My Ford Truck Project (And Other Projects)

[joesregalproject]

I'm actually kind of surprised you don't already have one.

Now that I think about it, I guess I am too. I've never actually had one in any of the trucks I've had. I always thought about buying one but never pulled the trigger.

Based on the number of trucks I've had, I should have about 3 of them stacked up behind the shed

Its still a sweet pickup-

But I maintain it's begging for a set of aluminum alcoa's!! 🙂

View attachment 114005

Thanks! I have to agree with you, the Alcoas really are what should be on it. The chrome 5 spokes just haven't bothered me enough yet to change them out. Those may be the next thing on the list after I get this CB stuff sorted.

 

[joesregalproject]

I picked up a toolbox off of Craigslist today. It's a Tractor Supply badged DeeZee. I wanted a gullwing box, it's easier to access tools from the side without having to climb into the bed and it won't hit the antennas when I open it. And I like the way they look. Seems pretty sturdy, I've definitely seen much flimsier boxes. It locks and the key was included. I think it looks pretty good.

I also stopped at a Flying J truck stop and bought a pair of three way antenna mounts.

 

[joesregalproject]

Got the antennas reinstalled today. It went pretty smoothly. I have the SWR down to about 2.2 on channels 1 and 40. I'd like to get it a little lower, but it's not terrible. I used some wire loom to neaten the appearance of the coax. I'm much happier with this setup than the stake pocket mount setup.

 

[joesregalproject]

Took the truck on a 60 mile ride this evening up to Moraine State Park and did some fishing for a couple hours. It was pretty muddy from all the rain. It stayed dry while I was there but didn't catch jack sh*t. Way she goes sometimes, it was still nice to sit out in the peace and quiet. Truck ran great on the highway, smooth and quiet. State cops were opening up the scale houses on I-79 as I passed on the way back, so I put it out on the CB and got a few thanks for the heads up. Had a short conversation with a trucker who was headed up to Buffalo, I told him I felt sorry for him and we had a good laugh. Finished the trip off with a quick glamour shot-

 

[joesregalproject]

Well the truck had been running great until this past weekend when the starter decided to take a sh*t in the Costco parking lot. Long story short, I walked to the parts store and bought a new starter, replaced it in the parking lot, and it was bad right out of the box. So it ended up getting a flatbed ride home.

Anyways I took the starter back to O'reillys and swapped it for another one. By the way, the one I bought is their "premium" reman starter, I think it's an Ultima brand with the lifetime warranty vs their cheaper BesTest one with only a 1 year warranty. Price difference of around $40.

The bad replacement starter overheated and melted the insulation off of the end of my battery cable so I have to find some good heat shrink to re-insulate that.

The turn signal switch that I replaced about a year ago has already gone bad, but it has a lifetime warranty from AutoZone so I just have to run over there to swap it out.

I ordered a rubber bed mat from a place called Coleman's Military Surplus online. I've been wanting one to help protect the spray on bedliner a little better but I've been too cheap to buy one of the DeeZee ones. The one I got from this place is 1/4" thick and weighs 70 lbs and was only $25! The shipping was $40 for UPS from Harrisburg PA area to Pittsburgh but still that was only $65!

I finally ordered a pair of Moog 844 front coils. They are coil springs from an F250 2WD with a 7.3L diesel and should lift the front up at least a couple inches.p

I've also got an eye on a set of Alcoa wheels that are in a junkyard. I'm just hoping I get my next paycheck before someone else swipes them!

Its due for a cleaning, I haven't washed it or vacuumed it out since the beginning of the spring/summer. And it's still got about 1000 miles to go on this oil change but I'll probably change it out a little early as I usually do. I've never taken this truck to a car cruise but a few people have told me I should bring it to one. I used to enjoy going to them, but I haven't been to a cruise in years. There is a big cruise coming up at the end of the month, so depending on how I feel that day, maybe I'll bring the truck.

Anyways I'll be giving this thing some attention soon, I just need to round up the parts.

 

[Turbolq4]

The 302/351 weighs around 450 pounds. The 7.3 is 920 pounds dry. Those springs are going to be really stuff.

 

[joesregalproject]

The 302/351 weighs around 450 pounds. The 7.3 is 920 pounds dry. Those springs are going to be really stuff.

They will be stiffer than what I have but the factory springs are really soft.

Also keep in mind the 844s are for a 2wd regular cab truck, mine is a 4wd supercab. The Moog 824/844 is a very common swap for leveling out these F150s, most people report better ride quality with the 844 springs than the factory springs. I'll hold on to the factory springs just in case I do decide to swap them back on.

 

[joesregalproject]

I did get some work done on the truck today. I repaired my battery cable where the insulation melted off of it from the bad replacement starter getting hot. I cleaned the wire up with some lacquer thinner and then put a piece of marine grade heat shrink tube over it and I installed the new replacement starter.

Starter I installed-

I took the turn signal switch over to AutoZone and they gave me a new replacement. Gotta milk that lifetime warranty.

New switch installed-

I found a nearly new washer fluid/coolant bottle at the junkyard to replace my broken one. It's not yellowed at all and still has the Ford parts sticker on it.

Old-

New-

My truck bed mat came in the mail and it looks great. It's really heavy and fits very well.

 

[joesregalproject]

My Moog 844 coil springs came in the mail today and I got them installed. Install went smoothly, I thought the rusty hardware was going to fight me a lot more than it did, but it wasn't bad. The truck is probably an 1.5" taller in the front, nothing huge, but the way it handles is sooo much better. The ride is definitely firmer. It's not rattling my fillings out, but it's also not plowing into corners or bobbing and swaying all over. The front end just feels so much more controlled.

I'm going to replace the front shocks soon as well as they are kinda maxxed out and I'm sure they are long overdue.

Actually slightly shorter, but more coils and thicker spring wire.

Part number, made in USA too-

Installed-

Current stance-

 

[rfpowerdude]

Damn, that truck is really looking good now! Much better stance.