1978 F-fun hundred 3/4 tons and 37s

I wanted this truck upgraded to 9/16 studs. Luckily the pass side was already that size so I was able to reverse engineer them as Dorman 610-278 which also turns out to be what I used to convert my KP60 to years ago. I should be able to use these same studs to convert the rear D60 of this truck when I disc swap.
Drill wasn’t a reduced shank but it is meow

15.25mm drill by the way

Spent too much time making a hub work holding tool but it was an excuse for practice

Made my own T slot bolt by welding up the hex faces and facing in the lathe.



Front axle finally done

Screenshot directly from Dorman website with stud info and OE Ford number

nice

August 7th
I had all but one turn signal sorted out when I ran through all my final wiring checks. Known good harness worked on the RF but the original wouldn’t. Traced it down to the ground strap within the socket was rusted F off! So I whipped up a little copper strap replacement of my own. Pictures aren’t that great since I did the job at 1am
August 16th
Priming the oil for the first time. (Almost 2 years after building engine)

I worked the engine over 90* at a time since I still needed to secure the torque converter to the Flexplate. Static timing was reset once completed.

65psi and hack tacular gauge console

What is that thing on upper rad hose?

It’s an over priced filter. It has caught quite a few scales so far. I won’t keep it on there permanently as it’s kinda janky and restrictive

This thread is bitchin. I’m digging all the under cover trick fab work. It’s going to be a very functional truck when your done. I wish I had your patience in documenting this stuff, makes it so enjoyable to follow along. Keep up the good work.

🤘thanks Thornbird1, glad to provide a good read to you all.

August 18

Engine was primed and everything was ready but work scheduling prevented me from having a stab at this thing for a couple of days. I had a 4 hour window to light it off before going on call and things didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

It lit on the first try and I could hold 1K+ rpm’s by feathering the throttle but then it hesitated and quit. The next cycle let a nice burp from the intake.

I moved the timing back just a touch and tried again. I’m starting to heavily dislike my Pertronix setup. The system doesn’t allow you to static time the spark so all you can do is get close with the cap position. Another thing is you cannot get a spark signal at idle for a timing light. There’s info on this across the web. It requires a special light or something. Haven’t dug much into it.

It started again and responded much better to the throttle. I cranked the idle up to 2k and within minutes I had run the water up past 200* The header coating burned off, lots of things locally were starting to melt and I shut it down before 10min had gone by. It was making a hell of a racquet too. Immediately I assumed the header gaskets burned out.
I licked my wounds and pushed it back inside to visit another day. I had to get ready for work.

First thing I addressed was jetting. I had dropped it down to 62/70. This is my high altitude bad habits at play. So I bumped them back to factory 70/78. When I pulled the carb I had one of those moments. I just slapped the open plenum gaskets that came with the spacer on and didn’t think about the cross plane conflict. I fixed that with appropriate dual plenum gaskets.

First time in the daylight in 3 years



Along with the gasket issue I discovered that I never torqued the carb to the manifold. The fasteners were finger tight. Whoops huge vacuum leak.

The oil pan was leaking like a mofo, even though I had previously resealed the job. Pretty upset about that.

The electric fans were also having issues. They started fine in the beginning but they started cutting out and would start stop start stop. Along with the major vacuum and spark issues the fans didn’t help the quickly overheating water.

I had quite a list to work through once I had some days off

Man that sounds like a pretty bad go at break-in, def get your blood pressure up especially in a time crunch..

But damn the truck looks great, nice stance

I was bummed to find out I wasn’t the rockstar I pictured.

I really dig the proportions!!!! It definitely gets me excited to see it outside of the garage!

The rear sits lower currently. I’m gonna give the coils a chance to settle some yet but will most likely need to replace the 1.5” blocks in the rear with 2”+ I’d prefer to lower the front but don’t want to disturb the coils. Maybe I’ll try different coils? Not sure if I’d should criticize the springs or the shocks for the very unpleasant ride

It attracts a lot of attention but I’m still shy for it to be on display until I sort more bugs out.

Maybe add a winch instead??

I’m not sure a PTO Tulsa winch would even be enough

Edit:
Winch memories ⬇️ Ramsey 12K and 6” channel bumper. Me and a couple of friends could stand on that bumper throwin back barely pops laughing at whatever I had broken on our trips.

4 days later after I tied up a few loose ends I gave the truck another try. Made it around the block. Engine was a little better but still had an incredible exhaust tick. Still fighting the fans but I wanted to get some miles on this thing so I setup a couple bypass circuits.

Logged 48 miles that day. Not all bad but lots of issues. No weight in the rear makes it very loose. Was fighting water temps.

Steering/front geometry is fantastic. I was overdriving the truck a little more than I should have. Had to remind myself it’s not the ultra4. The steering gear is a temporary Frankenstein using many parts I had leftover stuffed inside the casting from the ultra4. It wanders like hell. There’s a fix coming up soon for that.

Transmission seemed fine but once it was hot it did not like shifting to 3rd. Engine oil pressure was pretty good throughout but even with my mods and new bearings etc, it still only has 15psi hot idle.

I need to run a test without shocks to determine if the poor ride is from the springs or $50 no name shocks. The rear suspension shifts terribly during cornering. I need to see if there’s some leaf spring tech to hold the pack together or I need to install a panhard

Parked so I could replace the header gaskets and some other loose ends. Doing some reading I discovered why the transmission didn’t like to find 3rd. The modulator pin was missing. Previous owner had removed the modulator and I wasn’t aware of such a pin. So I borrowed one from a donor. Now 1-2 and 2-3 are much more consistent. R code servo is the next mod

Removed pass shock tower to relocate for more header clearance

Rear pinion yoke leaked like a mofo even with new seal. Pressed a speedi sleeve on and no issue since.

For the headers I used Patriot dead soft aluminum and while not the issue, some stage 8 bolts. I used my clutch fan bar to torqued these bad boys. In hindsight that was very unnecessary.

Found another vacuum leak. I never tightened the pcv connection on the valve cover. Now I had a pretty steady needle and increase from 14 to 18hg. Not without a bunch of drama. I discovered the Pertronix rotor was installed 180* out. Luckily the rotor wasn’t damaged but now I had to time the engine again. Well I didn’t include photos but I converted this centrifugal dizzy to vacuum advance. It had to come out anyways. When it came time to fire up I had a bunch of trouble. It refused to start. Acted 180* out. Lots of fits. When it would fire it had no throttle response. So I walked away. Came back another day and started from scratch. TDC yada yada yada. It started but wasn’t happy. Among some Pertronix issues I think the other side was collapsed lifters and some semi fouled plugs. All good now.

On the next drive my front calipers were locked up. Smoked em good. Learned a cool lesson in my MC thread about swept volume and identifying port locations. Turns out late model stuff is opposite of old school MC’s. Well that sorted out some issues. The calipers aren’t locked but now the drums drag. That goofy fitting seen on the rear is a residual pressure valve. My issue was F/R lines were backwards.

Tinkered with shimming the core support to dial in the door gap. Much happier now.

Mostly happy with the tune it has now but it still needs a lot of improvement. 1) I’m not happy that I can’t start it without bumping the throttle 2) it has an off idle stumble I need to get rid of. The vacuum advance has helped a lot. I also sorted out a few issues the carb had from the previous owner. The secondary idle screw had the butterflies opened further than the primary and the choke high idle components were mangled. Restored them and got the baseline of the carb much closer.

Fan turned out to be a faulty circuit breaker and faulty temp sensor. More on that to come.

Preview of the steering gear mods coming up

It’s fun to drive but no windows is really getting on my nerves. Takes away the enjoyment and kills the motivation to further tune the engine.

Dialed in the speedometer. Went from the common 18 tooth to the lowest 17 tooth. Found a calculator somewhere that determined this. Truck originally had basically 29” tires with 3.55 gearing. 37” and 4.10 brings me just a hair under corrected final drive. Also dumped the pink cam. I hate them with a passion but gave it an honest shot since BG must know their stuff. Put an orange cam and that made a world of difference for off idle acceleration. Started messing with advance weight springs too

Finally found the exhaust leak. Thermactor plug rotted out. You be the judge. Hack job or?


Now the engine is much quieter and I’m not so embarrassed to drive it.

How have the soft lines held up from master cylinder? I did those (areomotive brand) and they failed right away. I went hard lines.

What calculator did you use to determine speedo gear?

Also, thanks for sharing all this stuff. Seeing more skilled individuals running into similar issues I've run into and keeping the momentum while solving them keeps me going

Thanks for sharing

I dig the heater hose spacer

rattle_snake said:

How have the soft lines held up from master cylinder? I did those (areomotive brand) and they failed right away. I went hard lines.

Click to expand...

No complaints. I’ve run this stuff ever since ‘18. Ultra4 was gheyer than aids and changed the brake rule after the 2017 committee meeting and publication of the ‘18 rule book with less than 2 months or maybe 1 before KOH. Grandfathering nylon lines but no un-banded cars. There was an exchange between JT and me about that BS. I didn’t have time to plumb hard lines so I went PTFE. Now I just stay with it as it’s super cheap and easy. Just buy 25’ and my fittings, cut to length and take back to shop to have swedged.

Couldn’t tell you a brand as I’ve sourced it from 2 different outfits across the country. It’s whatever the local shop has on the shelf. Also use it for oil pressure gauge plumbing. It’s 1/4” or -4 AN. I’ve used Eaton and also mystery swedge fittings and 90*. I know sand hollow guys who run -4 2 wire xyz hydraulic hose for brakes even the books will swear not to.

holdmypocket said:

What calculator did you use to determine speedo gear?

Also, thanks for sharing all this stuff. Seeing more skilled individuals running into similar issues I've run into and keeping the momentum while solving them keeps me going

Click to expand...

I’ll search for it. The issues suck but I march forward. It’s a hobby after all Wait until you see the trouble I’m into at this very moment as write this.

Levigarrett76 said:

Thanks for sharing

I dig the heater hose spacer

Click to expand...

Good eye. Can’t remember where I learned that one from.

holdmypocket

It’s safe ⬆️

I’m gonna jump ahead of the fan update.

This is real time. 2 body guys/shops flaked on me. I don’t have time for this ****! So I’m diving in head first. I do everything I can in-house. Tooooooo many assclowns have let me down in this world.

I’ll be completing the glass install myself as well. Then I can enjoy this truck and maybe take it out for a long azz road trip. I need some windshield time and throttle therapy.
Brass huevos

60 spot welds and now I can finish the metal work. Extremely important!!!!! Drill 3/16” pilot holes for clecos before you cut the spots. This guarantees panel alignment for final welding.

Been following since the beginning but had to go back and reread this from the start.

I find it interesting that you've put so much effort into the steering and panhard geometry just to be still running stock radius arms. I know I read toward the beginning your intent was that if you 3 linked down the road you don't have to redo all that. Also, on a Dana 44? No fears about regretting that later? Not a concern on 37s? And the fenderwell dumps No concern over those hanging too low?

Not criticism, looking for inspiration and direction for my Ranger. 351w, narrowed HP44, and 14 bolt, so 3/4 ton like you. I think I should pull the front springs and cycle everything and reduce some binding, I think trackbar is a culprit. Maybe not go as in depth as you did, but investigate and improve. Also should redo the exhaust and have always wanted to build a set of fenderwell dumps but afraid of clearance and the exhaust hanging too low afterwards. Probably just cut out the headers that are there now, weld in v band flanges, and repair what I have out of the chassis.

Thanks for sharing your build!

Regardless of link configuration the steering IS the most important part, which includes the track bar. Otherwise it drives like ****.

The fenderwell exit headers look cool, but are in the wrong place for big tires and suspension components.

Good questions. To help clarify the answers below, the truck is more of a daily just have fun truck that’s a canvas to exercise fabrication talent and problem solving than it is meant to be a hardcore wheelin rig. Some of the you see now are the long way around to the final version.

The 44 wasn’t selected because it’s a 44. I cringe thinking about how small the components are. It was a package deal for “appropriate” axles for the truck. Easy button type of decision. I didn’t want the original 44 with the multi piece tubes and smaller brakes. I may donate the 60 from the KOH racer. Idk. When I installed the lunchbox I was shaking my head that there was no point in even doing so.

The headers again were an easy way out sort of deal. Clearance isn’t much of an issue but I’ll most likely regret the exposure to the tire in terms of they’re just gonna rot out from road spray etc no matter what I try to do. I’d like to revisit the exhaust when it comes time for the 460. Something more practical than the fender dumps. I’ve already considered OE manifolds and 2-1 exhaust for this thing because the headers are kind of a nuisance.

Esthetically I like the radius arms. They’re cool in their own right and in stock form. Outside of that, they’re a burden. I haven’t been able to flex the truck yet but they might handicap the truck in a beneficial way as to not get too crazy with tire clearance etc.

The goal is to prevent this ⬇️

From becoming this again ⬇️

Some joker added cab lights and what do you know, water found its way in. There’s nothing serious but there’s evidence. Closed the holes up prior to driving to a shop for a quote on fixing the windshield frame. They still need some hammer finishing
The repair job to the windshield frame is going much smoother and progressing faster than I had imagined. Proud of the results so far. This panel is more or less done and ready for install. I might choose to give it a little more attention.

Moving on to the roof. When I made the first pull, the dent in the brow changed. At any rate before I started hammering etc I ran the DA across the paint to accentuate the high spot.

Some quick cut to length supports to prevent me from turning the whole roof into a taco shell

I didn’t get much time in before calling it a night but as you can see the next pass with the DA is showing results. The general glass profile is coming back. I figure within a few days I’ll have this welded back together.

WiscoF100 said:

Some joker added cab lights and what do you know, water found its way in. There’s nothing serious but there’s evidence. Closed the holes up prior to driving to a shop for a quote on fixing the windshield frame. They still need some hammer finishing

The repair job to the windshield frame is going much smoother and progressing faster than I had imagined. Proud of the results so far. This panel is more or less done and ready for install. I might choose to give it a little more attention.

Moving on to the roof. When I made the first pull, the dent in the brow changed. At any rate before I started hammering etc I ran the DA across the paint to accentuate the high spot.

Some quick cut to length supports to prevent me from turning the whole roof into a taco shell

I didn’t get much time in before calling it a night but as you can see the next pass with the DA is showing results. The general glass profile is coming back. I figure within a few days I’ll have this welded back together.

Click to expand...

I did a similar repair on a newer dodge that had been flopped, it kinked the roof down in that spot and had to be jacked up and hammered back into position, it cracked a new windshield within a month. It was glued in, I had the next glass guy super goop glue in there in hopes it would float a little higher, it did and it lasted

Since then I like to keep an old cracked windshield around for jobs like that to check my work

Anyways, triple check your work, maybe set the glass in place before committing to the install




Keep the updates coming, keeps us motivated I need to get to my 79...

You are spot on Projectjunkie ! My biggest concern has always been the damage being a pressure point that would crack the glass or allow water intrusion since this is a compression gasket. I figure a few passes of duct tape around the channel for cushion and I should be able to safely set the glass to check profile. I once had reproduced factory chassis and body books for my 69 mustang. Can’t find find anything like that for a truck that gives you all the factory measurement points for body construction/collision.

The control valve housing arrived today. With no particular bias with any of the SoCal outfits who perform this work, I chose Solo Motorsports. The cat who answered took personal attention to earning my business. I made my expectations clear and they delivered. The turn around and comms were great.

This effort was necessary because I’m not a believer in tapping into the sector shaft cavity for hydro assist. I believe it’s a dead spot or can cause hydro locking because the piston when fully retracted completely blocks the cavity where oil is trying to return from the assist cyl. The KOH steering wasn’t awful but I don’t have anything worse or better to compare it to. It’s been almost 7 yrs since I completed my prototype servo but have not tested or shared with anyone. This truck should allow me to test it because it could be another 7 yrs before I race Hammers again. 🙄
Here’s a shot of the assist port I drilled on a highly modified casting but ended up with 2 cracks during welding. That’s why I just sent off another core to have someone properly fixture and machine the threads that I’m not yet equipped to do

Is the hole small? ➡️ Yes ➡️ drill it larger /flowchart

Interpret or utilize as you wish but this is my original intellectual property specific to my personal steering components from 2018-current. Drilling holes is permissible in a free world.

With regards to different hydro assist steering stereotypes in crawling and racing, I set out to build a better mousetrap. The solution is moving volume. We build our systems around -6 which has a bottle neck at the hard fittings of 1/4” id. Racers etc want more so they blame/dump factory steering gears meant to do light duty work in favor of higher performing components. Which simply flow more volume. They’re not made of platinum, they have bigger holes. They (typically) aren’t plumbed greater than -6 but deliver the goods. So if 1/4” id isn’t the problem, it’s the internal circuits. There’s still more room to play if I had access to more tooling or processes. This is all simpleton work on a bench with common drill bits etc. It’s not easy especially the servo barrel as it’s multi piece and hardened.

Internally limited piston for KOH on left, OE piston and (late model?) passenger quick ratio on right. (Note reduced mass, I’ll shave 8 lbs in the steering alone for KOH building around an inboard frame casting!!!)

1/4” (race) vs 5/32” feed passages!!!

Couple of my own personally made tools

Housing on left is current today. I was very conservative and only increased the piston feed passages to 3/16”

Conservative pressure/return @ 1/4” vs 17/64” (race version) (blue) (OE @ 3/16” pressure / 1/4” return)

I always free hand this port location. Haven’t missed one yet. It’s kinda like selecting a melon at the market
Bye bye for now

****in mint. Looking forward to this in a couple of months

That one time I went tandem full hydro. Not sure if this idea ever took off or was outlawed.

Got into some more trouble last night. The brass ferrules weren’t very pretty so I touched them up in the lathe. Worked slick but I wasn’t satisfied about a press fit seal/re-installing them. This was also about preventing the machine shop from messing up my work with a fool proof solution.

So I decided to drill and tap them for 3/8npt for a worry free fitting installation. The job went smooth and I’ll be applying this mod to the race rig for sure