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 .


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