My 72 F100 " Slow Ride " update * 3 - 7 - 09 *

[AlleyCat]

Hi all. I've been busy all winter getting ready to do some upgrades to my 72.First up is the disc brake swap.This stuff came from a 76 F100.The donor truck had got all new tie rods and king pins less than 2k before it was parked.I replaced the bushings then cleaned and painted everything.


The drum brakes Got R Done for 35 years but they are headed for retirement.


Had it all on the ground with hand tools in about an hour and a half.Worst part was the left radius bushing.Rust buildup had it married to the bracket.


The "new" front suspension is in.Tonight I'm going to mount the prop valve and start bending lines.

More pics and goodies to come.

[MadMaxetc]

Have fun my man. I just did the same thing not to long ago (well, last year. )

Looking good!

[67mann]

Great seeing fresh paint--ain't it---looks good --let me know how it goes--will be using a 76 donor too,but will have to replace alot with new parts- are you using your coils or 76 coils?

nevermind I see nice painted ones now

[AlleyCat]

All the suspension is bolted up except for the sway bar.I want the wheels on the ground before I mark and drill the holes for the frame brackets.



67mann, yes I used the 76 coils.The lower end of the dent coils are a bit different than bump coils.I replaced a lot too but I figured for a limited use vehicle I might have to reline the brakes in about 10 years.

[truckguy]

Lookin good.
Kyle

[1971ford]

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet

[67mann]

First off--I've read&read the tutorial,keith posted,but until its hands on for me---sometimes I don't comprehend. So clay,when I get to this stage(soon I hope)of swaping.I need to hold off on sway bar parts?(is this an optional part or it comes on 76trucks?)until I have motor weight back in truck or just tires on?

Oh & by the way looking good

[AlleyCat]

First off--I've read&read the tutorial,keith posted,but until its hands on for me---sometimes I don't comprehend. So clay,when I get to this stage(soon I hope)of swaping.I need to hold off on sway bar parts?(is this an optional part or it comes on 76trucks?)until I have motor weight back in truck or just tires on?

Oh & by the way looking good

Thanks for the compliments all.

67mann, the sway bar was an option.Mine came from a same year F250 CS.They were available on 73-79 trucks.I believe there were 2 different diameters but they are an easy swap for our trucks.Any 73-79 F100,F150 and F250 2 WD will work. They are most commonly found on trucks that had Camper or Trailer special packages.

[67mann]

I'll probaly wait and see how she handles(2-3yrs from now)when its done. I doubt my old 76(the truck I'm getting back)f100custom has one either

[dcbullet]

Very nice clean work.

[AlleyCat]

A little update. Earlier in the week I got all the brake lines replaced, the brakes bled and adjusted the toe in.Took it for a road test.Big difference. Panic stop now involves a lot less panic and a lot more stop. I still have the sway bar to install which will get done this week.Today I brought it home for awhile cleaned it up and mounted my junk box in the bed.



I'm not much of a carpenter but I'm happy with it.The side with the oval is the door.I built it like that so I don't have to unsnap the tonneau cover when I need to get something.It's anchored with ratchet straps so I could avoid drilling any holes.



Some folks consider a cell phone to be their emergency equipment.Not me.I carry lots of stuff.Here are a couple things.The reflectors on the left were common before reflective triangles.They also have red flags that mount on them.On the right is a bulb can.It holds 1 headlight, several small bulbs and fuses.Although rarely found in pickups they were common in big trucks in the bump era.

More to come.Thanks for looking.

[truckguy]

For not being much of a carpenter, the box looks good and the cool looking reflectors for the original look.
Kyle

[AlleyCat]

It was a nice sunny weekend here so I just had to bring my 72 out.Got some stuff done too.First off I removed the auxilary gas tank.I don't need it and the extra space will make lots of room for dual exhaust.Next up I went over all the gas lines.To my surprise all the steel lines are in excellent shape.I replaced the rubber hoses.While in process with the gas lines the remains of the evaporative emission system kind of fell off. Since I couldn't figure out where the stuff went I chucked it in the scrap.Next up was to fix the mirrors.I'm fussy on some things and mirrors are one of them.

Before. Rusty hardware, mounted too low for me and a lack of spot mirrors.


After. All new stainless hardware, flat mirrors where I like them and convex mirrors that are both functional and proportionate to the flat mirrors.



Rear view.



PENNDOT accepted it for antique plates but only after I removed the trailer hitch.I'm now gathering up parts to eliminate some more of the butchered up wiring and hoses.I got some more goodies too. If you like what you see stay tuned, there's more to come.

[1971ford]

Awesome!

cant wait for more updates.....

[Thunderfoot]

Looking good Clay! Wish the weather would straighten up around here longer then a day or two so I could work on mine some more. (springtime yardwork gets the priority on the good days this time of year )