'69 F100 Ranger - Canada-born, Atlanta-raised, movie star(?)

[LeoZelig]

Shifting back to the cooling system repairs/renewal.

The heater control valve was seized, so it was time to take care of that. I thought if I could get it on the bench, I might be able to free it up and re-use it.

Once I did and removed the hose remnant still attached, I found out that wasn't going to be an option. Is that a hole in the fitting?

Rusty.jpg

Yep, this thing is swiss cheese

Swiss cheese.jpg

I found one locally, but it has a plastic body. I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it's a plastic part in contact with water so that's good. I just hope the plastic is robust.

Here's a comparison of the original and the replacement valves:

comparison.jpg

One step closer to replacing all the cooling rubber.

[basketcase0302]

I'm amazed that a company makes these "re-pop" now! I say good score!
I also say good save before the rest of the fittings metal went into the engine cooling jacket.

Something to think about when you tackle the blower "plenum" housing rebuild is to find the thread here that details putting a dent blower motor and wheel into the existing housing, (which instantly gives us a 15%-20% increase in airflow to the defrost and heater ducts.

Nice work.

[LeoZelig]

Good morning Jeff,

I'm amazed that a company makes these "re-pop" now! I say good score!

I was pleasantly surprised, too, and counted myself lucky!

I also say good save before the rest of the fittings metal went into the engine cooling jacket.

Yikes! I didn't think of that.... yes, a good save.

Something to think about when you tackle the blower "plenum" housing rebuild is to find the thread here that details putting a dent blower motor and wheel into the existing housing, (which instantly gives us a 15%-20% increase in airflow to the defrost and heater ducts.

That is a great tip, and it also confirms that the weak-ish airflow I'm feeling is probably normal. I'll definitely plan that upgrade when I take it all apart and rebuild the blower assembly.

Nice work.

Thanks!

[basketcase0302]

Chris,

I can remember two members going above and beyond the "super fan upgrade" and grafting a dentside 73-79 defrost ducting into our bumps dash, (they are more rectangular and longer providing much better airflow). But man alive the sheet metal work involved with that was a nightmare from what I saw, (unless you had the entire under dash gutted for a complete interior rebuild). The round defrost vent holes in the dash, (and round ducting that connects it to the heater plenum) can only move so many CFM's of air. But the fan motor upgrade def was a major improvement from ALL the guys I saw here who did that.

Your truck is coming along nicely!

[LeoZelig]

But the fan motor upgrade def was a major improvement from ALL the guys I saw here who did that.

Well Jeff, I don't think I have the sheet metal skills to pull off a complete rework, but the upgraded blower sounds like a no-brainer!

Thanks again for your kind words - those put gas in my tank!

[LeoZelig]

Moving on to late September. Before re-installing the repaired heater/blower assembly, it was a good time to remove the firewall pad. If you've been following my story, you'll know that there are leaks in the cab that I haven't solved, yet. Some of those leaks flow out from under the pad, so I knew it would be damp and would need to come out anyway so I can diagnose the leaks.

Shockingly, the pad was not moldy. But the firewall behind the pad is rusty, and rusted through along a seam. Eh, add it to the list for welding!

firewall rust.jpg

I also removed the after-market radio to give me access to the heater controls to clean and lubricate them. Fortunately, the previous owner didn't cut the radio mounting ears. To get better access, I removed the cardboard glove box and this plopped down. What the heck is this thing? Part of a hazard light switch?

mystery.jpg

I sprayed the fan speed switch with contact cleaner, then I mounted the blower and tested the fan. I have fan!

mounted.jpg

From there, it was time to replace all the cooling rubber: all heater hose, the upper and lower radiator hoses (the spring in the lower hose was rotten), and the hoses going to the carb heater and back to the heater hoses. I left the thermostat out so I could get plenty of flow to flush the system.

Once I was done flushing, I replaced the thermostat for good measure and filled with coolant, then purged the system. No leaks and plenty of heat!

[LeoZelig]

Another late September update, and this time a relatively easy win after some longer jobs. As well as a break from my exhaust manifold removal woes (details here viewtopic.php?f=3&t=96637).

This time it was the chance to install a pair of Scott Drake side view mirrors. They came with sheet metal screws, but the existing holes were mostly too big. Instead, I chose to pick up some stainless steel machine screws, fender washers, and nylock nuts and mounted the mirrors.

left1.jpg

left2.jpg

A nice upgrade is the passenger side mirror with the convex (concave?) mirror - better visibility than was available in 1969, I think.

right.jpg

I'm impressed with the quality of these reproductions, and these are important safety equipment for traffic around here. Now to get the rear view mirror squared away....

[LeoZelig]

While I was oiling my exhaust manifold bolts and praying for magic, it was time for another repair. This time, to remount the rear view mirror.

I used some Permatex adhesive, and following some advice from guys here I paid close attention to following the temperature guidance.

Permatex.jpg

I roughed up the back of the button, cleaned it, glued it, and then taped it to the windshield, too. I left it overnight - that was probably overkill, but I was in no rush.

Taped Button.jpg

The next day, I mounted my repaired mirror.

Mounted.jpg

The button held, and so did the tension on my repaired mirror. Here's hoping this lasts many more years!

[LeoZelig]

A minor repair in early November while working on the exhaust manifold.

Armed with my new compressor and right-angle drill, I was ready to start drilling out the seized exhaust manifold bolts. Before starting, I noticed a small wet spot under the front of Roy. A little searching and I tracked it down to a very slow seep at the upper radiator hose fitting. I thought I'd only need a couple more turns on the hose clamp, but it just wouldn't turn.

The clamp was pretty rusty, so it was time to change it.

Old Clamp.jpg

Two shakes later, and we were off to the races.

new clamp.jpg

radiator.jpg

Thankfully it was a quick fix, and I was back to drilling bolts out in no time!

[LeoZelig]

Jumping ahead a bit, I replaced the passenger side exhaust manifold detailed here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=96637

Now it was time to secure the heater hoses so they won't fall into the manifold again, melt, and cause a mushroom cloud of steam

I found some stainless clamps with rubber liners to reduce the chance of chafing. Using sheet metal screws and some existing holes, I made quick work of attaching the hoses to the inner fender wall.

fender wall.jpg

I also noticed that one of the hoses lays atop the alternator bracket. I wondered if that could be a possible issue.

alternator no bracket.jpg

Well, I had a box full of brackets, so why not secure it?

alternator bracket.jpg

There we go! All sorted, and no more melting heater hoses.

[LeoZelig]

All the jiggling around during replacing the passenger-side exhaust manifold took its toll on the exhaust hangers - the pipe was practically on the ground.

Investigation showed them all broken. I looked at purchasing new hangers, but in the end I elected to make a temporary repair using hardware strapping. My thinking is, I'll probably be replacing the exhaust before too long and that it would make more sense to do hangers and all at that time.

So, for now, behold the janky solution

strap.jpg

While I was digging around under the truck to repair the three hangers, I noticed more may have been broken before my exhaust manifold repair - look at the ground away area on the muffler casing!

While it's not a permanent solution, it's good enough for today and the immediate future. I'm still in triage mode here - we can put a finer point on the pencil once we get the patient stabilized.

[LeoZelig]

The differential has leaked since day one, and the previous owner told me it had a leak at the pinion seal. And it looked to me like the diff had been collecting dirt for years as it clung to the oil.

Dirt 1.jpg

Dirt 2.jpg

I removed probably a pound of greasy mud from the body of the differential. I know taking the diff out and apart would be the most thorough repair, but as I mentioned in my last post: I am in triage mode here. I don't want "perfect" to be the enemy of "better". It cleaned up pretty good!

Cleaned up.jpg

After watching some videos of people pulling Jello-like slime from their old differenentials, I was prepared for the worst. I wasn't even sure my suction device would be able to pull anything out. Another question I had was how much oil, if any, was left in the diff?

Fortunately, it wasn't dry. I sucked out 64 ounces of fluid with the color and consistency of Hershey's chocolate syrup. I added about 80 ounces of fluid back, including 16 ounces of Bar's Leaks 1816 Differential Gear Repair (in hopes it will slow or stop the pinion leak - couldn't hurt) and 64 ounces of Lucas 80W-90 heavy duty gear oil.

Time will tell if the Bar's Leak did the trick, but in any case it's a very slow leak.

[LeoZelig]

Having just dealt with the differential, the next critical fluid was the transmission oil.

I drained the transmission, and I didn't measure the volume but it was nowhere near the 3.5 pints expected, and it was a sludgy, black consistency. The drain plug magnet had some filings on it, and clumps of something (old oil?), but no big shards of metal.

Plug 1.jpg

Plug 2.jpg

I took drain plug gunk and spread it around on a piece of cardboard. Mmmmm, clumpy, but nothing too alarming.

Mmmm Clumpy.jpg

Filled with approximately 3.5 pints of Lucas 80W-90 heavy duty gear oil. I'm very glad I didn't run the truck more than a few miles like this!

It's a good feeling to know that the baseline for all the fluids is now set, and there aren't any more lurking surprises in that area.

[LeoZelig]

A trio of repairs on a Saturday.

First, I lubricated the chassis at most points, but I could not get the grease gun to attach to the lower king pin zerks and one of the steering zerks. My gun has a fixed 6" fitting, and to reach those I'll need a hose or some kind of adapter.

Next, I took a look at clutch adjustment. The clutch was engaging very high above the floor, making smooth driving difficult. I adjusted the clutch until it engaged a couple of inches above the floor, dramatically improving the feel.

Clutch adjuster.jpg

But now the pedal was not returning to its normal position and staying pretty low, and much lower than the brake pedal. It wasn't affecting operation, but concerned me. I checked, and the return spring is in place but pedal operation seemed to still bind some. I lubricated all the clutch pivot points and this improved its motion some, but still sits pretty low. The clutch is still pretty "grabby", but much improved. I can live with this until I get the clutch done.


Finally, I've had an intermittent squeal out of the drive belt, so I knew it needed to be tightened and/or replaced. While flipping through one of my Ford manuals, I stumbled across the belt tension specification and that there was a Ford tool for checking the tension. In the past I've always just eyeballed the tension, but I like measuring things and I like tools. Some Googling showed the tool is obsolete, but a little more detective work and I found the Borroughs part number that is its match. Those are still available new, but well north of $100! Thank you eBay - $30 delivered!

Gauge.jpg

Using my new belt tension tool, I found the drive belt was only at 70 pounds versus a spec of 110 pounds. This explained the intermittent belt squeal. I adjusted the tension to spec, and all squealing ceased. Win! And now I know it's not too tight as well, and will keep me from wearing out bearings. Double win!

[Fordkid68]

Wow! You are really making a ton of progress. It's coming along great!