Submitting the Request for YOM Plates

I made an appointment at the PETALUMA (SONOMA COUNTY) DMV to take in the EBAY procurred license plates and submit form 352 from the DMV website. One thing I was not sure about was what to check at the top of the form -

I checked the option named "Original Assignment" and this worked with the clerk at the DMV office. 

I took: 
1. The pink slip
2. The paperwork on pre-payment of fees for current year
3. The License Plates 
4. Form 352

The clerk knew about the program (unlike many many posters experiences recounted in the various vintage car forums on the web who have had to basically educate the clerks about the YOM program) and though she had a few issues posting the transaction (which she solved by referring to the user manual) within 10 minutes I was issued the temporary sticker for my back window and told to NOT display the plates until I heard from Sacramento. 

A couple of updates to the other web pages - First, DMV no longer requires photocopies of the plates, just take them with you and the clerk will review them during the process.  My plates were OLD but still readable. I washed them with a little Comet and water before going to the DMV to get most of the dirt and grime off them.  I have learned from other encounters at the DMV that you get one shot with most of these transactions (twice I have paid fines because I gave a date that was late or something and when I asked the clerk to let me put a different date on some form they state 'that would be fraud' - and I pay pay pay) and I was a bit nervous going in - but it all went pretty much as outlined in the various articles I read and even though I did not have pristine plates, or a like new registration sticker,  the clerk said the plates looked readable and entered the little numbers from the registration sticker into the computer - even though she had to kind of guess at the fourth digit as I had kind of messed it up scraping off the 1967 tag. Just make sure all numbers and letters are readable as the clerk will have to capture these for the assignment.

Actual Cost to register Old Blue with 1966 Yellow on Black license plates was:

1.	Plates					$66	(shipping ~$10)
2.	Registration Sticker (I needed a yellow 1966)					$0
3.	DMV Fees					$45
						============
						$111

The clerk took my Form 352, made a bunch of updates to the bottom section and said I should hear back within 6-8 weeks ....  I am waiting on the DMV now ...

California YOM Plates and the DMV

In November 2013, I followed the advice given on a page at Ebay [ http://www.ebay.com/gds/DMV-Clear-California-License-Plates-1951-1956-1963-YOM-/10000000000961771/g.html ] to get YOM plates for Old Blue.

The basic sequence seemed to be:

1. Determine correct color and format of plates for Year of Manufacture of vehicle.For me that meant the 1963 commercial plates (In 1963 the form: L NN NNN was used) colored Yellow Numbers on Black field. Even though the truck was just a pickup, in California these require commercial plates.
2. Buy License Plates
3. Find a Registration Sticker for the year of manufacture of the vehicle and stick to the top right hand corner of plate.
4. Fill out the California DMV form 352  (YOM Application)
5. Take Plates, Sticker, Form to DMV office with check for $45
6. Wait for DMV to send current registration and new stickers with little metal mounts.
7. Put plates on Truck

First I determined that the correct plates for a 1966 FORD F-250 would be the 1963 series plates which are YELLOW letter/numbers on BLACK field. I verified with Uncle Ken what the original license plate number was and it was in the form L NN NNN as well.

I started watching the auctions at EBAY for a while getting an idea what the current market was like and how much people were paying. I was a bit shocked to see matching 1963 series California commercial plates going for between $100 and $500 dollars depending on condition. Many people sell refurbished plates that looked brand new and there is lots of advice on YouTube and other websites about how to refurbish them yourself including what paint colors to use and many processes to get that 'institutional look'. I decided to get an acceptable pair at the cheapest price I could and, buy a reproduced 1966 registration sticker being offered on EBAY for $20.

My budget for the license plates for Ole Blue detailed out as follows:

1.	Plates					$150	(shipping ~$10)
2.	Registration Sticker (I needed a yellow 1966)					$20
3.	DMV Fees					$45
						============
						$215

Compared to the alternatives that would get me yellow on black plates this seemed the least cost option calculated over the first 6 years of ownership. I used 6 years just to keep it simple yet still realizing YOM plates cost $10 a year to register, whereas California's proposed legacy plates would cost $40 a year and I still was not sure the program would be implemented since it required a set pre-sold number of plates and this number hadn't been reached yet.

After watching auctions over the course of a few weeks I found a pair that were starting at a low price, were NOT 'Buy It Now' and were in reasonable condition. I decided to try and get these for Old Blue. Before I made any bid on this pair, I called DMV at (1-800-777-0133) and asked  'Do you have a record of these plates?' and gave her the number on the plates at auction. After a few seconds the clerk said NO RECORD OF THIS NUMBER IN COMPUTER so I proceeded to bid. The plates were a little dinged up but did not have a ton of rust or looked to be bent or twisted.

I won the Auction by putting in a bid early in the action for $120 - knowing others would bid but EBAY would increment my bid to keep me at high bidder up to the $120 budget I had set for the plates. Maybe that week was full of distractions or maybe the alternative license plates available at other auctions were so compelling, whatever the reason, I won the Auction paying about half of my budgeted amount ($66 Total with shipping)  for the pair of 1963 California commercial plates. When I received the plates I noticed the sticker on the top right of the plate was for the year 1967 (ohhhh soo close!) and also saw that it was peeling and cracked and that underneath the 1967 label was a yellow tag though I could not tell what year that hidden tag was for.

I decided to try and scrape the 1967 tag off the plate and take a look. I figured that if I messed it up I would have to cover these tags with the new, reproduced 1966 tag I was going to buy so I got out my magnifying glasses and a razor blade and started picking at the edges of the 1967 sticker. As I worked at the edges of the sticker, little chunks of 50 year old sticker popped off the plate revealing the desired yellow 1966 sticker placed on the plate so many years ago. The sticker was chipped around the edges and parts of the black typeface had chipped off but all in all I could still read the letters spelling out CALIFORNIA, the year 1966, the Great Seal of the State of California and the little sequence of numbers and letters at the bottom.

WOOHOO - Just saved myself $20 AND any concerns about using a 'fake' reproduction sticker floated away. I had an original 1966 sticker on the plates ... let's see what DMV says :)

Eye Shadow Fit For a Queen

Around the outside of the grille is a faded swatch of flat black paint. I am not sure if this is standard on 1966 F-250's, just Custom Cabs, some other Ford exterior package or if the wife of the original owner did it ???? But it is there and it is looking a bit like it has been a long day for Old Blue, so I will spruce up the old ladies eye makeup a bit and restore the visual definition around the front lights ...

I pulled the headlight trim by removing the 3 screws and since the grill was so dirty I polished the complete aluminium grill and headlight trim with a two phase approach. First, I used rubbing compound to get the blue overspray from the rebuild/repaint off the aluminium, as well as, many dead bugs from rides out to the beach through West Marin. This also took off the anodized finish from the grille, then I used Mothers Aluminium polish to make these pieces shine! I have read that shooting the aluminium with clear coat will keep the maintenance time in check but I will see how this works for now.

Flat Black is not a difficult color to find or procure and I selected Rustoleum Flat Black for the job. I masked off the outer grill above and below the top and bottom vertical struts (which were also painted black) and laid down two coats of paint and let dry.

After reassemble she was looking pretty snappy around the headlights. I have to say the effect is very subtle but there, kind of makes the middle section of the grille look to be floating.

The Engine Bay (Part 1) - Ford FE 352 Valve Covers

I begin to clean up the engine bay as I can see by peering under the hood that many wires are going nowhere, fragments of upgrades past that have been removed for one reason or another (Uncle Ken once had cruise control on Old Blue!), Oil and other fluids have splashed on the various components and a fine rust permeates across the Fender wells, firewall, radiator and most of the electrical component boxes.

I will NOT do a restoration but I would like to get an idea of what wires are being used, what is causing the various leaks and see what I can do to eliminate fluid loss and rusting of the engine bay.

It does not take long to see the valve covers are oozing oil ... Reading up on the FE Forum first step is to check valve covers and gaskets. This seems to be a common problem with these old trucks but I will need to get a Torque wrench to perform the maintenance.

After cleaning the oil off all the parts I can reach, I ran the truck for a few days and took another look under the hood. I notice there is also just a little oil now on the front of the oil filter .. touching around the various pieces I think I feel dampness on the bottom of the oil pressure sending unit. hmmm ... maybe it needs tightening or something I will also read up on this little piece of mechanical mastery....

Next Steps:
1. Buy Torque wrench - I checked out what Sears, Napa and the usual suspects had in stock and chose one of the Napa offerings. I got the analog version as I did not read anything that said the digital was any better. It cost about $50

2. Find out what Torque to apply to bolts - I posted this question on the Ford Enthusiasts forum and was told to get a copy of the old 1966 Ford Truck shop manuals off of EBAY. When I looked around, I found they were being offered as digital copies on DVD (around $25) or the old printed versions for between $60 - $150 for the set of four books. I found one offering for Vols 1,  3, 4 for $11 and Uncle Ken sent me Volume 2 and the Preliminary so I got the complete set for $11.

I spent all my spare time for the next week reading through the manuals and found on page 8-248 of Vol 2 a table showing the Ft-Lbs for the Valve Rocker Arm Cover for the 352 to be 10-12. OK!

3. Find replacement valve cover bolts (one is broke).  I notice that on the passenger side nearest the carburetor one of the bolt heads has snapped off and the bolt will need to be replaced. I asked at Napa if they had anything and they did not. The man at the counter said that the bolts need to come with the lock washer already on it and to get a size 5/16"-18 x 5/8"  hex-head bolts with the split washers. He said from the factory the correct markings on the bolt head would be AMK428. I found some New Old Stock (NOS) on EBAY for $8 for a set of 10 and bought them. I also picked up a stud puller since I will have to remove the bit of bolt now stuck in the engine block.

4. Find replacement gaskets. Easy as a trip to Napa. I decided on the rubber cork type since many people said they seat the often misaligned cylinder head covers well. Minimizing the potential for vacuum leaks. 

5. Repaint Covers? -- YES! I will try to find someplace in town to bead blast the covers and then paint them OLD FORD BLUE (Duplicolor). I read a ton of forum threads on the appropriate color of the 1966 352 valve covers and after all kinds of analysis by many people much smarter than me about such things they determine that in 1966 Ford sold the F-250's with BLUE engine blocks and BLUE Valve covers. Either the Ditzler paint code 22362 or the Duplicolor 'Old Ford Blue' will work. I found the Duplicolor at the local Napa store for $5 and picked up some VHT high build primer at the same time.

6. Removing Valve Covers - pulling broken stud.
7. Stripping
8. Painting
9. Replacing Gaskets
10. Mounting Valve Covers with new bolts

Should be a fun little project!

License Plate Options for 1966 Ford Truck

So I will have to replace the current IOWA license plates on Old Blue. Looking through the DMV website I have a few options when it comes to a 47 year old vehicle in this state. A couple of gotcha's here that need to be considered. In California, all pickup trucks are licensed as commercial vehicles so I will need to get the truck weighed and then be sure I get commercial plates. Commercial plates for a 1966 Truck can be:

1. Current Commercial


2. Personalized 

Blue on white with any text up to 7 letters - OLD BLUE or OL BLU 66.


Many types available. See https://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/elp/elp.htm


3. Legacy License Plate Program 

California Legacy License Plate program offers the opportunity to purchase replicas of California license plates similar to those issued in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. The program requires a minimum of 7,500 pre-paid applications prior to January 1, 2015 to be implemented.

Legacy License plates can be ordered for any year model automobile, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer. The Legacy License Plate Program will not replace the current Year of Manufacture (YOM) license plate program.



From the CA DMV website:

Q1: What is the fee to order Legacy License Plates?
A: $50.

Q2: Does the application fee of $50 apply to either a sequential or a personalized license plate?
A: Yes. The fee is the same for either choice of plate configuration.

Q3: If the Legacy License Plate Program is implemented, what other fees will be due?
A:$40 for renewal
   $15 to transfer the plates to another vehicle
   $35 for substitute plates

So, it looks like Legacy plates (IF implemented) would cost $50 to order and $40 per year for renewal. 

4. Year of Manufacture (YOM) 
YOM plates are any officially manufactured California license plates issued prior to 1969 for auto, motorcycle, or trailers and extends to 1972 or prior for commercial vehicles that the department determines are legible and serviceable.

From the CA DMV website: 

• Year of Manufacture (YOM) license plates are any officially manufactured California license plates issued in:
  • 1969 or prior, for autos, trailers, and motorcycles, and
  • 1972 or prior, for commercial vehicles.
• In lieu of the license plates otherwise required for the vehicle, YOM plates may be assigned to any currently registered:
  • 1969 or older year model auto, motorcycle, or trailer of a corresponding model year, or
  • 1972 or older commercial vehicle of a corresponding model year.
• The department must determine that the YOM plates are legible and serviceable prior to assignment to a vehicle.
• Vehicles with YOM plates:
  • have full operating privileges, and
  • are not restricted to participation in historical vehicle activities.
• Kit cars (SPCNS) of vintage automobiles (for example, a replica of a 1928 vehicle) do not qualify for YOM plates.
• YOM plates must be supplied by the vehicle owner and authenticated by DMV personnel.
  • Base year license plates must have the appropriate year validation sticker attached to the plate to be authenticated as other than the base year.

    Examples: A 1956 license plate with a 1958 sticker equals a 1958 plate and must be placed on a 1958 year model vehicle. A 1963 license plate with a 1968 sticker equals a 1968 plate and must be placed on a 1968 year model vehicle).

• Blue and yellow plates:
  • do not have a specific year model designation, but were not introduced until 1970, and
  • therefore are only valid for 1970-1972 year model commercial vehicles.
• Unique plate series, such as exempts, dealers, etc., will be authorized for currently qualified applicants only.

  Example: California dealer #103 (if currently licensed) would be allowed to use an authenticated 1956 dealer plate #103 on a 1956 vehicle registered to the dealership. The plates must be: original (legible and unaltered characters), and a configuration authorized for the year of the vehicle entered on the application.

• Legitimate YOM plate configurations may be determined by verifying the plate(s) against the plate information contained in Appendix 1E.
• The YOM plates must be acceptable by the department and may be rejected by the department if the configuration carries any connotations offensive to good taste or have been restricted or removed from regular series license plates.
  • Two license plates are required for every qualifying vehicle, except trailers or motorcycles require a single plate, and
  • The vehicle and the license plate must be compatible (for example; a motorcycle plate to a motorcycle).
  • Weight fees must be collected on all commercial vehicles.
• Because the department does not have year model information for all historical vehicles, the YOM applicant may have to prove that the year model of the vehicle described in the application is correct.

For Old Blue we would need:
a. The yellow on black 1963 issue commercial California plates - two matching plates.
b. A yellow 1966 sticker
c. A lot of interactions with DMV about verification that no computer records exist for plates selected and that the plates meet subjective usability criteria.



FEES FOR Year of Manufacture Plates: 

Year of Manufacture (YOM) Plates (CVC §5004.5)							Fee
Original							$45
Renewal							$10
Reassignment							$12
Retention							$20

So, it looks like YOM plates would cost $45 to originate and $10 per year for renewal. However, I will need to buy the plates and get a 1966 sticker so add another $120 to total costs. Searches at google yield websites selling match pairs of 1963 issue commercial plates for $250 - $500 a set. Ebay searches show pairs of the same plates for around $100. Be sure to verify with DMV via the 800 number that no computer records exist for a set of plates you want to purchase (regardless of source) before you put the money down!

SUMMARY OF COSTS

Cost of License Plates for 6 years
Type	Plates	Origination		Annual		Total
Current	0	0		0		0
Vanity*	0	49		38		277
Legacy	0	50		40		290
YOM	90	45		10		195

I WANT YOM Plates, total cost over first 6 years is less then other options and I get what I want as far as original color plates.

More Information at: 

http://www.ebay.com/gds/DMV-Clear-California-License-Plates-1951-1956-1963-YOM-/10000000000961771/g.html

http://www.ebay.com/gds/California-YOM-1963-69-license-plate-registration-/10000000005181578/g.html

CHP VIN review - Where is the VIN on a 1966 Ford F250 Truck?

I was feeling well prepared and ready to talk to the CHP officer assigned to verify the VIN number on Old Blue. In the weeks since scheduling this review, I had remounted the VIN plate on the drivers door and had found and prepared for easy viewing the VIN number stamped onto the top rail of the iron frame.

On the front right (passenger) side down under the alternator on the top of the frame rail - I found the VIN

I had to sand, and scrape and I was not sure what i was looking for, but then I saw the letter F and with some additional elbow grease uncovered the stamped code. The code had stars before and after the VIN code and two of the letters in the vin code were misaligned to the other numbers. This was not a problem for the CHP officer.

Mounting the warranty plate was easy. I found some exact duplicates of the original rivets re-manufactured for http://dennis-carpenter.com/. They sent them over with instructions on how to mount warranty plates and after drilling a couple of well placed holes in the door sill I mounted the plate.

Pulling up into the parking lot of the local CHP field office, a big man in police blues came right up to me and said "looks like a '66 to me" starting off a 20 minute exchange of information relating to the differences in the '72 F250 he owned and Old Blue. He checked the door, heard my tale of woe regarding the DMV and took a quick look at the frame saying 'This is the second one today all ready cleaned up'. He grabbed the DMV documents out of my hand said "I'll be typing up the forms inside for about 10 minutes, stay here".

When he came back out about 10 minutes later he asked what kind of plates I was planning on getting. I told him the state was planning an offering of the the old age appropriate yellow on black California plates and I was eyeing them. He told me about another program the State has for vehicles older then 1972 called the Year Of Manufacturer (YOM) program where if you can get the same series and color of license plates originally issued with the vehicle and the little registration sticker for the year of the vehicle you can request the state to use these instead of the more expensive personalized plates. He said "Take a look on E-Bay and think about it, you have some time with your current Iowa registration" handing back the signed documents on which I noticed he had written "VIN NUMBER BY CONFIDENTIAL MEANS" - what ever that means :)

I was now ready to decide which plates I wanted and head back to DMV to register the Old Blue Truck. 

Checking the Transmission Fluid

Old Blue still carries the Cruise-O-Matic 3 speed automatic transmission she took from the factory way back in the day. From the web, I found that the fluid can be checked and filled from the same access point. However, this access point is located in a difficult place and if top up is required, you must get the correct fluid (FORD stopped using the specified fluid years ago). You need a funnel with a long hose to reach the access point.

I read at the FTE site:

• MX = Cruise-O-Matic Transmission used in 1965/67 F100/350's with 352's, and F350's with 240/300 I-6's.
• You check the fluid level with the transmission's dipstick: C5TZ7A020A with the engine running after it's warmed up to normal operating temperature.
• And...that is where mechanics fill the trans...they use the transmission dipstick's tube = C5TZ7A228B
• Every Ford A/T fluid level is checked with a dipstick, every Ford A/T (except 1951/55 Lincoln's) is filled using the dipstick tube

Its dark back there behind the engine but I see it! 

And what kind of fluid do I use ??????  Of course the guys at the FE forum had the answer: "Type F ATF is correct for P/S & A/T for all of these piles and thru 1976 w/a C6 (ditto C4) "  I ran down to Napa and grabbed a long nose funnel and a pint and then went searching for the dipstick.

So I took a look behind the Engine and found the dipstick hiding back there. Pulling it out, wiping it clean, reinserting and pulling again I find that there is NO fluid in the transmission. I inserted the funnel into the same tube the dipstick came out of and started pouring the thick fluid into the funnel. It took a while because the fluid was thick, and I spilled a bit pulling out the funnel nose and checking the level but I did eventually get the dipstick to show FULL.

The only difference I have noticed with the old transmission is that it does not slip into neutral when sitting at a stop light.

This is the dipstick and the place to re-fill 

[This articles describes how to check the transmission fluid on a 1966 Ford F-250 Camper Special with a Cruise-O-Matic transmission ] 

Out of State Registration, California DMV

We have spent some time at the DMV this summer and have learned a lot about out of state registration and what our options are for getting California license plates for Ole Blue. First the registration process:

To register the truck we needed to provide a form telling details about the vehicle identification, when we brought the truck into the state and proof of title.  The date of entry must have been in the last 21 days or you get socked with a substantial penalty so I recommend getting this step of the process done regardless of any follow-up - no penalties if forms are submitted on time regardless of what happens next.

Then a DMV employee came out to look at Old Blue. She checked the lights, and general condition of the truck and then asked to see the VIN number on the truck. Since the drivers side door had been crushed when Old Blue tried to run away during the engine rebuild, it had been replaced with one with the VIN plate removed so there was nothing for the DMV employee to reference. I quickly googled the location of the VIN frame stamp which from previous readings on the web I had heard was in 2 different locations on these old trucks but could not remember where. Search results said on the 66 FORD it should be 'just ahead of the engine cross member on the top of the frame'. What the heck does that mean? By then the DMV employee was late for her lunch and said she would refer me to the CHP to verify the VIN and that DMV employees do not know how to do this, that I would want to get going down the next path for verification and this was the next step ... AAAACCCCCKKKK It sounded to me like I was about to get into some bureaucratic nightmare but smiled and took the retched little 1 page report she had filled out with the box labels 'DO NOT PROCESS - REFER TO CHP checked and the note 'Primary VIN plate completely removed' hastily written into the notes section.

Luckily Uncle Ken had saved the original VIN plate by cutting out a section of the now crushed drivers side door and had slipped the metal chunk into the drivers side storage compartment. I had seen it earlier and used a picture of this to successfully request information on Old Blue so knew it was around.

That night I spent a good hour and a half looking for something I did not know what it looked like and did not know where it was. The frame had to have a VIN stamp so I sanded, scraped and looked with magnifying glasses for something with letters and numbers and finally saw what I thought looked like an F on top of one of the frame rails. I carefully continued to scrape away 50 years of mud, grease and rust and saw:

A perfect match to the number on the plate Uncle Ken had put into the door compartment. The next day I called CHP and scheduled a VIN review but it would be another 5 weeks before they could see us.

Top Dead Center

After looking on the web, at Autozone, O'Reilly's and Napa I picked up a vacuum gauge for about $15 at Napa. The model there had the connectors, the hose and the gauge all together for about the same price as the other places. I had a Sears timing light from when I used to tune my MG ...

First I checked all the spark plug gaps and set them all to 035. We were using Auto-lite BF142 plugs (which run cooler than the BF42's specified by ford). Then I let Old Blue idle for about 10 minutes to warm her up.

My plan was to:

1. Start by first warming the engine and note the idle vacuum reading. Normal vacuum at idle should be 19-21 inches for a six cylinder, or 15-18 inches on a low compression engine. 
2. Pre-set the ignition timing so that it is close to the manufactures recommended setting of 8 degrees BTDC, before making any carb adjustments.
3. Lean out one of the mixture screws (turn in) until the gauge as well as the engine begins to shudder. At that point, bring the screw back towards rich (turn out), while watching the gauge.Stop adjusting when the gauge reaches it's highest reading. Then do the same process for the other mixture screw. 
4. After each adjustment is made, reset the idle speed.

I hooked up the vacuum gauge and with the idle set as low as I could set it, (I looked at the Tachometer in the cab and it was at about 700 rpm). I checked the idle mixture screws. Starting with both screws about 1 1/2 turns out, I read this will be on the lean side so all I need to do is open them a little more. As I opened the screws the vacuum gauge read higher and higher vacuum until it stops (about 19). Old Blues hits that point at 2 1/2 turns out. With that optimized I check idle speed again as a higher vacuum also means a higher idle speed so I set for 700 one last time.

I hooked up the timing light and pointed it at the harmonic balancer - I read 23 degrees Before Top Dead Center on the Balancer, I was shocked and checked again just to be sure. Nothing I had read indicated I would expect anything more than 10 or 12 degrees. I loosened the hold down bolt on the distributor and turned it a little counter clockwise and watched as the indicator dropped to about 12 degrees before top dead center and I left it here, cranking down on the distributor hold down bolt.

I went back to the web and read with a Mallory Comp 9000 distributor with NO vacuum advance I should have seen something like
1. Initial Idle advance of 10 degrees
2. When the RPM's increase to 3,200 the Mallory kicks in and adds about 24 degrees mechanical advance.
3. This would give me a total advance at ~3,200 RPM of about 34 degrees.

From what I had read on the web about FORD 352's this would be just about right with 36-38 total advance optimal. When I start checking the vacuum readings - if I need to advance the initial timing 2 degrees I can.

I took her out for a test run and wow she pulled from stops with hella torque and took off when I stepped on the gas while cruising - OHHHHH V8 engines!

A couple of observations on driving Old Blue after the carburetor change and the timing adjustment. First, I no longer have to step down HARD on the brakes at stop signs. It actually takes very little pressure to stop and hold old blue at a stop. I think decreasing her idle speed from 1200+ to 700 has something to do with this. Second, no choke. Old blue fires right up, idles smooth until warm. Third, she has significant power under the hood and I take care not to jump on her too much!!! We now cruise at 70mph at 3000 RPM which for this old truck is very different than the previous 55mph@3000rpm. More importantly, when I do cruise at 55mph Ole Blue is turning about 2300 RPM's which should give us a bit better gas mileage.


[This document is how to tune a Ford F250 352 V8 Truck]

Tuning by Ear ...

She fired immediately upon turning the key .. WOW ... and was smooth smooth compared to the last time she ran .. I drove her around the block a few times just to see what it was like and quickly realized something wasn't quite right ... she idled fine but when I pressed down on the accelerator she kinda hesitated, then coughed, then s-l-o-w-l-y accelerated ... hmmm ...

Though she fired right up after the switch to the rebuilt 2v, the way she drove around the block was concerning. I took another look at the old carb I had pulled and then at the carburetor on Old Blue. Something wasn't right ... on the left hand side near the choke there was a hole and on the old carb there was a screw? I pulled the screw from the old carb and slipped it into the hole on the new one ... I took her around the block again and this time ... much less hesitation pulling away from the stop AND .. when I stepped on it she pulled like a bull ...

I hit the web and read everything I could find on the Autolite 2v and tuning it for the Ford FE engine. First, I needed to capture some baseline numbers on her vacuum, timing and idle settings. From what I have read on the web on these old Big Block Ford engines (and there is a LOT of great information out there) they can be testy if there are any vacuum leaks after working on the carburetors or  valve covers so I thought I had better keep my eyes open for any issues that could be related to vacuum leaks while I captured her current operating metrics.

I knew Old Blue was having a tough time when Uncle Ken sent her out  including the now familiar instructions for starting and driving her:
1. Before starting pump gas pedal hard 3 times, pull out the choke and let her run a little before driving. (This was not sooo unusual ...)
2. When coming to a stop or making a turn, ease out the choke a little to keep the engine running, etc. (This instructions always made us smile)

These hints were indeed required to keep the old 352 running and during the first month my youngest son (who always sat in the middle of the big bench seat) took it upon himself to be 'Choke Boy'; reaching down and pulling out the choke when we made turn or came to a stop of any kind, and then reaching back down after old blue picked up a little speed and pushing the choke back in. She hiccup'd pulling away from a stop no matter how warm she was and after a few weeks of putting her in the garage at night I noticed huge dark black carbon deposits on anything near her tailpipes from the over rich fuel state of operation with the old carburetor.

BUT NOW !!!!! I had to let Uncle Ken know and wrote him a quick note "WOW … I installed the carburetor today and what a difference ….easy start, quiet smooth idle, no choke action required on turns or stops … what a difference!!! No problems with air leaks or reconnecting the various controls and fuel lines … done in about 45 minutes. Poor Cricket will have to give up his job as ‘Choke Boy’ but Old Blue runs incredibly smooth .. like a limousine !!!"

Most of the articles said that the next steps would involve tuning the carburetor and timing of the ignition system. I asked uncle Ken if he knew anything about the timing or other adjustments done to Old Blue and he responded "The old carb was "tuned" in the woods while hunting as we were having problems with altitude not allowing the engine to idle.  So it was guess work on my brother's part which I thought was pretty good. When we got back down to low altitude, it seemed to run okay ... so I left it that way."  

So back to the web to find out what I could about timing the 352. I knew from previous cars I had owned that I would need a timing light and after reading many articles realized I may also want to find a vacuum gauge. I crawled under Old Blue and took a look at the harmonic balancer - like most of the metal on old blue there was a covering of light rust and I started rubbing with a scotch pad looking for any indication of the little marks I was going to need. After about 15 mins 2 XX's appeared and soon I had found the little marks ...

I continued rubbing, even bumping the starter to spin the balancer a little and soon I found the timing marks...

I painted each 10' mark with a dab of white paint and let it dry - this so I would be able to read the position better with the timing light.

[This document shows where to find timing marks on Ford F250 Truck]

Replacing the 2100 series 2V Auto-Lite/Motorcraft Carburetor with a rebuilt one ...

After many days of procrastination, I finally went down to Napa and bought a gasket to mount the rebuilt carburetor Uncle Ken had sent out.  I was a little worried that this was a primary component I was thinking of messing with and was not sure if I could successfully tear Old Blue apart and get her running again. Even though the old carburetor made for a very active driving experience; pulling out the choke when coming to a stop or turning a corner, pumping the gas pedal religiously before trying to start her up, OH Yeah! and pressing down HARD on the brake pedal at any stop as the idle speed was set at about 1300 RPM's to keep her engine running while idling I know all to well that a working Truck is worth 20 sitting in the garage... It was with this trepidation that I made the trip across town in Old Blue to get the final parts and supplies I would need for the task at hand.

The old carburetor was a very simple affair with no vacuum advance, manual choke and a weird little connection to the transmission to down shift when the driver stepped down hard on the accelerator.

I bought the gasket and some gasket 'glue' and read up on the procedure, more than a little wary of the potential for vacuum leaks and even dropping screws down into the guts of Old Blue's 352 -- AAACCCKKK was this going to be some kind of brain surgery??

As it turns out the procedure was fairly straight forward and took about 1/2 an hour! I had spent about a month reading about various replacement procedures all over the web. The 2100 series 2V Auto-Lite/Motorcraft Carburetor is sooo well known and a staple for many cars (mine is marked C5TF C) so lots and lots of people have written about how to rebuild them and mount them on various engines.

C5TF C AutoLite 2V

I noticed a few things about Old Blues setup. First, as mentioned, she had NO vacuum advance connections on the carburetor which meant that there was no changes to her timing at idle, at acceleration or at freeway cruising. Second, Her idle speed was set almost as high as it would go.Third, she still had her original fuel intake setup as a straight metal pipe from the fuel pump down under the oil filter straight into the front of the carburetor - not many 352's still have this from the pictures I have seen.

Before swapping the carburetors, I set the idle mixture screws on the rebuilt one to 1.5 turns OUT for each port.
   
I followed the simplest of procedures hoping to minimize any potential complexity:
1. Take pictures of 'current' setup in case I mess something up
2. Pull air cleaner
3. Pull accelerator cable
4. Pull transmission step down shaft
5. Pull choke cable
6. Pull fuel line
7. Unscrew 4 bolts holding carburetor to input manifold
8. Set both idle mixture screws on replacement to 1.5 turns out
9. Clean seat of old gasket (there was none since carburetor came off clean
10. slop gasket glue on new gasket and seat
11. Mount rebuilt carburetor and bolt down
12. Reconnect Fuel, choke, accelerator and transmission points
13. Put on Air Cleaner
14. Try to start!

While I had the air cleaner off,  I cleaned it up with a little chrome polish and painted the screw 'old ford blue'.

After bolting down the carburetor to the spacer with the new gasket I reconnected the accelerator, choke and fuel line - setting the idle adjustment screw to where it just touched the stop plate, essentially letting her idle at the lowest capable.

It took a few minutes to figure out how to adjust the choke so that the fast cold idle screw hit the plate just right but not too weird at all - simple mechanical parts - very cool.  

Now for the fateful test ... try to start her up.

Some Additional Information from Bill at the FE forum:1. The newer number is: C9UZ9510AA (Motorcraft CA698) / Obsolete
2. The Autolite/Motorcraft 2V carb is essentially the same as used on 1962/74 F100/350's and Passenger Cars.
3. Manual chokes were used on all 1962/66 F100/350's (some 1967/68's). The 1970/74 version has a choke pull-off diaphram mounted on the air horn.
4. The carb kit is the same for all of them: D4AZ9A586A [replaced C2AZ9A586B] (Motorcraft CT499D).
5. T/E = Thermactor Emission (smog pump) was first installed in F100's and Passenger Cars after 1/1/1966 in vehicles sold new in CA.
6. 1965/66 F100/350 352 MX C-O-M carb jets: 51F = 0-5,000 ft // 49F = 5,000-10,000 ft // 47F = 10,000-15,000 ft.

[ this document describes how to replace Autolite 2100 2v on a 1966 Ford F-250 w/352 V8 ]

What's a Carburetor, Dad?

The carburetor on the Old Blue has a problem. When I'm driving and come to a stop or turn a corner the engine dies. To alleviate in recent weeks, whenever we come to a stop sign or light, Cricket reaches over and pulls out the choke a little to keep the engine running... so Uncle Ken has sent a carburetor with the marking C5TF C  (the one on the truck is marked with  the same) and encouraged us to swap out the old carburetor for the rebuilt one he sent. I'm trying to find what we have here:

Once again the guys at the FTE forums are all over this stuff ...

1. The one or two letter carb ID tag suffix identifies the type of carb, what its applications are.
2. The carb ID tag prefix of C5TF was used with many 1965 (1966/69) series' of trucks and was the 1V, 2V & 4V Auto-Lite & Holley carbs.
3. If you don't have or know what the suffix is, you're SOL
4. Post 25: C5TF-B or Y = 1965 F100/250 352 Auto-Lite with M/T / No such thing as C5TF-D
A few more examples:
    C5TF-C = 1965 F100/250 352 with A/T.
    C5TF-H = 1965/67 F100/350 240 Auto-Lite 1V with A/T.
    C5TF-N = 1965/67 F100/500 300 I-6 Auto-Lite 1V with M/T.
    C5TF-AH = 1965/69 N500/600 240 I-6 Auto-Lite 1V with M/T.
    C5TF-AU = 1965/66 F600/800 361 Holley 2V.
There's at least 30 more C5TF prefixes for other carbs.

Another site says: "This carburetor was made by Ford , . It is a F2-2100 . This carburetor has a part number of C5TF-C and used on 65-66 Ford trucks""

So we will add this little task to the "Todo" List and read up on what it takes to swap in a rebuilt C5TF C.

Spark Plugs provide the HEAT in the "Combustion" equation

We have driven Old Blue 100 miles and decided to establish a baseline of whats working and whats not. We started by looking under the truck for leaks and noticed a small puddle of water where we have been parking her at night ... must have some kids of water leak.

The gas leak at the Fuel pump we fixed in the first days she was at Casa has held and now there are no gas fumes in the garage when we open the door - YEAH!

We decided to pull the spark plugs and see what they look like.. We started with the front right from the drivers seat seat labels (1) on the Mallory dizzy and after pulling the wire and ratcheting out the plug we found a oil fowled plug. We wiped as much of the oil off as we could and replaced it, then moved on to number 2 and proceeded in sequence through the remaining 6. The front 2 plugs on each side are showing substantial oil deposits and we will have to find out what that means.

I didn't take any pictures because I presume we will find them in a similar condition after the next 100 miles .. hmmmmm .


 ...

First look under the Hood

Under the hood of Old Blue is the Ford 352 eight-cylinder engine produced from 1958 through 1967 production years. The big block engine featured a single mechanical distributor. Although simple by today's standards, the 352's distributor was still one of the most complex components on the engine. Aside from its electrical components, the distributor features a number of bearings and a large gear on the bottom of the distributor shaft. [From http://www.ehow.com/how_6901564_do-1966-ford-352-v8_.html ] 

Uncle Ken did not like the mechanical distributor and when I asked about the Mallory setup we see in the picture below on Jul 31, 2013, he wrote:

I think it was about three years ago that I added the Mallory ignition. I always hated points as they rusted closed all the time and then were a pain to gap properly. Cracks in distributor caps used to drive me crazy as well. Got to the point if I replaced points, I replaced cap at same time. Went to a U-wrench yard here (Des Moines) and bought the Mallory out or a wrecked  Mustang.  Don't recall the year of the car. 

Jack and I were talking about how these engines work and the basic fuel, air, fire requirement quickly came up. We talked about the FIRE part of the "Combustion" equation first and our discussion was simple  - he had played with 'snap circuits' in his younger years so we had a mental image of how from the Battery comes the charge and when the ignition key is turned a circuit is created between the battery and the spark plugs but what is all this stuff in between? 

The Coil: 
The ignition coil is basically a Tesla coil that supplies the ignition spark to the spark plugs, increasing the voltage from the 12V in Old Blue's battery (or alternator - later!)  to 55,000V to ignite the fuel in the cylinders. Since Uncle Ken had replaced the original coil we went looking for information on what was under the hood on the web ... 

The Promaster Classic series ignition coils from Mallory are designed to meet today's specialized ignition requirements. These coils feature a faster rise time and increased spark duration (compared to stock) to increase performance. They have a glass-filled polyester case and oil-filled construction to ensure a long life and no energy loss from arcing. This series also offers better wire retention with a spark plug type secondary post, and brass contact terminals [Marketing Blurb from http://mallory-ignition.com/promaster-coil-street-strip-2341.html]


Specifications of the coil include: 

Coil Wire Attachment:	Male/HEI
Coil Style:	Canister
Primary Resistance:	0.600 ohms
Coil Internal Construction:	Oil-filled
Coil Color:	Black
Maximum Voltage:	55,000 V
Turns Ratio:	105:1
Secondary Resistance:	12.3K ohms
Inductance:	7.3 mH
Peak Current:	100 mA
Spark Duration:	500 uS
Mounting Bracket Included:	Yes
Coil Wire Included:	No
Ballast Resistor Included:	Yes
Coil Shape:	Square
Height (in):	5.297 in.
Length (in):	3.706 in.
Width (in):	3.846 in.

We also found the wiring diagram for installing the coil with the resistor which is the white rectanglular box in the bottom right of the picture above.

Wiring Diagram Mallory Promaster 

The coil is wired as above with the tachometer green lead being spliced into the (-) post wire going to the distributor points. More on that later ...



The Distributor: 
The distributor handles several jobs. Its first job is to distribute the high voltage from the coil to the correct cylinder. We found an excellent explanation of what Old Blues Mallory distributor does to make the car run at  http://www.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system4.htm.

When Uncle Ken replaced the original mechanical style distributor (including the points and condenser, etc.) with a Mallory Unilite Breakerless Distributor P/N 9155301 it seems he found an interesting replacement for the stock ignition systems for Old Blue. I looked around the web and found many great things said about these units including that these are used for racing machines NOT street autos in California becuase of emissions concerns ... Hmmmm

I kept reading and found some very interesting details on this distributor; one of the best descriptions of the Mallory Dual-Point Distributors and of interest to me because I also own an MG was a post by Ben Travato of Santa Barbara, CA on the Moss Motors site http://www.mossmotors.com/forum/forums/thread/5689.aspx

"In this article we will examine yet another alternative ignition system for your British sports car, the Mallory Dual-Point Distributor. What makes the Mallory unique among point type ignitions, is, as the name implies, it has two separate sets of points to do the work of one. What are the advantages to using two sets of points? In the Mallory distributor, one set of points opens the primary circuit and the other closes it, giving a longer period of dwell (the period of time that the points are closed, expressed in degrees). 

The dwell period is the time when the secondary windings in the ignition coil charge the magnetic field up for another high voltage blast when the points open (20,000-40,000 volts!). It can generally be said that the longer the period of dwell, the higher voltage the spark. On most four cylinder engines, the dwell period is about 60°, but the Mallory Dual-Point Distributor has a dwell period of 72°, so even if you choose to use your stock coil, you will still have a "hotter" spark, as the coil has more time to charge itself up than with a conventional distributor. This is accomplished in the Mallory unit by the following process. In the four cylinder distributor the point cam has eight lobes, and as it rotates, it opens the primary set of points completely, triggering the coil. Then the lobe rotates another 8° and opens the secondary set of points. Shortly after the secondary set has begun to open, the primary set closes, and the ignition coil starts charging even though the secondary set is still open. After the secondary set has closed the process starts again for the next cylinder.  

Why not just crank open the points for more dwell in your stock distributor? You could, but this would have an adverse effect on the ignition timing and the points would wear in short order, as they are designed to work at a specified gap, all of which would result in a loss of performance and economy. Another feature of the Mallory Dual-Point Distributor is the fact that it has a full centrifugal advance unit, rather than the part-centrifugal, part-vacuum advance system used on the stock Lucas distributors. This feature may make it illegal for use on pollution-controlled vehicles (check your local and state laws before using this unit on the street) but makes it perfect for use with high performance engines equipped with sidedraft carburetors that often lack a vacuum port for use with a stock distributor. The Mallory unit is also easily adjustable for total amount of ignition advance, and comes preset at 28° allowing the serious enthusiast the ultimate in tune-ability. The Mallory Dual-Point is supplied without a drive dog or gear, which must be transferred from the old distributor. Mallory has been making high performance ignition systems since 1932, was even a popular modification to MG TCs when they were new! 

Today there is a Mallory Dual-Point to fit most British cars, so if you're looking for the ultimate in high performance ignition systems, look no further than the Mallory Dual-Point distributor " .

Wow - it takes a lot of engineering to apply a charge to a spark plug. It took a couple of days for all this to sink in and I'm thinking we will see a bit of complexity with this definite non-stock component!!

Wiring Diagram Mallory Comp9000