my rusty dirty bump

[hedz]

i'm convinced i need a hydrobooster conversion utilizing my drum brakes now. found a guy whos selling them on a bronco forum. i'm really bummed this thing won't be on the road this next week but hopefully when it does get on the road i'll appreciate transportation that much more, especially if it has better stopping power than previously. probably going to buy a used unit from him and rebuild it. not sure if i need to keep my master cylinder and rebuild it to adapt to the booster since i'm keeping the drums. i think this hydrobooster is going to cost me about 90$ with shipping. fairly sure it's a bronco part.

[Judgement699]

Dude motor looks great, nice and clean, cant wait to see picks of the body.

[1972hiboy]

yeah good looking motor. the problem could have been as simple as that master cylinder it looks scuzzy as hell.

[Judgement699]

I am just saying this from personal experience; not sure how much you deal with Ebay. I get ripped off on auto parts on Ebay quiet often. I am quiet knowledgable about parts and when they send something *badly* remanufactured you can tell just by holding it. I recently got an Alternator for my 97' F150 and it was junk.... But on the other hand I bought my A/C for the same truck and has been freezing my out of my truck when its a 106* outside. I am sure you have looked at Summit but they are the site I recomend just because of how they back their items.

[hedz]

installed new starter
installed new starter and battery cables
installed new solenoid
installed new horn relay
lots of dialectric grease, taped up alot of wiring
uninstalled rest of the emissions stuff beneath the truck outside the cab
installed brake booster and master cylinder, ground down and repainted all brackets and bolts
correct air filters came in, sure looks pretty now with the cleaner lid sitting flush with the base all snug a cute

still waiting on the alternator to come in

a hole magically manifested itself in the front brakeline in between master cylinder booster swaps as i was bleeding brakes in hopes of stopping power, sprayed all over my steering box and other stuff. Went to the distribution block to disconnect brake lines. soaked them with some stuff to loosen the rust. Rounded the front line which is now a permanent feature to the distribution block. $@!%. what should have been a easy line swap has just turned into some crap. Redoing all my brake lines and searching for a new block to function with my 4 wheel drums i guess. damn you arkansas red dirt you accompanied my car all the way to bama and clung onto all the worst spots of my truck for dear life to wreak your worst, but i ain't the type to give up.

putting in bedliner kit which i get a discount on this weekend after taking angle grinder to the a bed, its super rusty. also going to try to bend some new brake lines and either restore that old distribution block or buy another.

what is the best way to flush my master cylinder setup to get all the new brake fluid that i bench bleed into it out? i want to put all new fresh lines and a distribution block and use dot 5 brake fluid which from what i understand doesn't make things rust.

[hedz]

drum puller was machined incorrectly from factory. the 3 year ol chinese labor forgot to thread the center plate. back to the manufacturer you go drum puller to be replaced by another. stupid... brakes are on hold. bought a arsenal of oreilly parts for the drums while i wait for another puller

also went to autozone and returned a very old oil filter exchanged it for another for my truck - free oil filters =

started installing the new alternator - BBB INDUSTRIES 7294-3 Alternator/Generator - 12si with a good metal fan. got a spacer being made at a shop by a friend to adapt to it

[hedz]

i helped make an aluminum spacer for my 12si camaro alternator at the shop

so i bolted it up and just realized theres not really a way to use the top bracket for the alternator. damn. back to the drawing board. i didn't think that one through. i'm hoping i can come up with a configuration that will work so that i can keep my belt. i don't want to buy a new one, but maybe that is the route i should take, buying a new belt and keeping the alternator on the high side, but it would be awfully close to the manifold. the thing is this alternator is too fat/thick and cant be positioned in front of the block, has to be offset so that it's fat butt can hang in free space instead of in front of block position. atleast the spacer is golden. i already see how to make a top bracket but i would have to get another belt. maybe i can flip it upside down and have it on the low side of the motor and make a different kind of bracket?

[hedz]

i tore out all the brake crap today.

it sucked. everything rounded. i had to cut all the lines with my dremel. i know i've heard too many people say dremels are lame but i don't have a compressor so it's all i got, anywho it worked out. everything was wasted by rust. here's some pics of the stuff.

also uninstalled what i think is a factory added spark plug tester or something? long wires kept getting in the way under the hood and would certainly bounce around so just took it all out until i can come up with something to keep it in place under there


found out i need a new speedo cable while crawling under the truck. mine had been resting on a exhaust tube and got roasted through. crap.

also uninstalled my new power booster and eyeballed what to do with this astrovan hydrobooster. believe it or not, i don't have to modify the push rod. it fits perfectly. the hydrobooster will go right in. just need to punch out the bolts that come on it, weld up the holes, and drill new holes, will use the original bolts. and i wont have to use any spacers. i unbolted the master cylinder from my power booster to see how it might mount up to the hydrobooster - the short answer it won't without some work. not sure what to do there. i want to install a master cylinder for drums on that thing. perhaps i can modify mine to work at the machine shop. fill up the bolt holes with weld and drill new holes maybe? but i did not measure the bore either to see how that would affect the master cylinder. i'm not even sure how this hydrobooster is supposed to look with a master cylinder bolted up, like if theres a special push rod that extends from the inside to the master cylinder. any suggestions here would be great.

here's a pic of alot of the wiring i put in. solenoid, starter, battery cables blah blah

and here's a pic of the alternator on the spacer. you can't see the spacer. i would have taken more pics but the camera died and my father told me if i want battery power on the camera i'm buying him a new charger he claims i lost. i lost it my ass...

so i'm going to flip this baby upside down and am currently designing a new bracket for it that allows it to utilize the same belt. I don't have to shim the wheel on the alternator or anything from what i can tell. seems to be perfectly aligned with the same belt application and also seems deep enough to handle the belt, same depth as the oem crap alternator.

so ordering amsoil rear diff lube, going to grind up some sulfur pills and mix it with zddp
ordering amsoil trans fluid

scored a speedo cable from oreillys for $20 - can't beat that
ordered 4 32oz bottles of dot 5 brake fluid for a total of $64. not too bad

my trans has a drip at tail where the driveshaft inputs into the transmission, not even dripping, just obviously stained. do i worry about this now? drop the driveshaft and change a simple piece i hope?

fan shroud decided to split in half for no friggin reason. bunch of crap. i think i'm going to make a fan shroud out of aluminum that closely resembles this one with a few tweeks like a guard on the bottom to keep anything from bouncing up and hitting the radiator and true screw mounts on the side. see how it goes. making a cardboard template right now.

my alternator bracket is coming along, it ought to be pretty sweet. still can't find any braided steel lines to replace the hoses yet.

[hedz]

working on a custom piston to fit my hydrobooster to master cylinder. didn't like the fact that i could only go with a weak plastic master cylinder on my astro van hydrobooster. i much prefer the old school master cylinders. so i guess i compromised hydroboost tech for master cylinder durability. i'm sure it will be just fine in the long run. pulled the piston out of the astro van hydrobooster and am using it as a guide for the new hydrobooster and master cylinder i just got from a 75 mercury grand marquis.

also would like to say on the astro van hydrobooster, i looked into modifying my existing master cylinder for my f100 and retrofitting it to the hydrobooster. my boss and i agreed on the assessment, which was this: although this modification is possible, it doesn't seem worth it. the structural integrity of the master cylinder may be compromised in order to fit the hydrobooster. the old holes could be stick welded up and the unit could be redrilled. but keeping it cool would not guarantee the internals. there were some other ways but this seemed the most probable way. and it did not seem worth it. another reason i finally opted for the grand marquis setup. the pedal pushrod from the astrovan does seem to be the perfect link to be able to work in a f100 without modification, but still was not enough to convince me to stick with it. already mentioned the plastic mc option

my amsoil 80w90 just came in. will be putting this in my transmission and rear end. thanks members and amsoil for the advice.

my steel braided lines just came in.

cleaned up my distribution block at work today. seems in good shape. i noticed that the bracket is steel but has been plated with something? maybe brass plating on top of steel? weird. anywho i don't think it can rust.

otc has sent me on their mary go round customer service for two weeks. i'm not going to get into it but they are sending me the strap to their kit which ought to be in friday. that's when i'll start pulling off these super crappy rust drums and replacing them with spanky clean drums.

i'm thinking i need to add this block device into my brake system that i found. it advertises to make sure your rear brakes engage first. wonder if that will make a difference in my hydroboost setup.

fantasy list:
fuel injected 360fe with hydraulic cam designed for mpg and torque
2.75 rear gear with positrax
ford winter green paint all around with clear
obtain missing trim and lenses and replace windshield
front end rebuild, suspension update with new shocks and shorter springs
trans cooler on the 3spd manual, rear diff cooler, oil cooler, and power steering cooler
get my steel wheels powder coated ford winter green
want to be able to stuff a auxiliary tank and 3 spares all underneath the bed
wood inlaid bed with cabinets built into the sides inside the longbed.

i've been meaning to take some pictures, will do that tomorrow of a bunch of crap and that installed pedal before i start installing parts

[hedz]

no pictures yet. i need to add a personal camera to my shopping list.

i've been working on a few things. found a hydroboost setup in a 1975 lincoln continental!!! i didn't have any tools on me to take it out, so i will return to the spot tomorrow and yank that booger out and take the pushrod. i don't think the astrovan pushrod is quite right.

couldn't find a passenger door at the junkyard.

replaced the windhsield wipers with refills from NPD. Also installed a reflector from Fordman. THANKS FORDMAN!! that package arrived finally this past week. USPS annihilated the packaging. The mailman put the lense in my hand and tried to blame the shipper - i told him that they fubarred it and he was sorely mistaken. then proceeded to the tail lights. all the bulbs were shot. i pulled the lenses off and pulled the buckets out. one bucket fell to pieces on me. went to the junk yard to get a new bucket and found one. I cleaned both buckets up, shot the backside of the buckets with rustoleum gray paint, and then shot the inside with some chrome reflective paint i had lying around. replaced the side reflector bulbs and the bulbs for the buckets. My screws for the buckets are shot so i have to go find some new ones. should have pocketed the ones i had got off the junkyard part. doh!! I greased up everything with dialectric grease and i'll finish assembly tomorrow after i salvage some replacement screws.

cut up a spare hose and attached it to my rear axle breather. put a clear inline fuel filter on the hose. all attached with tiny hose clamps. still need to zip tie it to the frame.

didn't do this today, but a few days ago - rebuilt the rear drums. my original pads were good, just replaced all the springs and attachment hardware with brand new hardware except for two on each side(2 springs that i couldn't find replacements for). replaced the adjusting gears too. basically everything but the pads.

should i hang onto my old school wheel cylinders and sand blast them and clean them up for rebuilds? they are shaped slightly different on the backside than the replacements i got.

my orange reflectors on the front of my car were shot. I dissassembled them and they broke to pieces on me. I ordered the gaskets and Bullit hooked me up with the lenses. Since the reflector buckets were shot and terribly damaged i just said F-it. Ordered two replacement orange reflector assemblies from NPD. They come with the lenses, bulbs, gaskets, screws, and bucket with wiring, all assembled. thats $120 down the toilet. So now i have extra lenses and gaskets. Maybe i'll save them for the second rebuild when i turn 75 years old or something(doubt i'll make it that long)

i'll make more progress tomorrow

[hedz]

went back to the junk yard. pulled the pushrod assembly out of the 75 lincoln continental hydroboost. score. i got everything uninstalled from the unit including the power steering lines with wrenches(these are normally snipped off because they round, so i was temporarily excited) every bolt except for the top two bolts holding the unit in place at the firewall after clearing all the wiring with my bolt cutters. i imagine one would spend a entire day taking one of these out of a continental.

i'm glad i don't have to make this pushrod now. scrapping these cad drawings. nothing like a factory usable part

also got some fresh screws that weren't corroded for my tail light buckets.

finished up the tail lights.

going back outside to partially uninstall the steering box before i run out of light

[hedz]

one of my special neighbors with a heart of hatred called the cops on me about my truck being on jackstands. cops told me i had 5 days to move it. fabulous.

so i tried to put myself into overdrive on fixing my pos. i didn't get very far.

tore out the speedo cable. it was toasted on the exhaust. glad i pulled it out because the gear was damaged. have everything coming in to rebuild my new speedo cable monday. the timing doesn't help because the truck has got to be moved tomorrow.

installed front orange lights with lots of dialectric grease. they look good.

undid all the bolts on the steering box. have it tied to a 2x4 in the engine bay. can't get the rag joint out. i have a polyurethane coupler to replace it. rust froze the bolts, but i did get the nuts off the rag joint bolts without damaging the threads. to accomplish this without damage i soaked the rag joint bolts twice daily for 7 days with PBR. they came off with alot of finess. but they still appear to be pressed in. i posted my specific problem in a post i made for installing the front brake lines. hopefully i will have some success tomorrow.

greased up my studs on my rear spindles, greased up all the drum hardware, and painted my new drums and my old drums(which are rusty but still have plenty of material) rustoleum enamel red. tightened up all the rear lines and routed the axle breather with a fuel filter attached to a rubber hose through the frame. my longbed frame had two holes on the brake line side with grommets. the hose conveniently fit through both so no zip ties were necessary and plenty of distance from the exhaust. until i take the truck to a shop the front drums will be permanently attached to the car(did not paint the old front ones, just the new front drums not on the vehicle.

i would like to accomplish a few things tomorrow. i would like to get the rag joint out. if i can do this i will install my front lines. then i will drill some holes and mount my hydroboost system to the firewall. then i will try to figure out what hoses and lines i have to run to my power steering. also would like to figure out what kind of mods my pushrod to brake pedal will require. whether i can accomplish any of this or not, i still must mount all my tires and move the truck so it looks like it was driven. i hate cops. they only enforce hypocrisy in my neighborhood. thank god i'm white, it could be worse

at the very least tomorrow i will put on my tag for the car i just got. I got a Barber's Motor Sports tag that's pretty sweet. I would have bought a antique tag but the dmv told me i could only drive it to shows and could not use it as a daily driver with the antique tag.

[hedz]

pulled the fan shroud. new one on the way.

installed new speedo cable with new gear and o ring and firewall grommet.

NPD is awesome as always.

rusty rag joint parts soaking in high acid vinegar, will clean them at work on friday. trying to figure out what the hell to do about these studs i have with no heads. should i just go with something different? suggestions?

[basketcase0302]

i'm going to try to look at this with my glass half full. if ford had not decided to route all my rusted busted fuel and brake lines behind my steering box then i never would have known my steering box threads were fubar or my rag joint coupler was fubar so thanks ford!!! thanks alot

Only way to look at it-when things are going wrong! You shouldn't use PB / grease or anything on those threads for the bolts that hold the steering box to the frame. Those bolts will work loose from time to time anyway causing a loose steering feeling. If it's not already bolted tightly, I'd try to start the bolts into the box only (not through the frame rail) to ID what the issue is.

[hedz]

and