The PPD, repairs, upgrades, and general debauchery.
06-18-2017, 10:45 AM
#11
Senior Member
I was looking at the Redhead steering boxes, but then found one on e-Bay that said it was "Motorcraft rebuild", so put that in instead. What a waste of money! It worked better than the original for just a few months and now is probably worse than the original! So I'll put up with it for awhile, and get the Redhead unit eventually. Should have just spent the money to begin with rather than cheap out...
07-05-2017, 04:12 PM
#12
Well, I cheaped out on the Oreilly steering box, and I'm glad I did. It works fine for now. The problem is the transmissions AND transfer case both took a dump on me, and for different reasons.
$3500.....
$3500.....
07-23-2017, 11:21 AM
#13
I was looking at the Redhead steering boxes, but then found one on e-Bay that said it was "Motorcraft rebuild", so put that in instead. What a waste of money! It worked better than the original for just a few months and now is probably worse than the original! So I'll put up with it for awhile, and get the Redhead unit eventually. Should have just spent the money to begin with rather than cheap out...
The truck is headed back to the shop that did the trans work tomorrow because the pan leaks like a sieve. They're going to fix it under the warranty.
Also, I have a complete top end for the 351 now - A set of Dart Windsor Jr heads with roller rockers and a GT-40 lower intake paired with an explorer upper. I still need a throttle body and am debating on whether or not I want a cam. The truck is SD still, so if I did anything, Id find a cam from an 86 mustang GT. Supposed to be a good factory SD cam, and better than what's in the truck now without getting aggressive.
08-09-2017, 03:46 PM
#14
I'm still slowly plugging away at the paint job. After the costs associated with the transmission replacement, I have no money left for this truck. Therefore, I cheaped out and have been working with Rustoleum.
What a pain in the ***. If you spend .5 seconds on google, you find 10 different ways to thin/spray the stuff. I started at 5:1 (paint:acetone) and it came out like bed liner the orange peel was so bad. Next I went 4:1, then 3:1 before actually talking to someone who has done it before and they SWORE 1:1 was the way to go. I ended up going 1.5:1 and it laid out pretty damn smooth. The plan is to wet sand it down to get the trash and light peel off and go over it with some cheap Omni clear.
First few pics are of the real bad orange peel, last couple are the best to date. Still have a fender to paint, may go 1:1 on that one and see where it gets me.
What a pain in the ***. If you spend .5 seconds on google, you find 10 different ways to thin/spray the stuff. I started at 5:1 (paint:acetone) and it came out like bed liner the orange peel was so bad. Next I went 4:1, then 3:1 before actually talking to someone who has done it before and they SWORE 1:1 was the way to go. I ended up going 1.5:1 and it laid out pretty damn smooth. The plan is to wet sand it down to get the trash and light peel off and go over it with some cheap Omni clear.
First few pics are of the real bad orange peel, last couple are the best to date. Still have a fender to paint, may go 1:1 on that one and see where it gets me.
Last edited by Hoopty5.0; 08-09-2017 at 03:49 PM.
09-15-2017, 03:46 PM
#15
Eh, well, I bailed on the paint project. I just dont have that kind of time.
I DID order a superlift add-a-leaf kit to help deter the nasty California lean I have going on. Any experience with those?
I DID order a superlift add-a-leaf kit to help deter the nasty California lean I have going on. Any experience with those?
02-14-2018, 04:08 PM
#16
Long time, no update as I've just been driving the truck as needed.
What started out a as very gradual coolant leak at the front of the intake steadily got worse over the last few months. The very front bolt on the intake on the drivers side rotten out and broke. The water jacket spews water to the point that I had to park the truck.
Instead of drilling it out or replacing the head, I decided to pull some parts together to improve the power of the truck. So far, I have:
- GT-40 lower intake (marine iron version) with an explorer upper
- GT-40P heads
- 1.72 rockers
- HO cam out of a mustang
- Long tube headers
- Still need to find an electric fan and I'd really like a bigger radiator.
I figure that should put me just north of 250whp. The mustang guys all got 260-270+ from their setups on 302s, but they also weren't going through an E4OD either. I'm also considering the extra cubes of my 351 to be negligible.
The end result is to be able to easily pull a 30' camper. we shall see.
I'm going to do a little bowl work on the heads and grind down the EGR bump too, so that should be some benefit as well. Debating on milling them down.... This wasn't meant to be a high dollar project, but here we are.
I'll post pictures if anyone cares, otherwise I'll continue talking to the wind.
What started out a as very gradual coolant leak at the front of the intake steadily got worse over the last few months. The very front bolt on the intake on the drivers side rotten out and broke. The water jacket spews water to the point that I had to park the truck.
Instead of drilling it out or replacing the head, I decided to pull some parts together to improve the power of the truck. So far, I have:
- GT-40 lower intake (marine iron version) with an explorer upper
- GT-40P heads
- 1.72 rockers
- HO cam out of a mustang
- Long tube headers
- Still need to find an electric fan and I'd really like a bigger radiator.
I figure that should put me just north of 250whp. The mustang guys all got 260-270+ from their setups on 302s, but they also weren't going through an E4OD either. I'm also considering the extra cubes of my 351 to be negligible.
The end result is to be able to easily pull a 30' camper. we shall see.
I'm going to do a little bowl work on the heads and grind down the EGR bump too, so that should be some benefit as well. Debating on milling them down.... This wasn't meant to be a high dollar project, but here we are.
I'll post pictures if anyone cares, otherwise I'll continue talking to the wind.
02-14-2018, 04:23 PM
#17
Also, here's some pics from my annual beach camping trip with my buddies. Overall, I love the BDS lift. I don't love picking up heavy stuff and trying to lift it way up into the bed now. I am SO glad I didn't go for the 6" and 35s, haha!
The following 2 users liked this post by Hoopty5.0:
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02-14-2018, 08:28 PM
#18
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Memphis, TN, Earth, Milky Way
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A truck is not a car, and its engine needs to perform differently. If you plan to tow & haul, you should stay with a truck cam. A big hp number at a screamin' RPM won't do you any good when you need to get a lot of weight moving from a stop, or going up a hill, or into the passing lane.That's a lot of money & effort for very little benefit (if any). And there will be lots of hassles that cancel out any marginal benefit: leaks, underhood heat, & likely frame interference, just to start with.
That will ROB hp. The engine has to make MORE power to drive the belt to spin the alternator with the higher load of a fan to push all that current through wires to spin a motor with a big blade, than it would if the blade was simply connected to the belt by a clutch. It takes complex PCM programming & a stepper fan motor with a driver module to get SLIGHTLY better economy from an e-fan than a clutch fan.The only way to do that is to buy a heavier, or a newer truck. And don't lift it, or put oversize tires on it. Your truck will "easily" pull a 30' trailer right now.
...up to ~35mph. After that, it's just not heavy or powerful enough to control that much weight spread out that far with that much wind blowing it around. Especially not when your truck's CG is that high, and sitting on tires with tall sidewalls.
It's really not expensive or difficult to fix the rusted-out intake bolt, and get back to enjoying the truck as much as it looks like you were in those pics.
...up to ~35mph. After that, it's just not heavy or powerful enough to control that much weight spread out that far with that much wind blowing it around. Especially not when your truck's CG is that high, and sitting on tires with tall sidewalls.
It's really not expensive or difficult to fix the rusted-out intake bolt, and get back to enjoying the truck as much as it looks like you were in those pics.
Last edited by Steve83; 02-14-2018 at 08:30 PM.
02-15-2018, 09:02 AM
#19
Steve, I was preparing myself for a good lesson when i started reading this, but the further I read, the more I was confused by your comments.
I'll agree that the engines are required to operate in different RPM bands. However, the parts I've selected are not high rpm race parts. So that point doesn't hold much water in this case. But also to that point - some F-150s did in fact come with HO roller cams from the factory... Although most didn't.
But for the sake of comparison - What I've built here is very similar (not the same) to a lightning motor. Instead of GT-40 heads, I went with the later model P head. The main difference being a smaller (58cc) chamber. The stock 351w made 315lbft @ 2800 rpm. The lightning made 340 lbft @ 3200. I dare say that the smaller chambers and LT headers will help that. How much is speculative right now, so I won't argue that point. But the point here is that with heads this small, the cam selection really won't do much. I REALLY wish I could find the factory lightning cam specs and compare them to the HO cam. I'll keep looking.
As for your 'lot of money' comment, what's your idea of a lot? The cam was $20. The 1.72 ratio rockers were $100. The heads? $200. Im going to replace the springs too, so add in another $110. I already had the gaskets leftover from previous builds. So the entire head/cam swap will cost me under $430.
Again.. lot of money? No. I traded an MSD box for them. Effort? How? I'm already tearing the motor down. Hassles - leaks? Not if you do it right. Underhood heat? They're ceramic coated. I've measured a 200° difference in coated versus non-coated. Likely frame interference? I can see Hedmans ad now - Buy our headers, they might fit! ....Also not very plausible. And in the case I do have to massage with a BFH.... They were free-ish so... oh well.
Moving on now...
Please, PLEASE find me concrete proof of this. Can you quantify these comments? I can quantify how much a clutch fan robs. Watch this:
I will be shocked if you can prove with hard evidence that the current draw on an alternator takes even half as much as a clutch fan.
Uhh it does? I can control my e-fan on my mustang via megasquirt by sending a 5v signal to a relay for on/off control. The only PWM controls that I can think of otherwise is on the IAC. But that's got nothing to do with my truck, id be more likely to use an aftermarket controller instead. How is it that every aftermarket e-fan controller uses a temp probe and relays and doesn't require hacking into the factory PCM to adjust PWM? Again, please find me proof.
Sooo... People never towed campers before the newer trucks came out? Gotcha. But see the below comment on "heavier"
Well it is "lifted" in that it has an add-a-leaf kit. According to the MFG, it adds 900lbs of payload capacity. But again, I have a hard time believing you can't tow a trailer with these trucks. I live in Houston and every other truck towing a trailer is some ragged out OBS.
Please don't take my comments as being rude. I come from the Mustang world and know the pushrod motors relatively well. I built the megasquirt that controls the 351 in my turbo mustang so I also have a pretty good understanding of how the electronics work. Had I stumbled in here not knowing a thing about motors, I'd have probably said, "well damn, ok then." But there's a lot of speculation that I believe to be false in your post(s). I'd appreciate you providing factual evidence to back up your speculations.
I really really can't swallow the charge that an E7-headed-factory-intake 351 is going to do anything better than a 351 with a GT40 top end except suck.
Thanks for your time.
- Collin
A truck is not a car, and its engine needs to perform differently. If you plan to tow & haul, you should stay with a truck cam. A big hp number at a screamin' RPM won't do you any good when you need to get a lot of weight moving from a stop, or going up a hill, or into the passing lane.That's a lot of money & effort for very little benefit (if any).
But for the sake of comparison - What I've built here is very similar (not the same) to a lightning motor. Instead of GT-40 heads, I went with the later model P head. The main difference being a smaller (58cc) chamber. The stock 351w made 315lbft @ 2800 rpm. The lightning made 340 lbft @ 3200. I dare say that the smaller chambers and LT headers will help that. How much is speculative right now, so I won't argue that point. But the point here is that with heads this small, the cam selection really won't do much. I REALLY wish I could find the factory lightning cam specs and compare them to the HO cam. I'll keep looking.
As for your 'lot of money' comment, what's your idea of a lot? The cam was $20. The 1.72 ratio rockers were $100. The heads? $200. Im going to replace the springs too, so add in another $110. I already had the gaskets leftover from previous builds. So the entire head/cam swap will cost me under $430.
Moving on now...
That will ROB hp. The engine has to make MORE power to drive the belt to spin the alternator with the higher load of a fan to push all that current through wires to spin a motor with a big blade, than it would if the blade was simply connected to the belt by a clutch. It takes complex PCM programming & a stepper fan motor with a driver module to get SLIGHTLY better economy from an e-fan than a clutch fan.
I will be shocked if you can prove with hard evidence that the current draw on an alternator takes even half as much as a clutch fan.
Sooo... People never towed campers before the newer trucks came out? Gotcha. But see the below comment on "heavier"
And don't lift it, or put oversize tires on it. Your truck will "easily" pull a 30' trailer right now.
...up to ~35mph. After that, it's just not heavy or powerful enough to control that much weight spread out that far with that much wind blowing it around. Especially not when your truck's CG is that high, and sitting on tires with tall sidewalls.
...up to ~35mph. After that, it's just not heavy or powerful enough to control that much weight spread out that far with that much wind blowing it around. Especially not when your truck's CG is that high, and sitting on tires with tall sidewalls.
Please don't take my comments as being rude. I come from the Mustang world and know the pushrod motors relatively well. I built the megasquirt that controls the 351 in my turbo mustang so I also have a pretty good understanding of how the electronics work. Had I stumbled in here not knowing a thing about motors, I'd have probably said, "well damn, ok then." But there's a lot of speculation that I believe to be false in your post(s). I'd appreciate you providing factual evidence to back up your speculations.
I really really can't swallow the charge that an E7-headed-factory-intake 351 is going to do anything better than a 351 with a GT40 top end except suck.
Thanks for your time.
- Collin
Last edited by Hoopty5.0; 02-15-2018 at 09:13 AM.
02-15-2018, 11:41 AM
#20
Senior Member
Hehe, this debate should be fun.
Steve83 is right about the towing. The biggest obstacle to towing and hauling heavy payloads on an F150 is the rear axle. Most notable the rear axle bearings. On the OBS F250 and F350's you see with the Sterling 10.25 full floating rear axles, the actual stress is placed almost completely on the axle shaft. In the F150, the stress is almost completely on the bearings.
That's not to say I haven't loaded 2000 lbs into my F150 that has F250 rear leaf springs in it. But don't believe for one second that the "add a leaf" gives you extra payload capacity. It just fools you into thinking you can do more, when the weak spot isn't even the spring at all.
Steve83 is right about the towing. The biggest obstacle to towing and hauling heavy payloads on an F150 is the rear axle. Most notable the rear axle bearings. On the OBS F250 and F350's you see with the Sterling 10.25 full floating rear axles, the actual stress is placed almost completely on the axle shaft. In the F150, the stress is almost completely on the bearings.
That's not to say I haven't loaded 2000 lbs into my F150 that has F250 rear leaf springs in it. But don't believe for one second that the "add a leaf" gives you extra payload capacity. It just fools you into thinking you can do more, when the weak spot isn't even the spring at all.