Slash's '85 Ford Pickup: Fuel Injection!!

[Slash]

Awesome progress. Coming along really really well! Looking forward to future updates.

Thanks bud!


Painted and cleared the other fender today. They are more scarlet/orange than the pictures show.

 

[Slash]

Two hockey pucks and some big stack of washers by the hood was the right measurement where the front end needed to be realigned to sit level...where its supposed to. Off by 3/4 of an inch, bringing it back up made a massive difference. As you can see, the front of the cab needs to go up again. It had settled way too much. Turns out one core supoort mount rotted through, the other is actually in good shape. The new support and polyurethane bushings will go in and it will sit like this again.

We are also going to either get new springs for the front or have these ones re arched.

To anyone following this, lifting the front end up is extremely noticeable in the pictures as to where it was.

 

[Slash]

Here's the difference. Ignore the fact with what we shimmed it with...what matters was the measurement.

Before

After

 

[Slash]

Core support and fenders coming off, frame savers welded in, frame cleaned up and undercoating starting. More pics to come.

 

[Slash]

Started cleaning up the frame and modifying the old plow frame. He has a 2" hitch receiver for the plow frame for pulling and told me he used to lift up cars with it to move them around.


Front clip other wise is off completey. He wants to get the core support on, but weve been throwing the idea around of replacing the engine cover, converting to serptine belt, cleaning up the engine and all that before we slap fenders on. I never realized just how heavy duty he built the front end. Parts of the framing is over half inch thick steel in places welded directly through the rails. No wonder he used it as a bulldozer on gravel. SOB can sure take a beating.

 

[Slash]

Almost all the welding is finished, so he removed the radiator in preparation to tear into the front of the engine for gear drive, new pulleys and a front cover. He also mounted up the core support and even had a fender on for alignment.

 

[Slash]

Here's some up close shots of what's going on. We've source a trans line and power steering leak so those will be repaired. Kinda already knew they existed just brushed it off. The excess steel on the plow frame was removed and partially remounted along with an old crack and repair rerepaired to further increase frame strength. Otherwise it all looks good and the frame has cleaned up well. We also fabbed up a new battery try and repaired an old inner fender bracket. Doing that saved a whopping $120 on new ones. Crazy!

During that we were able to clamp in one of the "new" inner fenders, while we finish up mounting for that and finally install it. In the process some of the wiring has started to be cleaned up...lots of new ends and stuff need to be replaced as well, it's just old, and some of it was kinda hastily rigged in back when it was still on the road.

 

[eiriksmil]

You and your dad are like epitome upstate NY rednecks lol..
I mean that in the best possible way, I love how you're getting it back on the road without the help of a shop. Well, without working inside even! One of my favorite threads on here at the moment.

 

[Slash]

You and your dad are like epitome upstate NY rednecks lol..
I mean that in the best possible way, I love how you're getting it back on the road without the help of a shop. Well, without working inside even! One of my favorite threads on here at the moment.

Won't be long now that's for sure. He's hoping to have the entire front end done, save for the axle and springs, by September.

Unfortunately somewhere the cowl is still leaking and sending water back into the cab so we have to look into that again. Not sure where it is coming from.

I have to make a junk yard run soon...there's an 84 they just brought in that I can pull parts off of. I need to grab the brake light wiring harness. He is also going to fab up some hinge plates for the doors as you can't buy them new anymore. He wantd to go through the brakes one more time...shouldn't be much to do there as all the stuff is pretty much still brand new. From there its a new bed/repaired original, oil change, and cleaning up old wiring. Should be back on the road by next summer.

 

[Slash]

Yucky old fenders

Here's some good up close pics of the frame work and lower part of the cab that was rebuild with some seriously thick steel.

 

[Slash]

Here's a few more of reassembly. It still shocks me how well this frame cleans up. Heads up kiddos....spray the underside of your ride with use motor oil...that is indeed, factory paint by the shock tower.


Also for the new body mount shims my dad got ahold of some Delrin instead of pucks...it's basically a hard plastic. Just hoping the steering won't bind up too bad...the u joints are getting tight. Similarly to the 3" body lift he had in years ago.

 

[Slash]

So we've rewired most of the truck at this point, in and out of the cab. Most of the harnesses are getting new connectors. I will be at the junkyard and picking up a few things there as well, mostly vent window tracks and battery tie downs etc.


We are tearing into the motor. New aluminum front cover and gaskets have arrived. Alternator relocating brackets are in the mail. New belts and crankshaft pulley are ordered. Just arrived is a mechanical fuel pump block off plate. Looking at a new power steering pump.Ordered new hoses for the motor, looking at ordering a set of aluminum valve covers, and possible an intake and headers. Should pep her up more. New plugs, wires and fresh fluids all going in as well. We've custom built dual battery trays, mounting plates for the snow plow pump and hydraulics, painted everything up and slowly working into the motor. We also are building plates out of stainless that sir behind the inner fenders and keep all the road spray off the botom of the cab.We would like to have that done and the front clip entirely together by the end of September.

 

[Slash]

Here's a couple things. Not all of the work we've done tho.

 

[Slash]

Sneak peak of the engine bay....let's just say the whole things been degreased...cradle and all, all freshly painted including the engine...just waiting on a few things. Turns out the timing cover we ordered was a bit different...required new bolts. Likely ordering a water pump as well, hopefully valve covers and an intake.

But yeah...she already looks great.


Also we have about 80ft of straight hard line in the garage for brakes, the tranny etc.

 

[Slash]

 

[Slash]

Ohhhh yeah. She gonna look good

 

[Slash]

More engine bay pics. Not done yet tho, there's more done not seen here. I think when the engine gets new valve covers and all that its gonna look sweet. Currently looking at black and red Ford racing ones and also getting a new power steering pump.

 

[Slash]

@eiriksmil Figured you might like these.


It's nearing completion. The entire truck inside and out has been rewired, completely. I assume there will be complications with that on first start up. We are waiting on engine accessories before putting that together. Most of the hose for the fuel system has been changed to 3/8" hard line. New transmission lines are being run, also 3/8", up one size over stock. The body new doors and fenders and most of the front clip is on, even headlights. We still have to wire up connectors for the rear brakes and deal with the bed and install new weather stripping as the stuff we bought doesn't fit right, and then it'll be back on the road, with new leafs and shackles on the front next spring. Still have to paint the cab and hood as well.

 

[Slash]

Starting to look like a truck again...debating on repairing the valance or replacing it.

 

[Slash]

 

[Slash]

Runs and drives.

 

[Slash]

She's starting to get some of her attitude back.

 

[mustangGT90210]

Sweet!

 

[Slash]

Still some cleaning we have to do but it's almost there...painting the master cylinder and booster, replace the valve covers and air cleaner housing, clean off the heater core and blower motor and paint the intake. Otherwise the firewall has been cleaned and painted. It is cluttered but there's a lot of stuff that needs to be there. As you can see there still a lot of loose stuff that needs cleaning up and finishing but it's getting there. All the lights work, except for a cab light bulb. Dash lights are pretty dim and one of the new gauges light needs to be wired up. Not sure what he is doing with the box yet, haven't decided if we are going to PA to get on or just rebuilding it. It will be coming off entirely and taking the roll bars out, we found a identical set for $50 about an hour away.

 

[Slash]

Put the bed back on just for winter to keep the snow off the fresh stuff. Still have to paint the hood and cab, replace a cab light bulb and the housings and then its on to find a bed. Also have to do the window trim and figure out where a water leak is.

 

[Slash]

Update time!

We bought a bed! Rust free and absolutely spotless. And, as fate as it, its just under an hour away. Got a good deal on it, going to get it this week.

So we removed all the aluminum diamond plate panels and took the roll bars out. It looks goofy, I've never seen this truck without them.

If all goes as planned, it should be legal to drive this spring.

 

[Parker]

Personally I think it looks much better without the roll bar, either way good luck with the bed and getting it back together, it looks like you're really damn close. She'll look great when you're finally finished.

 

[Katiegan]

View attachment 622697

...are those beer cans?

 

[Slash]

Personally I think it looks much better without the roll bar, either way good luck with the bed and getting it back together, it looks like you're really damn close. She'll look great when you're finally finished.

Some people love and others don't. They seem to be getting popular again though lately. He wants to keep the original 80s Bigfoot style vibe going, so they are getting cleaned up and repainted. He wants the light covers to say "FORD". I thought that would be neat. Considering its a straight outta the 80s time machine, to change it now especially since it's recognizable to so many people that way, would be kinda dumb.

It's damn close. It just needs paint and some panel alignment, and it'll be on the road. Minus a few things of course.

...are those beer cans?

Yeah, it was a gag the kid that owns it did.

 

[Johnny1996]

First of all, good luck with everything.

And now, one question about the light covers. Will each individual one say "FORD" or since there's four lights will each light cover have one letter? Or is that classified information?