03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

[Turdle]

Dang mosquitos killed the joy

 

[410Fortune]

Bodywork completed, Al came out awesome! The white primer is a close match to body color

01 sohc truck back together and driving around under its own power all is well! I was able to get the door locks working again by being persistent with the pb blaster both of them were stuck… I was starting to wonder if I had the right key since I last touched this thing in 2018… the key fit the tailgate and it turned… now both door locks are working phew. One less thing to worry about.

Now I can bring the black truck in
First through my new clutch arrived
This is a luk clutch for a 2001 f150 w the 4.2l v6. To my surprise it is much larger than the one that came off the truck…. New hydraulics included as well. Will have flywheel surfaced in town

I am glad to see it fits the flywheel and the bellhousing, was worried for a moment. This is my first 5.0 to 5 speed in a rbv

Should make for a nice setup!

The custom modified crossmember

 

[BKennedy]

Nice Crocs

 

[Josh P]

Nice Crocs

Everyday is casual Friday when you work for yourself

 

[oklagp1200r]

$4.20 a gallon sucks to be you! Lmao
$2.80's down here in Oklahoma City area!

 

[oklagp1200r]

Put out some 5 gallon pails with water in them and add some dawn stir it in good that will take care of most of those Mosquitoes!

 

[410Fortune]

good advice! Yes they gouge us up here in North Idaho, we live in a "resort town" and we are far North off the beaten path so prices suffer, not just fuel.
Energy is still FAR CHEAPER then it was in the high mountains of Colorado. At least here power is hydroelectric (at our other properties)
We cut our cost of living by about 1/3 moving here, not including the big up front cost for the off grid, state of the art setup (solar/batteries/generator) The new equipment should be good for 10-15 years. With Starlink online we can have up to 5 playstations in the house running at once.... yes we are gamers!

Watched interesting Oliver Stone documentary about clean nuclear power, I hope in the future we could have our own reactor
Idaho is leading the charge on that in the USA (developing small clean nuclear power near Idaho falls)
GOOD DOCUMENTARY its on Amazon prime

When it rains like this we have lots of standing water so the mosquitos thrive
Our property floods in the spring, that does not help. I treat the standing puddles that I cannot remove about every 10 days
They are manageable
I will try the buckets! Although I think they prefer me! hahahaha

I walked over to the water at 530 am, I surprised a family of small ducks...I counted 7 babies!! They sure were cute
Headed to the junk yard this am for some 5.0 parts, we are short some front dress/serpentine setups. I am always robbing parts off the next 5.0 to complete the one in front of me. We are hoping to change that today!

 

[oklagp1200r]

Mosquitoe dunks work really good too! Place them in the buckets and standing water they kill off the larvae and won't hurt animals!

 

[allmyEXes]

@410Fortune I counted myself very lucky after removing the '97 MM fuel that was in the tank for 3 years. The pump sounded good and battery positive to the pink/black? at the inertia switch worked to run the pump. I was glad that I didn't have to power up at the tank. The fuel looked good and smelled good too. I mixed the 5 old gallons with 10 new gallons and ran it in my daily beater. I didn't notice any performance issues. (400 CU is what I think you meant when you said 400 cc)
@Josh P I've never seen a 400M with a small block pattern, That would have all sorts of possibilities.
@CDW6212R If you or anyone sees or has a particular part that I need for my 1970 Sportsroof Mustang project, in the early 1970s Ford installed the 400M into some of its Econoline vans and they put a C-4 behind the 400M. I need a bellhousing. It has the big block bolt pattern which is like most 400Ms and 460s, but it is for the C-4 transmission. I want to "wedge" a 460 into the 1970 Mustang and build a stout C-4 to go behind it.
I just looked online for a picture of one and couldn't find one. The block bolt pattern looks like a "pilgrim" hat.
Dang Jamie! Y'all are having a marathon mechanical month going on up there...

 

[410Fortune]

I have setup a mosquito buckets (soap water) so far there were two mosquitos in it! Thanks for the tip! Hahahaha it is working
I use the mosquito “dunks” to treat standing water every 10-14 days

Yes 400 cubic inches lol lol I was working on some kids atv’s so cc must have been stuck on my head
3 year old fuel far different from 9 years I guess!!

Went to the junk yard yesterday this time 75 miles away we scored two 5.0 accessory drive bracket and front dress, metal fans, hoses, vacuum lines, etc. prices at the u pull yard have gone way up over $$150 each for this stuff. I love how they ring you up at the counter, shouting numbers at the register guy and then when you get the itemized bill there is a bunch of stuff we didn’t buy…. He was marking every pulley, every hose, every bracket….charged me for “overflow reservoir when it’s actually the power steering pump
Fluid container… wiper arm instead of dipstick…. And “keep your receipts for the return policy” oh yeah like that’s gonna work when it’s listed incorrectly. Then tells me what a great deal I got because he left some things out. Gone are the days of the “how does $75 sound” for the whole wheelbarrow worth… ah well we scored the parts we needed

5.0 stuff throttle cable cruise
Cable and front accessories
Both radiators were fubar so were the alternators

Black truck came in and dismantle continued

First up we needed a frame bracket in order to install a superlift onto a 05 trac…

Grinder and sawzall made short work of cutting it off the frame

Part was mocked up on new truck, tack welded, diff removed then final welded… stepson happy he can now complete the front lift and stab the v8 trans

Look ma! Twins!

This is why 03-05 tracs this bracket was moved back about 12” so the superlift front diff hanger would not work

Upside down mig welding is my fav

Area was painted and diff was re installed
I will have to do this exact same thing for my $700 03 since I have a used superlift going on it along with the 2” body lift.

Now to continue on dismantle of “blackie trac” I am after the pedal assembly next (clutch pedal!!)

Some nice parts here


But first i Must stop working on tracs for a bit… the wheels and tires are here for the 07 ranger the other final parts have also shipped. I need to focus on that truck next week get eddiemoney his truck back!!!

Summer is short!
I’m going to see if I can get a pic of the baby ducks. Also saw a wicked bright yellow bird with a bright orange head yesterday would like to get a picture of that little guy as well

 

[oklagp1200r]

I forgot to say put a little bit of dirt, leaves, small twigs, etc in that water in those buckets to make it look appealing to those vampire critters!
Anything to help someone out with the knowledge I have just like your sharing this thread content!

 

[Josh P]

I think we're just as fascinated with the 400 engine as the sport trac. A good set of tfs heads made for a Cleveland or Windsor, intake adapter for a 351W efi intake and a good cam puts the motor near the 500hp territory. 351C pistons fit the 400 rods if you use a bushing.

 

[410Fortune]

This is my new “daily blog”
If we could get a camera man we could provide daily content for a YouTube. Just wait till I’m back working with my partners, you see I hooked up with a couple of old dudes up here, both “retired” and love working on these trucks w me. One just had shoulder surgery so he’s out for a few weeks which is why we have been pushing so hard at home on personal projects. So now it’s me, my stepson (northidaho5oh at trs) and the real comedians are my buddy rangerrich (72) and his pal Earl (76)… I love working with these dudes I have never laughed so hard.
We have 3 big shops to work from and about a gazziloon fords

I will add yard debris they love cedar droppings!

I’ll drag this 400cu v8 out and get some detailed pics asap! I think I mentioned I have a certain rwd 98 ranger short cab short bed just asking to go fast

 

[Josh P]

I’ll drag this 400cu v8 out and get some detailed pics asap! I think I mentioned I have a certain rwd 98 ranger short cab short bed just asking to go fast

That would be a badass build. Manual or automatic transmission?

 

[allmyEXes]

It's kind of funny how the 400Ms didn't really get any respect back in the late 70s. I guess it could have been because they wouldn't fit in the Mustangs or Mavericks. 351 Cleveland is wall to wall engine in a 1970 Mustang. Also back then performance parts weren't available either. Mainly aluminum 4 bbl intakes.

 

[Josh P]

It's kind of funny how the 400Ms didn't really get any respect back in the late 70s. I guess it could have been because they wouldn't fit in the Mustangs or Mavericks. 351 Cleveland is wall to wall engine in a 1970 Mustang. Also back then performance parts weren't available either. Mainly aluminum 4 bbl intakes.

With all the go fast parts available, it can be built for serious performance and big block torque. I need one for the mustang 2.

 

[CDW6212R]

I love Moose, wow the baby is so cute too.

BTW, here's a 400 with the odd small block pattern on it, those were a partial first model year run. This was with a Tremec and the really odd SVO valve covers.


BTW also, I have a box with 400 rods already polished, balanced, and with 351C TRW pistons on them. That project ended but I got the pistons and block done.

 

[Josh P]

That box needs a shipping label with 410's address on it

 

[CDW6212R]

I'd gladly sell them as I don't need them. They were planned for a 408 and 351C open chamber 4V heads I have. I also bought spacer plates that are made for a C intake on the 400, but they came as 2V sized, lots to open up to mate with 4V heads. My one porting bit is made for steel, so it didn't cut the aluminum well at all(I barely started on them).

 

[vroomzoomboom]

any idea why there are different torque arm lengths? (thats what ive always called em), if i am not wrong, ranger, explorer and sport track all have different length arms. i have 3 4:10 front diffs under my bench. all from explorers. i want to put one under my ranger to try chase a problem i am having, but if you have ever tried to loosen one of those bolts, you will know why i stopped.
also double on the flying vampire trap. we have been lucky that they havent been bad over the last couple of years but sometimes they are horrible and big enough to have call letters on them.