Rod's 84 BabyBajaF100

[AussieRod]

All the little stuff like this kills me Rod. You work for hours and the visual reward of seeing what got done is nill. So frustrating and can keep slackers like me from moving forward. Yet without doing it the project never gets done. Keep chomping away & inching forward & you'll be driving it soon!

I hear ya, Steve. Actually, I treat the small things like therapy. I sit out there on my own, only the sounds of nature and my work to break the silence and I just work methodically to finish each piece and then look for something I can get done next.I've written up a list with 2 columns; 1 for the small labour stuff and 1 for the money things. Now I just work through and do those I can get finished.

I'd suggest you take an hour every day after lunch and do small stuff. Obviously some things take longer than an hour, but if you do an hour (more or less depending) and get it to a point you can walk away and come back, knowing where you left off, you might be surprised at how much gets done. Just an hour a day. I MAKE myself do at LEAST an hour every day. Surely you can

[ChaseTruck754]

I'm trying to get there. I've got a list of small things that I'd love to knock down an hour at a time. Hopefully soon, but we'll see. I'm chomping at the bit to get back to my hour for lunch being spent on the truck on days when I am here vs. at meetings. House/yard work gets priority for now though as with a 6 month old here "free" time is scarce & what I do end up with gets filled up with mowing the lawn, fixing things around the house,etc. first. Slowly getting that list of stuff on the house whittled away.
My real hope/goal is to get back to at least an hour at night after Karen & the kids have gone to sleep. Right when I decided enough was enough on the lazyness & I WOULD get my arse back in the garage, the little one decided he won't sleep unless he's physically on someone... So for the last few weeks or more the time that could/would be garage time has been spent trying to keep him sleeping & quiet so Karen can try & at least get 2-3 hours un-interrupted. I'm sneaking in to bed at 12:30-1 AM nightly wishing I I was coming in from the garage after making any sort of progress, but rather it's just in from the other room. Kids grow like weeds though so I'm sure this phase will pass. In the mean time I'll look at you picking away as inspiration. Keep at it.

[AussieRod]

I'm trying to get there. I've got a list of small things that I'd love to knock down an hour at a time. Hopefully soon, but we'll see. I'm chomping at the bit to get back to my hour for lunch being spent on the truck on days when I am here vs. at meetings. House/yard work gets priority for now though as with a 6 month old here "free" time is scarce & what I do end up with gets filled up with mowing the lawn, fixing things around the house,etc. first. Slowly getting that list of stuff on the house whittled away.
My real hope/goal is to get back to at least an hour at night after Karen & the kids have gone to sleep. Right when I decided enough was enough on the lazyness & I WOULD get my arse back in the garage, the little one decided he won't sleep unless he's physically on someone... So for the last few weeks or more the time that could/would be garage time has been spent trying to keep him sleeping & quiet so Karen can try & at least get 2-3 hours un-interrupted. I'm sneaking in to bed at 12:30-1 AM nightly wishing I I was coming in from the garage after making any sort of progress, but rather it's just in from the other room. Kids grow like weeds though so I'm sure this phase will pass. In the mean time I'll look at you picking away as inspiration. Keep at it.

I will, have no doubt

[AussieRod]

Jan 11 update:
It's been f***ing HOT. We have 5 days in the 40C range and it was just too damn hot to go outside, let alone work. My main concern was making sure the animals survived.
For the most part, I've been waiting for parts to show up, and making odd brackets and modifying stuff at work in my breaks.
I;m using an AOD mated to a NP 208, so the hi/lo lever connector is either too long or too short. I picked the forward mounting boss and lengthened the connector, making it adjustable for later fine tuning:

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I also made a mount for the LPG convertor (propane) to mount on, but after fitting it, I have to reposition the fuel pressure reg mount as it hits the water hose fitting:

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My new Bruin park brake cables also arrived. The long cable is stuffed, the short one is tight, so I replaced both:

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This is what happened to the long cable:

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Both are fitted, I just have to clean and reinstall all the brake parts and new wheel cylinders, pipes etc and a few other things and the rear end is pretty much done. Unfortunately, the camera batteries died, so I'll have to take more pics tomorrow night. I also made a coil mount bracket, a heater hose support, and I have a Propane filler point under construction to fit into the front fuel filler box. Just waiting for the hoses and fittings to finish off the PS lines/cooler and trans cooler lines, etc.
It's getting closer

[AussieRod]

Jan 27 update:
Yesterday (Thursday) was Arse-tralia Day, and I wanted to sleep in, but was up early to catch and kill one of our excess roosters for Saturday dinner. Other than that, I lazed around for the best part of the day, then headed out to do a bit on the truck. First thing was to re-install the newly painted trans cooler frame, cooler and fan (yes, I am fan cooling my AOD, for good reason). I had a pair of A/C condenser fans from Mick's Discovery, so I made good use of one. The frame I made from aluminium angle and bolted together:

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I traced and connected the propane harness to the EFI section of the rear wiring to activate the rear in-tank pump and gasoline lock off valve together when PET (petrol/gasoline) is selected on the C/O switch:

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I made an entry plate for the clutch master cyl hole to allow the extra wiring a water tight and neat entry point:

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Later, before it got too dark, I was under the dash, making up the connection point for the volt and oil pressure gauge plate and the switch plate:

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I was forced to remove the new door seals, as I could NOT close the doors properly for love or money. I'll have to look at the problem later and maybe re-use the old seals until I come up with a solution.TBC.

[AussieRod]

Today, I cleaned up a bit and rolled the baby out into the sunshine, cleaned out the tub and laid on the rest of the poor man's bed-liner (stoneguard). Too bad the colours are different, but it will be painted later:

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Nice textured finish:

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I also re-installed the connector shaft in the steering. I had to do a modification, as the plastic insert for the collapsible section disintegrated and was sloppy. I made a sleeve, which was drilled across, then welded over the oval outer and plug welded to the flat sides. I then drilled carefully through and tapped to M8 for grub screws. The plastic shim I discarded and made some new shims from hi-tensile wrapping strap and it works just fine. I know it wont do for general use, as the frame and body flex will cause issues, but it should get me past rego inspection and then I can save for a new shaft ass'y:

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Lunch is over, I'm heading out for another round it it. More updates later.

[AussieRod]

Sunday, 19th March update:

IT LIVES!!!!

The last 4 - 5 weeks I haven't had time (or money) to even look at the truck. I've had so many bills pile up and been buried trying to pay them each week it leaves me with pennies. Anyway, I've finally caught up and now I can start buying to last few things I need to make her a runner/driver.

The last week I have been collecting a few bibs and bobs to fill in the work list and spent a good chunk of yesterday and today finishing up the wiring. I ran the co-ax through the interior light hole out to the hole in the roof and installed the base, then threaded the co-ax down the left B pillar along with a spare wire beside the int. light feed.
The LH door got wired out, Deutsch plugs for all the connections inside the cab A pillar and for the speaker and CL motor. Once the wires were tied up I installed the int. light and it lit up. I found the door switches a while ago and cleaned them up for install. Now when I open the door(s), the cabin lights up at night.

The central locking played up, but after removing a couple of loose un-needed terminals from the control box plug, it came good and got connected via the hot wire on the brake light switch at the pedal. Now both doors unlock with the key from outside or inside. Then I attacked the mess under the steering column. I changed a few different wires around, built/soldered up a multi connector and hooked both the new gauge plate, switch panel and Propane change-over switch up to ignition hot side. The change-over switch needs a few wires juggled (my dyslexia confused the colours) to make everything work correctly, but now it all functions as it should. The gauges work and the switch panel will work after I connect 3 more wires tomorrow night.

Then, I made a hose bridge on the trans for the cooler (the Ebay company in CA jipped me on my fittings and hose) so they will be delayed (problem now solved) soat least I can run the engine without fluid going everywhere. 6 litres of Mercon later, jumper cables afixed from the Triton and some ether down the carb, and VROOM! away it went, for about 3 seconds. So, a month short of 5 YEARS, it lives again.

A few bummers:
The fuel pump/sender ass'y I bought on the last trip is wrong. I stupidly bought a 87 - 91 pump/sender when I should have got a 85 - 86 unit. Now, the fuel gauge works in reverse (reads full when empty, empty when full), so i need another sender unit of the correct type.

The fuel neck I got with the flap set-up from Chasetruck Steve is too short. Apparently, the neck on the Bronco tank sits out further compared to the F truck tank neck, so the filler neck is too short. Not to worry, I measured it up tonight and will extend it at work tomorrow with a piece of exhaust tubing and call it good.

Other than that, I've had a productive weekend, and the light is now clearly visible at the end of the tunnel and it's NOT a train coming at me. The rear driveshaft goes in this week for shortening/balancing and the new master cylinder should be here by the end of the week.
Some pics:

Mocked up the interior/seats etc. to see how it looks.

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Wiring, etc:

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New switch panel and gauge panel (will paint them this week):

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Engine bay wiring almost complete:

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I have more, will upload a few more during the week as I progress further. Cheerio.

[AussieRod]

Bugger it, I'll throw a few in.

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[AussieRod]

Well, it runs, and runs good.

Today at work, I extended the filler tube and installed it. Next was the fuel pump assembly, a little grease to hold the O-ring in place and the locking ring went in easy. I've capped the return nipple temporarily 'cause the sender needs to be replaced with the correct version and poured in 20 litres of unleaded. I jumpered the gasoline lock-off valve to the battery direct and removed the hose just prior to the valve to purge and flush the line. Just as well, because out came mud and a wasp larvae that had been deposited in the regulator outlet fitting, prior to installing the hose. that would have wreaked havoc on the carb jets and passages had it made it's way through. I ran about 2 litres through before re-connecting the hose to the carb lock-off valve and priming up the carb. With the Holley reg on the in-tank EFI primary pump, I'm getting about 3 psi. A couple of pumps on the throttle to fill the accellerator pump and squirt some gas down the throats and I hooked up the jumpers and turned the key. Two turns of the starter and she roared into life, almost stalled, then settled down to a fast idle at around 1100 rpm. A quick twist of the idle screw set it at 950 and it sat and idled nicely with a beautiful lope. It's currently running direct from the sedan manifolds, so I can't run it long unless I want to melt the wiring and fuel line on the LH side rail. I give it 30 - 40 seconds and shut it down, very pleased that it runs on gasoline now and IT LIVES! I'll post pics tomorrow of the filler, etc. Pick up the manifolds at the end of the month. make a Y pipe, etc., driveshafts, brakes, shifter and seat mount(s) and maybe I can drive it mid next month.
WOOHOO!

[tcm glx]

Hell yeah Rod!! Glad to see you pushing through on this one!!

[AussieRod]

Hell yeah Rod!! Glad to see you pushing through on this one!!

Doing my best! "D April 11 is 5 years since I pulled it apart, I'd like to drive it again on that date IF possible, just for the kudos

[AussieRod]

Saturday, March 25th:

It's definately alive now. Yesterday I grabbed the V belts I needed, a radiator cap, 3/8th fuel hose (for p/s return) and made a throttle cable bracket and a throttle lever adaptor for the carb and last night and today, fitted all the bits. Poured in some hot water, topped up the p/s and did a quick check and fired her up. I ran it for about 10 mins, to warm up and fill the power steering, see if I had any appreciable leaks and to just hear her going. I can't get enough of those aromas,the scent of raw burnt unleaded, the smell of oil on hot metal, coolant evaporating on hot surfaces and the general smells of a new set-up bedding in. HEAVEN! When I blip the throttle, the body torques over and it sounds glorious, this powerplant will boogey. I'm just waiting for lunch in the oven, then I'll go out and tidy up a few more loose ends. Some pics:

Stuck the passenger kick panel back in for now, it's all done there:

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Still need to secure the fuse box, but much tidier now:

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Fuel neck extended and installed:

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Fuel pump installed:

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Throttle cable mount and lever in place:

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I'll take more later, I have to check some jobs off the list(s) and see what's next. More later.

[AussieRod]

Sunday March 26th
Got a few more jobs out of the way. Finished the small harness for the t/case 4WD switch and speed sensor (for EFI later), that's all installed and now the 4X4 light comes on when the t/case is shifted to 4H or 4L. Installed P clips on the heater hoses to support them near the coil, that should stop them flopping about. I extended the wires for the reverse light switch and the starter inhibitor loop (this was manual before) so I can run them through the cover plate on the trans cover to the B&M shifter. I'll wrap them tomorrow night and fab the plate to blank the NP 435's lever hole. Tapped out all the seat belt thread holes ready to clean and fit the belts and respective trim pieces and started cleaning out the inside in prep for seat trial fitting, etc.

I have decided to change the fuel system around. I was under the impression that the side tank would NOT fit the short-bed with 4WD, due to interference on the t/case. I haven't been aware that there was 2 different side tanks for either length chassis. Whilst looking at JBG's website to order the replacement CORRECT sender for the fuel tank, I noticed a difference in the side tanks for the 16 and 19 gal versions. So, I went out, dug out the original side tank and did some measurements to see WTF. It turns out my truck had the 16 gal tank, which DOES fit with 4WD. BUGGER!! I only went with the rear tank because I thought the side tank wouldn't work.
So, I will remove the rear tank set-up, alter the wiring slightly and after cleaning, painting and re-fitting the side tank (with a new sender, breather and grommet and filler hose) I will install an external carb pump I already have on a mounting plate and re-plumb the fuel hose to suit. This allows me to fit another propane tank under the rear in place of the gasoline tank. I have a short, fat propane tank from a Bronco installation I can use with a clean-up, it will hang a little low under the rear but with 4 - 5" lift later on, this won't be an issue. I don't plan to do any rock-crawling, either, so that won't cause issues. With 2 propane tanks, that would give me about 290 litres of propane (71 us gals) plus the 16 gals of unleaded for a half decent cruising range. Propane is less than half the price of gasoline here, so the savings will help.

I'll take some more pics tomorrow and post them when I have time. M/cyl should arrive mid-week, so I can get a start on finishing the brakes, pick up the manifolds and Y pipe on Saturday and it should be ready for the driveshaft later in the week for it's first drive in a while. Can' wait

[AussieRod]

Monday March 27th:

OK, scratch the rear propane tank idea, it will fit length ways (across the chassis rails) but with the valve box, the diameter is too large (front to rear). BUGGER. I will still fit the side as described, except the pump will just transfer fuel to the rear tank via the return port in the sender. The propane tank fill point will be in a recess on the rollbar/bedcage instead of in the side fill point. I COULD buy another tank that will fit, but this will be a later idea to look at. For now, I need to focus on getting it finished to drive and rego.
More later.

[AussieRod]

Wednesday March 29:
The brake m/cylinder arrived yesterday, but I didn't notice it at the front door, the wife picked it up when she got home around midnight from work. Anyway, after a rest when I got home, I started on the brakes:

Put it up on stands and cleared the area:

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Ratchet "limiter" strap to hold the beam up:

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Rh front done (I need to re-clock the hose at the chassis to make sure it clears the tyre on lock):

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LH front done:

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Master cylinder installed:

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From the weekend: Belts and p/s hose installed:

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Tomorrow after work, I'll clean up and fit the rear brake pipes to the diff and use my DOT extended hose (can't use them on the front until I lift it) and once the system is sealed, I will start the bleed process. I might even have brakes tomorrow night
I've confirmed the manifolds and Y pipe for pick-up Sat morning, then off to the gun show, then fix the fuel pump (again) in Mick's Discovery before heading home. More soon.
Cheers.

[AussieRod]

Thursday March 30th:

I fitted the rear brake pipes and the DOT teflon hose to the diff. It took a bit to find a spring clip for the hose to chassis, but I scabbed one of a wreck up the back yard. Everything went together ok, and I had to clean out the diff breather hose due to a wasp nest inside. The little fuckers will stick mud and eggs into ANY opening and sometimes they are not apparent. Hence, I have to tape any open pipe or hose during the build to keep the bastards out.

Pipes and breather sorted:

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Luckily, I had a bottle of Dot 4 fluid, so I started bleeding the brakes. I used the old m/cyl's cover to make a pressure bleeder and it worked just fine. That and length of timber to hold the brake pedal down in between bleeds made short work.
She now has BRAKES!
I will need to adjust the rear brakes and re-bleed everything once I get all the front end finished off. All seems to be working and so far no leaks. Exhaust and driveshaft and I can drive it next week.
Cheers.

[AussieRod]

Saturday April 1st:

Picked up the manifolds this morning, and a fabbed Y pipe that eventually wont be used. Also got some factory spring blocks and U bolts to try. LONNG day today.

Manifolds and Y piece:

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The aus car LH manifold is a little different:

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The Y pipe actually uses the Bronco LH manifold and a pass car RH manifold, and would have fittted, but the RH manifold has cracks in it and the cross-over hits on the AOD oil pan, so the correct one had to go on:

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The difference of RH car and F150/Bronco manifolds:

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Spring blocks and U bolts, will clean these up next week and have a trial fit;

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I got home around 4pm, chased the little chickens out of next door back into my yard and made sure they couldn't disappear again and hit the truck. A marathon stint and I have both manifolds fitted, the starter back in and the AOD dipstick tube pushed over just enough so it doesn't touch the manifold flange. All good. Next week, while the driveshaft gets done, I'll order some bends and a collector and start making a Y pipe. Getting closer
Cheers.

[AussieRod]

Monday April 3rd:

Dropped off the driveshaft to be shortened/balanced this arvo, hopefully will pick it up mid week. For the life of me, I cannot find the shifter cable for the B&M Quick-click shifter I have. It's lost somewhere in the shit-pile labyrinth of the back of the garage, although I have seen it around a while ago, it is not anywhere I can find it. I have found a B&M Mega-shifter on Ebay used with a cable, and it is the RHD version I need for rego legality, so I have put in a bid. I was also trying to mount the shifter with the bench seat in, but it ends up either too high for the cable to exit or too far forward for me to reach it with the seat belt on, so I will measure up and start fabbing a mount for my bucket seats and centre console. That way, I can mount the shifter in a more handy position higher and rearward to hand. I've also ordered some mandrels and a collector to make a Y pipe. Just lots of little shit at the moment to fill in all the last few items needed to make the truck a complete runner. The Y pipe will have a bung for a wide-band O2 sensor for the Impco closed-loop feedback propane dual fuel system, so I can get max performance, the cleanest emissions and good economy running on propane. The cheapo system I am re-fitting will do until I can save the cash for the upgrade, AFTER the truck is a complete runner.
More updates later in the week.
Cheers.

[AussieRod]

Thursday April 6:

Was off sick today, shitting myself half to death. Still, this arvo after my insides settled down, I did a few more little things to the F100. I haven't been able to get the idle down, even with the throttle closed completely until I remembered that without the manual choke mechanism, there is a vacuum port exposed on the side of the carb. The resultant air leak is what is boosting the idle speed. Salvaging a choke set-up off a scrap carb, I fitted it to the 500, dabbing a little silicone on the plate to guarantee a good seal and fitted it up. Later this evening, I fired it up and had to open the throttle screw about 3/4 of a turn to get the correct idle speed, and reset the idle mixture screws once the engine was warmed up. Now it sits at a nice even 850 - 900 rpm at idle in neutral. I also took the opportunity to tip in a bit more ATF into the AOD, now at 2 1/2 gallons of fluid. That should be enough until I can actually engage all gears and see if it will move under it's own power this weekend. Hopefully, I can pick up the driveshaft tomorrow, and have it fitted before dark. If I have the funds, I'll grab the shifter I bid on on Ebay and start building the seat mount over the next week. Failing that, if the weather is kind, I'll try and get the tub painted, lights in and start working on the rear bumper/towbar to finish the rear off.
More on the weekend.
Cheers.

[AussieRod]

Friday April 7th:
BUGGER IT! I got the reco'd drive shaft back today and went to install it. The front uni won't fit the t/case yoke. The unis have 1 1/8" caps, and my NP208 is from a Bronco, which would normally have a cardan joint, that uses 1 1/16" caps on the attachment flange. That's not a big deal, as the guy said to come back if the caps were the wrong size and he'd swap them over. I've also had to order new U bolts to fit, as all mine are for the 1 1/8" cap(s). Not to worry, I have plenty of other stuff to do over the weekend. It just means it won't be mobile until the Easter weekend. I'll update more over the weekend.
Cheers.