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Discussion starter · #221 ·
Hey!

it was pretty good to read the last 3 pages, which I were missing due to a lot of work, being initiated by that russian guy, sending problems to my companies production plants in ukraine...

well
the dogs on the boat, saw that on youtube before! great! mixed feeling are 100% hit :)

looks like things settle and going right direction, as with the camper and the motobike, a motobike? How in hell ;-)

did you tinker the fuel system and find out what the problems root cause is?
I think the dogs would like it better if the floor didn't flex while the boat was moving. I've considered putting in a piece of wood to make the floor solid, but that's just more pieces to put together before I can launch the boat, plus it makes it heavier.

Yes, I went to Utah and picked up a 1995 Kawasaki KE100. It's a small bike, but it was inexpensive, even with having to drive that far to get it. I just wanted to be able to take my kids on the back of it and if they are brave enough, let them drive it off road. It's small enough for a kid to ride, but big enough where an adult doesn't look too ridiculous on it. My girls might still be a little on the small size for this one though, we'll see.

I didn't get around to going through the fuel system either, which I'm sure is why the engine was not happy when I made the drive to Utah. I have a really long list of things to do on all of my projects, that's for sure. My main focus for this week is to learn how to replace the front tire tube on this bike, it's the only thing it needs so I can ride it.
 
Discussion starter · #222 ·
Well, not too much progress on the truck to mention.

Maybe 2-3 weeks ago I managed to get a nice big chunk of white carpet to lay in the bed for my dogs. It works just as I figured it would. My truck bed will be scalding hot and when I put my hand on the carpet that's been blasted with direct sunlight and high 90's temps, it's barely warm to the touch. Dog approved.

The dog's, specifically my german shepherd with his black fur, still get hot from being in the sunlight of course, but their paws are kept cool and they can lay down without having to do it on super hot metal. So, it's taken us from never going in the truck when it's hot out, to short trips when it's hot out.

I didn't take any pics specifically of the carpet, but here's a shot of it with my boat in the bed. I cut it down from a large chunk of carpet that had been removed from a house and headed for the dump, probably a whole room's worth (it had a spot for the central air vent cut into the edge of it). I got it for free from a business that sells carpet.





I didn't contour it to the bed in order to have it laying perfectly flat. That wasn't important to me. I'll probably yank it out and store it during the rainy months and during winter when the bed will be cooler to the touch.

In other truck related news, I'm currently eyeballing some rims on the marketplace. I do not need them, but I'm intrigued. lol. They're... a little bigger than I'd like, but that's the intriguing part. They are 22x10s. I've had 20s on this truck before and liked the rim to tire ratio. I've been staring at what few pics I have of it with those wheels on and imagining another inch on either side of the rims to see if I could live with it like that. I dunnoooo. We'll see.

They have a similar overall look compared to what I have now, especially on the dish of the rim, but with obviously more machined surfaces. That and they are 5" larger in diameter, of course. I'm gonna see about looking at them this weekend if I can coordinate a time with the seller.



Wheel Tire Automotive tire Tread Hubcap
 
Discussion starter · #224 ·
Are you looking for a retro styled topper? Aluminum Pickup Topper - auto parts - by owner - vehicle automotive... or more of a modern looking one?

I wouldn't mind a retro topper, but not in that style honestly. The factory toppers of the era look like modern ones already in that regard, probably because they are fiberglass. I just don't think the factory ever made a short bed version, so short bed toppers of the era probably are styled like the one you linked.

Here's a factory version for the 73-79 trucks.

Wheel Automotive parking light Tire Vehicle Car



I'm not actively looking for one right now though, it's not a priority. I haven't really been traveling much lately. Thanks for lookin' out though!
 
They did make them as my 72 short bed F100 I bought in 2015 came with one. Promptly sold it as I didn't really need or want it.
 
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Discussion starter · #226 ·
I'm starting to run out the fuel tank again, so I can drop it and go through the fuel system. I need to make a new wire for the PMGR starter for my Bronco though, so I can install it and drive that for a DD for a while. That's something I've needed to do since I put the 460 in it. 🤷‍♂️ Better late than never I guess.

It started to grind a bit with the old starter and that's due to the top bolt hole in the starter (top is threaded, bottom isn't) stripping out a bit and the starter would actually loosen up enough to make the teeth not mesh right.

That and I need to dig out a few tools to modify my sending unit. I have a stepped drill bit (somewhere) that worked pretty well for putting in my return line. I'm gonna take what I learned from my Bronco and put it in a different spot on this sending unit provided they are the same as far as layout is concerned. I know my Bronco's sending unit is longer due to having a larger tank.

Oh, I also looked at those 22's a while back. The hub bore on them is too small by about a 1/2" in order to fit around mine. They appear to be hub centric for 1/2 ton Dodge's. Only way around that is using spacers. Not sure it's worth doing that for wheels I don't need. Oh well, it was an interesting idea.
 
Discussion starter · #227 ·
I should be on fumes by tomorrow. I dug out most of what I'll need to get things rolling, so provided it doesn't dump rain on me again tomorrow, I should be driving the Bronco and have this thing parked and ready for me to drop the tank this weekend.

I recently received some more info on my Ford Maverick order. :rolleyes: Not that that is what this thread is for, but I've mentioned it here and there and it's what will replace this truck for DD use, maybe. So, because of what options I ordered and how late I ordered last year, I will not be getting a 2022 Maverick. Darn.

Ford opened the ordering for 2022 Mavericks in June of last year. They closed the ordering for 2022 hybrids last November and Ecoboosts in January of this year.

They opened the ordering for the 2023 models on the 15th of September this year, so less than a week ago, and they have closed ordering for the 2023s as of today. Short window, huh? lol. Long story short, the dealership I ordered through last year ordered a 2023 Maverick yesterday, without asking me. I'm gonna go in and see if they can amend it for me, because I'm not so sure I want to order exactly what I did last time. Might not get it, again.
 
Discussion starter · #228 ·
Got the PMGR starter wired up and installed in the Bronco. Just need to decide where I'll park my truck to begin tearing into it. Gotta make sure it's in a good spot in case things don't go smoothly, so I don't have to worry about having to move it. At least it's significantly easier to push than the Bronco.

I honestly put off wiring it up until I found my "fancy" wire stripper and ratchet crimper, that and the rain of course. They are that good that I didn't want to half-ass it with whatever I had lying around (pliers). Maybe not a fancy brand, but just the way the tools work is so nice.






Also used some self-sealing shrink tubing and a cheap harbor freight heat gun to make everything look nice and neat. Then laid out a harbor freight moving blanket to keep my back clean. lol. It's worth it to me and it's basically standard operating procedure for working under my rigs now.








Pretty simple deal. You just move the main power cable for the starter from the starter side of the solenoid on the inner fender to the battery side and then run this new trigger wire from the starter side of the fender solenoid down to the solenoid on the starter. So, the fender solenoid triggers the starter solenoid when you crank the engine.

Wish I had got the lead out sooner, it works and sounds so nice in comparison to the 351M starter. Has that little chirp chirp sound of a modern starter. The old one always sounded so harsh, even when it wasn't trying to grind. I kept the starter off the Explorer 5.0, so it should be the same deal as this one as far as wiring it up on my truck.
 
Discussion starter · #229 ·
Alright, spent the weekend doing stuff with my kids, so I chose to hold off until today to drop the tank.

I'll keep it short and sweet until I get pics uploaded later today.

I don't think this is the OE tank. It was a bitch to get out. The sending unit looks good for the most part. The outside of the tank looks reasonable. Even with a flash light the inside was hard to illuminate, but it appears to be good. There was quit a bit of that burlap stuff between the tank and the straps. Im gonna go peel it off the tank after I cool off a bit inside and see what happens. 🤞

Also, nothing crazy that I saw that would cause my suspected fueling issue like trash in the tank, but the fuel hose coming off the sending unit was clearly kinked for a while making it permanent after the hose dried out. I was able to do 80 in this truck with no problem before, so I'm not so sure this is the sole reason it cuts out above 60-65 now like its running out of gas, though its definitely a contributing factor.
 
Discussion starter · #230 ·
I backed my truck up onto my ramps and then laid my trusty-until-its-crusty harbor freight moving blanket under the gas tank. Here is the view.




I was actually a little disappointed with the view as the truck was quite a bit more "rust free" underneath when I first got it. I blame the city's change to using road salt a few years back vs using sand and forcing people to make good decisions during the winter like they used to. 🤷‍♂️ The cab looks better than the bed, but anyway...

A few shots from underneath before getting back to the tank. Here's the factory muffler, which isn't cruelty-free as it is obviously caged. You can also see portions of the rear of the cab with the clean green paint vs rust, the floor boards, and the longest one-piece drive shaft I've ever owned.







Here's part of the reason I originally wanted to drop the tank a few years ago. Depending on the weather, it'll drip when filling the tank and if I put more than about 5 gallons in it, it'll vent out the hose and drip on the ground for a long time. Yes, that's how I've been driving it since I've had it, when I needed to drive it anyway, which wasn't a lot for the first few years of ownership. 5 gallons or less and it doesn't drip and 5 gallons (1/4 tank) lasts me a week in this thing, which is pretty good honestly. It also didn't look this bad the first time I noticed it and tried to tighten up the clamp. It's pretty damn terrible now and long overdue.







Also, you can get a better angle on the view I had that was disappointing with all the rust growth. Ford coated the portions of the bed outboard of the bed floor with zinc-rich primer, which clearly makes a big difference when it comes to rust formation. It's like that on both sides, no rust past that seam where the floor meets the inner fender/wheel well.

Alright, back to dropping the tank. Couple bolts removed allowed the straps to hang which revealed the burlap-ish material used to cushion the tank straps. There were two layers of it between the straps and the tank and then a few, maybe 3"x3" pieces up on the front side which I'm assuming cushioned the tank from the crossmember in front of it.





Wasn't much left in the tank, maybe 1/2 gallon. I was pushing the whole tank up just using my knee while laying under the truck.





I didn't get a shot of it, but the very last exhaust hanger bolts into the frame right next to the tank and it's basically impossible to get a wrench, well at least any wrench I own, on the back of the bolts to keep them from spinning so you can take the bolts off and move the hanger out of the way to let the tank just fall out of the frame rails. It's right behind that piece of insulation hanging from the tank in the right side of the above picture, of course.

So, I had to push the filler and vent hoses through the gap between the bed and frame while I slowly worked the tank rearward and at a slight downward angle. It was a slow process, but I was able to feed it past the exhaust hanger that way and slide the whole thing out under the rear bumper. I'll have to do something about that hanger, because there's no way I'm putting the tank back in the way I removed it.

The upper straps look good and so does the bulk of the bed floor above the center of the tank. Pay attention to that rubber hose connected to that plastic valve. It's a clue to my assumption that this isn't the original tank. That and the filler/vent hoses.





Tadah!! Notice anything odd about this tank and the hoses? That's right, there's no hole in the center of it for that plastic valve to fit into it to allow it to vent to the charcoal canister under the hood. That valve's just been hanging there above the tank this whole time. Ford also put the filler vent hose on the back side of the filler hose on the tanks without the vent valve and then put it on the front side of the filler hose on the tanks with the vent valve. So, whoever put this tank in had to cross the vent hose over to match it up with the metal filler tube since it would normally line up straight across with the inlets on the fuel tank. I guess I'll have to do the same unless I want to order the correct tank for said metal filler tubes.







Also looks like they never got the vent clamp on properly. It's not even past the barb and you can tell it's been like this for a very long time as it's loose and there would be a nice, clean(er) ring where the clamp was screwed on tight similar to the one left from the clamp I removed on the filler hose.





Sending unit time.





Little kinked. Maybe not pinched shut, but it's pretty close.







Little surface rust, but nothing too bad really. The float looked the same on my Bronco.







This was the worst spot with rust.





Then I pulled the rest of that burlap lookin' stuff off the tank and was pleasantly surprised with nice shiny metal and not a ton of pin holes.






The smaller pieces on the front of the tank between the tank and the crossmember.




Looks like they might have sprayed the tank with some undercoating as you can see it around the perimeter of the tank. Also has an uncoated portion in a nice circular pattern, which I'm assuming is from the non-existent spare tire. The spare must have been removed at some point by a PO.

Now I'm just contemplating if I should just replace the tank since it's out and I can get a new, super duper clean one for around $110. I mean, if there was ever a time to replace it, for any reason, it'd be now. I don't want to do it again, but my current tank really isn't that bad. Ugh.

Here's a couple pics via Amazon showing the different hose orientations for the vented and non-vented tanks.

Photograph Rectangle Font Automotive lighting Gas


Automotive lighting Rectangle Gas Font Auto part



That oughta finish my unnecessarily long post for dropping my fuel tank. Thank you for reading.
 
Discussion starter · #231 ·
I decided to order a new tank. It's supposed to arrive Monday (we'll see), which works for me. I'll reuse the old sending unit unless it falls apart as I'm cleaning it up and modifying it for my return line bulkhead.

I'll make a couple stops for some second hand goods while I wait for it to arrive. I'm gonna see if I can grab another semi truck tire inner tube to cut up to use as insulation for the tank and I'll hit up the metal recycler to see if I can find something easily modifiable to make a mounting bracket for my electric fuel pump. I used the old skid plate off my Bronco when I did this on the Bronco. I'm sure I'll think of other stuff I need during the wait for the tank.
 
Discussion starter · #232 ·
According to the tracking, the tank should be here tomorrow rather than Monday. That'd be nice I suppose.

I gathered a few items today.





The guy writing up my ticket at the metal recycler said "This?! This is what you want!?". I'm like, no, this is all that you have in your scrap pile that isn't too thick or too thin. I got a hammer and a grinder, I'll make something out of that twisted hunk.

Speaking of that, the bracket I'll need to make might have to be made after I get the tank in rather than having everything ready to go beforehand. There's considerably less room between the front of the gas tank and the rear diff compared to my Bronco, which is where the pump on my Bronco sits, so I may have to get creative. Good news is, this tank is only 19ish gallons, so it doesn't hang down very far and I'll be able to get away with a much shorter bracket in order to have my pump sit near the bottom of the tank.
 
Discussion starter · #233 ·
Fuel tank arrived around 2:30, which really didn't give me enough time to do anything with it. Who am I kidding, I'm not even done with the sending unit. lol. Though, even if I was, I would have had maybe an hour and a half to fiddle with things, so I'll save that for Monday like I originally planned. I'll just finish my prep work throughout the weekend between work and sleep.

I went with the same tank I already have, which is "wrong" for the filler neck I have. I didn't want the hole in the top for the vent to the charcoal canister as I no longer have the canister and I don't want to go about setting that back up the way it's supposed to be. I figured crossing the vent hose over the filler hose would be a little easier than sealing up the vent hole in the top of the tank.

To me, the vent hose is less vital than the filler hose. Meaning if the vent hose gets a little squished when I route it around the filler hose, that's ok, it'll still vent fumes and whatnot, but if the filler hose gets squished enough then it will affect the rate at which you can fill the tank at the gas station. That wasn't a problem prior to dropping the tank, so I think I'll be ok.




I've just been doing little things along with looking for tools. I found my step bit, and now I'm looking for my hose cutter. It works so much better than a random knife out of the kitchen or free handing a utility knife. You get a nice clean, straight cut. Gotta find it.

I took one of my -6 AN to 3/8" barb fittings and fit the "fuel cuff" onto it last night. The plastic that the fuel cuff is made out of is pretty stiff, so I got it on about halfway with just using my hands and then pulled out the heat gun to make it a little easier to work with. I was careful not to get it too hot and too soft, I didn't want to push hard and have the fuel fitting cut through the plastic. This is as far as it would go on, which was just enough to have the hose clamp past the barb and completely over the cuff rather than clamping it down half on half off the cuff.






I worked on cleaning the sending unit a bit before I left to work today. I'll either have to dig out my $10 harbor freight wannabe dremel and put a sanding barrel on it or attempt it by hand with some sand paper or emery cloth to get it 100% there. I was just using some small wire brushes and they worked pretty well, except for where the heavier rust is on the underside of the sending unit flange. I tried the nylon, brass, and steel brushes with the steel brush being the one that actually got results.

I forgot to take before pictures, which seems to be a very common thing I do. I'll post the pics from when I dropped the tank next to these for a quicker comparison rather than scrolling back and forth.

















Only managed to remove 1/2 or so of the heavier rust here with the small wire brush. This is where I'll need that rotary tool or just hit it with sandpaper by hand to get it super clean.







I enjoy this smaller stuff than the bigger items, to be honest. Something about just sitting there working the brush and watching/listening to a video on my tablet that I find relaxing.

Ah, and for those who like to add to their "car" knowledge, this info on the tank I dropped is apparently a popular thing for guys doing restos to stencil onto their replacement tanks so it displays the correct info for the year the car was made. On my tank this info is on the top side, so when the tank is installed it's up against the bed of the truck and you'd never see it. I guess on some cars (maybe all?) the info is on the bottom side, so if you're under the car, you'll see it.

The info on mine, based on what I can find online, says it was made in 2001. The digit on the top right reflects the year of manufacture and, I'm assuming, when they get to 99 they just wrap back around and start at 0 for 2000. My tank has a 1, so I'm assuming the tank was made in 2001 and probably replaced around then. That would explain why it still looks decent.





Here's a shot of a 67 GTO listed on the Mecum auction website. It's on a lift and you can see the info on the bottom of the tank. Interesting detail I guess.

Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Automotive tire



 
Submerge the top half of the sender in white vinegar for 24hrs or so and that rust will be gone with just a light swipe of a brush.
 
Discussion starter · #235 ·
Submerge the top half of the sender in white vinegar for 24hrs or so and that rust will be gone with just a light swipe of a brush.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

I... also just remembered I recently bought an ultrasonic cleaner. lol. I'll probably stick it in that, perhaps with the vinegar. I'm sure it'd be faster than a 24 hour wait. At least most of the rust is off the sending unit already.
 
As long have you have that out & clean, you might want to solder up the connections thru the base plate. I realize that yours is only a sender, & @jermil01 's issue was fuel pump related, but sometimes those rivets can loosen up. Post 59.

 
Discussion starter · #237 ·
As long have you have that out & clean, you might want to solder up the connections thru the base plate. I realize that yours is only a sender, & @jermil01 's issue was fuel pump related, but sometimes those rivets can loosen up. Post 59.

I'll keep that in mind as well. That's another tool I'll have to dig out. That and I'll have to improve my soldering. I don't think I've ever used enough flux.
 
Discussion starter · #238 ·
Well, the sending unit broke. I'm going to guess all the vibration from me drilling the hole for the return caused it or at least caused most of it. It is super old after all. The fuel level resistor broke off the fuel tube. The wire that connects to it broke as well, along with the filter at the end of the tube. Bing bang boom.

Trying to decide if I attempt to repair it or just order a replacement. I only hesitate to replace it with a new one, because most of the reviews I find are negative, a lot of one stars. There's a couple issues with new ones I guess. Smaller diameter fuel tube and inaccurate fuel level readings.
 
Discussion starter · #239 ·
More exposition.

I went ahead and ordered a new sending unit from Dennis Carpenter a couple days ago. Their listing says it has a 3/8" tube rather than 5/16" like the one from Spectra Premium as well as some other suppliers. I'm going to try to fix the original one and just have it as a backup if the new one doesn't work out well, provided I can fix it anyway.

I haven't had this go as I had hoped, but I had a good idea something would come up as they always seem to do. I picked up some supplies and a couple cheap harbor freight tools to make my sending unit modification go more smoothly this time. When the original one broke, twice, I was thinking to myself "how the hell did I do this last time?!" because I remember it being easier. Oh well.

Today I will paint the frame around where the tank sits as well as the upper and lower tank straps. I'm not going to touch the bed though. If I ever paint the bed, I'll remove the bed and paint the entire bottom that way. Other than that, I'll just be waiting on the sending unit and maybe eyeballing the underside of the truck while I'm painting and see if I can find a suitable spot for a fuel pump bracket.

I suppose I have an update on my Maverick order. Interest rates have essentially doubled since I ordered last year, so that really killed some excitement. That and the base prices of all trims went up a couple grand. Effin' Yay. I'm supposed to get a "credit" or discount or whatever Ford is calling it of $2,750 because I had ordered a Hybrid last year and my order didnt get made. We'll see if that happens.

Anyway, after hitting up harbor freight today, I went to the dealership and they submitted an order change for me. I'm going from a fancy Lariat will all the bells and whistles to an XL with a couple of bells, no whistle. It brings down the sticker price by about 9k. I still optioned it with the necessities for truck duty, if you wanna consider the Maverick a truck. Hitch, bedliner, few things like that.
 
Discussion starter · #240 ·
I cut that hose kink open the other day. Maybe it was just the hose. Not sure how this thing ran at all with that little slit for fuel delivery.


 
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