I try to show my faithful old truck a little love once in a while, but it’s been a couple of years since I touched anything other than the controls and seat. Three years ago, I serviced it and fixed a sun visor, and reported that here. It always starts and hauls whatever I need, even if the load is an overload. But the faithful 240 six has felt a bit down on its pep, actually, for some years now. I probably could have fixed that in 30 seconds, but just couldn’t be bothered; until now.
So I decided a tune-up was called for; it’s been about a decade since the last one, more or less. I lost my service log book, and am going on memory, but it’s been close to that. Of course, I don’t drive it much; maybe a thousand miles or so a year. It depends how much (other) work I’m doing.
I Bought some points, condenser, cap, rotor and plugs from my local purveyor, and went to it. But I should have checked the status of mine before I did so. The points looked very good still, just a wee bit of visible “wear”. They were only a couple of bucks, so I decided to change them. It felt good to do the old routine, going back to my Corvair in 1972. Just make sure not to drop the mounting screws into the bowels of the distributor!
I set the gap, and dabbed on a bit of grease on the rubbing block, and popped in the new condenser for good measure. But the rotor they gave me was the wrong one, and my rotor and cap looked fine, so I just ran a bit of fine Emory cloth over the edge of the rotor and called it good.
I removed the plugs, and inspected them. No visible wear; the gap still exactly where I had set it when they went in. And the coloration on their electrodes is picture-perfect (tan-light brown). This means that the engine is not running rich or burning oil. I just couldn’t bring myself to throw them away, so back they went in, for another decade or so.
I can’t vouch for the originality of this motor. When I bought it in 1987 (for $500), the seller said something about it having been rebuilt. Given that it doesn’t have the original oil pan, but one from a van or 4×4 — which means that oil always hits the cross member when draining it — I’m inclined to think maybe it was a lower-mileage unit swapped in at some point.
I was sure that the timing was retarded, and since I lost my timing light ages ago (someone borrowed it, IIRC), I did the PN dyno-tune method: trial and error. I just kept loosening and bumping the distributor (opposite of its rotation), and drove it, until I started getting pinging when accelerating hard at low rpm. That took about four or five times; it really was retarded. And Oh how lively it felt now! And it pulls so cleanly right up to 4000 rpm! I was pretty impressed by how hard this engine pulled when I first got it, and have just kind of forgotten that the past some years.
Well, it is only pulling against about 3700 lbs. These trucks don’t weigh much, as there’s not a whole lot to them except a frame, drive-train, suspension and a cab, which is only getting a bit lighter as the years go by and the rust holes in the floor get bigger.
After the oil change and filter, I swung underneath and hit the chassis lube points. This truck is the easiest vehicle ever to service; the engine bay is massive and almost empty, and there’s enough room to just easily slide slide underneath.
A couple more U-joints back here, and the job is done.
The tires worn totally worn down and ancient, at least 15 years old. So decided that some new skins were called for. A set of new 235 15 75s run about $550 or so. I dropped by a used tire store, and he had just gotten s et of Michelin LTs, with about 90% tread. They looked pretty good, but he was cagey about their age ( forgot about how to read the year of manufacture on the DOT code). And he wanted $400, no wiggle room.
I passed, and headed to craigslist, where I found a set of Goodyear Wranglers with 90% tread being offered by a little tire shop nearby for $225, fully installed. He showed me the year of manufacture (2012), and I said yes. And what a difference; the steering was dramatically lightened up. That also reminded me of how it used to be. Unlike the aging in our bodies, it’s possible to rejuvenate a vehicle. Between the peppier engine and the new tires, It felt…almost youthful again.
Since the F-100 is the official company truck of CC, I’ve had it in my head to get the business name painted on the doors. I decided to try that idea out first via some vinyl adhesive letters (that gray blurry spot just above and below are dirt in my camera lens, once again). So what do you think? And now I can deduct the cost of the $10 tune up on my taxes.
I remember my dad addressing all these tune up issues on his ’68 Impala. All but a lost art.
The vinyl letters work fine in a budget environment like CC. You probably know you can get a variety of fancier ones if wanted from various boat name decal sellers. The logo from the website would be perfect on the doors. You’ve already got the yellow!
Take the deduction!
Nothing like a vintage pickup for ease of maintenance; most of them will run forever, or at least until the rust gets terminal. I can’t remember the last time I changed the points and condenser on a vehicle, back in the day it was just part of the yearly routine. It always strikes me as a little odd that the Ford 240/300 CID sixes have the intake and exhaust on the wrong side. I can’t see any benefit from this and it makes the accelerator linkage needlessy complicated. Nice truck.
I can only imagine that Ford wanted to be different then Chevy? Prior to the 240/300 was the 223 six that externally is very similar to a Chevy six. Totally different motor, but still very similar in appearance with the intake/exhaust on the drivers side. The only Ford six to have that arrangement, to my knowledge.
Makes em real simple for RHD though, its an ill wind and all that, I looked at a 68 F100 Ambulance to buy once in Aussie, same engine but those fibreglass ambo bodies are bloody heavy the truck was quite sluggish, I was also offered a 66 pickupm like Pauls but with 351 C transplant ah no thanks I didnt need the massive gas bill that comes with it.
Nicely done. Always good to have a meaningful tax write off. My very first truck was a 1966 f250. 352-2v and four speed manual. Tough old bird. I was in Eugene for a few days this summer gorging at Voodoo Donuts. Then we swung by the local Home Depot but didn’t see your truck. Pity. Still checking in here every day and enjoying the current writing a lot. Carry on.
Doing power timing like you did is the best way to time an older vehicle like this. Back in the day manufacturing tolerances were not what they are today and the octane rating of gasoline was also much less consistent. That means that the recommended timing settings were pretty conservative, to be on the safe side. Then you add in some wear and either potential loss of compression due to wear or increase due to carbon build up and finding what works best for your particular engine will give you the best possible performance and fuel economy.
Keeping the old spark plugs was a smart move as they were made in the USA with much better quality control. Last I checked Autolites were now made in China and their quality control was less than good. I ran into way to many that would fail within a couple thousand miles of installing them.
It looks like you got a good set of points from looking at the rubbing block. Many sets you find today have a translucent rubbing block that usually wears away very quickly. If you didn’t through the old set away already it is a good idea to stick them and the condeser in the new boxes and throw them in the glove box just in case. Who knows how much longer that auto parts stores will actually have them on the shelf since demand for them is falling every year.
That pan does indicate that it is from a later model truck either a twin traction beam 4×4 or a 1975 up Econoline, so it is very possible that it is a 300.
Tire codes are 4 digits in a small lozenge-shaped area on the sidewall near the rim.
First two digits are the week of manufacture, last two are the last two digits of the year.
4310 would be the 43rd week of 2010
0414 would be the 4th week of 2014
1000 would be the 10th week of 2000 and so on. I’ve found it sort of rare for all 4 tires to be the same week on one car, often they will have a span of several weeks or months within the set of 4. I assume it has something to do with how the inventory and distribution system works, i.e. where from a shelf or from which stack they get pulled.
Note if you find tires with a 3 digit code they are too old since they didn’t start the 4 digit code until the 00’s. Before that they figured that a tire wouldn’t hang around for more than 10 years and even if it did it would be obvious that it was 11 or 12 years old not 1 or 2.
Since you are on a roll I would start shopping around the floor repair and spot on the roof. You could paint the roof patch with some satin yellow that was dulled down to match the patina of the rest of the truck. I like the signage on the door, nice and subtle.
My uncle used to use one of these as an engine hauler back in the mid 90’s. His was this same exact yellow but I believe it was powered by a 390. Was my first experience driving a truck with a “granny gear” lol
regarding the spark plugs. I cannot speak for Fords but I can tell you the highest recommended plug to use nowadays among Buick guys is NGK V power’s. They are cheap and have lasted 10k in my 430 and are clean as a whistle. They also seem to help a bit with preventing detonation.
I’ve heard good things about the NGKs in Mopar-land, too. Also that old vehicles always want copper plugs, not platinum/iridium/zirconia etc.
I’ve been slowly switching to NGK, too. They’re in the Corvair and Mustang now.
NGK pretty much owns the motorcycle market.
fun fact of the day
Uhaul sells NGK plugs for 99 cents a piece on amazon…seriously
I bought ten and they shipped me three boxes of four…awe yeah
NGK V Power plugs have a shorter life than a traditional center electrode old school Autolite, now that Autolites are made in China the shorter life of the NGK is worth the potential plug that could fail at any time.
Yes 73ImpCapn Platinum plugs should not be used in old vehicles with stock ignitions. Back when Bosch Platinums came out they made me a ton of money. People would get talked into buying them by the auto parts store and when the vehicle started missing or wouldn’t start shortly after they did a tune up the figured it was something more significant and called me. Many also fought and wouldn’t accept that it was the plugs so I got to bill that many more hours before putting a set of Autolites in it and fixing all the problems.
Thanks, was hoping you’d chime in. 🙂
All I’ll say is folks in Eugene don’t seem to realize that certain “auto”makers can’t stay in buisiness unless you buy new pickups regularly, at this rate they won’t need to make you another one until 2066.
In all seriousness, your truck defines the curbside classic. Drive it in good health.
What a great article and nice looking truck. So, when are you going to tell the story of its trip from California to Oregon?
We need CC bumper stickers! I’d gladly badge the Corolla FX.
If it was a small magnetic sign I’d gladly put one on the Mustang during local car shows. Perhaps someone not as busy as me would finally take pictures of all the old cars around here and become a contributor.
+1 to a CC bumper sticker or magnet !
YES!!!!!
+1 to the magnet idea!
Yeah bumper stickers would be good I need one for my Minx, it passed its roadworthy inspection recently only requiring a speedo cable and a used headlight we are meant to get them every 6 months but seeing as my car isnt registered Ive been slack and just modified the rego label to kosher it up now I can be legal yay,
by the by I shot some classics while getting my car checked they are on the cohort but you know your at the right place when you see a Triumph 2500 & 1929 Desoto parked ahead of you, the owner has two yes two Rambler Marlins and his wifes turbo Saab was in for repairs too.
Coincidence! I was looking at buying a clean ’66 F-100 a few weeks ago. Had a 352 and an automatic. Anyway, great old truck, but there was always something about this generation (and the next few as well) Ford truck that I thought was a prime example of Ford’s sometimes goofy make-it-fit engineering: The primative ‘Twin-I-Beam’ suspension not only requires a large crossmember to mount the I beam pivots, but also has be high enough to allow for the I-beam (suspension) travel. And if that wasn’t enough, Ford engines, both 6 and V-8, had the deep section of the oil pan towards the front. Right where the suspension crossmember was located. I know the front sump engine design was a concession to Ford’s car designs of the era, but in the trucks those engines always looked to me like they were trying to jump out and find the nearest Mustang! Couldn’t have done much for handling, but it’s a truck anyway. As a comparison, my personal old truck is a similar vintage GMC with the large V-6 in it (an engine that is complete and total overkill in a pickup). Though that big 6 is far taller than either the Ford 6 or V-8, it sits lower in the GMC because the oil sump is towards the rear, behind the smaller crossmember that supports GM’s conventional SLA coil spring suspension.
Paul’s truck’s oil pan should have it’s sump behind the crossmember it is just that his has had the engine swapped for one that was in a later twin traction beam 4×4 or a 75-91 van. Why they didn’t swap the pan and pickup when they put the engine in is another story.
In any event, the engine mounts are high enough that a front sump 240 oil pan clears the crossmember. I have a friend with an original ’69 F-250 with a 390. The oil pan sump is right over the crossmember, which made pulling the pan off when said friend stripped the drain plug interesting.
Brings back memories of tuning up my ’65 Mustang. I miss that. Guess I need to get another one.
The other day, I did something that people haven’t had to do for a while–setting solid lifter valve lash with the engine running! The Dart’s slant six has solid lifters, and there were a couple of pretty noisy ones, especially when the engine was cold. I drove it for 15 minutes, left it idling while I unbolted the valve cover and pulled the PCV valve, shut it off just long enough to pull the valve cover off, then refired her and went to town. They were all a few thousandths loose, and I set them up just a hair loose to be safe. Intakes .010, exhausts .020, so I set them up so a .011 and a .021 would slip in, but fairly tight. .012 would be basically a no go. Now, there’s just a barely audible gentle clicking.
Setting valve lash on a running engine is an art I never accomplished. But then I came across the need only once: a friend had an Opel Record that required the procedure. I resorted to a non-running adjustment.
That is one nice truck.
By the way my son’s ’97 Mazda B 2300 has the I-Beam suspension. The seller said that it rides very nice in comparison to his Nissan truck. I wouldn’t know because I had no opportunity to compare.
Ive ruined a few sets of feller gauges trying to do that i did my Minx engine off tappets are silent feeler gauges survived for another day.
I like the vinyl lettering, much cheaper than pain and less permanent! 🙂
If you don’t have a timing light anymore do you have a vacuum gauge. With that it is easy to set both the timing and the idle mixture screws. That is how I do all my old cars and only after that do I actually put my timing light on to see what the engine really liked. As to your oil pan that is normal. Only a 4×4 would have had a rear sump. To get around the oil change problem there is a fitting, have it bookmarked somewhere, that takes the place of the drain plug. You hook up a 3/8″ line and open the valve to drain the oil. No muss, no fuss and never fails. Right now my 65 has the engine out for rebuilding and being turned into a 390.
No the proper pan for this chassis combination should be a rear sump that is fully behind the crossmember. Ford did not set it up so that the drain plug wasn’t very accessible and so that the oil would drain onto the crossmember.
Correct the proper pan would be a rear sump which is what I thought when I first got mine. Then I quickly found out, via FTE, that all of us 4x2s had front sump pans and we all complain. I got around it with a quick drain valve with straight hose end and can drain the oil hot.
Nice old truck .
I’m surprised you didn’t do the valve adjustment first , it’s supposed to be the first step in any tune up and makes a HUGE difference in power and economy as the valves only ever get tight , never loose .
Using the ” Throttle Ping Test ” to dial in the ignition timing is good ~ that used to be part of all Factory / Dealer training .
Far more accurate than the vacuum gauge , use that for the idle mixture adjustment .
-Nate
The 240/300 have hydraulic lifters, no periodic valve adjustment needed.
These are some jobs I have not done in quite a few years now. Another of my skills that has become obsolete. I was rooting through one of my garage cabinets recently and came across my timing light. I recall wondering if I would ever have a chance to use it again. But I kept it just in case. Along with my dwell/tach and my remote starter switch. The 68 Newport I had in the mid 90s was probably the last car I had to get the full driveway tuneup.
The sign is nice and all, but if you really want a tax deduction, you need to pop for a wrap on your truck – maybe one that has a silhouette of a Corvair on one side and a VW on the other? 🙂
JP…It’s time to get a car to use the old tools on!
I have the following (an incomplete list):
Full size Sun analyzer
Dial back timing light
Regular timing light
Vacuum gauge and vacuum pump
Craftsman engine analyzer
Any number of dwell meters
The only thing I’m missing right now is a leak-down tester, which is just buying trouble. 🙂 My compression gauge just bit the dust, too.
When you get an old car, you get to have fun with old, obsolete tools! Isn’t an old Mopar just screaming your name right now???
P.S. When I run out of space for old cars, I try to talk others into buying them. 🙂
I have to admit that your comment about adjusting valves on a slant 6 was making me all nostalgic. At some point, I might make the plunge again. Actually, I did buy a raffle ticket for a restored 49 Willys Jeepster, so let’s see how that goes. 🙂
Jim, you need something that presents more opportunity for problem solving. How about this? It’s for sale.
You, Mr. Shafer, are a troublemaker. 🙂 I do happen to have a bit of experience with one of these. I have to ask – how much? Interesting that there is no rust over the eyebrows. However, the lower body may make up for it. Mine had quite a problem with water leaks.
From information in the window, a Hagerty price guide, I’m guessing about $1500. The floors were quite solid as I scoped them out. The key is even in the ignition. All the hubcaps are there and the tires have air. It looked surprisingly solid.
You know, I’m thinking something like a ’65 or ’66 New Yorker, Newport, or 300 would be just about right… 🙂
Or how about a ’69 Dodge Polara???
The JPC driveway of 1979
All good tools to have ! .
The Dial typ of timing light is used ti check total ignition advance for those who are trouble shooting or don’t want do do ‘ Throttle Ping ‘ testing , very useful as most engines don’t like more than about 32° ~ 36° BTDC all in .
I’ve never sold a tool in my life although I have worn out plenty .
Dwell meters and timing light as easily found in good quality cheaply @ Auto Jumbles , Swap Meets , Yard & Tag Sales .
Even after you’ve junked the contact breaker points for any sort of breakerless ignition the Dwell and Tachometer (they’re a combination gauge) remain extremely useful .
Plus , they’ll pay for them selves as soon as word gets around that you know how to tune an oldies so it runs really well .
-Nate
The dial back is GREAT for setting total advance. I’ve never liked the ping method because not all detonation/preignition is audible…Plus, in a Corvair, for instance, the engine noise isn’t all that easy to hear.
Correct ! .
Most folks are un aware of ‘ Sub Audible Ping ‘ .
My hearing is so far gone I now use the advance dial inductive dynamic timing light on everything .
So you like old Chryslers huh ? . where were you when my buddy’s dad died leaving him with a cherry ’67 New Yorker four door sedan ? he’d foolishly taken the dashboard apart for some minor electrical repair then realized he was WAY over his head , no one wanted it so after a couple YEARS trying to get any offers on it off it went to the crusher , good original beige paint , shiny chrome etc. ~ this was a low mileage , Los Angles from new car , what a waste .
-Nate
I used to own one of these , a two door stripper Plymouth ‘ Plaza ‘ that was *so* cheap , it didn’t have a heater .
Flathead I6 engine and two speed slush box , it nearly was used in ” Christine ” , I am ever so glad it wasn’t .
Good car for being such a HUGE boat ~ rode nicely and handled O.K. , was amazingly s l o w……
-Nate
Points, condensors, what? This is what happens at the intersection of owning mostly newer cars (’79 being the oldest) and still learning how to do my own work in some cases. I do need to do a valve adjustment on the B280F V6 in the Volvo sooner rather than later, and that by itself is intimidating enough, never having performed one!
Routine valve adjustments are dead easy ! .
Ge the right supplies first :
Rockerbox gaskets
Stepped feeler gauges
Book or shop manual that tells you :
Engine hot or engine cold ,
gap (‘lash’) for intake and exhaust valves
Firing order .
Prepare the engine by cleaning it well then figure out how to most easily rotate it , often by a 6 pointed socket on the crank pulley .
Mark and remove the spark plugs & wires , paint a white mark @ the TDC mark on the crank pulley and another one *exactly* 180° away from it , set the engine to TDC @ # 1 cylinder and begin ~ use only box end wrenches on the adjuster lock nuts and don’t tighten then with a gorilla grip .
Beginning with # 1 cylinder check and adjust as necessary then turn the engine in the running direction until the next cylinder in the firing order comes up to TDC (what the two paint marks are used for) , adjust it and repeat .
Once you do this a time or two it’ll seem dead easy because it is .
-Nate