Rust In the Cab

There is a lot of dirt, dried fluids of one kind or another, and rust in Old Blue's Cab. So this week we will pull out the seats, pull up the floor mat, treat the rust with something, repaint the little bits we can and most importantly, get a good look at the Cab's floor pans and body mounts to see how 50 yrs of weather has affected her.

On the surface Old Blue's cab is in relatively good shape. While perusing the Ford Enthuiasts, H.A.M.B and other Slick 60's Ford Truck oriented websites over the past 8 months I have seen pictures of trucks that basically have no floors or supports left in them after 50 yrs of weather and use. But Old Blue looks pretty good at least from underneath and from the outside but I really will not know until I look under the floor mat and see whats there. So ... to get to the floor boards I will need to pull the seats out, remove the gas tank switch knobs (Old Blue has 2 aftermarket fuel tanks riding under the front of the bed), remove the door jam rails (Custom Cab option !!!) and carefully remove the floor mat which has laid for 50 yrs.

Here is what I can see without doing anything .. The floor mat is almost black with dirt, there is surface rust on most parts and the paint is chipping or gone on the vent covers.

Drivers side floor mat

Another view of Drivers side floor mat

Drivers side - rust on sun visor mount

Passenger side - rust on sun visor mount

Rear view mirror 

Speaker Grill

Drivers Side Air Vent

the drivers side seat rails and mounting bracket

Passenger side seat rail and mounting bracket

The rails under the seats are dusty. dirty and rusted from years of work. I shot the 4 bolts on each side with WD40 and let stand over night, tapped them each 3 times with a hammer and then used a rachet with a LONG extender on the back 2 and a flat crescent wrench on the front two to remove the bolts. 

Now I could see parts of the the floorboards and they were not bad for a 50 years old truck that has traveled extensively and lived in northern California, Oregon, and Iowa. 

Under the seat 

 The matting was brown and dirty, stained from years of use. I have read that pulling these mats can be difficult and that they have a tendency to crumble to little pieces if moved at all. I decided to take a chance and pull it up to better clean it with soap and give it a good shot with the power washer. To do this I also had to remove the tank selection switch located on the floor next to the drivers side door. The two bolts received the same treatment as the seat bolts and easily let loose.   

Drivers side floor pans

Under the mat the floorboards were pretty thin in some places and the rust had accumulated in flat chunks in the corners and along the sides of the floor pan. At the point the floor meets the side wall on both drivers and passenger sides the rust has eaten through the floor pans in small (pen point size) areas. I vacuumed up the rusty bits of metal laying around the floor plans and treated with 15% solution over night. The next day I treated again and let sit. This evening I wired brushed the floor pans removing last bits of rust and then sprayed with Eastwood's 2k Epoxy primer to give it some protection. 

The Proverbial Oil Pressure Sending Unit Leak

After wiping down the whole engine block a few weeks ago, I notice this morning that a fine film of oil is covering the front left of the engine block and all the components around the oil filter. I start feeling around and under components and when I reached down under a little domed looking thing near the oil filter I felt liquid on my finger which smelled like oil. I decided I had better find out what this little thing with a wire coming out of the end is and how to fix what must be a very slow, but persistent oil leak that is getting sprayed by the air from the fan and covering Old Blues front left engine block in a fine coat of oil.

I look up the engine in the shop manuals and find I am looking a the Oil Pressure Gauge Sending Unit. A single adapter with both the oil pressure gauge and the warning (idiot) light sending units mounted on it.  The adapter sticks up from where the oil filter connects to the oil pump and has two holes, one for a round button looking unit with a simple flat connector and the other looks kind of like a canister with a round female connector plugged into the end. Both screw into the adapter and I think this may be the source of my drip. 

From the FE Forums I find Bill mentions numerous times that "The oil pressure gauge sending unit is notorious for leaking and getting gummed up with dirty oil. Once this occurs, the little charmer no longer works. Note: When there's an oil pressure gauge and an oil warning (idiot) light on the dash board, there are TWO sending units, both thread into an adapter (C5TZ-9B339-B) that threads into the engine block.

The oil pressure sending unit is much larger (has a domed head) than the oil warning light sending unit."

E4ZZ-9278-A (replaced: B7T-9278-A, C7ZZ-9278-A & C9ZZ-9278-A) .. Oil Pressure Sending Unit-Use with Pressure Gauge (Motorcraft SW-1547B).

B6AZ-9278-B (replaced B6A-9278-B) .. Oil Sending Unit-Use with Warning Lamp (Motorcraft SW-667)."

I pulled the domed unit by pulling the post connector and tucking the little wire out of the way, then getting a wrench on the square brass block above the threads. I removed the sending unit (this one's for the Oil pressure gauge), and while it was off the engine I removed as much of the blue paint as I could. I presume whoever painted the engine block when it was rebuilt also painted the oil pressure sending units. I then wrapped the threads with teflon tape ensuring the thread edges were exposed for grounding and remounted the unit into the adapter.

I drove around yesterday in the unusual spring like weather and when I got home took a look (and feel) at the unit. No leaks and my now wiped down engine block was oil free. 

Driving To the Golf Course

This afternoon Grace and I threw the irons into the bed and drove Ole Blue out to the driving range north of town. Grace was getting a lesson from the local Pro and since it was a sunny winter day we decided to let the truck warm up a bit. On the way through town we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and as I was parallel parking along Petaluma Boulevard I noticed the brakes getting mushy as I cranked the old steering wheel to maneuver into the space we found in front of LaLa's Ice cream shop.

I would pull forward, depress the brake pedal and then crank the steering wheel, let up on the brake pedal, roll a foot or two and then do it all over in the other direction slipping Ole Blue into the space just big enough for her length.

It was during this exercise that I noticed while I cranked the steering wheel with brake pedal depressed that after a few seconds the pedal would move towards the front of the truck. I am fearful this is indicative of either air in the lines (After all this time?)  or some other issue with the brake cylinders. Hmmmm ... I will add this to the list of things to check out in the next few weeks.

Ford Argent Silver

Now that Old Blue has her original California yellow on black license plates mounted I notice how the rear bumper has been aging since it was last painted. Time to take a look at what it will take to refresh the iron step bumper she carries on her tail-end.

A Little History:
Bill the Retired Ford Parts Manager who does Part number research on 1928 - 2001 trucks & 1928 - 89 passenger cars says

" ...that Rear bumpers on 1966 F-250's were optional, and that Ford didn't offer a step bumper until 1967, so the one on Old Blue was after market and was originally painted Ford's Argent silver.

On the front, Styleside bumpers were either chrome, or usually painted Colonial White, which is a bright white. Standard Cab grilles were usually painted this same color. On Old Blue the front bumper was chrome and the grille was aluminium.

There were two different shades of exterior white, Wimbledon...which is an off white and Pure White, which is close to Colonial White."

Old Blue has the chrome option on the front and looks great, but for the back I  need to find a current silver paint that will look as close to original as possible. 

Paint Source Options: 

Searching the web I find the following options called out as close to Ford Argent or Silver Paint:

• Detail Silver - Eastwood
• Ditzler 2593 (Argent Silver)
•    "      DAR-2593 (acrylic enamel)
•    "      DDL-2593 (acrylic lacquer)
• Ford Silver - PPG - DCC2593 polyurethane (PPG Argent Silver)
• Ford 1G - "Silver Poly" (1975-1976)
• Ford 1G - "Silver Metallic" (1977-1980)
• Dupli-Color® FM-149
• Dupli-Color® - WP101 (silver) NOTE: I tried and think it is to BRIGHT
• Jewel Silver - Subaru code 9985
• Moss Silver wheel paint - 220-560 (Moss Motors Ltd)
• Ditzler Delstar® - Code #16
• VHT - SP188 polyurethane (Argent Silver) NOTE: I use this for my applications
• Motorcraft Argent Spray Paint Part# PM-19K207-AA

The old PPG paint code for Argent Silver is #8568

Additional Info:
For the Dark Argent aluminum paint (on the flat part below the grill and above bumper), the correct color # is Ditzler DAL-8518 This is a darker color than the other 'argent' used on various places on Old Blue.

Painting the Rear Bumper:
I started checking for the Dupli-Color and the VHT options at the local Autozones, O'Reilly's and Napa stores. For 2 months I checked every week or so not finding any stock of the what I now presume to be 'precious' Ford Argent. I finally found a single can of the VHT SP-188 for $5.99 at the local Autozone and will prepare the rear bumper for a refresh.

I took off the newly mounted license plate, sprayed WD-40 on the 4 bolts that hold the bumper to the frame and let it sit overnight. I repeated the process the next day as the bolts were rusted and very stiff. The next day I hit the bolts 3 times with the hammer and with focused determination, managed to loosen them up and remove. This was a slow process as I did not want to break the bolts but eventually they all let loose. I then tied the bumper to a tree in the yard and slowly pulled away, sliding the bumper out from the frame about 12". I then masked off the tailgate and rear fenders with newspaper and tape to ensure no overspray on Old Blues' body paint.. I treated the bumper rust with navel jelly, rinsed well, rinsed again with baking soda and water and let it dry then put down a coat of primer. After letting it dry I sprayed the bumper with two coats of the SP-188 and let sit for a day.

After pushing the bumper back up against the bed, I painted the license plate bolts black (semi-gloss Rustoleum) to match the black on the plates - the old bumper is looking good !!!

However, I notice the license plate light is not working .. I will put this on the TODO list to check out later.

Old EBAY License Plate Accepted by CA-DMV

I received the tags and registration for Ole Blue today. The state accepted the plates and the registration sticker as submitted and now I need to put my vintage plates on Old Blue. I have been looking at the bumpers on all the old Fords I see the past few months, looking to see how the license plates are mounted. Each bumper style has its own placement and mechanism for attachment, and as Uncle Ken found out, with the aftermarket bumper on Old Blue the placement is a little different then other F-series bumpers and certainly ANY modern vehicle.

Mounting the rear license plates on a 1966 Ford truck with an aftermarket step bumper requires that the top of the license plate slips between the tailgate and the bed of the truck. It can slide into the ~1/16" gap between the bed and the tailgate and then is bolted at the bottom on to the bumper. Ok - this works fine as I have seen this on a few of the trucks I have looked at in various parking lots over the past few months BUT ...on Old Blue the drivers side tailgate has been pushed in a bit by some unfortunate past event and there is no 1/16th gap anymore...and now the Toppers, if used as I assume intended by the California DMV, mounted to look like Mickey Mouse ears on the rear license plate would be tucked up behind the tailgate and not visible by any law enforcement officer ...

Well, since DMV has not published any instructions on how to mount these mouse ears, I guess I have some flexibility. What are my options?  First I painted them with black enamel and baked them to give them a chance of survival on the California Highways:

1. I do not know if these toppers are specifically required, and from looking at other YOM plates on other vintage cars many YOM owners don't use them, they just put the registration stickers on the plates as if the plates have been used since first registration of the vehicle.

2. I mount them as assumed, on the top of the rear license plate and let them tuck up behind the tailgate. I kind of like this idea as I would be following tte letter of the law and IF anyone ever cared they would be there. However, they may catch on stuff put into the rear bed of the truck.

3. The 'Modified Mouse' option rotates the toppers to cover old tag (but they are still on plate) and lets them be seen while driving. I like this one because it does not effect the old tag.

4. Ignore them and throw them into the glove box where they are there if anyone wants to see them ...


5. Mount them some other way that lets them be seen, like putting on what WAS the front plate and mounting the plate with the 1966 sticker on the front?


So, where should I mount the current stickers? I decided to throw them in the glove box for the time being, though modified mouse was a close second!!! Old Blue is now a California Truck once again - Welcome Home!

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 :)