Engineering Some Thump

Suppose it might fit under here?

This week I'm beginning the search for stereo components for the old truck. My plan--though it's only in pencil at the moment--is to take a weekend in October to tear the entire interior out and build the perfect beast.

This will not be a standard stereo installation. I've got some significant obstacles to clear. In most pick-up truck installations, amps and subwoofers can be built into wedges behind the seat. The 1970 F100s, however, carry the gas tank there. (Yep, that's a little scary.) My first decision, then, is whether or not to relocate the fuel tank to the rear underside of the truck. That's much more costly and involved than you might think. If I were doing a restoration or resto-modification to this truck, then I would likely go for it. But since my aim for the time being is a daily-driver and not spending too much money, I've decided to leave the petrol as close to my behind as possible. Yes, my friends, this is a whole new reason why you don't want to smoke in my truck!

Without moving the gas tank, I've no space behind my seat. So, where to locate a 12" subwoofer and 1600 watt amplifier?

Then there are the speakers to consider. Where to mount a couple of 3-way speakers since the door panels have window mechanisms behind them and kick-panels are utilized for vents?

Finally, there is that dash speaker opening that houses (still) a crusty and dusty Ford factory cone--I can't wait to get that thing on the bench and see what it looks like. What kind of creative use can I make of that hole? A tweeter? Narly! (In my best Spiccoli voice.)

So I'm crawling around the cab with a tape-measure and crawling the internet looking for components that might work with the limitations I'm facing. I'll keep you posted.

Look What I Got!

...nothing to it. My putty job, a couple of marker lights and an ounce of charm (the truck's charm, not mine), and the man slapped the sticker on the glass. My 1970 Ford F100 is street legal. Imagine that! No emissions test. No check engine lights. No sensors. Just tires, brakes, lights and a horn--my lawn mower could have passed--and we're on the road.

Oh, but I did find a little tranny fluid leak, so don't let me park in your driveway until I get it fixed. In the meantime, anybody got an extra quart of Type F?

Hit The Brakes

My power brake booster came in Friday. I was able to set aside a couple of hours on Sunday evening to get at replacing the bad one. Piece of cake, really: one vacuum line, one bolt under the dashboard, four at the firewall and two nuts to drop off the master cylinder. But when I dropped off the master cylinder I discovered that brake fluid had been leaking into the booster--likely what caused the booster to fail. So, you know what that meant.

I called the parts house just as they were closing Sunday night. They ordered a replacement master cylinder for me, due in Monday morning.

I spent my Labor Day morning laboring (in a fun way) on replacing the master cylinder and bleeding the brake system. Guess what? A new booster and new master cylinder and the old truck stops like it's supposed to. Gotta love it.

Now, if only my running lights would get here from National Parts Depot! I'm that close to passing inspection.

Once Upon A Time

...I was pretty good with putty.

"Smooth as a baby's hiney," as my dad used to say. I'm not after a perfect fix, just trying to buy myself a couple of years (and get an inspection sticker).

Pre-Inspection

Thanks to Joshua, we took a once over of the old Ford before he charges me for an inspection. I had planned to fail the inspection and get a list of what I needed to repair. I began with those words--his suggestion was to produce a list without having to put the truck in the system. Cool.

He noted, "It's a 1970. I was born in '84, so I'll show some respect to my elders." I'm pretty sure he meant the car, not me.

It figured to fail because I still haven't replaced the power brake booster. There's no overlooking it--the brakes sound like a whoopie cushion when you step on the pedel, and step on it you must--you need to really want to stop. But, the brakes would pass. "They work." Sure they do. (An aside: my booster actually comes in overnight tonight, so I'll be picking it up tomorrow and we'll be stopping with ease soon.)

The front suspension was an initial worry. A little play there--until we determined it was a bearing torque issue not a suspension problem. Whew! Gotta love the old days. When was the last time you packed a wheel bearing? I'm on it, baby!

There seems to be an issue with my back-up lights. They come on. But they also flicker off. We saw them... for a second. Then we didn't. We're guessing it is some kind of a short--perhaps at the shifter. Oh joy. That will be fun to track down.

"These marker lights need to be replaced," he pointed to a hole in the bed where a light once resided. I figured they were missing for years. They didn't care in NY. But this is NH. $9.95 from National Parts Depot (they'll arrive Saturday) and we're in business.

So lights. That's it! I'm ready to do a backflip.

"You need to do something about those holes, too." Joshua pointed to a series of small rust holes across the front of the hood. "Can't have any rust holes." You've got to be kidding me. I have to do body work to pass inspection? I could understand rust on the frame or chasis--but the front lip of the hood? "Slap some putty in 'em and she'll pass."

Gotcha. The words "she'll pass" registered. A little putty. A couple of marker lights. A bit of wiring diagnosis. Then I'll have a road-ready 1970 Ford F100.

Pics of the repairs... I'm on it. My goal is to have that inspection sticker Monday. Oh, and with a new brake booster to boot.

Her Roots

When I bought the truck last week the previous owner told me he bought the truck in North Carolina a few years ago. That's all the history I know. When I commented about the color--Grabber Blue--he told me, "Yeah, that's the original color too.

The vehicle identification data plate offers up a historical sketch.

The old girl rolled off the line at Ford's Norfolk, Virginia plant back in March of 1970. Her 360cid powerplant is original. She was ordered by a dealer in the Richmond district.

The man who sold her to me was mistaken about the color code, however. You see, it reads 'J'. That was indeed Grabber Blue... in 1970 Mustangs. But not F series trucks. In 1970 F-100 speak, 'J' meant red. She rolled off the line red! That's about as far from Grabber Blue as you can get. But, poking around the car you can see that she's been blue through at least a few paint jobs. I haven't actually found evidence of red roots.

She's a full-bodied model--tipping the scales at a gross vehicle weight of 4500lbs atop the long 131 inch wheel base. She 'boasted' 170 horsepower at 4100 rpm stock. Dude, I wouldn't have admitted that on a VIN data plate. Oh boy! That's like Volkswagon Gulf power! Good thing they upgraded her intake, carb and ignition when they did.

That's about all the date plate is going to offer up. Poking around has given me a few more glimpses into her past. The fact that the guy who sold her to me is a paint guy is evident--wherever there were imperfections there is fresh touch up paint applied. One of the previous owners had no clue that he had no clue about automotive wiring--there are wiring gaffs left and right under her dash. More on those discoveries in time.

So Simple

Task number one with the new truck is passing New Hampshire's vehicle inspection. These inspections are actually the reason I opted to go old instead of new with the truck--no 'check engine' lights or emissions sensors!

My punchlist is pretty short. The power brake booster is shot. It sucks wind--literally--when I depress the brake pedal. No sweat. I also have to wire in a horn and glue a rear view mirror to the windshield. Once I get those things accomplished, we'll go see what the inspector has to say. Ha! Can't wait.

On a personal note, one of my pet peeves is the bad window tint on this truck. I'm a bit of a purist--give me a razor blade and a half-hour and I'll take care of it.

I love that these old cars are so simple. Fuses. Not PCM computers or logic centers. Wires. Not fusable links and breakers. Common sense. Not sensors looking at other sensors. Old school!

In With The Old

...out with the new.

In July I sold my 2002 Mustang. It had served me well. I bought it new and put 118k miles on it in seven years. In thinking about a replacement one thing was certain--it would be another Ford.

You see my wife drives a '08 Ford Taurus X, which we bought to replace our old Windstar that had given us upwards of 200k miles of trouble-free service. Come to think of it, that Windstar replaced an earlier Windstar that took us up over 150k. Did I mention we run some serious miles as a family? But as the kids are growing up a bit, my wife was ready to leave mini-van purgatory for something a little more sporty.

A couple years ago we put our oldest daughter in an '03 Taurus. You know how it is--safety, reliability... get her a Taurus. So as our second daughter is approaching driving age--you guessed it--we picked her up a '96. I have some TLC sort of work to do on it, but I expect it will serve her well.

Oh, and then there is the other woman in my life. Well, that's what my wife calls her, anyway. She's a 1967 Mustang that lives in my garage. She's still several weekends and a few thousand dollars away from re-entering the streets, but when she does she will turn some heads. I picked her up a few years back and we (my daughters helped too) stripped her to the frame.

Now, I always try to be a good citizen. You know how the government has been stressing this 'Cash for Clunkers' program? Well, I'm all about it. I got together some cash and set out to find me a clunker!

Monday of this week I found my new Ford. My wife and youngest daughter joined me for the ten hour round trip--we drove to Binghamton, NY and bought a 1970 Ford F100 pick-up. Oh she's a beauty! She'll get at least 8 miles to the gallon. She'll produce enough emissions to melt some polar caps. She'll just about stand on her rear wheels when you put your foot in the carb, and that's good because sometimes when you work for the Lord you have to go very fast. That's her in the header of this page. I think I'll call her Allie... after Al Gore.

I started this blog to chronicle my automotive journey--some stories and pictures of the cars, our work on them, and the ways in which we get the most out of them. If you're a fan of the old Ford F-Series trucks or Classic Mustangs, I'll share most about them. If you're just a plain old Ford guy or gal, you've stumbled upon a kindred soul. Come along for the ride.