What I've been up to...

[Optikalillushun]

What I've been up to... (Updated 11/12/11, start up vid added)

After letting my truck sit most of the summer with work, now i have time (laid off) i can get some much needed work done before winter. So here is what i have done up to now.

Back in March i needed new batteries, and being one to never let anything go i figured ill upgrade to some G31s. So i bought two CAT G31 batteries from my local Ford dealer since i had a hook up on parts when i was working. I think they are 1000cca, and i paid around $160 for them. I also removed the battery cables, cleaned them up, repaired any damaged ends and replaced the terminals with lug style with solder plugs and HD adhesive shrink wrap. Then i cut two old floormats up to make flaps for the positive terminals so it doesnt short out on the hood.

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Next fast forward to about July, one of the few times i drove my diesel to work it left me stranded. So it was time to replace the starter. Bought a NEW gear reduction starter from Advance Auto for about $180, and had it R/R'd in like 20 minutes.

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After that nothing much happened until a few days ago when i got a bug up my ass to finally get goin on it. So now my next project is to upgrade the headlight wiring. I found this harness at the junkyard a while ago and it came with everything i need to set mine up, just have to add some lenght of wiring because i had to cut out some chaffed parts. I also found these really nice relay socket/pigtails and fuse holders at the Carlisle All Truck Nationals a few years ago. I still need a pic of the female plug that plugs into the old headlight harness to act as the turn on for the relays.

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(not the one i am using, but similiar)

Then in no particular order:
- 3G alternator with bussman fuse holder
- R/R the vacuum pump
- R/R the PS pump
- R/R all the belts
- Reinstall the rear tank and repair the damaged fuel lines going to the tank
- R/R the fuel line olvies
- JB Weld the fuel heater port
- Install the high idle mod
- Install the running light mod
- Install the pyro (may not happen)
- Have the exhaust redone
- Allignment
- Shocks

So at least i have stuff to keep me busy. Ill get some pics of how this round of repairs/mods go as i get them completed.

I do have one question, how to i set this lil ****** up? Its the equalizer for the parking brake.

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I have it adjsuted so its taught but my truck will still move with the parking brake enguaged. Obviously i have to re-adjust the brake shoes but how taught does that need to be? Probably a stupid question but i never delt with one of these before.

 

[seawalkersee]

The slack adjuster should be just shy of dragging on the rear shoes. You do not want it slapping around because then you will not have enough tension/pressure to hold the brakes.

SWS

 

[Optikalillushun]

Thanx, i figured thats how it should be. My soldering iron took a poop on me so i cant start soldering my headlight relay harness until i get a new one later today.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Ok back to this, after some other things the past few days i can get back to working on my truck. I found some better things to replace a few of the items i was going to use for the headlight upgrade.

New fuse block; uses a single wire and distributes it to size terminals with a rating of 30A each.

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Also, decided to use the 4 pole relays since they are more easily to find:

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And, since these have the tab mount moved to the side i went with a single relay pigtail for each instead of the duall:

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While rummaging around in my parts room i found my 3G alt:

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and 3G pigtail to convert over:

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when i went through it and painted it i had advance auto test the alt and i remember it putting out 168A @ 2,000 rpm and 102A @ idle (700 rpm).



Looks like my power wires to the glow plug relay are still in good shape, although i will run a single larger power wire to it. Does this need to be fused?

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so now, for the question. Is this just a regular ground wire?

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if so, can i replace it with a larger ground?

 

[Optikalillushun]

Got the relay harness all finished up. While getting the female socket that goes to the headlight harness ready to solder i found the wires were corroded up to the plug, so i trashed it. Have another idea in the works for that.

Harness semi-complete:

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Harness all done, wire loomed and ready to install:

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Note the exposed orange wire is for each headlight ground, and off the relay block is the power for the headlights and ground for the trigger.

My stash of parts used:

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shrink wrap connectors, shrink wrap, relay pigtail and relay

And the mock up filter head with the JB Weld Quik Steel:

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The (not used) female headlight plug:

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[Midwest_Mudder]

that wiring harness looks extremely close to the harness we pulled off my buddies truck last night. looks to be for a snow plow. the pink wire goes down to the running lights. nice find though!

 

[Optikalillushun]

Got the harness in and everything buttoned up tonight, works great. im fighting with my computer and uploading the pics. I did see about 1 1/2-2v gain over the stock wiring. i thought it looked like a plow lght set up but this truck didnt have a plow where i got it from. i dunno but it worked for my needs and worked well.

Also while i had the truck runnin i could see fuel drippin off the fuel filter and seen bubbles comin out the fuel heater!!! i didnt think it was leakin that bad, dammit.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Took it for a ride tonight and i must say, that extra 1 1/2-2V made a huge difference. The low beams are like the highbeams, i can see the lights two blocks away. the high beams are like stadium lights...and all im running for bulbs are sylvania xtravision (20% brighter than stock).

Tomorrow i am going to wetsand and polish my lenses again as they are starting to yellow a bit since i did it last (winter 08, a few months after i bought it).

any ideas on that ground wire? im going to take a ride to advance and pick up some pre-made 2 awg battery cables to installed the 3G and run from the GP solenoid to the starter solenoid.

I also forgot to mention i leveled the front end out, had to use three leaves to get it sittin level. I used leaves from two old F-150 rear spring packs plus the overloads. Didnt realize the front end was squattin a good 2-21/2 inches. The ride isnt much worse than before (its a wun tun 4wd, what ya expect).

here is how it sat, all stock except the 315/75/16 tires:

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here it is leveled out (it is saggin in the ass, i have 1500 lbs of scrap waiting to get junked) but u can see how much the front came up:

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[Optikalillushun]

Everything mounted up (u can see where i had to lower the relays as the hood hindge was hitting them, my fault!):

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and my temp fix for the signal wire to the relays:

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and the once again leaky fuel heater!:

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its pretty bad, but until it stops raining and i can get into the garage to tear into it, im going to have to live with it.

 

[askikr79]

Nice job cleaning things up.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Thanks, its a lot of fixing what Ford should have done in the first place but worth it. I did the 3G on my other truck after the alt went up in flames and almost took out my truck...now these arent the old 2gs but i like the better output. thats next on the list.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Got some more work done. Wasnt happy with my first attempt at deleting the fuel heater so i bought some JB Weld and got to work on my good extra filter head. Gutted it and made a plate to cover the hole on the bottom:

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Then i filled the hole in with more JB Weld:

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after it sets and dries fully im gunna sand the bottom and top to make it look factory.

While that was setting up i decided to take full advantage of the headlight mod by wetsanding and polishing my headlights. Here are the supplies i used:

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Before:

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After:

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Not to bad i think for 15 minutes of work and about $30 in supplies. I should note, they look way better than the pics. The outside lighting threw off the picture a little, they are almost completly like new save for some fogging on the inside from all the moisture from the rain we had. I also ordered new mirrors for my truck, and a little present i shall tell about once they arrive.

 

[papastruck]

Nice thread. My wiring looks like spaghetti with the add-ons that have been accumulating. Need to get on that before something bad happens.

 

[GOOSE]

You have me interested in the mirrors Nice upgrades, the headlight mods are on my list of things to do also.

 

[89ford]

Where did you get the running lights like that?