The Oily Shop Project

[OilyRascal]

Speaking iof dangerous truck things...

You *do* know about split rims, right?
(Just checking)

ONLY what I just learned in an AU government bulletin.  I think I learned there are split rim retaining bolts and wheel to hub retaining bolts.  It seems the split rim retaining bolts hold the rim together, whereas the wheel to hub do just that.  That you'd want to be careful to remove only the wheel to hub bolts.  It also seems I do not want to work with them (e.g. on/off) inflated.

I think I also figured out I should equip the outside air drop with a pressure regulator specifically for tire inflation, and only use that drop for tire inflation - just to have a limiter on the pressure.

Please keep me honest! 

[Papaw]

First time I witnessed a death was due to mishandling a split rim. Guy at the service station did not put the wheel in the cage and when it let go, it caved his head in!

[1930]

My truck has widow maker truck rims, can you guess why?

[OilyRascal]

My truck has widow maker truck rims, can you guess why?

It has split rims?

[Nolatoolguy]

I have only had to work with split rims a few times even then I wasnt working with them directly but they give me the chills at times thinkingof possible accidents.

[lauver]

Oily,

Just wanted to complement you on this fine thread.  I try to visit at least once per week and get myself caught up with your shop project.  If I miss a week, my life is incomplete.

Keep up the good work and project updates.  And please keep the pics coming.

[OilyRascal]

Oily,

Just wanted to complement you on this fine thread.  I try to visit at least once per week and get myself caught up with your shop project.  If I miss a week, my life is incomplete.

Keep up the good work and project updates.  And please keep the pics coming.

Thank you, Lauver!  I appreciate your comments and will continue to ruin my wife's camera taking pictures.  I've already ruined mine.

[OilyRascal]

It was a big day of productive work for me today.  Off the bat picked up two sheets of 1/2" x 8' x 22' sheet metal.  When I say "picked up", I mean winched them out of the woods and loaded them the hard way.  After that - The bus just outside the back door of the shop was moved, along with a lot of debris and couple of gum trees.  A good bit of steel was completely gone in shop around that area where it was not draining correctly.  It is now graded such to resolve the water issues I've experienced in the back.  It also gives me a great start to the idea of enclosing the 8' slab running the width of the building in the back.  Now - on to moving one huge pile of shivs - you can't just pull a dozer up for this.



I had small little "family crisis" and offered to assist with replacing a transmission in a truck.  I did get two 1-ton 4x4 transmissions ready for the pull - transfer case and all.  I got ready to remove the first, and the transfer case hung on a support beam for the bed before the spline cleared.  Looks like I'll be removing a transfer case.  I figure at least another good day of labor there before I can get back to the fun of other stuff.  More updates then.

Very cool photos. Thanks for sharing the memories.

OR you are kicking butt and taking names. Great older photos too thanks for posting.

Thanks for providing the forum and appreciation.

[OilyRascal]

Remind me not to volunteer for transmission work again - particularly on a 1-ton 4x4 Powerstroke! 

Now - on to the project at hand, the '65 Ford.  I'm starting to believe this may not be a 1-ton truck but rather a 1-1/2 ton or 2-ton?  Was there such a thing and how would I know for sure?  The rear of the truck has had the springs and overloads modified, along with the axle assembly.  I really want to go back with a Ford rear that is true to that model.  I could be mistaken, the huge 2 speed rear under it now may have come with the truck.....I really don't know.   I'm also highly doubtful it had 16" in front and 20" in rear stock of a 1-ton, but again I may be wrong.

It all begs the question - Is a person able to find the specifications for a vehicle in it's original configuration based on VIN?  Is there otherwise some way to determine what may have been in this truck originally?

I have a personal project - a 2003 Dodge 4x4 (aka "hunting truck" ) with a 4.7 that I bought knowing/suspecting it had blown/crack heads.  I was able to get the heads off today, and I'm really on the fence about what I'm seeing.  I have good looking cylinder walls, and almost no ring groove.  #1 had some ugliness as in rust at the rim.  The mating surface of the head/block had a 3-part metal gasket (1st I'd seen) and I couldn't find anything that just screamed "there is the issue".  I looked at the block and the head mating surfaces also.  I tried to focus around the water jackets as my symptoms were water in the oil and water at the exhaust, with a slight miss.  I mean I did find a couple of spots that didn't look great, and I suppose it could just be that sensitive (it is alum. head over steel block).  I think I'm going to try filling the jackets on the head up with casing head to see if it holds or if there is an obvious crack.  At this point, I'm a bit scared to go back with just a resurface on the head and new gaskets.  As off topic as it is, I'd appreciate the opinion of my tool wrenching friends. 

I'm hopeful tomorrow I will slow down enough to take a few pictures of things and how they've progressed....particularly out back as it looks SOOO much better now.

[rusty]

If the truck still has the door tag, and if 65 isn't too early, there should be a 2 digit number after 'Axle type' or such, it will tell you which of the various ford axles or dana axles was supplied originally with the truck. Yes, there were 1 1/2 T , dunno about 2 tho.  Most folks I have ever talked to have said the Dana axles are far better than the ones ford made....

Edit: Forgot, sometimes it's a 3 digit code (4wd has a front axle spec) also may have letters (or is that just after '73?)

[john k]

The split rims on trucks like this do not have bolts holding the ring on.   The ring is actually a big round spring, with a split , is pounded and levered off, and pounded back on, when the tire is inflated it should "seat".   If everything is clean, and the ring is not sprung.   If it does not seat, it can attain low earth orbit regardless what is in the way, people, buildings, etc.  hence the reason for a tire cage.  A wheel that unbolts in two halves can be a very heavy duty rim, a military rim, or something that uses tires with more than 8 plies, that just will not flex.    On that 65' what does it say on the Ford logo plate on the front fender?   16 inch tires tells me 1 ton dually.   Never seen a truck with mixed wheel sizes, so I'm 99% sure the axle was changed out.  What is under that heavy flatbed that you showed pics of earlier, axle wise?   Another thing, I have heard there were a few, darn few, 2 speed axles for one tons, but have never seen one. 

[johnsironsanctuary]

I was looking through one of my Mack Truck books this morning and found this one.  Looks an awful lot like Oily's Mack.  The color of the Bulldog on the hood is significant. If it is gold, it is an all Mack driveline. Engine, trans, aux and rear ends. If the dog is chrome, it is anybodies guess. I could be wrong, but I'm betting that those are Mack double reduction rear ends.

[1930]

Take the heads to the machine shop and have them magnafluxed before you spent too much time on them. Will cost less than 75 bucks and its money well spent if you suspect a problem.

[OilyRascal]

A rather large whole ~ 16'x25'x55' (a dozer couldn't be seen in) arrived on the scene today to assist with disposal versus burning debris from the property.  That and moving a continental engine off the back slab consumed my day.

My current thinking on the '65 ford truck is to find a 1-ton rear axle that will match the bolt pattern and wheel size on the front of the truck.  I really don't think I want this 2-ton 2 speed rear and current spring/overload setup.  I still don't know if the engine is a 360 or 390, and I've been told I may not know without measuring the stroke.  There is a complete 460 engine in the shop.  I think I may pull the current engine and go back with the 460.  I suppose if I could establish the engine/truck have matching numbers that might change my mind...but probably only then short of some discovery.  I've found a flat-bed setup for stake rails I'll use.  I think I'd like to see that with a few heavy gauge boxes to mount under the bed utilizing any space/clearance and giving it some weight.

If the truck still has the door tag, and if 65 isn't too early.....

No door tag found :(

I was looking through one of my Mack Truck books this morning and found this one.  Looks an awful lot like Oily's Mack.  The color of the Bulldog on the hood is significant. If it is gold, it is an all Mack driveline. Engine, trans, aux and rear ends. If the dog is chrome, it is anybodies guess. I could be wrong, but I'm betting that those are Mack double reduction rear ends.

That sure is a fine looking example you have found and sure looks the same on the cover to me.  I haven't paid a bit of attention to the bulldog, or even if there is one.  I'll fumble through pictures tonight and see if I can tell.  I'm also guessing you're right on those rears.....just by nature of how low it is already.  Thanks for looking, and sharing.  I now have a start at models to look at.

Take the heads to the machine shop and have them magnafluxed before you spent too much time on them. Will cost less than 75 bucks and its money well spent if you suspect a problem.

Thanks, 1930!  Will do.

[OilyRascal]

If the truck still has the door tag, and if 65 isn't too early, there should be a 2 digit number after 'Axle type' or such, it will tell you which of the various ford axles or dana axles was supplied originally with the truck. Yes, there were 1 1/2 T , dunno about 2 tho.  Most folks I have ever talked to have said the Dana axles are far better than the ones ford made....

Edit: Forgot, sometimes it's a 3 digit code (4wd has a front axle spec) also may have letters (or is that just after '73?)

I did find the data tag; taken off and placed in the glove box.  Model = F350, Trans = A, Axle = 22

I also did find a faint "360" on one of the side emblems.  I think that should just about answer what was original to the truck.