1968 F100 6.0 ls build

[DBasher]

Originally Posted by hackster

What you mean like a really long road trip? Like Northern California????

You get my email I sent to you a few weeks back?

Sean

I did. The short answer, yes it's a pain in the ass, yes I need training, I did code the machine to get all the valves open and Baymont Inn. I'll get back to you with some more goodies tonight.

See you in California.

[hackster]

You are a good egg Basher....I dont think I am going to make it down there, sounds like a great weekend though. Maybe the next one.

I ordered up front brakes last week for the truck. Wilwood Aero 6 6 piston radial mount calipers and 14" Two piece rotors with custom hats and rotors. They are drilled and vented like the rears and should match the rear stuff pretty close.

I ordered from Todd at TCE Brakes. He does a marauder setup, but has realized that there are tons and tons of these frontends going under hotrods. He was truly great to work with through this process. He had a ton of information and I had to keep up with him...he knows brakes. I should have them in about three weeks. He was waiting on rotors.

Super stoked about that.

I ended up ditching the 2 channel bluetooth amp and went with a retrosound head unit. It was just not going to work that well.

Picked up the radio on Friday and got it installed on saturday along with a single 6x9 in the dash. Its a dual voice coil dual tweeter setup so you can run both front channels to it....pretty nifty.

Radio is super slick, if you were not looking for it you would not know its not stock, but has two aux inputs, two USB inputs, bluetooth and tons of preouts.

Stock knobs went back on the aftermarket radio along with the stick bezel...Ill snap some pics of it finished up tomorrow.

Also finished up the rear behind the seat with some MDF panels all carpeted up. It looks finished behind the seat now.

But the real reason for my post.

I have been chasing a tranny fluid leak for, well since the truck first started running so last year around this time.

I had pulled the pan once when it would not go into reverse and found some plastic in the rear park pawl. I straightened up the flange and put on a new seal to try and seal it up with no real luck.

I have been under the truck looking at it and cleaning it trying to find where the damn thing is leaking, it was not the tranny pan from what I could tell, it looked like it was above that as I had fluid above there. Lots of suggestions to replace the internal harness but I was getting lo leaks there.

I picked up a tiny hint of fluid around the output VSS sensor so last week I picked one up.

Had a little time this morning and was dreading what I was going to find tackling this on the garage floor.

So I jacked up the truck and popped out the VSS sensor, well I took out the sensor part of it. It was obviously broken at some point before I got the transmission and I neglected to figure this out a while ago.

Here is what I took out.







Got both parts out, cleaned things up, put the new sender in and took the old girl for a spin. Checked it after I got back and it was dry as a bone. Checked it just now, still dry.

Good news all around, the plastic parts I found earlier in the pan, from this sensor. The leak fixed. and all back to normal.

Put a few miles on the truck and the stereo and both worked great!

Looking forward to dinking around with the front brakes when they get here and doing some more tuning with Ron.

He was not feeling well today, hope you feel better buddy.

Sean

[hackster]

Finally getting around to finishing up a few things underneath.

Ordered up an ADDCO sway bar and got it unboxed yesterday. I was pretty disspointed with the finish on the bar, it was chipped and scratched up before I even got the bubble wrap off of it. If you look at it wrong the paint just falls of. Seems like for what they charge they could have powdercoated it or something, it is just crappy paint, not even a primer on it or anything.

I guess I will need to pull it out after I get it all installed and get it powdercoated.....just what I was hoping to do with a finished part.

Looks like it will fit, I drilled the holes in the frame yesterday and got it close, I have to put a thin spacer underneath the bar to clear the flexible coupling on the turbo crossover pipe as it just touches the bar at ride height.

I picked up some 1/4" plate and 3/8" plate to build spacers out of today 1.5" wide. It should be about perfect.

Might get it all installed and buttoned up after work tonight.

Sean

[hackster]

Little update:

Gettting the truck ready for the Portland Roadster show coming up in just a few short weeks. I spent a good portion of the last weekend with the truck up on the lift just cleaning and detailing the underside of it. Looks like I have all the leaks fixed. Cleaned up a few electrical connections with some zip ties and just general tidying up. Things still look good under there.

Also got the sway bar all painted and the front suspension cleaned up. It actually cleans up nicely. Here are a few underbelly shots of the old girl.



Its not spotless but its pretty damn clean under there for an old truck.....my hands were damn tired.











Then on Monday, my new brake setup showed up. Here is the stock Crown Vic setup on still...



New front setup from Todd at TCE Brakes. Amazing stuff from him and I would recommend him in a heartbeat. Wilwood AERO 6 black caliper, stainless lines, cross drilled and vented two piece 14" 1.25" rotor with aluminum hat......turns out I had room for the 15" rotors. Should have just committed to them earlier.



This is just mocked up on there. Still need to plumb and deal with the raw rotor finish. Hope to have this all buttoned up Saturday.

Sean

[GregWeld]

Oh yeah --- the Wilwoods are WAY better looking....

[96z28ss]

I'll keep an eye out for it at the Portland Roadster show.

[DBasher]

I'll tell ya the same thing I tell my guys....trim your F'ing all thread! (U bolts) I've got a headache just looking at it!

Truck looks great Sean, wheels, brakes everything about it is spot on!
Nice work.

[hackster]

Originally Posted by DBasher

I'll tell ya the same thing I tell my guys....trim your F'ing all thread! (U bolts) I've got a headache just looking at it!

Truck looks great Sean, wheels, brakes everything about it is spot on!
Nice work.

Haha!!! I totally need to get under there and cut that **** off. Never been a convenient time to do it.....I guess I had it on the lift last week so no excuses.

Thanks for the props Dan.

Well the show rapidly approaches.

Front brakes went very well......I have no idea if they stop or not yet though.

Todd at TCE is the man. Everything bolted together very nicely and had no issues at all. Pedal feel is excellent so far.



Some goodness in this photo...



Went through and fixed a few things that were bugging me under the hood a few bolts that needed swapped and cleaned up the rest of the stock paint inside the truck.

Built some stantions to go around the truck and picked up soem carpet from a friend of a friend.




Truck gets loaded up in the trailer tonight and goes to the show on Thursday.

Hope all goes well and looking forward to a fun weekend.

Sean

[hackster]

At the show..





Managed a little seat time this past weekend and got the brakes bedded in.

Took the truck to this local sunday night cruise in called Red Door Meet. It is mostly imports,some european cars and a few muscle cars. I have never been before.

The turnout was crazy. I was impressed as there were hundreds of cars there, all parked on either side of the road angled in. Everything from other muscle cars and pro touring rides to bikes, beemers and other cool cars.

Truck got a ton of compliments and looks from lots of people. All in all something I thought was not going to be that fantastic, turned out to be a really fun night.....I just love cars.

Now that the show is done, I want to get back on the tuning in the next month or so and get out to some events to see how the truck performs.

Ill keep updating this as time goes on.

Sean

Actually driving around.....at the store picking up groceries for the wife last night.

[DBasher]

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/...#__federated=1

Nice write up on the truck, well done!