The chronicles of Lou, '70 F350 dually Cummins project

[Ranchero50]

What started as answering a simple Craigslist ad has turned into a new to me truck for me. Please follow along as we take this journey to get the old fellow back in running shape.

Continuing the build from my F250:
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=23972


$300 can buy you a 1970 F350 dual rear wheel camper special, 390, 4 speed with both power steering and disc brakes but it won't buy the aluminum bed on the back.


Interior, 64k on the clock seat in great shape. Had a C6 from the column and VIN, has a T18 now.


Lou at home, finally. Two or three big snow storms kept him where I bought him for two months or so.


More to come.
Jamie

[robroy]

'Afternoon Jamie! That's a lot of truck for $300 to say the least. I'll be interested in watching this!

Robroy

[FORDification]

Heck yeah, I'd say you got a smokin' deal!

So what are your plans for this one?

[bb429power]

Didn't you already post this truck? Great deal and looking good.

[Ranchero50]

What are the plans? The goal of this truck is to have something that I can run the interstate in or hike up into the woods for firewood with. One of the compromises of the 6.9 / ZF 5 swap into the F250 was the 1.5" body lift and necesary bed lift. Firewood and tall trucks don't match...

Short term get it moving under it's own power and get all the bugs worked out of the driveline.

To that end I dug out (literally) the 'S' code 390 from my '69 mustang project to put in this truck. The 390 hasn't run in 12 years and was freshly rebuilt before I got it 15 years ago. Currently (like as I type this) the 390 is hanging fro mthe hoist almost ready to go in. I just noticed / remembered that the S code head didn't have all the exhaust bolts drilled so I need to do that and I found a broken one too...

I was going to drop in the 360 from my F250 but it was a dog in that and my heart just wasn't in it. I need to rebuild a carb for the 390 and make an intake spacer for the vintage Edelbrock F427 intake that's on it.

Long term, swap all my F250 parts into this chassis and make a custom flat bed with either a beavertail or modified lift gate to save my aching back. The truck will take a 12' bed with ease.

Jamie

[Ranchero50]

I'll edit thes for comments sometime...

[Ranchero50]

Today

[Ranchero50]

'S' Code 390 going back in.


1 + 2 Catastrophy...


5 + 6 Not much better...


BB, yes it's on the General Forum, just figured I'd put it here where it belongs.

Lou (gets his name from the tag on the dash) is a 10,000lb GVW truck and has some decent shoes on already. The brake master cylinder leaked out all over the radius rod bushing and I think the power steering box is leaking too. Luckily I have the PS box from the F250 for when I do the diesel swap.

Back to work...
Jamie

[basketcase0302]

Dangit Jamie, you got full West Coast mirrors and a slider in the deal too (I didn't see that before).
Hey...What's all that white stuff? And are those rocker arms above?
Lotta' progress man!

[Ranchero50]

Jeff, one step forward...

Found some nuggets in the oil pan of Lou's 390



Oh, count the goodies, couple rods, a lifter, lots of shiny metal stuff and even some sheets of metal that I think were bearings


#2, 5 and 6 are gone. As is some part of the cam.


What is amazing is I got it to turn over and it almost tried to fire a time or two. The motor was frozen when I got it, the carb was on the floor of the cab. I knew the oil was muddy and was going to just change it and go until I saw the oil pan rail missing. I'm pretty sure it was a reman motor too. I wonder about the history. The clutch looked new and has a 1995 date code, the same as the WV inspection sticker. It had a MD state trooper disabled vehicle tag under the seat when I got it. PO said he got it from a landscape company in Frederick MD, it had died on them Rt 355. He got it and never messed with it in the 3 years he had it.

An update, the 'S' code 390 isn't going in the truck, the exhaust bolt holes are all out of whack. I knew the bottom holes for the middle cylinders were missing but the outer top holes are about 1/4" lower than the others. I guess I could order a set of headers for it and make my own flanges if I was so inclined but I think I'm just going to drop the 360 in for a couple months. Pushed Lou outside for the night. Tomorrow I hope to get the parts from the 360 that are on the 390 back onto the 360, drag Lou back in the shop and get the motor in. The 360 took a dirt bath at the farm so that ought to be interesting...

More to come
Jamie

[basketcase0302]

Man!
That's a first for me, I haven't ever seen a cam that broke!

[Ranchero50]

Ok, good morning. Lou's back in the garage, the 360 is dressed and almost lined up with the tranny. Had to take a break to reset the lifting chain. I hope to have it running today.

Only hickup so far was the drivers exhaust studs had the thread rusted off. used a big set of Vise Grips and a bigger pair of channel locks to latch them onto the studs and they came out.

It is beautiful out, Daffodils are starting to poke through the dirt so spring is coming.

Jamie

[Ranchero50]

Man I love fixing other's mistakes...

Tried desperately to put the engine and tranny together in the truck, forgot how much fun it can be to do by yourself. Once together the engine perches wouldn't line up with the mounts. Looked at the 390 and noticed the rubber in each mount was offset to the front like the tranny was too far back. Pulled the floor mat up and yep, the tranny is too far back. Figured no biggie redrill the crossmember, then noticed the F350 has a chunk of angle about 2" up from the bottom lip of the frame and the crossmember bolts to it. And the crossmember was pushed as far forward as it could go. Hmmn. Took the tranny mount off and once the carrier bearing was loose and the driveshaft splines freed up some the whole works moved forward 3/4" and the engine sits I the perches fine, even level.

Scratch head a few times, even tried flipping the tranny mount around and finally just threw the dang thing in the mill and slotted the tranny holes;


It took over three hours to get the engine sitting in the perches.

More to come...
Jamie

[Ranchero50]

Easy Sunday update, got the new master cylinder in and installed. Spent some of the day under the truck putting the passenger exhaust up and getting the caliper bleeders open, spent a lot more time asleep on the sheet of cardboard. Note, brakes will self bleed if left alone. The motor is about to fire up. I still need to find the alternator bolt and spacer and get a bunch of hose clamps.



Got to pulling the oddball wiring out of the truck and figured out the quite possibly Lou stands for 'lower, off, up' and refers to the electrical switch under the dash next to the Archer fader control that has wires running back to where the old camper would be.


One final tidbit, noticed on the key fob that it's probably to the original dealership, Cal Kinney's Arlington Ford in Arlington Washington.


Going to work the next three days, so the truck gets a break from me.

Jamie

[fomocoguy]

Dang; I was hoping you were gonna say you took it for a test drive...