Didn't want to post just yet

[payableondeath6]

You know you're only 3 or so hours from Rising Sun, which is where all the cool idi'ers will be in a couple weeks.

Of course all the strokers, d-max, and cummins guys think we're dorks but that's ok.

I'm so young and hip I wouldn't want to make y'all look bad 'Specially with my "impressively ugly" truck

Seriously though I asked a question in the "Eastern IDI Rally" thread about just spending like one night there in a tent or something and didn't really get a response. I'd like to come down, see if I'm near anybody else, maybe get her timed by a pro, and check out all the sweet old rigs. Anybody know how much or if I could even do something like that?

Oh, and I'll be screaming by on Friday going east on 30, so I'll honk near upper sandusky for you.

Sounds good to me, swing down a little further south ('round 95) and I'll make you the best PB&J you've ever had That's a married college kid for ya. I know Animal is from around my old stomping grounds, went to high school just outside of Marengo...maybe I'll swing the truck by there sometime and have him try his "cab corner magic" or maybe a "rice flattener" bumper setup

 

[jtate]

welding those patch panels in is not that difficult to do, make sure when you cut the existing panel out try to get the after market panel as snug as possible on your edges with the least amout of gap as possible. when welding move around from spot to spot dont just start welding in one spot and continue welding, because it will generate to much heat in one spot and warp the mess out of the panel. there is another way of doing it also and you can actually glue them in, they make an epoxy for that type of application. the only thing with this application is everything has to be extremly clean. hope this helps out.

 

[Camarogenius]

You can also buy a tool called a "Flanger" that you can use to crimp a flange all the way around the patch panel, (must notch the corners) and then the patch panel will sit level with the rest of the sheet metal surrounding it.

 

[payableondeath6]

welding those patch panels in is not that difficult to do, make sure when you cut the existing panel out try to get the after market panel as snug as possible on your edges with the least amout of gap as possible. when welding move around from spot to spot dont just start welding in one spot and continue welding, because it will generate to much heat in one spot and warp the mess out of the panel. there is another way of doing it also and you can actually glue them in, they make an epoxy for that type of application. the only thing with this application is everything has to be extremly clean. hope this helps out.

Thanks, that gives me a little confidence in doing it myself. The Harbor Freight el'cheapo MIG I'll probably be getting won't give me the duty cycle to warp it probably, but I'll definitely follow the advice to go spot to spot. This will probably be the welder unless I can find a decent used welder at a reasonable price ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94056 )

You can also buy a tool called a "Flanger" that you can use to crimp a flange all the way around the patch panel, (must notch the corners) and then the patch panel will sit level with the rest of the sheet metal surrounding it.

Looked on Harbor Freight's website and they don't show one. Now I know they've got crappy tools, but at this point that's the best I can afford

On a good note though, they did have that exact same ebay sandblaster gun so I can order it and the media when I order my welder for my b-day ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45998 ). Will this media work with that gun? ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93832 )

 

[payableondeath6]

Also, thought of another question as I read through more threads (only 79 pages of threads left and I've read almost all the IDI forum).

Since the truck has 119k miles (what I consider to be low miles), what would you all do sooner if you could turn the clock back to 119k? What mods, preventative stuff, or repairs would you have made sooner? Liking hydroboost and turbo, but the wallet doesn't have the surplus for either just yet.

 

[Agnem]

I think one area a lot of us ignore is the condition of the radiator core support where it rides on the body mount. That area tends to rust slowly away and I think more time could be bought if we occasionally got down in there and cleaned out the loose rust, treated it and kept paint on it. The frame mount tends to rust too, and getting the body mount bolt out is probaby an exercise in judicious torching. Clean your cab drains too. They tend to accumulate a lot of crud, and prevent good drainage.

 

[TLBREWER]

Not all strokers think that.

Or DMaxer's!

Tom

 

[payableondeath6]

I think one area a lot of us ignore is the condition of the radiator core support where it rides on the body mount. That area tends to rust slowly away and I think more time could be bought if we occasionally got down in there and cleaned out the loose rust, treated it and kept paint on it. The frame mount tends to rust too, and getting the body mount bolt out is probaby an exercise in judicious torching. Clean your cab drains too. They tend to accumulate a lot of crud, and prevent good drainage.

Thanks This kinda stuff along with other maintenance and mod advice is what I'm looking for to keep this thing around for a long while.

 

[payableondeath6]

Picked the truck up last night Was a decent drive on the hour and a half long trip home .

Talked with the previous owner about the PS fluid leak a little more too, guess since it was bone dry and he had some time he cleaned the lines off and added some fluid to watch where it was leaking from. He said he watched a drop form and come down from the resevoir and run down the cooler line and onto the ground, sounds like it's leaking where the resevoir attaches to the pump. So I assume I'm off to AutoZone for a new pump with resevoir ($44)? Doesn't seem too hard to change, any surprises to expect or special tools needed (don't have my manual yet)?

Also, today on the way into work (figured I'd run it good a couple days since the PO had sat it for a while, so 100 miles round trip today) it revved up pulling into the gas station, and noticed a couple times it seemed like the throttle "stuck" when I'd back off the pedal. Could this be an IP going south on me? Figured with 119k on her and it doesn't sound like the POs ever used any additives in the fuel (he kept AMAZING records on every tank of gas and everything else done with mileage and cost ) so maybe the IP just didn't get enough lubrication. I filled her up with new diesel this morning and on the way home will by some Power Service Performance and see if that makes any difference.

Finally (for now ), couple tidbits. Turns 2100rpm at 55, I'm guessing best mileage is under 2k rpm? Oil gauge (I know the factory ones suck) shows near the lower third of the safe range unless you're getting on it, should I add an oil pressure gauge to the EGT gauge that's already on my shopping list? How hard is an electric oil pressure gauge to hook up? PO put in a 180* T stat (don't know why?) so the temp gauge always stays at the lowest edge, should I change the T stat to something a little higher? And when I've got it in neutral and I release the clutch about 1 out of 3 times I get a little chatter also gives me some noise on shutdown (assumed it was just a diesel thing), is this the DMF going bad and I should start saving money for a SMF and clutch job? If so, how much does that typically run?

Getting a new air filter, oil, and oil filter also ASAP. Got a whole list of unexpected home repairs to take care of

 

[Agnem]

Yes, real gauges for all presures and temps is a good idea. The 180 degree thermostat is a red flag for me. A lot of auto stores sell thermostats for these, but we've found that the only correct thermostat is the one from Ford or IH, and they are offered in only 1 temp. I believe there is one other that is documented, but I can never remember it. The throttle sticking - if it's a mechanical feeling, check your throttle cable where the spring is over it at the IP. There is a plastic sleeve that often cracks, causing the inner and outer plastic pieces to catch on each other. Look up the Lucky Mod in our tech articles for the solution to your flywheel noise. Congrats on the new rig, and yes, under 2K for best fuel milage.

 

[payableondeath6]

Yes, real gauges for all presures and temps is a good idea. The 180 degree thermostat is a red flag for me. A lot of auto stores sell thermostats for these, but we've found that the only correct thermostat is the one from Ford or IH, and they are offered in only 1 temp. I believe there is one other that is documented, but I can never remember it. The throttle sticking - if it's a mechanical feeling, check your throttle cable where the spring is over it at the IP. There is a plastic sleeve that often cracks, causing the inner and outer plastic pieces to catch on each other. Look up the Lucky Mod in our tech articles for the solution to your flywheel noise. Congrats on the new rig, and yes, under 2K for best fuel milage.

I'll probably go with the EGT and oil pressure and a dual gauge pod from DPS then.

Is the t stat a big deal that it's not the right temp? I know I had a 180* in my F150 and it sucked in the winter time, but other than that no problems...but I'll change this one out if it's going to be a big deal.

I'll check the throttle cable, but when I pulled into the gas station it definitely was doing it's own thing So I'll also give the Power Service Performance a shot too.

I've seen the Lucky mod before and sounds like I'll have to give it a shot, doesn't sound fun though. I'll probably have to do the Heim joint mod too, to get 'er in 1st (which I don't use much) or reverse you really have to push the clutch to the floor, everything else takes decent pedal travel too, just nothing extreme like 1 or R.

 

[yARIC008]

Will this media work with that gun? ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93832 )

Cool, yeah, i got my gun from harbor freight actually too, after i bought the one from ebay, then when i got the one from ebay i returned that one to harbor freight. It was better than waiting for shipping to start my project. Anyways, just from the looks of it, i'd say that media won't work, it looks pretty big, but i could be wrong. It could just be an extreme close up... Says it fits in threads though, so it must be small... The stuff i got was basically like sand, it was some sort of crystal stuff in a big couple gallon jug. If you're ordering it all online you might email them and ask what sand/media is compatible with that gun.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

A lot of auto stores sell thermostats for these, but we've found that the only correct thermostat is the one from Ford or IH, and they are offered in only 1 temp. I believe there is one other that is documented, but I can never remember it.

Napa carries the correct one. Part # 385-190.
I've had one in the Beef now for 2 years without problems.
The outer rubber ring is removed for Ford apps.

 

[payableondeath6]

Cool, yeah, i got my gun from harbor freight actually too, after i bought the one from ebay, then when i got the one from ebay i returned that one to harbor freight. It was better than waiting for shipping to start my project. Anyways, just from the looks of it, i'd say that media won't work, it looks pretty big, but i could be wrong. It could just be an extreme close up... Says it fits in threads though, so it must be small... The stuff i got was basically like sand, it was some sort of crystal stuff in a big couple gallon jug. If you're ordering it all online you might email them and ask what sand/media is compatible with that gun.

yeah i thought it looked a little big, but i didn't know. i'll just swing by the hardware store and get some regular ol' silica sand.

how long would you figure it would take to sand blast the whole truck with a good compressor and that gun?

Napa carries the correct one. Part # 385-190.
I've had one in the Beef now for 2 years without problems.
The outer rubber ring is removed for Ford apps.

is it worth the hassle to change it over?

 

[yARIC008]

how long would you figure it would take to sand blast the whole truck with a good compressor and that gun?

Hm.. the whole truck. Probably quite a while, even with a really good gun. This one doesn't have a very wide spray so it'd probably take a good long while. Not to mention a ton of sand, unless you vacuumed up the old stuff and reuse it.