” Drum 11.060”

Right Rear shoes ¼” Drum 11 7/32”

Left Rear shoes ¼” Drum 11 3/32”

Left Front shoes ¼” Drum 11 3/32”

Right Front shoes ¼” Drum 11 3/32”

7/16/09 Checked cylinder compression. Factory specs 125 psi but cylinders ranged from 20 to 40.

Cylinder First Check Squirt oil

1 20 25

2 30 50

3 30 30

4 20 40

5 40 60

6 35 30

7 30 30

8 35 40

7/15/09 Checked fuel sending unit. Key off 4.74 volts at unit. No ohms between contacts. Added 5 gal. fuel. No change. Fuel guage on empty.

7/14/09 Lubed all grease fittings (28) under truck. Purchased gear oil and replaced differential & transmission fluid. Checked generator & distributor oiler.

7/8/09 Checked all lighting wiring voltage. Steady voltage to light fixtures with turn signals except for front parking lights. Noted that if rear bulb rotated other filament lighted. Applied voltage directly to both contacts one at a time. Turn signal filament didn’t light for either rear bulb. Replaced rear bulbs. Lighting works now.

7/6/09 Checked brake wiring voltage. 2.8 volts to gray black wire in turn signal unit with brake pedal depressed.

Fuel sending unit. .6 to .7 ohms. Replaced brake sending unit – now 6.39 volts.

7/3/09 Replaced brake light sending switch. Awaiting flasher switch module. Seth came home and drove to the bank.

7/1/09 Cleaned air filter canister. Still a little rough. Broke left front parking light trying to remove it.

6/27/09 Lisa returned from Ginger’s father’s funeral. Rode down to bank. Runs rough with oil bath air filter on.

6/26/09 Truck fired right up in the morning. Replaced wire from coil negative terminal to distributor. Checked wiring. Steady voltage to rear tail light & turn signal light sockets. 2.8 volts on turn signal switch gray/black wire with brake pedal depressed. Replaced oil (4 quarts) and coolant (8 quarts coolant – 8 quarts water). Drove up and down driveway to check brakes and clutch. Bailey rode shotgun.

Jim Burgess dropped by. Put his Heathkit engine analyzer on. Said the dwell needs to be set. Then the timing will require resetting. Drove down to bank and back. Got to get used to clutch and “power” steering.

6/25/09 Truck fired up when I came home after work. Thirty minutes later, Gerry Mignogno dropped by, no start.

6/24/09 Andy Vitek ran tests for spark. Replaced plugs & condenser. Thought I said I had replaced points. When he discovered I had not, sanded the point gap. Truck fired right up. Brake lights and turn signals not working. Advised replacing heater hose, changing oil & coolant.

5/26/09 Replaced distributor cap & rotor.

5/25/09 No spark at plugs. No spark at coil. Replaced coil. Discovered contact in distributor cap sheared off.

4//09 Truck delivered to Abington

4//09 Truck picked up from Hartselle

4//09 Truck transport out of Hoover did not pick up truck. Transport truck broken.

3/29/09 Truck not running so not picked up by . No winch on truck.

3/25/09 Paid Michael Broom for truck.

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