1993 Ford F-Super Duty XLT - "Log Truck" (new to me truck-pic heavy)

[79jasper]

Color might be okay.
Just gotta see it on the truck first.

Sent from my USCC-C6721 using Tapatalk

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

so the pb blaster did it's magic over night loosening up the carbon around the gp threads..i tried again this morning and.....pop she broke right free and backed right out.that was a nice way to start the day right there i tell ya.
so then i filled up that dana 80 with some fresh lube and went onto fixing my fuel filter head.
the heater elements o-ring was ok once i inspected it as i had figured,but the issue with mine was,that the actual inside of the e-connector was filling up full of fuel and flowing over from there,so the only way to fix that would be with a new heater element or simply plug the hole.at the cost of those oem heaters,i chose to tap and plug the hole with jb welded threads for a nice permanent leak free fix.i also installed a new valve core in the upper schrader valve for good measure.then while i was right here i insured my WIFL/water in fuel light circuit was working correctly to notify me when i get water in the fuel.all good there as well.

next i inspected the throttle cable to insure full throw of throttle for WOT at ip,and to insure it was properly returning without any chance of binding for safety.all looks great.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

in this episode of log truck..........triple pillar auto meter gauges!
guys,don't be afraid to just mistakenly leave this thread open so your ladies can find ya some Xmass gift idea's here.night after night leaving these pages open should do the trick.

GlowShift Triple Pillar Gauge Pod #GS-346
Auto Meter Z-Series 2-1/16" Short Sweep Electric Gauges.Water Temp #2635 (#2607 in f250) / Trans temp #2640 / Oil Pres #2634




so pretty much a copy of what i did with chip truck here.though with the f250 and it's turbo,and often blocked grill (snow plow) i went with a mechanical water temp gauge.this means i had the electrical auto meter water temp already.since this one doesn't have a turbo nor blocked grill,the underhood temps wont be out of hand,so the electrical sending unit will work just find in this truck.
so onto some sending units.notice with the E40D test port,the sending unit that comes with the auto meter gauges is too deep! be sure to buy the devoted short sender as noted in the pics if you want your sending unit here.
out with the old oil press sender and in with the auto meters.
i left the e-sending unit for the water temp gauge in chip truck though unused now (as i put the mechanical sender in the over temp light port)
i'v got to look up and see if that long sending unit included with the trans temp gauge is the same one.if not,i'll just have to order one.not gunna make a mess with chip truck trying to rob it's sender being used as a plug currently.the coolant loss would cost more than just buying another sender lol.
drilled a hole in the fire wall and run out for a large grommet to run wires through.
iv got to work tomorrow so you'll have to wait for the gauge pod full with gauges lit up like a Xmass tree in the cab until Friday or the weekend................stay tuned.there's plenty more coming from this new season of log truck.we're just getting started!

 

[ZWilson07]

Im jealous man. You do good work.

I also hate that you can't get a stupid 3 gauge pillar pod for Bricknose trucks. YES I know you can modify an OBS one but still.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

tonight on log truck............aftermarket temp sending unit install continuation.....hold the phone,UPS delivery alts production and sidetracks the owner!

so i didn't have to work very long today and got back around noon.i went out with camera to continue the sending unit install.drilled out a nice hole and installed a rubber grommet into the firewall (beside a couple the po made,that i need to now plug) and got ready to tackle the tight water temp sending unit location behind the vac pump,when the man with the brown truck pulls up and hands me a box of 8 new Beru zd9's.so i halt what in doing,apply a little anti seize and toss her in a set of new gp's.then i go back to what i was doing,and had a fun old time.i dropped that SOB water temp sending unit/bushing combo 5 times down on that motor mount! finally,i got the thing in and put on a wire.
so now iv got a fresh set of gp's,my sending units all installed,and a wire grommet hole all begging for action tomorrow.
tune in tomorrow as log truck should have a triple pillar gauge pod fully working.

 

[cpdenton]

New Beru zd-9's were the best thing I have ever done. I didn't know how bad mine were until I swapped them out. I had ac delco in there and 3 were bad.

Love the build pictures!

 

[wildman7798]

In your photo of the rear diff. and the diff. cover off, the reason 2 of the bolts were changed is the truck originally had the weight sensing brake system - the precursor to ABS. You can see the bracket zip tied up just above the axle tube. Kind of odd for the year of your truck but I know nothing of the history your model. My 86 had it as well but when I did the diff. swap I elected to keep up after input from the forum and thinking about it. It basically cuts down the fluid to the rear brakes when the truck is empty and then gives you full fluid when you have a load. Truck is looking good by the way ! !

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

oh,nope.those two studs with nuts for the bracket are there and that system was hooked (i hooked it back up) properly.there were two replacement very top bolts with washers (all shiny) i just didn't think to snap a pic of them.they are on each side of the upper center most bolt.
thanks guys.glad your enjoying the pic and progress show.there's a lot more coming.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

guys,don't be afraid to just mistakenly leave this thread open so your ladies can find ya some Xmass gift idea's here.night after night leaving these pages open should do the trick.

And if that fails just let them drive the truck like they stole it till they break what needs breaking, then they got no choice but to replace your, say, Allison with, say, Eaton Fuller

Your mech temp gauge in the green truck, one of them is finding its way into my truck as well - I recently pulled the board for the "replace engine" light from my gauge cluster so I no longer have a need for an overtemp switch, thinking of installing the mech gauge probe in its place if the hole below is deep enough - is it? Gonna give it a mech oil pressure gauge too, none of that electric BS, got the factory one already, going for redundancy now - stainless braided turbo line from the engine thru a Swadgelok valve right into the gauge, ain't messing around with this, unprotected plastic or copper tubing has no place in a diesel truck

Oh, that color you picked, it looks pretty cool in pictures, but in person it's only a so-so. Here's my suggestion to you, GM Sunburst Orange Metallic instead of the Mini Cooper brown metallic, again with the black center - it will look much sharper IMHO. Look thru this thread for many examples of it in all sorts of lighting:
http://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4379

If you want something a bit more toned down go Copper Metallic (66U paint code), also a GM color, here's a good example and believe me the picture does not do it justice at all - color is absolutely beautiful in person, especially under direct sunlight:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Z_OH_6/Corvette Z06/12-25-04tellicocopper007.jpg

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

yeah,the autometers mechanical probe doesn't reach the stock water temp location with the gauge mounted up in the pillar,this is why i placed it there in the green truck.it would if you mounted down below the dash i think,but anyway it does reach the stock idiot light temp location in the head,and fits nicely there.

those orange/copper colors though cool in their own right,isn't really what im looking for.i do still need to check out the mini's brown color in person,but the real earthly/tone down look is pretty much what im after though,so i think im gunna like it.i appreciate the suggestions though.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

I haven't decided yet where I'm gonna put my gauges, ideally I want them up on the shelf below the roof, but there's no snowball's chance in hell the coolant gauge capillary tube reaches all the way up there - the oil pressure gauge line I can extend no problem, and the oil temp gauge is electric, but the coolant temp gauge will be a problem... Where did you punch the hole in the firewall for the capillary tube on your green truck, and what grommet did you use to seal it? I figure if I make it pass thru the firewall in the area where the throttle cable goes I'll have around 2ft (out of 6ft total) of tube inside the cab to work with - not a whole lot, but better than just a foot. Where does your mech temp gauge sit in your green truck anyways, got a picture handy?

As for the color, if earthly tones is what you're after then yes, brown will be good, and that's a cool brown you picked - just make sure you see it in person, preferably on a Mini that's not brand new.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

it's electrifying tonight on log truck! lol............as she gets her triple pillar pod,gauges and engine bay cleaned up some more...........

so after the rain finally let up late this morning,i went to work at running the 3 sending units up into the cab.once this was accomplished,it was time to bring out the wire loom and zip ties to clean up the fresh wiring done thus far.

while i was here i noticed my new cowl seal was leaking.i didn't wash the body up good enough before installing it! my bad.i just had a run of water down across my wiper motor and small pool at the glow plug.i removed,washed well with hd cleaner,and even run a light bead of rtv along it and re-installed.that should cure what ails her.

next,with a cold engine,it was then time to finish up the final step in testing the solid state glow plug system,with a control function test.
all systems now flawless.

next it was then into the cab to start ripping her apart to run some wires.while in there,it was the time to go just a little bit deeper to change some blown gauge bulbs and repair any mounts in there broken.found just one.usually it's the fuel tank switch that you find broken,this time it was the diesel light section area (wts/water in fuel etc) so i fixed that up with some jb weld and shes good as new again.
hey look,someone had already replaced a burnt out headlight switch and harness.something i don't have to mess with while doing the headlight relay mod soon.nice.that will save me some time.

now,one thing that you must know when installing electric gauges,is that they need a devoted ground.if you try and pair up a ground wire on temp gauges,then you'll get false high readings.just take and run devoted grounds from different parts of the cab.anything that's metal and grounded to avoid the hassles.i learn this one the hard way with chip truck.

finally i put the interior back together with the new pod and snapped a pic.
i did try and post a lit up pod without a flash on,but the gauges are just not bright enough to show what it looks like.the autometers are just perfect imho.not over bright but easily readable.i did tap into the orange wire for the lights,so they do dim as well with the headlight dimmer switch.
there ya have it.log truck now fitted with accurate aftermarket gauges.now i'll know my true vital temps on water and trans and oil pressure.

stay tuned to see what log truck gets next!

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

I haven't decided yet where I'm gonna put my gauges, ideally I want them up on the shelf below the roof, but there's no snowball's chance in hell the coolant gauge capillary tube reaches all the way up there - the oil pressure gauge line I can extend no problem, and the oil temp gauge is electric, but the coolant temp gauge will be a problem... Where did you punch the hole in the firewall for the capillary tube on your green truck, and what grommet did you use to seal it? I figure if I make it pass thru the firewall in the area where the throttle cable goes I'll have around 2ft (out of 6ft total) of tube inside the cab to work with - not a whole lot, but better than just a foot. Where does your mech temp gauge sit in your green truck anyways, got a picture handy?

As for the color, if earthly tones is what you're after then yes, brown will be good, and that's a cool brown you picked - just make sure you see it in person, preferably on a Mini that's not brand new.

i don't recall exactly where i went through.i'll have to look again.the triple gauge pod setup is the same as the above setup i just did to log truck above.oil press top,water temp mid,and trans temp lowest.
it's really too bad they didn't make the dang tube longer so it would have reached the oem sender port,but it's reading 192 @ the over temp light port regularly even there now with the aux oil cooler! haha.so that truck is really all setup nice.work that one for all shes worth and aint no worry about stopping,no worry about hauling,no worry about watching temps or egts.she's got got grunt and all issue/worry free.set right up so even a blonde chick could work it right to death without ever hurting anything lol.flawless and idiot proof.

i have 3 additional gauges in chip truck with it's turbo; boost,egt,oil temp all down in a lower triple under the dash type pod.
oh yeah for sure,i'll see the color in person before actually spraying to make sure it's what im after.
with the green color,i saw that in person and had to look it up online.with this brown im going to other way.i may not care for it once i find a car i suppose and it's back to the drawing board,but this is latter on.iv got much to do to her first.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

set right up so even a blonde chick could work it right to death without ever hurting anything lol.

You say that, but it was exactly one of them that killed my supposedly "flawless and idiot proof" MD truck - she's actually not only a bleach blonde, but an asian halfbreed too, so worst possible combination if stereotypes are to be believed

Gauges on new truck look nice, tho I personally would have attempted to dye the pillar pod to match the rest of the interior better. Are you running incandescent bulbs or LEDs for illumination? What color do they light up? Also this is the first time I hear about gauges needing separate grounds each - I always tie them together (with grounds for illumination too) and hook them up to a factory dash grounding point with a nice fine-stranded 12awg wire, then I run another 12awg wire from that point out the cab and to the battery. Always check the oil pressures with a mechanical gauge and the temps with the IR gun and never had any issues with accuracy. Guess if your ground path is so-so then you may get signals backfeeding and throwing the readings off, wonder if some diodes would fix that... I just hate running any more wires than the bare minimum needed for the job, that means a common key-on feed for all gauges, a common illumination feed, and one heavy ground for anything and everything that needs grounded.

So a mechanical temp gauge has long enough capillary tube to reach a pillar pod, that is good to know. Do check where you ran the tube thru the firewall of the green truck tho, if you don't mind.

stay tuned to see what log truck gets next!

Any plans for turbo in the near future? If no then I got something you may be interested in - power steering filter that when installed looks nearly factory and uses space that is generally worthless for anything else.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

So a mechanical temp gauge has long enough capillary tube to reach a pillar pod, that is good to know. Do check where you ran the tube thru the firewall of the green truck tho, if you don't mind.

yeah,only if the sender is placed in the head @ the over temp light spot.she wont reach the oem temp sender location with the gauge placed up there.


yeah i see a lot of people like to paint their pods.i actually like the black contrast to match the gauge bezel since ford didn't really give us much for contrast in the older trucks.i left the one black in chip truck with it's red interior as well.
they come with incandescent bulbs and two covers,a red one and a green one.i don't use either.i like the old school white bulb lol.very easy on the eyes.
yeah i run up and tied them all in on chip truck and it just didn't work.once i ran them a devoted ground each,they stopped reading much higher than actual temps.for the light grounds,i just tied them all in on one still of course.
(and iirc,also with the oil pressure gauge too.)

im fairly sure this ones remaining n/a.i'll have to work it to know how bad she'll crawl up over hills with that 16'er full of wood.since she can carry so much more at once,then she's saving time for larger jobs anyway even if the drive is slower on the grades.with the 5.13's she should go pretty good.with saving time hauling twice the load,i'll have no reason not to just kick back,sip some coffee and enjoy the ride.