1978 W150 "Southbounder" - new purchase barn find

[78w150Southbound]

Update:

I had my daily driver go down last fall and it was stuck in my workshop until a few weeks ago, so work on the Southbounder has finally begun in earnest. I cranked it up yesterday and drove it into the workshop - the brakes are seized and I'm working on getting them unstuck so that I can easily roll the truck around in the workshop. Reinstalling the gas tank this weekend as well.

I beat the front disc brakes off and compressed the pistons - they appear to be fine now. The rear brakes are a bit more difficult so far. I haven't been able to disassemble the drums. I'm trying to follow directions in the manual to "press the adjustment lever" while turning the star gear to loosen the shoes, but no luck so far. Any advice is appreciated!

I'm going to do some searching on the forums to figure out how to get these drums off, but wanted to give an update first. After a long wait, this project is finally off the ground and I'm hoping to be driving around within a few weeks.

Thanks for bearing with me, y'all!

[712edf]

Star gears are known to seize up. Plus it can get confusing as to which way to turn them to loosen. Are you able to get them to turn? Do you have one of those brake tools? Seem to work better than just a screwdriver.

Bucky

[78w150Southbound]

Star gears are known to seize up. Plus it can get confusing as to which way to turn them to loosen. Are you able to get them to turn? Do you have one of those brake tools? Seem to work better than just a screwdriver.

Bucky

Thanks for the reply!

I think I was able to turn it (down) about a 1/4 turn, but I'm not positive. It's tough to see! My chilton manual says to pry it "down" so that's what I'm trying. I've bent a welding rod to hook under the star wheel rod and push the adjuster arm behind it. I'm thinking of going to get the real brake tool if I can't get it tonight.

Update:
I was able to get it off. Sprayed on blaster on the threads of the adjuster and was able to turn in a bit, while bending a cheap screwdriver. At that point I was able to beat the drum off with a hammer. At least I can push the truck around the garages now. I'll get back to the brakes later: on to the gas tank reinstallation, fluid changes, and tuning!

[78w150Southbound]

As I was going to reinstall my front wheel, I poked my finger into the hole on the rotor and found it was perfectly lined up with the bearing grease zerk that I've read so much about. There are many threads on the importance of regularly lubing these things.

I've taken the coincidentally-aligned grease zerk as a sign that I should go ahead and grease those babies. I'm sure that there is some disagreement on exactly what brand of grease to use, but I wanted to make sure I was using the right type of grease. I have some Lucas Red 'n' Tacky #2 and was thinking of just using that. Any thoughts?

Do i do this similiar to other grease applications? (i.e. pump it in until I see new grease flowing out?) Where is the grease going to be coming out from?

[712edf]

Not all greases are the same, nor are all of them correct for this application. But I haven't a clue as to whether or not the one you have is proper to use.

I wouldn't "pump until grease comes out". Usually when you've done that then something (seal) is ruptured & contaminants can get in.

Glad you found the zerk.

Bucky

[KRB64]

I've always used NAPA heavy duty but no idea if that is correct or not, but it's worked for me so far.

Seems like I've done about a dozen pumps around once a year? Never had any fling out on brakes etc. No idea if that is inadequate either but so far nothing has failed.

I have an old Army M880 manual, I'll see if it gives any specifics about that.

[78w150Southbound]

I have an old Army M880 manual, I'll see if it gives any specifics about that.

Oh yeah. Forgot that the truck came with the manual! I consulted it and it cleared things right up.

From the 1978 Owner's Manual:

Front Wheel Bearings - W100-200 models with the standard Dana 44F-BJ front driving axle.
These axles are equipped with a grease fitting for lubricating the front wheel bearings. Recommended lubrication for both heavy duty and light duty cycles is every 6 months or 6,000 miles. Lubricate the bearings until all the existing grease is flushed from the cavity and new grease appears. Use Multi-Purpose Grease NLGI Grade 2 EP. Mopar Multi-Mileage Lubricant is a grease of this type and is recommended. The front tire and wheel assembly must be removed to permit access to the grease fittings as shown in the drawing. Note: The use of special tools are required whenever removing the wheel or hub bearings.
*If your vehicle is driven under sever or off-highway service lubricate every 3,000 miles or every 3 months, whichever occurs first or more frequently if required.

Lucas Red n' Tacky appears to be ok since it's clearly labeled NLGI and is #2 (which I assumed is the same as Grade 2).
http://lucasoil.com/products/grease/red-n-tacky-grease

So no one has ever pumped enough grease in there for the old grease is "flushed from the cavity"? I guess I'll try it and we'll see where it comes out....






Update:
Got a thorough clarification on another forum:

The old grease will come out the backside of the hub, where you see the U-joint.

There is two style seals used over the years, the first is a big rubber V shaped donut that rides on the axle stub shaft, and slides against the back side of the hub.
The second is a normal rubber & steel seal that is mounted in the hub, and seals against the axle stub shaft.

The first can take grease fairly quickly, and will let the old grease out easy (still stop, and rotate the wheel several times to distribute the grease).

The second, Can blow out if you pump the grease in too fast. It is best to rotate the wheel more often, and once you see the grease oozing out, only do one or two pumps of the grease gun between wheel rotations. You do not want the grease building up, and popping the seal.

Sounds more complicated then it is.

[78w150Southbound]

Reinstalling the fuel tank and I'm having a problem that i should have prevented. I wasn't planning on having the tank out as long as I did, so i didn't take as precise note as I was disassembling. Also, I thought the Chilton or Haynes manual would be useful (they are not on this issue).

I have 3 hoses to connect, but I'm only sure about what to do with 2 of them. There are two fittings on the sending unit, the larger one is the filler vent that goes up to the filler neck, while the smaller is the fuel feed line that connects to the steel fuel line that travels up to the fuel pump. so I've got those two straight; here's the issue:



There is a mystery hole in the tank (labeled "What is this?" in the photo). There is a rubber grommet with a hole in it that fits into the hole in the tank.

There is also a small white fuel-filter sized thing with two hose nipples mounted to the frame rail above the location of the mystery hole when tank is installed. One nipple is labeled "tank" while the other is labeled "can". There is a short hose dangling from the "tank" nipple, that I either left hanging or wasn't connected at all. My best guess is that this is part of the EVAP system and that I could try to push the hose from the "tank" nipple through the hole in the grommet and into the tank. I still would have no clue what the "can" nipple is supposed to be routed to, and I think that it previously had no hose connected to it, so it was just serving as a vent to the atmosphere.

Can anyone provide any clarity for me on this?
Thanks!

[Chewie]

You may be right thinking it's evaporation canister under the hood.

http://www.allpar.com/fix/fuel/evaporation-control.html

Sounds like it's worth hooking up..

[78w150Southbound]

You may be right thinking it's evaporation canister under the hood.

http://www.allpar.com/fix/fuel/evaporation-control.html

Sounds like it's worth hooking up..

bingo. I think that's it. It seems that I'm missing pretty much every component of that system... I'm on the hunt for a can. The lines/hoses shouldn't be an issue. I've also read elsewhere that it's a good idea to put a fuel filter on the line from the canister to the carb as it will prevent any charcoal crumbles from being sucked in into the carb, which apparently happens with some of the really old cans.

[78w150Southbound]

Update on the Southbounder. Just a reminder, it's a 1978 W-150 with a 318, 727, NP203 full-time Tcase:

I've decided that it was too much trouble to try to rebuild the EVAP system for now. Perhaps I'll do that in the future.

Carb:
I did rebuild the Carter BBD carb and it's running well with it, though it's not cranking well. I set all of the adjustments to spec, but it doesn't want to crank and run well unless I reach in and open the choke valve... I will go back through the adjustments and see what I can do. I noted that the Vapor EVAP purge port was plugged (as assumed, since EVAP has been removed). Another port is plugged and I'm not sure what it is. It's not labeled in the FSM drawing and I can't figure out what it is; maybe y'all can help. It's on the back of the carb - can be seen hear directly in the middle of the photo with a screw plugging the tube:



I did take the truck a ride though, about 1 mile. It ran great, idled down, shifted into all three gears fairly smoothly. The T-Case is shifting properly as well. Gave her a bath when we got home and she looks good!



Cooling:
There are some leaks in the cooling system, though nothing big enough to result in much coolant loss. It appears that the thermostat housing and the fuel pump have small leaks - I will replace both. The radiator is also not holding pressure - it's getting dropped off at the shop today to see if they can clean/coat it.

Trans:
I didn't properly plug one of the trans cooler feed lines when I removed the radiator and it leaked probably a quart of trans fluid. Fluid was read and looked good to me. The trans pan is leaking fluid anyway, so I plan on dropping it and replacing the filter and gasket. The question, however, is what fluid to use. The FSM says Dexron, but it was written 40 years ago. Forums seem to be split between Dex/Merc and ATF4. I'd be curious to hear what y'all use and why.

I also plan to drain and fill the diffs and TCase soon. Any advice or thoughts to keep in mind are appreciated!

Here is a photo after she got a bath:

[712edf]

Good update!
The Dexron vs ATF+4 debate is on every auto forum on the net. Since its not an OD tranny, I'd lean to Dex/Mer.

The 203 t-case gets oil, NOT fluid.

The thing on the carb plugged appears to just be a vacuum port, can't say what, if anything, that it went to. Choke Unloader maybe?

Did you say the fuel pump is leaking coolant?

Bucky

[KRB64]

...The 203 t-case gets oil, NOT fluid...

Bucky

Thats engine oil not gear oil just to clarify.

I'll check my Carter and see what that port does.

Glad to see it coming along!

[78w150Southbound]

Thanks for the replies!

Noted about the Dex/Merc. I had already bought some Carquest ATF+4 for $5.99/qt, but I think I'll take it back and pick up some Castrol Dex/Merc.

I was planning on putting Rotella 10W-30 in the T-Case. I've read that a non-detergent oil would be best, but have no idea where to buy it. They all seem to have detergents!

Oops! That was a typo. My fuel pump is certainly not leaking coolant, but my water pump is. I'm waiting for the new thermostat housing / wateroutlet to come in and I'm replacing it and the water pump.

I'm also dumping the diffs. SAE 90 or 85W-90 is spec'd for temps in the -10F to 90F range and SAE 140 is spec'd in the FSM for temps over 90F. I'm in Atlanta and have temps in both ranges, so I was thinking of going with Lucas 85w-140 to cover both ranges. What do y'all think?

Also, is there a preference for which limited slip additive to use? FSM spec's a certain Mopar additive that doesn't exist anymore.

[KRB64]

I've always just used NAPA limited slip and so far so good.