Caspian
I'm Awesome
Figured I'd post this up, haven't really been doing anything to it lately as I've been focusing on my Burb, and was focusing on my R10 before that.. Last November I traded a 2003 Ranger with a wee little 2.3 and a 5spd to this kid going to a Tech School for his 1983 F100 XLT Lariat. I'd ALWAYS wanted a Short bed 80's Ford, I first learned how to work on vehicles with Ford's, I've had numerous Fords since I was old enough to work and save up and buy them or trade things for them(guns mainly lol). 1983 was the last year Ford offered the F100, the color of this truck is a 1983 only color, it's a factory V8/Auto/Short Bed F100, which makes it that much more rare. I had to have the truck hauled on a wrecker about 25 miles to my house from where it was at. Once I finally got the title squared away(it was the kid's step-dad's truck originally, and wasn't transferred in the kid's name)I figured I'd fix a few little things with it to get it to drive as a daily.
It needed immediately a gear box as the old one had a blown out seal, oil change, transmission fluid and filter change. Driving it around the neighborhood one day it neutraled out on me 4 times in a block. Did a little research and found that the carburetor the truck used had to have a 1:1 linkage for the AOD as the AOD is like the 700R4, it uses a Throttle Valve to shift the transmission. Someone had caught the truck on fire and replaced the carburetor with another that didn't have the 1:1 linkage not knowing it had to have that.... I then decided to park the truck. The transmission was pretty much done, it was still neutraling out and slam shifting just driving it into the backyard.. It's sat since like December of last year. I decided while I was gonna swap the transmission, I might as well upgrade the truck from the dismal little 2150 2bbl carb and cast iron intake to a 4bbl.. came across a NIB Edelbrock 1403 carb and a NIB air cleaner for $150. Buddy of mine loaned me $150 since we were between paychecks and I ran out and bought that *****. Then I scored a factory cast iron 289 K-Code 4bbl intake for $60 one night before work. Had to buy a carb spacer, wanted phenolic but all I could find was aluminum/phenolic so I went with that.
Then one day I started the intake/carb swap, once I got it pulled off the engine I discovered the 302 was a roller block, meaning someone had swapped the engine before too. I had two factory H.O. Roller cams, two complete sets of roller lifters, pushrods, and all the retainers I'd scored for a good price. Then came more parts buying... since I was installing roller cam and lifters, I got a double roller timing set with adjustable crank gear to advance the cam 4 degrees, I had to buy a new distributor with steel gear for the roller cam, then when I went to install the lifters I discovered the block had been decked and I couldn't get the factory roller lifters in without taking of the passenger side head.. so I bought a headgasket and new headbolts.. once that was all on I discovered I needed adapters to work the factory linkages on a Ford to the Edelbrock, so I bought both of those... couldn't figure out how they worked and my factory throttle cable was too long.. so it sat. Went to pull a part in North Tulsa with my buddy and we pulled a C6 out of a truck for my F100. It's sat in the bed wrapped in a tarp for a few months now...
I then sold another little 1988 Ranger I had to said buddy that helped me get the carb and transmission. He paid me a little cash, gave me the rest of the payment in a new set of Stainless Shorty headers and a stainless X-Pipe. I went and pulled a gear box off of a Ranger(Mazda) that he had, good thing that they used the same gearboxes and such between the trucks. Painted it and swapped it onto my F100. Then it sat some more.. I still couldn't figure out the linkages, my throttle cable was still too long.. Wound up having to buy a new battery for it. Once that was done, I decided I was ready to try and start it. I got absolutely nothing... installed a new solenoid, still nothing... the kid had wired up a starter button to the truck which got me thinking the ignition switch on the column was bad. Sure enough, after that one it started from then on with a key. I fought timing for a bit, it was backfiring pretty good. Finally got it dialed in but the damned throttle cable kept biting me in the ass..
So it's sat more. I haven't gotten a transmission jack yet. I still need to get a flexplate. I still need to wire up my choke properly, I bought a 19" Mustang throttle cable Wednesday at work. Seems like it'll work, I'm gonna have to figure out the bracketry totally but I think I have it down. I haven't tried to start it again yet lol.
So anyway, after that LONG story about me acquiring this F100, or my "Effie" as I call her, here's some pics before and during her slumber.
It needed immediately a gear box as the old one had a blown out seal, oil change, transmission fluid and filter change. Driving it around the neighborhood one day it neutraled out on me 4 times in a block. Did a little research and found that the carburetor the truck used had to have a 1:1 linkage for the AOD as the AOD is like the 700R4, it uses a Throttle Valve to shift the transmission. Someone had caught the truck on fire and replaced the carburetor with another that didn't have the 1:1 linkage not knowing it had to have that.... I then decided to park the truck. The transmission was pretty much done, it was still neutraling out and slam shifting just driving it into the backyard.. It's sat since like December of last year. I decided while I was gonna swap the transmission, I might as well upgrade the truck from the dismal little 2150 2bbl carb and cast iron intake to a 4bbl.. came across a NIB Edelbrock 1403 carb and a NIB air cleaner for $150. Buddy of mine loaned me $150 since we were between paychecks and I ran out and bought that *****. Then I scored a factory cast iron 289 K-Code 4bbl intake for $60 one night before work. Had to buy a carb spacer, wanted phenolic but all I could find was aluminum/phenolic so I went with that.
Then one day I started the intake/carb swap, once I got it pulled off the engine I discovered the 302 was a roller block, meaning someone had swapped the engine before too. I had two factory H.O. Roller cams, two complete sets of roller lifters, pushrods, and all the retainers I'd scored for a good price. Then came more parts buying... since I was installing roller cam and lifters, I got a double roller timing set with adjustable crank gear to advance the cam 4 degrees, I had to buy a new distributor with steel gear for the roller cam, then when I went to install the lifters I discovered the block had been decked and I couldn't get the factory roller lifters in without taking of the passenger side head.. so I bought a headgasket and new headbolts.. once that was all on I discovered I needed adapters to work the factory linkages on a Ford to the Edelbrock, so I bought both of those... couldn't figure out how they worked and my factory throttle cable was too long.. so it sat. Went to pull a part in North Tulsa with my buddy and we pulled a C6 out of a truck for my F100. It's sat in the bed wrapped in a tarp for a few months now...
I then sold another little 1988 Ranger I had to said buddy that helped me get the carb and transmission. He paid me a little cash, gave me the rest of the payment in a new set of Stainless Shorty headers and a stainless X-Pipe. I went and pulled a gear box off of a Ranger(Mazda) that he had, good thing that they used the same gearboxes and such between the trucks. Painted it and swapped it onto my F100. Then it sat some more.. I still couldn't figure out the linkages, my throttle cable was still too long.. Wound up having to buy a new battery for it. Once that was done, I decided I was ready to try and start it. I got absolutely nothing... installed a new solenoid, still nothing... the kid had wired up a starter button to the truck which got me thinking the ignition switch on the column was bad. Sure enough, after that one it started from then on with a key. I fought timing for a bit, it was backfiring pretty good. Finally got it dialed in but the damned throttle cable kept biting me in the ass..
So it's sat more. I haven't gotten a transmission jack yet. I still need to get a flexplate. I still need to wire up my choke properly, I bought a 19" Mustang throttle cable Wednesday at work. Seems like it'll work, I'm gonna have to figure out the bracketry totally but I think I have it down. I haven't tried to start it again yet lol.
So anyway, after that LONG story about me acquiring this F100, or my "Effie" as I call her, here's some pics before and during her slumber.
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