I also like how you kept it simple and straight to the point. I bet its going to be a lot of fun to drive. Looking forward to some videos of this thing running.

Had a great day of work today in Brian's shop. Taking advantage of his lift has been awesome.

Pulled the rearend apart and installed the 31 spline 3.50 gear posi third member and got it all back together before lunch.

Got the tranny pan torqued

Pulled the converter loose from the flex plate and checked the clearance and it was in spec so I put that all back together.

Put on some DEI Heat protection on the tranny cooler lines above the exhaust.

Mounted the shifter cable out of the way of damage from the exhaust.

Filled the tranny back up with fluid and checked for major leaks. Non so far.

Fired the truck up and let it heat up. It got hot fast...faster than it should.

Pulled one of the heater hoses off and filled the rest of the motor with water and got it back together.

Started it back up and it was much better but noticed a lot of top end noise. Something is not quite right. So much that I was not going to run it any more. Pulled the drivers side valve cover and there was very little oil getting up there.

Not too sure what the problem is but hoping that its simple. I have oil pressure on the guage but doing some reading it might be the o ring on the pickup and the pump is sucking in air and sending that out with the oil.

By that time, I was exhausted...literally and was pretty beat from the last two days of work.

So instead of getting to see if the truck actually shifted into gears and moved on its own power, we figured out how we could tow it back uphill to my house.

Beyond deflated right now. :(

Ill try and screw with it this week if i can find the time.

Sean

Sean - Big day!!

Just FYI --- a LOT of these 6.0 motors had major piston flop... when they were cold you could hear the pistons going kerflop kerflop.... once the forged pistons got some heat in them they'd quiet right down.


Not sure that's the noise you're hearing.... but it's very unnerving and GM got LOTS of complaints about it... but of course it was "normal".

It doesn't sound like piston slap at all and did not go away when it warmed up....it seems like it got worse when it warmed up. My 5.3 has a little piston slap and goes away within just a few moments.

I am going to pull the pan tonight when I get home and see if the o ring on the pickup is cracked or broken. Sounds like it could lead to aeration on the pressure oil side.

I am really hoping that it is something simple.

Sean

Just not working on it last night was good for clearing my head.

I also managed to shoot the exhaust top black and about a 18" of the exhaust. It looks pretty sick. Better than I imagined it would turn out as far as what you can see from outside the truck.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psngb2lwma.jpg

The 4" looks kind of small out the back like that, just looks like a tip. Wonder if I should have run 5" :D

Sean

This may not be correct so take it with a grain of salt....but my engine made quite a bit of valve train noise when I first started it up as well. I was pretty worried at first but I had good pressure. In the end, I attributed it to months sitting in my garage and who knows how long sitting in the salvage yard without oil circulation.

In my case, it cleared up after about 15 minutes or so of running if you count all the times I had it started and shut off.

You can hear the racket in my startup video on my thread.

Every time I started it up, I'd wait for the sound to go away before reving it. Eventually, it stopped making that noises on startup.

Like I said, you may have a real problem but then again, you may not.

Thanks for the advise.

I came home after work and started it up. It would actually get a lot worse after the initial startup and it got worse quite fast. Within a minute it was ticking fairly bad....I could tell I had a problem.

So I had stopped by the stealership on the way home from work and grabbed an o ring for the oil pump pickup like I had read about on some other posts.

I jacked up the truck and got to work pulling the pan. Its a ****ty job under there. Pan and pickup have to go in and come out together so your literally working inside of the oil pan.

Pulled the pan and found the problem. I had unintentionally chopped a good section of the o ring off and it was inside of the oil pickup tube causing what I would guess a massive air leak on the suction side of the oil pump.

This was all speculation at this point though so It was clean everything up, install the new o ring and put everything back together.

New oil filter got installed, pan got reinstalled, oil drain and feed lines reinstalled.

Filled her up with 5 quarts of 5w30 and turned the key......:ohsnap:

Within 5 seconds the motor was dead quiet. I could instantly tell that I had fixed the problem.:headspin:

So onto other things, I put it in gear for the first time and it moved on its own power about a foot forwards and a foot backwards.

Tonight should be more testing, leak checks and maybe even see if it will go down the driveway.

So relieved at this point though.

Sean

Oh what a feeling!!


Good for you! My guts would have been churning....

You and I must be wired alike. It was the biggest sigh of relief in months..well weeks.

I was giddy like a school girl when I heard it quiet right down. It now sounds like an ls should.

It did highlight thought that I hate the muffler I put on it. It just sounds raspy and loud to me not deep and throaty. Probably be cutting that out this week.

Also reminded me that I have a deadline coming up and I need to keep my eye on the prize. Its time to button up all the little loose ends and get this thing on the road. I still need to get it to the tuner before the show and it will have probably a week at the paint shop getting work done on it there buttoning up some wet sanding and polishing.

Here is my little reminder about how not to put this together the next time. Pretty surprised that the little piece stayed inside the oil pickup tube. It was literally inside the pipe when I pulled it off.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pszsxsmdr0.jpg

Sean

Very kool build..:thumbsup:

What's the word Sean? Deadlines comin up quick!

Made its first road venture last night. Filled up the tank and did a few errands around town. Truck drives amazingly well for its very first drive. I was hesitant at first but it did just fine, no rattles or vibrations so I hopped on the freeway on the way home and it is just a cruiser, comfortable plenty of power even out of boost and just drives well. I had a pretty big grin on my mug last night

Couple little things to still address like shift points and some occasional weird ECU problem with the TAC module.

But its getting there. No real reason I should not make it up for GoodGuys at the end of the month.

Parts that should show up in the next few days:

Rushforth Rated X wheels
Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
80 lb Siemens DEKA injectors
2 bar MAP Sensor
Devils Own Water Meth injection setup

Really nervous about the wheels and tires not fitting...they are pretty big. Guess we will see in a few days though

Awesome update! Glad you took it out and all went well. Beautiful truck and looking forward to more photos.

Rated x's will look awesome.

Awesome! Looking forward to seeing the Rated X's mounted up, great wheel choice.

Running it or not, the drags Friday night are pretty fun and it'd be nice to see the truck in person. We'll be on the high bank behind the staging lanes if you make it out and need a cold one!

Not at all PT but Amocat throws a good party Saturday night, more of the period correct cars with a couple FED's that they cackle after dark.

:thumbsup:
Dan

Sean,

I just went through the whole thread and wondered if you had any problem with parts availability/quality issues as far as the Ford specific parts for the body, trim etc?

Also, maybe I missed your explanation, but what made you choose the CV front suspension setup?

Thanks...

Congrats, Sean! Glad to hear you got it out and moving around under its own power. Enjoy the driving.

Thank you. Wheels should be on a truck headed this way today.

I have another 68 f100 that we will be running at the drags that night. Blue and white pro street long bed truck. Its pretty gheto but has a 500 cu. in. motor with some spray, converter, built c6, spool and a 9" with some stuff. We have yet to run a pass with it but it should be pretty quick.

Flag me down if you see me, would be good to meet you. Amocat you say? Where would one find this Amocat?

Although they are not nearly as supported as a 67-72 chevy, there are a couple of places to get specific parts for it. Dennis Carpenter and LMC were my two best resources and they both had great fit and finish. Carpenter stuff is better quality but much higher prices, I had no issue finding parts and pieces.

Crown Vic swap is pretty well known as being almost a bolt in setup on these trucks. The width is perfectly matched for the stock front framerails and its a very straightforward swap on the truck.


Drove the truck out to Cars and Coffee on Saturday last weekend and it was good. Super gentle, not even close to boost.

Upon leaving there the truck died headed up to the freeway offramp. Managed to get the power shut down clear whatever was going on with it and it made it back home.

It did it again leaving the freeway (different freeway) and conveniently there was a police officer behind me.....he was rather aggitated at my situation, especially since I think he was getting ready to pull me over. He flipped his lights on and i got the truck started (still no accelerator pedal function) and limped it up and off the off ramp and then off the main road. He could sense my frustration, asked if I needed a hand and went on his merry way.

Setting a code this time and I could not get it to clear. Found out that the code has something to do with tac module, accelerator position switch or throttle body.

So I started to unplug TAC module and worked my way down the line until I could get the code cleared.

Limped it back home and started going through the troubleshooting steps. Spent the entire day on saturday going through all the TAC wiring, tac operation, grounds, power, signal and the like.

While doing some resistance testing on the pedal I began to find that the APP2 resistance and APP1 resistance were not reading anywhere near the factory specs and learned how the computer uses those signals together to determine actual pedal position.

I managed to track down a replacement at a local parts place and picked it up about 10 minutes before they closed.

Got it installed and I have not seen that code again. Back to getting MAF and Knock codes now :bomb:

I am trying to get all the little details done now. One thing that was bothering me terribly were the ugly ass stock valve covers with the bosses for the coil packs.

I looked for weeks for the right setup to just buy new but could not come up with anything that I liked so I went to town on the stockers cleaning them up.

I cut off all the bosses and filled the non structural holes with JB weld. THen ground everything down all nice and flush and went over the entire valve cover with a DA to get it smooth.

I am sure you have all seen a stock cover, so here is my cut down post next to a finished one.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf5hsgee.jpg

Here is the finished product in better light. I think they look good, hit it with some VHT Wrinkle black and baked it on for an hour in my makeshift oven. Cardboard box sealed up with a hair dryer running in a hole cut in the box.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pspmytukb1.jpg

Much better than the silver crap with the posts on it.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5wdvwbyz.jpg

Also managed to take my very, very understanding and super excited better half out for a first little drive. To say she was excited is an understatement.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pso9or1kfj.jpg

And I have the PLX stuff up and running very nicely now. Stuff is pretty slick and I am super happy with the operation. Running a tablet via bluetooth and being able to see diagnostics, guages and log data all while not hooked to anything is pretty bad ass.

Here is a screen shot, guages are totally customizable but this is the Dash Command setup.

Would buy again in a heartbeat.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psuxpfolzn.jpg

Managed to snap a quick photo of the truck out and about with some descent sunlight last night out trying out the gas pedal some more.


Insert photo here when Photobucket decides to upload my photos.






Was a long weekend of frustration and to top it off I put a dent in the drivers door on a curb. Its all the way at the bottom of the door, but its still there......It made me literally sick to my stomach. I think I made this thing too nice for me to own, I like to use stuff

Fixed for you...I couldn't wait!

Looks excellent man. Progress all the time! Congrats.

William

Sean,

First off, I'm sorry to hear about your various mishaps. :(

Thanks for the front suspension/CV info.

Due to your posting this build thread, I found out over the weekend that this series F100 was the last vehicle my father-in-law owned (he passed when my wife was very young), so we are now seriously looking at doing one.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...ps3e304a9d.jpg


http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...ps8ddbd4a2.jpg

Truck looks great! I'll come find you at the drags and give you the Amocat info.. The good thing about our spot is we get to see most everybody drive by on the way to the lanes.

Looking forward to seeing the Rushforths!
:thumbsup:
Dan

Hope you find the gremlins! Valve covers look like a million bucks! Good for you... and nicely done.


Nothing beats a good wife! She looks happy and that's the main thing.

Thank you, Progress but in little, non visible steps right now.

No worries on the mishaps, its part of both building and learning right? I doubt if I would run an electronic pedal again unless I have to, its kind of a pain. As far as the dent...:snapout: is what I keep telling myself and to get over it.

They are good old trucks, super easy to work on and parts are all over the place. If I can help with any of your project research just let me know.

Thanks Dan. You will see me there, I'm pretty bald though so keep your sun shades nearby...

Thanks Greg, I have spent hours reading through your new shop build, pretty much a little every night, its rediculous how awesome it is. Makes my little garage seem so underwhelming :confused59:

Valve covers are good, nothing fancy at all, just fitting for the motor and the build. I guess that is similar to the rest of the truck though.

I think that other than our rock buggy, this is her favorite thing I have built to date. Ill probably have a tough time selling either of those ones.

I am still losing sleep over that stupid dent. Its small, like a door ding and all the way at the bottom of the door, but it just makes my stomach turn thinking about it right now....

Devils Own kit showed up at the office this morning. Its a nice little piece, little spendy for what it is though.

Injectors, MAP sensor showed up yesterday so I am pretty much ready to tear into the truck install that stuff and take it to the tuner.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psojlq2kpe.jpg

Wheels shipped out yesterday and should be here at my office on Thursday so hoping to get tires mounted up Thursday or Friday to check for fitment.

I raised up the front last night and took some measurements on the frontend. 255/40/20 might just fit....might not have any up travel but they might fit.

:cool:

Looking good! Hopefully the electronic gremlins are solved.

We all know there will be things that go wrong during the "shakedown" of these projects, and as long as it's stuff you can figure out it's ok. It's the stupid stuff that makes no sense that makes a guy agitated.

I've always wanted to do a truck in this year range but I'm still having a hard time deciding if I'd do a ford or a chevy. Either would have Chevy power of course!. I think it would come down to which had more interior room for a tall guy like me.

Thanks for the offer of help Sean; I appreciate that. :thumbsup:

If we go ahead with it, the plan would be to run a cammed Ford SOHC 6.2L.

How difficult could that be?


lol

Pretty sure that motor would be a bolt in, you could probably use the stock mounts and everything.


So wheels showed up yesterday and they are beautiful. I have had some nice wheels in my day, but these are far nicer. Attention to detail like hidden valve stems on the backside of the wheels tucked behind a spoke and full paint and polish on the backside of the wheels mounting surface is just amazing.

Got everything in the truck and headed to Americas tire where my tires await.

All wheels fit up just fine so that was a good thing, brake clearance was good all the way around and offset on the fronts was perfect. Rears could be pushed in quite a bit more....more on that later.

First problem we ran into was the rear tires. 315/35/20 michelin next to a 315 sumitomo...

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psg4y6yojf.jpg

They were a full inch wider than the sumitomo's and we knew it would not fit.

I had ordered in a full set of 295/35/20 just in case as well. They were the same width as the 315 sumitomos and look awesome on the wheels, nice and square.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psi1wqqyyj.jpg

Tyson doing a great job of mounting the tires....new jaws on the wheel machine. We spent almost four hours messing around with this yesterday.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psuezd6yxs.jpg

So, the problem I ran into was that the rear wheels did not fit....by a long shot. I thought I would have more room than I did.

Drove home on two new fronts and two old rears and was pretty irritated at that point.

Talked to the Chris the painter and told him I was either going to roll the lips or cut them......

So I took a ginder with the flapper wheel to the lips of the rear fenders....brand new paint yep and hitting it with a grinder..

Luckily I am pretty skilled with a grinder and did not mess up any of the paint anywhere. so it will just be a little touch up on the backside of the lip and be good to go.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psfm0ifhrf.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psyvctybva.jpg

Fronts barely clear, I really need to figure out how to move that front end back a little bit cause the wheel is to the front of the wheel well not centered but nothing I can do about it right now.

Sean,

Wow...great look! :thumbsup:

Nice!

Wheels look killer!

Beautiful truck. I've never understood why this year F100 doesn't see the same attention as the Chevy's? These Fords, when done right look fantastic.

Very nice Sean. Definitely looking good!

Thanks for all the kind words fellas, pretty excited how the truck is turning out.

Been a busy few days around here. Dropped the truck off at the painters on Friday morning for him to touch up a few spots of paint, color sand and buff the front fenders and the hood and a few other nick nacky areas on the truck.

While it was out there I spent a few hours roaming around the wrecking yard trying to find some small stuff and a good flasher switch and bezel to go on the dash.

Picked up the truck this morning from Aaron's place and him and Chris did another great job on the truck. It looks awesome.

Got it home and off the trailer, my LS swapped 240 was in the driveway and I thought it was pretty cool so I snapped a quick photo...

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6v4dyylm.jpg

Also been toying around with running one single emblem on the truck, just a little indicator that its not a 390 in it anymore.

So I came up with this. Its all color matched to the body and looks pretty unsuspecting.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...psrxnhhamt.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...pst58hhloj.jpg

I think its pretty discreet, but not 100% sold on it. If I like it Ill go ahead and order something up that is the proper logo.

This is an LS badge from a later model cavalier and an X from a newer ford explorer.

I was getting the knock p code still so I order a couple of sensors and the replacement harness for sensors out of the valley cover. I pulled the intake this afternoon replaced both of the knock sensors and cleaned out the holes and threads.

I noticed while in there that I have some excessive oil on the backside of the valves while the engine is not running. Not too sure what is causing that, probably need to come up with some kind of evac system is my guess...

Fitted up the vacuum lines from the intake to the fuel pressure regulator and the wastegate.

I was going to swap out injectors and MAP sensor but it would be a total pain to load it up in the morning and get it on the trailer to go to the tuner.

I am super nervous about the tuning/dyno tomorrow.

Hope I post up that all went well and its on the road for good.

Sean

Can't wait to hear what kind of power it makes..

Truck is awesome for sure man, Im a fan! I like that you used the old blue and yellow license plates as well, and I like the LSX emblem:Tomcat:

Great looking truck! Nice job.

Nice build

Sean,

Or something like this...

My buddy was showing me a few pics of a LS Turbo f100 that was at his work getting tuned. I told him to check out your build thread on lateral-g. Nice truck, keep up the good work!!

does it boost yet??

I talked with him at the nostalgia drags and saw the truck, super clean and the Rushforth rims looked incredible in person! Couple weeks later I ran into him at the Portland OUSCA deal. He showed up to watch in the Volvo he built, I gotta say, that thing is fuggin bad! LS, 5 or 6 spd, original paint, super clean install and some nice CCW's.

If I remember the truck was still getting some tuning and made something like 480hp with pretty low boost. When I left he was searching Craigslist for a Fairmont and a 26" BMX cruiser.

I hope he shows back up, I have some questions about Daikin VRF systems.

:thumbsup:
Dan

Truck looks really good. I like the badge that's on there now if you ask me.