Restoring F-100

On Apr 16, 1:13 am, Joe4sho <[email protected]> wrote:
> yep, im restoring a Ford F-100 been sitting for about 5 years and the
> first thing i was planing on doing was changing out the fluids. So i
> was wondering if i needed to change out EVERY fluid? would the
> transmition fluid be ok? break fluid? power stearing fluid?

I would do them all, and check for leaking seals, especially around
the brakes.

>
> And also another thing there has been a little bit of gas in it for 5
> years, is my gas tank gonna be rusted out?
>

No way to tell this from the internet. I would drain the tank and
lines. Inspect the drained fuel for evidence of rusting. Replace the
fuel filter, fill with gas and give it a try.

Joe4sho <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>yep, im restoring a Ford F-100 been sitting for about 5 years and the
>first thing i was planing on doing was changing out the fluids. So i
>was wondering if i needed to change out EVERY fluid? would the
>transmition fluid be ok? break fluid? power stearing fluid?

I would change everything out, absolutely. But then, I tend to change
everything out every five years or so anyway.

>And also another thing there has been a little bit of gas in it for 5
>years, is my gas tank gonna be rusted out?

Maybe, but I'd worry more about the fuel pump than the tank. Get as much
as possible of it out, refill the tank to the top and add some strong
detergent to get the gunk into solution. I like the Lucas Fuel Treatment
but Techron seems to work fine too.

Don't forget to change all the filters and the belts. I'd inspect all
the hoses very carefully unless you're going to just swap those out en
masse too.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Apr 17, 9:51 am, [email protected] (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> Joe4sho  <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >yep, im restoring a Ford F-100 been sitting for about 5 years and the
> >first thing i was planing on doing was changing out the fluids. So i
> >was wondering if i needed to change out EVERY fluid? would the
> >transmition fluid be ok? break fluid? power stearing fluid?
>
> I would change everything out, absolutely.    But then, I tend to change
> everything out every five years or so anyway.
>
> >And also another thing there has been a little bit of gas in it for 5
> >years, is my gas tank gonna be rusted out?
>
> Maybe, but I'd worry more about the fuel pump than the tank.  Get as much
> as possible of it out, refill the tank to the top and add some strong
> detergent to get the gunk into solution.  I like the Lucas Fuel Treatment
> but Techron seems to work fine too.
>
> Don't forget to change all the filters and the belts.  I'd inspect all
> the hoses very carefully unless you're going to just swap those out en
> masse too.
> --scott

I would change all fuel hoses on principle. It is possible that some
of them are still original, and some older rubber formulations don't
play nice with some modern oxygenated fuels. I know a kid that lost
an old Studebaker this way - he'd actually replaced the fuel hoses but
bought his stock from a parts store that had an old roll. One failed
on the road. Car go poof. My call - replace the hoses, and look for
date codes within the last few years on your new hose.

To the original question, yes, definitely replace all the fluids.
Modern fluids, *with the exception of oil* are significantly better
than the old ones with few downsides. I just bought an older pickup
truck earlier this year and just went through this same regimen. I
think I used Redline Heavy Shockproof in the rear end, had the trans.
flushed at the shop down the street (he used some synthetic fluid, not
sure which one) and I think I used Prestone "synthetic" brake fluid
from my FLAPS (the specs are actually pretty decent for a general
consumer-grade product.) I did not change the P/S fluid but probably
ought to at some point.

You do need to be careful selecting an oil for an older engine with a
flat-tappet cam. Used to be that the "fleet" oils (Shell Rotella,
Chevron Delo 400, etc.) were the ticket for those applications, but
now even those have reduced ZDDP levels but still are probably the
best you're likely to find at your FLAPS.

nate

["You" = "original poster"]

I'd be inclined to run it up before changing the coolant and radiator
and heater hoses so as to dislodge any rust. This as part of a
general program of changing all the underhood and undercar hoses and
fluids. Watch those brakes like a hawk afterwards -- actually,
consider rebuilding the rubber hoses and wheel cylinders on general
principles. They have a hard life down there.

You might want to drop the pan and change the transmission screen and
gasket too, if it's an automatic (sounds that way from the
description).

As for rust in the fuel tank, you might be able to get away with
changing the fuel filter repeatedly*. You didn't say what year or
engine, but I'm imagining the "jelly jar" arrangement where a metal
filter housing screwed into the bottom of a mechanical fuel pump.
Very handy to take this approach with those, especially if you just
happen to be changing the oil filter (access is easier with the oil
filter off), as they have a lot of capacity and the larger particles
drift to the bottom where they're easy to admire and swab out.

My old T-bird with a 390 horked up a fair bit of rust and fines at
first, but after doing this every few months on a boring afternoon for
a year or so, I wasn't finding much anymore. Funneled the gasoline
into my lawnmower through a coffee filter, screwed the thing back in
with a new filter cartridge, lather-rinse-repeat.

Watch very carefully for gas leaks (incl. on and near the carb itself)
during those first few run-ups, and, well, for leaks of everything
else too.

Definitely change out the differential fluid. The cheap pumps that
are powered by a drill are great for that sort of thing. The oil is
too heavy for a hand vacuum pump like you might use to bleed the
brakes, and of course it smells like Hell in a pretty literal sense.

--J

On Apr 16, 1:13 am, Joe4sho <[email protected]> wrote:
> yep, im restoring a Ford F-100 been sitting for about 5 years and the
> first thing i was planing on doing was changing out the fluids. So i
> was wondering if i needed to change out EVERY fluid? would the
> transmition fluid be ok? break fluid? power stearing fluid?
>
> And also another thing there has been a little bit of gas in it for 5
> years, is my gas tank gonna be rusted out?
>
> thx-
>
> --
> Joe4sho
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And I would crank the engine over for several seconds with spark plugs
removed to get the oil moving to distant points.