My Ford Truck Project (And Other Projects)

[joesregalproject]

I really enjoy this thread.

I'm glad you enjoy it, I know I'm not wasting my time updating it!

If you unplug your multi-wire connector from the alternator and leave it overnight, if the battery suddenly starts not being dead it is probably your alternator again. Also, if your lights are rhythmically flickering or surging at idle then your alternator may be partially working but not enough to get ahead of your trucks electrical demands.

Ford 3G alternators are a big step up over what they replaced, but not without their own problems. Also, IIRC you can get an even more powerful alternator than the F-150 would have came with out of a Taurus. It should be direct swap but it has been too long to remember.

Thanks for tip. I'm gonna start investigating it tomorrow. Someone else told me there may be an issue with the exciter power wire too. The alternator shop that did the rebuild is pretty reputable, so I'd be surprised if there was something wrong with it again. I have a 95A alternator, there was a 130A too, but I'm not really running any aftermarket accessories so I couldn't justify paying extra for one.

And yeah, the 3G doesn't have that problem where it'll burn down your house if you park the car in the garage that plagues the 2G, so it's got that going for it 😉

 

[Turbolq4]

Should look into the factory Alcoa wheels for that generation of truck. They look great and would really finish your pickup off very nicely.

 

[joesregalproject]

Should look into the factory Alcoa wheels for that generation of truck. They look great and would really finish your pickup off very nicely.

Thanks for the suggestion. Funny you say that, I have been casually shopping for a set. I've been browsing Craigslist, I'm just waiting for a set at the right price. You've got the right idea, that's the look I'm going for. Plus I like Alcoa, they're a local company.

 

[joesregalproject]

Well I think I figured out my battery issue. I removed the alternator to take it back to the generator shop that did the rebuild to have them test it, and when I removed it, there was some coolant inside of the electrical connector. It must've splashed up and leaked in when I was doing the timing cover. I think that was the cause of the issue. I took it to the generator shop and had them test it anyways, being it was out, and it tested just fine. I took the alternator wiring harness to them as well and had them check it for continuity and resistance. It also checked out fine. So I dried out the connector with some CRC electrical cleaner and put some dielectric grease on it and reconnected it. Now it's charging at 14.0 V while idling and no charge light.

Also while I was waiting on my alternator, I stopped at a wholesale tire place across the street and got a price on a set of tires for it. For $120 a piece they had Sumitomo Encounter ATs. They looked decent and $120 is a steal. Plus they mount and balance for $5 a corner. So that's one other option I have available on tires.

 

[joesregalproject]

When I replaced the timing chain, I drained the oil and filled it up with some cheap Supertech oil and 6 oz of Seafoam. I drove it about 10 or 15 miles and the oil had about 3 running hours on it, which was mostly idling. Here's how it looked when I changed it again today-

So I filled it up with some Valvoline Maxlife and changed the filter with a new Motorcraft filter. I put the remaining ten ounces of Seafoam in the gas tank with about 5 gallons of gas, maybe with any luck it'll clean out the injectors. I'm not far off from getting it inspected.

 

[Clutch]

Wow that stuff works good I guess

 

[joesregalproject]

Wow that stuff works good I guess

Yeah, I was surprised how dark it was. The engine is actually fairly clean inside from what I can tell, the timing cover area was relatively clean and it was clean in the oil pan as far as I could see. I was really just trying to rinse out anything that may have fell into the pan while I was doing the timing cover.

 

[joesregalproject]

I've still been busy working on the truck and trying to get it just right. Recently I found that the rubber portion of my driveshaft carrier bearing/bushing had shrunken and was loose, so I bought a new one and had a driveshaft shop press it on.

I also got my throttle body coolant lines hooked up correctly again after one developed a pinhole and pissed coolant everywhere. My alternator was giving me trouble yet again, so I played around with my multimeter for a half hour or so and found that the voltage regulator went bad, so I replaced it. I replaced my tail light assemblies with some ones from RockAuto as the mounting points on the originals were broken and they were loose.

I got a license plate light wiring harness from the junkyard so I've got plate lights now. I replaced my melted 3rd brake light assembly with a less melted one from the junkyard. I also bought a gauge cluster with a tach in it off of Craigslist for $50. It's so much nicer having a tach and I much prefer the factory look as opposed to the old Sunpro that was in it. I may replace the surround so that there aren't any more holes in the dash.

I finally figured out the source of a clunking noise that has been going on for a while. The rear axle shafts have some excessive in and out play. I think it may be due to worn limited slip clutches, so I'm looking into replacing the clutches in the rear differential.

 

[joesregalproject]

Still been working on the truck. I'm driving it more and more as the weather slowly gets better. Not much snow lately but still wet and cold, it was really humid today.

I ordered a Bulldog Keyless Entry Kit from eBay and installed it a couple weeks ago, now I have fully functional remote locks. I hated not having remote locks, using the key to lock and unlock gets old fast.

I finally bought a set of tires. I ended up getting a pretty good deal on a used set of Kumho Road Venture AT51s with only half of 1/32 wear on them. Production date is 39th week of 2017, so they weren't sitting on a shelf forever. I wanted a set of BFGs but I couldn't turn these down for the price I paid for them. Got them mounted and balanced today and I also replaced all of the lugs nuts as some were missing and the remaining ones were rusty.

There was a small exhaust leak where the secondary air injection tube attached to the exhaust pipe, so I replaced the tube and had an exhaust shop fix the flange that it attached to.

I changed the fluid in the transmission and the transfer case today. They both use ATF. The old fluid in both didn't look too bad, but the change was quick and easy for peace of mind.

I still have to replace the limited slip clutches in the rear axle to fix the clunk noise that it's making, but I found that Ford Performance makes a kit with carbon fiber clutch discs that runs about $75. So I'll be ordering and changing those out soon.

 

[1evilregal]

that new tire/wheel combo really sets off all the other body you've done! looks great!