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Better Half Pt.15: engine almost done

3/8/2023

 
​Ok, progress

Im basically done under the hood
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new a/c condenser, new radiator, and the rest of the engine is now assembled. Im also replacing the a/c compressor and dryer and accumulator since im converting to 134a
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New high pressure adapter fitting had the wrong thread pitch so i had to order a new one
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​...and the a/c is now pumped down!
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​So i opened up the fuel pump housing:
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​its pretty gross, no wonder it didnt work
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​...and all rebuilt with new pump, strainer & float:
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New tank, with rebuilt pump installed, along with a new valve & gasket since im guessing i tossed the old ones when i scrapped the tank
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​new galvanized skid plate from bronco graveyard
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...and installed!
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Fuel lines are done, but when i went to hook up the vent line for the charcoal canister i saw it was all rotted out...
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...so i bent up a new one & installed it
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​With all that done i picked up oil, coolant, etc to get everything filled up:
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​Fortunately my first coolant fill was straight water because the tstat housing was leaking like a sieve
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But that was a simple fix. So i hooked up the battery and keyed on to prime the fuel system. Had one leaky fuel injector oring (top of inj #1) which was an easy fix. So, i turned the key and.......

...nothing.

So thats where im at now. The start circuit doesnt seem to work, im not sending power to the trigger wire for the starter relay, but the ignition multi-function switch is working so must be something else stopping it from starting. Jumped the relay and the starter cranks but the engine didnt fire so it may be an issue with the MLPS since it seems to be affecting the run circuit too.  So it looks like ill be doing some troubleshooting...

Better Half gets Driveshafts

2/24/2023

 

One-ton brakes for Better Half

2/10/2023

 

Better Half Pt.14: Surprise!

2/10/2023

 
​Surprised the wifey this morning. Maybe 6 months ago she had picked out a set of wheels for this thing. Last week i ordered them, and successfully got her tires mounted and balanced on em without her knowing.
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Set the toe real quick...
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...and slapped em on!
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Its gonna need flares to pass PA inspection...
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...and the money shot
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Took some measurements, and it ended up right at 4" lift.  Nailed it!

Ive still got some loose ends to button up under the hood, but im hoping to have it running in another week or so...

Better Half Pt 13: Engine Update, Part 2

2/4/2023

 
From there it was just a matter of putting the motor back together!
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​After cleaning the throttle body and replacing the EGR & IAC, the plenum went back on
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​New cap, rotor, ford racing 9mm wires, and a MSD ignition coil
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​...and i think thats it?


This week coming up i need to replace the a/c condenser (i punctured it by accident), which means conversion to R134a. Then radiator, plumb trans cooler, fuel tank + pump & filter, and then i think i can finally try to get it running!

Better Half Pt.12: Engine Update, Part 1

2/1/2023

 
​So, i made some progress on the 90 bronco.

Stripped the motor down and changed the timing chain
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The smog pump is shot along with all the air pipes, so its all going away
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​Its not easy to see, but they bolt to the back of the head
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​The holes are threaded, because when flipped to the other side of the motor a threaded insert goes in it, and the accessory drive bolts to it. Which means we can plug the hole simply by putting a short bolt in it.
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​No smog pump means no TAD or TAB, so the vacuum system came off for repairs and the removal of about half the vacuum lines
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​pulled the plenum
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and then pulled the fuel rail so i could clean and then rebuild the fuel injectors
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​i changed the rusty (but otherwise apparently in good shape) spark plugs
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The IAT was super gross so that got changed, along with the ECT since i was already in there
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So in the process of the rebuild, i decided to get rid of the fire hazard that is the 2g alt
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​Just a small amount of grinding on this web, and the 3g alt fits right in there
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bracket cleaned up & installed; reman alt installed as well:
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​I also tossed the junk Ford steering pump in favor of a Saginaw off an Econoline
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​bracket all cleaned up, with reman pump installed
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​and i deleted the OEM cooling loop on the frame rail in favor of a proper steering cooler off of a Superduty:
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Building Front Recovery for Better Half

1/27/2023

 

impulse buy!

1/24/2023

 
This was the scene yesterday morning.  Snowmageddon 2023!
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It didnt last.

Anyways, i hit the road and made if halfway to my destination, when i blew the cooler line for the transmission.
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It was rough, we lost about 8 qts of fluid, and fast. We were sitting at a traffic light, and when the light turned green, the truck wouldnt go!  Thankfully there was a Turkey Hill across the street, so i wandered over, grabbed a couple quarts of oil and dumped em down the dipstick so i could get the truck off the road.  Found the leak, got lucky and was able to shorten the hose and put it back together.  With that fixed we resumed our trip, which was to go pick up this:
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Home Depot truck!
Its a 2008 F350.  2wd 5.4l with 305,000 miles on the clock!  Picked it up for cheap because realistically aside from the bed, the truck isnt really worth much.
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All i really care about is the bed, and its in pretty good shape overall.  Picked the truck up for less than the cost of an aluminum flatbed, so im calling it a win!

This bed will look really nice on the back of the '96 F250...

Designing a tracbar!

1/14/2023

 

Better Half Pt.11 - Brakes!

1/6/2023

 
So the brake system is now complete.

Were now rocking a master cylinder & brake booster for a 1996 F350, to match the axles
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Brakes are plumbed to the front axle:
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...and thanks to a spool of tubing...
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The rear half of the brakes are completely replumbed as well!
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This i thought was interesting.  Rough Country extended stainless brake line for a bronco with 4-6" of lift, next to the OEM F350 brake hose:
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The stainless line is only 1" longer than the OEM hose, which means for most mildly lifted trucks, the OEM F350 hose is just fine.  I already had the extended line though, so i used it.

So with the brake lines done, theres not much left to do under the truck, so its time to move under the hood!

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