I've been trying to get a good bit of work done this winter on the 7.3 while I drive the 6.9, and I've had some comical screw ups along the way I just have to mention..
I put my 3G alternator in, worked great but the belts always screeched. I took a suggestion from someone on here to use my old pulley instead of the dual groove one that came with the new 3g alternator (even though it said it was for an IDI) and it helped but didn't fix it. Then I got to thinking I can't tighten this belt anymore.. but I use the short vbelt that only goes around the water pump so maybe that is why I have a screech. Sure enough my ps/ac belts weren't tight enough to drive the water pump pulley hard enough when the 3g needed a full draw.
I did the clutch pedal assembly swap, but didn't put the steering column back in correctly. Then I stood beside the truck trying to figure out how my steering wheel was 180* off (upside down) when the truck was pointed straight. I took the 13mm bolt out of the shaft under the hood, and realized that I couldn't put the shaft back on the steering column side 180* the other way to make it right. Turns out, my intermediate shaft came off when I pulled the column and since it has the flat side to make it only go one way on the column side, I had to rotate it. Then the steering wheel was finally right.
Then I didn't hook the speedo cable back up. After leaving it out of the trans and puking fluid all over my garage floor.
My inspection plate started clacking after my smf conversion, that was scary.
Then I went to change the zf5 shifter bushings, and apparently the metal part of my "stick" that goes in the top of my trans was worn on my old shifter that was already assembled, it still felt so loose even with the new plastic pieces. My trans was from a 90, but I put in a 95 zf5 from a powerstroke that was fully rebuilt but 2wd and a guy near me was getting rid of it. He gave me the top part of the shifter but not the stick so I had just re-used mine. I took the stick and bolted it to the middle portion with the plastic pieces, put new bushings on it and now its super tight.
After all of this, all is well that ends well. I drove the truck to work tonight and everything is working perfectly.
My only complaint after all of this, is my new clutch pedal assembly is 95% travel, my old one was like at best 60% cause of how worn it was, but my "missing" % in the new assembly I got from a parts truck isn't the bushings, it's the little stupid pin on the swing arm, it's not worn away though on the eyelet for the pushrod, the pin is pressed in and not welded to the swing arm and it moves the tiniest amount ever in the swing arm.
I thought about trying to zap the back of it with the old wire welder in the cab, but I'll likely catch the truck on fire lol.. it's so much better than what I was dealing with, I just really am picking at hairs with that tiny movement I held a tape measure by the pedal and it loses me 1/4" of travel on the clutch at the foot part of the pedal its nothing.
I didn't realize these things were ever pressed in and not welded. I wish I would have saw this while it was out on the bench, but the pin is so tight to the pushrod I didn't want to delay driving the truck any longer to do the heim joint mod either with all new parts I just greased it well. The pedal is super easy to push. I might still try to tack that pin, I just hate welding in confined spots like that.
Aren't old trucks fun? lol..
I put my 3G alternator in, worked great but the belts always screeched. I took a suggestion from someone on here to use my old pulley instead of the dual groove one that came with the new 3g alternator (even though it said it was for an IDI) and it helped but didn't fix it. Then I got to thinking I can't tighten this belt anymore.. but I use the short vbelt that only goes around the water pump so maybe that is why I have a screech. Sure enough my ps/ac belts weren't tight enough to drive the water pump pulley hard enough when the 3g needed a full draw.
I did the clutch pedal assembly swap, but didn't put the steering column back in correctly. Then I stood beside the truck trying to figure out how my steering wheel was 180* off (upside down) when the truck was pointed straight. I took the 13mm bolt out of the shaft under the hood, and realized that I couldn't put the shaft back on the steering column side 180* the other way to make it right. Turns out, my intermediate shaft came off when I pulled the column and since it has the flat side to make it only go one way on the column side, I had to rotate it. Then the steering wheel was finally right.
Then I didn't hook the speedo cable back up. After leaving it out of the trans and puking fluid all over my garage floor.
My inspection plate started clacking after my smf conversion, that was scary.
Then I went to change the zf5 shifter bushings, and apparently the metal part of my "stick" that goes in the top of my trans was worn on my old shifter that was already assembled, it still felt so loose even with the new plastic pieces. My trans was from a 90, but I put in a 95 zf5 from a powerstroke that was fully rebuilt but 2wd and a guy near me was getting rid of it. He gave me the top part of the shifter but not the stick so I had just re-used mine. I took the stick and bolted it to the middle portion with the plastic pieces, put new bushings on it and now its super tight.
After all of this, all is well that ends well. I drove the truck to work tonight and everything is working perfectly.
My only complaint after all of this, is my new clutch pedal assembly is 95% travel, my old one was like at best 60% cause of how worn it was, but my "missing" % in the new assembly I got from a parts truck isn't the bushings, it's the little stupid pin on the swing arm, it's not worn away though on the eyelet for the pushrod, the pin is pressed in and not welded to the swing arm and it moves the tiniest amount ever in the swing arm.
I thought about trying to zap the back of it with the old wire welder in the cab, but I'll likely catch the truck on fire lol.. it's so much better than what I was dealing with, I just really am picking at hairs with that tiny movement I held a tape measure by the pedal and it loses me 1/4" of travel on the clutch at the foot part of the pedal its nothing.
I didn't realize these things were ever pressed in and not welded. I wish I would have saw this while it was out on the bench, but the pin is so tight to the pushrod I didn't want to delay driving the truck any longer to do the heim joint mod either with all new parts I just greased it well. The pedal is super easy to push. I might still try to tack that pin, I just hate welding in confined spots like that.
Aren't old trucks fun? lol..
