F150 tow rig

[Sandman]

Noticed after taking it for a big drive the other nigh the exhaust had cooked the paint a bit which wasn't ideal. When I put a new mount on it for the roadworthy it lifted it up probably 3" or so from where it was which left it hanging behind the body. So found the tallest exhaust mount Mackay does and ordered one and hoped. Being only 10mm taller than the one I had was skeptical, but with the last mount being 400mm ish from the tip it was enough for it to hang below once again.

Before

After

 

[Deuce]

Depending how it mounts and where it runs under the truck, run a short mount mid way back on left hand side. A smaller change should leverage the tip down a bit more on R/h side.
Looks like you may have it sorted already though.

 

[Sandman]

Took this down to Phillip Island for the Australia day weekend and gave it the first long ish drive test. It drove pretty nicely and was fairly comfortable, though reinforced that it needed a better wheel alignment as it required a decent amount of pedaling over any decent bumps. On the way home it was mid 30's so and the truck was performing nicely till I got off the freeway at Officer for lunch. As it hit traffic it got a bit warm but just below hot. I stopped a few times to try and cool it down which didn't do a lot, though it didn't get any hotter and managed to make it home in one piece.

To tackle this I started simple, a bit more driving found it struggled more heat wise in traffic than when moving. So I started simple I'd only ever topped up and not flushed the cooling system, so drained, flushed and refilled the cooling system and added a new high flow thermostat. Cleaned up the existing bolts and housing as best as I could. The real culprit I believe was the fan clutch, wasn't 100% sure on this but ordered a new Davies Craig unit and fitted it up too The fan appeared to be working, but once having the two side by side I could tell the difference between the resistance on the new vs old. Once installed too I can actually hear the fan pushing air whereas I couldn't before. Haven't had a chance to test it properly yet but should get a run this weekend to see how it goes.

Woolomai Beach

33 year old corroded thermostat housing and bolts

Wire wheel restoration on said components

High flow thermostat and gasket, part number references for anyone looking up F150 things on a Commodore forum.....

New vs old fan flutches

 

[Deuce]

Truck is looking good.

High flow thermostat and gasket, part number references for anyone looking up F150 things on a Commodore forum.....

Haha, yeah like me posting radiator hose numbers for anyone on a commodore forum fitting a Nissan LD to a series land Rover with a forward mounted and dropped radiator.
But, ya know, this is what we do.

 

[Sandman]

So not heaps going on with this currently, just driving and enjoying it really. Took it up to Bright for the Rod Run in November which was its longest trip yet. Drove well all weekend even with the heat, and did better with the hills than I'd expected. Adjusting the throttle cable and kickdown on the throttle assembly certainly helped. Even gapped a couple of people coming through the twisties in Kinglake on the way home to the surprise of some. Took it to Wandin last week too and by chance ended up with a couple (of way cooler) pickups next to me as well. Plan for the next few months is to try and lower it a bit to soften the suspension up somewhat. Currently it drives great laden (400kg+ say) but unladen it really is a 2 handed job, which for driving to Bright say was rather tiring. So get the leaf springs reset 3" or so and maybe drop the front 1" and down the track add a set of load assist bags in the rear, (Airbag man does a kit). As currently 80% of my driving is unladen which is far more than I expected really. Then will get some new wheels and tyres too as the fronts are fairly hammered and they're all fairly old, also wheels for this are cheap as compared to everything else I own which is refreshing.

Stopped in Yea for lunch en route to Bright

What booking one 1 out from Bright gets you accomidation wise. No complaints though.

Wandin

 

[Sandman]

Not very exciting but thought this was worth sharing. I use a bunch of moisture absorbers in all of my cars (except the daily) as well as my shed to try and keep any excess moisture at bay. My F150 is the only car I own which isn't garaged and sits in the driveway the whole time. Its driven usually 2-4 days a month. I have two of these moisture absorbers in the cab and since the 13th December and this is how much one of them has caught, the other is about the same. They're cheap and refillable so might be worth looking into for anyone who has car which sits for long periods of time.

 

[Sandman]

So nearly 3 years after buying the F150 I finally made a successful trip with a loaded trailer behind it today (have used it unloaded a few times). Took the Skyline to a mates place and it performed pretty well, its stable with the trailer behind and pulls up nicely with electric brakes on the trailer. Only thing is I had to take it up into the Dandenongs which is mostly uphill and involved a few standing starts on or at the bottom of hills which weren't fun and rather slow. That said though once at its going it maintains speed fine as long as you don't get stuck behind slow tourists or cyclists and loose it all.

 

[VS 5.0]

So, just like drifting, it is all about momentum ?

 

[Sandman]

Pretty much hahaha

 

[Sandman]

Decided after having them sit on the shed floor for well over a year, that I should finally do the front brakes on this. So did front pads, rotors and bearings and wheel nuts to match. The pistons were a prick of a thing to push back for some reason but otherwise no real dramas. Glad to have the extra square foot of floorspace back in my shed.

Collection of new bits

Part number for my future reference

Crusty old rotor, didn't actually look too bad, but was a bit warped.

Bit of meat left on the old pads, but cracks all through the friction material

New. Glad I blasted and painted the calipers 3 years ago, that aged well......

Extension which didn't appreciate me using a 700mm breaker bar to crack the front nuts