1979 Ford F150 w/ 302 help, new toy

[4FordFamily]

I just bought a 1979 Ford F150 Custom with a 302 V8. not in such a great condition but a restorable truck just the same. The truck itself is solid, but the truck bed is ruined.

Transmission runs perfect, Engine runs great, almost as well as my 95 explorer, lights pretty much all work, heat and air work, etc. etc.

I am new to older trucks, and since it's a Ford i figured the rest of you ford lovers could help me out with a few questions.

First off, I bought the truck yesterday as a work truck. I drove it for a good 2 hours. After that, the the temp gauge went haywire and i pulled into steak n shake. Radiator was smoking like crazy, sounded like it was boiling. There was pressure in the radiator hose, so I dont think that is the problem. I had about 85% the coolant i needed (i put in more today). I let it cool down, and drove it home and let it set overnight and i've been driving it for half hour intervals off and on all day without the temp getting past directly between hot and cold. Do you think that's a thermostat??

Second question, Gas guage does not work. How big is my gas tank?? And/or how do i fix the gauge or any way i can know before my truck just sort of dies?

Anyone know of a good forum to discuss this truck with that may know more?

I appreciate it fellas,

Jason

 

[james t]

Overheating- It could be the thermostat or the water pump. Did it sit up for any length of time before you bought it? Having a truck sitting up for long term kills water pumps. Id try replacing the thermostat first.

Bed- throw it away and find another one. If its rusted that bad, it aint worth fixing.

Gas gauge- It could be a loose wire somewere, a fuse, or the sending unit. Check the wiring first. You should be able to get the sending unit at Napa or crapzone for cheap. I have no idea how big the tank is.

 

[rookieshooter]

Jason you can take out the t-stat cold engine of course. Note the position of the valve, it should be closed. Then put it in a pot of water on a stove, turn on the heat and see if the valve opens. Should open around 190 F. and then put it under tap water to see if it closes. sometimes the t-stat does not want to open all the way and this will cause overheating. I hope you don't have a head gasket problem. You may want to do a compresion check. I would do that no matter if you had an overheating problem or not. Good Luck

 

[SVO]

Don't forget guys, he prolly has a fan clutch on this vehicle too.

With the hood up and at operating temps, shut the motor off and of the fan spin for 5 revolutions or more, replace the fan clutch.

Any time a vehicle over heat, hands down I replace the t-stat as to make sure it hasn't been damaged by heat, remember all that makes it operate id a spring.

Also check the seal on the radiator cap, if it's bad it will allow coolant to escape and the system to not hold pressure.


As for the gas guage James had the best route to follow there, another thing is to put a 5 gallon gas can in the back and go drive it till it runs out, that will make it easier to drop to service the sending unit, hence my 85' flareside has a 17 gallon tank, that's a lot of wieght to wrestle.

Don't forget about the other great places to get parts too:

www.lmctruck.com <-----my fav!!

www.npdlink.com

www.jcwhitney.com <---for weather strip kits



BTW, WE WANT PICS OF IT!





Jeff - :navajo: