New 72 F250 360 V8

[m81mclaren]

My son picked up his project farm truck a 1972 Ford F250 Ranger XLT 2WD Camper Special.





It's pretty loaded for a pickup and a good "15 footer" as they say. He and his friends rebuilt the original carb and tossed the ebay special Chinesium the PO installed but did not fit/work right, replaced the starter and positive power cables and did some cleaning. He got it running and driving actually pretty well! Goal is to putter around town and run errands in.

However after completing the first oil change last weekend it's having difficulty starting now and is making some scary squeaky noises while cranking maybe from inside the engine. Once started it sounds fine (and restarts instantly) but I told him to stop starting/driving it so we can figure out what is happening. I'm concerned for a spun bearing or one on the way out. The oil that came out was black and had some fine sheen to it and a two very small steel "pickers". He had cleaned out a lot of visible thick crap on the lifters and surrounding the top of the head and made sure to pick out all the broken cork. He put in synthetic 10/30 for extra lubricity and start up protection as recommended at Orielly's. He did not fill the oil filter with oil first.

So now some questions...
1) Does a worn old engine like this need added Zinc for the oil or will the synthetic as is be fine?
2) Aside from a compression test, should we drain the new oil and pull the pan to inspect/clean the oil pickup or run it a bit first to try and trap any floating debris? Oil pressure after cold start is midway on the factory gauge (no numbers) but after warmup sits in the first third.
3) I've never used Seafoam type products but is this type of engine that has sat a few years a good candidate? Donning my flame suit!
4) If there is crap in the oil pickup should we replace the oil pump and pickup too while we are in there?

Any other suggestions that might prevent it from exploding after driving a few miles?! We've been watching "Junkyard Digs" Ford revival videos to get our feet wet.
Thanks for any guidance you care to share!

[86lx]

That’s a great find! My grandfather had the same year and model. It got passed down to my dad when he passed. Eventually Michigan winters took their toll.

Truck was a very light green. I would love to find one someday and make a clone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mudgepondexpress]

I don't run synthetic in the old rigs. It is for the low viscosity, roller lifter / OHC engines. Use the "High Mileage" oil in the old flat tappet engines (it used to have more sulfur, not sure if it still does).

Always pre-lube t the filter...it isn't hard and you don't have to fill it full, just 1/2 quart. Hope he used and FL1A or Wix 1515.

I love the old BB Ford, great running beast of an engine.

Kenny

[gr79]

Cool- a Camper Special. Can tow the car. An all truck truck, no fancy gadgets.
Engine sure brings back memories.
When i worked at Ford Dearborn Engine 73-74, most built model was 360 by far. All had yellow valve springs.
Worked on 10's of 1000's of them, intake gasket station. Assembler, tag relief person, stock, prep, install gaskets.
Also for fun they let me install some oil pumps, iron intake manifolds, head and intake bolts at the nearby workstations.
Still have my thermos, lunch box, apron, one caulk gun, all complete with streaks of yellow glue.
Still have piston ashtray i made there.

There is a hex intermediate shaft, with a round clip, that connects the oil pump to the distributor.
If you take the pump out, make sure to mark the shaft as to which end goes where. Mark clip position too.

At the factory, engines moved down the line bolted to an overhead conveyor fixture.
At the oil pump station (just before mine), engine was orientated crank up and down facing the worker.
The oil pump was sub assembled there. Pump, pickup, drive shaft with retainer.
While walking from the assy station to the engine, a tube tool was inserted onto the shaft as a pilot.
Oil pump and shaft were aimed at the dist hole and installed into the engine.
Install tube tool was then removed from the shaft up thru the dist hole and reused.
Then the engine was re-orientated to right side up, still sideways via fixture crank wheel.
The fixture wheel was no fun to crank. Thickly caked with blue paint from prior build passes.

Distributor, t chain cover, water pump, oil pan were installed later down the line.
FT 360 had 2 oil pickup styles at that time. Short and long reach (4wd?) to rear of pan.
FT 390 is almost identical engine. We also did FT 330, 361, 391- md, hd, different animals.
Most had std timing chains. Rollers for hd.

If the engine is that dirty inside and making noise, its future durability is unknown.
Cleaning the inside may loosen debris which can circulate then plug up passages and parts.
Pulling pan would tell more.

Head bolts were hand checked once a shift for correct torque. Most were close.
Intake bolts were dipped in some brown gooey sealant before install run down with air tool.
A pilot tool was inserted into dist hole during intake install.

Was in charge of intake gaskets, aft shift. 3 women coworkers. Lot of people drank or got high.
First the center metal oil baffle pan was snapped in, then both side gaskets. McCord/Felpro blue side gaskets.
Then one for ft intake gasket, other did rear. Stick on, squirt of black RTV to gasket ends. Tubes and caulk gun.
The cork end gaskets were prepped by me on one side by brushing on glue very similar to yellow weatherstrip adh.
Line up cork gaskets on scrap cardboard squares, brush on just enough glue not too much or too little, set aside to dry tacky.
Sometimes had to clean the block end flats with a rag and solvent to remove gunk so glue on gaskets would stick.
There was a gap in the line to let the glue dry up a little.
Line ran ave just under one engine per minute. Tasks took about 30 sec.
Intake drop was tricky so as not to disturb fresh glued gaskets. Line did not stop. Engines were moving targets.
Engines were hot tested before shipping.

[m81mclaren]

Thanks all for comments and input. GR, always a wealth of knowledge and stories! If you’re ever out west I owe you at least one steak dinner!

Truck shows 62k mi. Was a true farm truck for most of its life. When he pulled the valve covers the cork gasket had some kind of staple through it into the VC edge to hold it in place. Valve springs are in fact yellow! I thought it’s possible this engine has never had the VC off as I checked in on his progress and saw the staples. I agree it’s possible some junk got in there despite best efforts to clean it out. Probably should have just left it as is. I think we’ll dump the new oil and replace with high mileage Dino as suggested and see what comes out. I have a cheap iPhone inspection camera maybe we can see if the oil pump pickup has crap in it. If so we drop the pan. We’ll also pull the belts and see if it’s the WP making noise as it looks original to me. It’s amazing how simple this thing is as compared to our carb Turbos!

Cool- a Camper Special. Can tow the car. An all truck truck, no fancy gadgets.
Engine sure brings back memories.
When i worked at Ford Dearborn Engine 73-74, most built model was 360 by far. All had yellow valve springs.
Worked on 10's of 1000's of them, intake gasket station. Assembler, tag relief person, stock, prep, install gaskets.
Also for fun they let me install some oil pumps, iron intake manifolds, head and intake bolts at the nearby workstations.
Still have my thermos, lunch box, apron, one caulk gun, all complete with streaks of yellow glue.
Still have piston ashtray i made there.

There is a hex intermediate shaft, with a round clip, that connects the oil pump to the distributor.
If you take the pump out, make sure to mark the shaft as to which end goes where. Mark clip position too.

At the factory, engines moved down the line bolted to an overhead conveyor fixture.
At the oil pump station (just before mine), engine was orientated crank up and down facing the worker.
The oil pump was sub assembled there. Pump, pickup, drive shaft with retainer.
While walking from the assy station to the engine, a tube tool was inserted onto the shaft as a pilot.
Oil pump and shaft were aimed at the dist hole and installed into the engine.
Install tube tool was then removed from the shaft up thru the dist hole and reused.
Then the engine was re-orientated to right side up, still sideways via fixture crank wheel.
The fixture wheel was no fun to crank. Thickly caked with blue paint from prior build passes.

Distributor, t chain cover, water pump, oil pan were installed later down the line.
FT 360 had 2 oil pickup styles at that time. Short and long reach (4wd?) to rear of pan.
FT 390 is almost identical engine. We also did FT 330, 361, 391- md, hd, different animals.
Most had std timing chains. Rollers for hd.

If the engine is that dirty inside and making noise, its future durability is unknown.
Cleaning the inside may loosen debris which can circulate then plug up passages and parts.
Pulling pan would tell more.

Head bolts were hand checked once a shift for correct torque. Most were close.
Intake bolts were dipped in some brown gooey sealant before install run down with air tool.
A pilot tool was inserted into dist hole during intake install.

Was in charge of intake gaskets, aft shift. 3 women coworkers. Lot of people drank or got high.
First the center metal oil baffle pan was snapped in, then both side gaskets. McCord/Felpro blue side gaskets.
Then one for ft intake gasket, other did rear. Stick on, squirt of black RTV to gasket ends. Tubes and caulk gun.
The cork end gaskets were prepped by me on one side by brushing on glue very similar to yellow weatherstrip adh.
Line up cork gaskets on scrap cardboard squares, brush on just enough glue not too much or too little, set aside to dry tacky.
Sometimes had to clean the block end flats with a rag and solvent to remove gunk so glue on gaskets would stick.
There was a gap in the line to let the glue dry up a little.
Line ran ave just under one engine per minute. Tasks took about 30 sec.
Intake drop was tricky so as not to disturb fresh glued gaskets. Line did not stop. Engines were moving targets.
Engines were hot tested before shipping.

[mcb82gt]

Great looking rig!! I know diesel oil has more ingredients likely to help with the old flat tappet cams/lifters. Its usually 15-40W, though.

[wraithracing]

My understanding is the staples should be from the factory assembly line to prevent the gaskets from lining up properly during assembly. So odds are they are original and have never been off. That's pretty cool!

I second the high mileage oil as I have used that in several older vehicles with good luck. Nothing wrong with synthetic blends or even full synthetics as long as you keep the oil weight correct for your use and climate. Zinc in the oil is a debatable topic in regards to how much is needed or even necessary. It's not going to hurt if you choose run a higher zinc oil, or just use an additive if that gives you peace of mind.

Seafoam is an excellent product both for oil and even running through the intake to help clean out old sludge, carbon build up, etc., obviously use per directions. I have had good luck with it helping to clean out heavy carbon build ups and improve the overall drive-ability on several older vehicles. Berryman's works pretty well too, but Seafoam does seem to set the standard.

Good luck with the project it should be a fun one!

[m81mclaren]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. We’ll hit it again this weekend.

[m81mclaren]

Ok so my son confirmed the oil was done with Valvoline Synthetic 10/40 High mileage. Anyways it was no longer making the scary sounds and seems to be starting fine. Still seeing the oil pressure in the first third of the gauge when warm is worrying us so he drove around the block then drained the oil again. I was surprised at how black the oil was (it flowed much faster than the previous black tar that glugged out last time) with barely a few starts and less than a mile on it. We did not see a shine in the oil like the first change. I have a small phone camera but we couldn’t see jack through the drain plug hole. We are debating dropping the pan and replacing the oil pump/pickup which looks like a pain in the ass as they have to come out together to clear the crossmember. Are these pumps a common issue? We may instead run another oil change with Seafoam and do a few more changes until it comes out more clear. Given how black and caked the valve springs and heads looked I think this engine must be very dirty inside and needs more flushing.

I’m putting some puzzle pieces together and think the reason the spark plugs were all loose was because the PO must have poured something down the holes to lube up the cylinders before attempting to start it with the new carb. Maybe he also put in some oil additives/cleaners which made the oil thick and black?

Is there a way to find and clean the oil passages with a bottlebrush? Before putting the oil plug back in should we try and run some kerosine through it as some other forum posts suggest is good? I’m leery about attempting that. What would you do if it was your truck?

Thanks again for any added feedback! Oh yeah thoughts on the oil gauge and if 1/3 in the White is scary low or Still OK?

[ashley roachclip]

You are over thinking this .
The oil will continue to clean the engine of the old oil for a few cycles of charging. Use an Fl-1a only for oil filter .

[mudgepondexpress]

I agree, change to oil and drive it a while. Maybe put a quart of ATF in it 50 miles before you change it and drain it hot. No matter what you do it is always going to have that black tar look to it. Just keep it topped off and it should last for many years.

You are right, the pan and pump together. Sounds harder than it is. Once the pan is loose, you just remove the pump bolts and it should come out. Two things, if you do from the pan, replace the rear main with the split rubber seal (remove the holding pin), and use contact cement And glue the rail gaskets to the block. This will make reassembling much easier.

Kenny

[m81mclaren]

Thanks Ashley and Kenny for the replies. We’re on flush number two this time with some seafoam and fresh NGK plugs. Same thing oil pressure almost halfway on the gauge at cold start then settles close to the low end of the White face. If you rev it up a bit in neutral the oil pressure builds close to halfway but in around town driving it stays near low. We’re going to try a mech gauge to get a true reading. If after another flush we are in the same range we’ll try the pump.��

[Foxy 83.5]

Are you double checking with a quality mechanical oil pressure gauge?

[Shauncb]

My dad has a 79 supercab shortbed with a 400 and an auto, the oil pressure gauge always reads low in the gauge when warm.... after tons of reading it is normal for the gauge to read low on a 400 due to the oil pressure sending unit being at the rear of the engine on the intake sonit doesnt see oil pressure as soon as MOST engine that have the sending unit mounted very close to the pump/oil filter.

I cant speak for the 360 but it could possibly be part of the issue..

Truck was parked for 12 years and my dad has owned it for 15 or so years, I just got it running again with just needing a new fuel pump and ignition module. I even added 2 gallons of gas into the tank with whatever else was in there and she runs and drives.

She is also a fully loaded truck for the year as it has factory ac and cruise control.

Sorry to thread jack.

[m81mclaren]

Are you double checking with a quality mechanical oil pressure gauge?

Next on the list. Anyone know what correct cold and warm pressures should be so we can validate what is good/safe?

[m81mclaren]

Thanks for the post and input. Sounds like you have a winner too! Maybe we are chasing a ghost?!

My dad has a 79 supercab shortbed with a 400 and an auto, the oil pressure gauge always reads low in the gauge when warm.... after tons of reading it is normal for the gauge to read low on a 400 due to the oil pressure sending unit being at the rear of the engine on the intake sonit doesnt see oil pressure as soon as MOST engine that have the sending unit mounted very close to the pump/oil filter.

I cant speak for the 360 but it could possibly be part of the issue..

Truck was parked for 12 years and my dad has owned it for 15 or so years, I just got it running again with just needing a new fuel pump and ignition module. I even added 2 gallons of gas into the tank with whatever else was in there and she runs and drives.

She is also a fully loaded truck for the year as it has factory ac and cruise control.

Sorry to thread jack.

[m81mclaren]

Thanks Kenny if we get there then I will look into replacing the rear main seal. This thing leaks in a lot of places! Now that it's clean we will be able to spot the main sources.

I agree, change to oil and drive it a while. Maybe put a quart of ATF in it 50 miles before you change it and drain it hot. No matter what you do it is always going to have that black tar look to it. Just keep it topped off and it should last for many years.

You are right, the pan and pump together. Sounds harder than it is. Once the pan is loose, you just remove the pump bolts and it should come out. Two things, if you do from the pan, replace the rear main with the split rubber seal (remove the holding pin), and use contact cement And glue the rail gaskets to the block. This will make reassembling much easier.

Kenny

[mcb82gt]

Ok so my son confirmed the oil was done with Valvoline Synthetic 10/40 High mileage. Anyways it was no longer making the scary sounds and seems to be starting fine. Still seeing the oil pressure in the first third of the gauge when warm is worrying us so he drove around the block then drained the oil again. I was surprised at how black the oil was (it flowed much faster than the previous black tar that glugged out last time) with barely a few starts and less than a mile on it. We did not see a shine in the oil like the first change. I have a small phone camera but we couldn’t see jack through the drain plug hole. We are debating dropping the pan and replacing the oil pump/pickup which looks like a pain in the ass as they have to come out together to clear the crossmember. Are these pumps a common issue? We may instead run another oil change with Seafoam and do a few more changes until it comes out more clear. Given how black and caked the valve springs and heads looked I think this engine must be very dirty inside and needs more flushing.

I’m putting some puzzle pieces together and think the reason the spark plugs were all loose was because the PO must have poured something down the holes to lube up the cylinders before attempting to start it with the new carb. Maybe he also put in some oil additives/cleaners which made the oil thick and black?

Is there a way to find and clean the oil passages with a bottlebrush? Before putting the oil plug back in should we try and run some kerosine through it as some other forum posts suggest is good? I’m leery about attempting that. What would you do if it was your truck?

Thanks again for any added feedback! Oh yeah thoughts on the oil gauge and if 1/3 in the White is scary low or Still OK?

Seafoam is good for cleaning up a dirty engine.

[dynodon64]

10 psi of oil pressure for every 1k rpm. If the pressure drops after warm up, and is very low on the gauge, just go to a heavier weight oil. Use a 20-50 if you have to. Low pressure after warm up is normal for an older engine with some miles on it. It'd due to bearing wear, not meaning they are bad, just worn. Use a thicker oil if you don't like the pressure that low. It will bring up the pressure when warm. It's an old trick that will not hurt the engine, on the contrary, it will make it last longer.
The noise you mentioned on start up sounds like a bad starter.

[Tigger]

If the engine was sludge'd up, maybe the sending unit is dirty inside?. I got a honda civic for free about 6 years ago with a blown head gasket. I cleaned out all the milkshake, replaced the head gasket etc. Drove it around the neighborhood no issues. First trip to work, oil light was flickering on the freeway. Pulled over, all looked good. One of my friends suggested I change the sending unit, maybe there was still milkshake in it. I did that and have had no problems ever since. Gave the car to my oldest daughter. She is still driving it every day.

My buddy around the corner has a couple of these old ford trucks. He has a 68 short box that is on air bags. His latest is a 70 that he is doing body swap on an 05 Ambulance chassis with a 6.0 power stroke. He took two cabs to make it a 4 door. Rear doors are suicide. Made is own custom dually fenders. Hopefully this summer it will be on the road. Good luck on your new project

[m81mclaren]

Thanks Mike, Don and Tigger (wow that 4dr sounds like a beast!). All the reading I am doing says these FE's run very low warm idle oil pressure like 8-12PSI and the idiot light triggers @ 7. Also the factory gauge is woefully inadequate with a huge margin so apparently every new FE owner gets worried. My son just put a cheap (!) mechanical gauge in and we will get it warmed up and see what she reads. If it checks good we will order up a proper SW gauge and new sender for piece of mind. If it's 10 or less we will try a few tricks like an extra quart of oil, switch from 10-30 to maybe 20-50, and/or install a HV Melling Oil pump. I'll post up an update wherever we end up!

[gr79]

Debris in a 360 engine?
Back on the Ford line, smoking was allowed. One day someone dumped ashes and butts onto a valley pan.
Engine got built. Wonder if it survived in hot test or beyond.

Was also thinking gunk and oil pump pressure spring. Block oil drain back galleys are prob smaller too.
A mech oil pressure gauge is the way to go. Went with 3' braided line to mine. Did not trust nylon.

Gotta luv those West Coast style mirrors on the west coast. Real nice big all truck mirrors.
They are still around. Heated, motorized available.
Sure miss the 5 x 8 door low mount factory mirrors on my 86 Ranger. The 93 has little car sail mirrors.

Ford offered a 140" wb F-350 Super Camper Special 1973-79. A match for hauling a Ford brand camper.
Interesting big changes made extending to 140" vs regular Camper Special model.

Boy that rear bumper was slid way back there


Highway Hilton on a sharp looking truck. Looks like it has float tires.

[gr79]

Will always remember seeing a diy under hood generator to power a camper late 70's.
Relative's good old Uncle Frank from Arizona. Visiting, summer holiday. Truck and camper parked in the street.
Horiz shaft pull start lawnmower engine ran the truck alternator when parked.
Permanently mounted on a pivoting metal plate near the truck alternator. Engine weight tensioned the belt.
Did not take long to set up the belts. Worked great. Ran off fuel from truck's tank.
Designed to pivot and lock down off to the side toward the ps fender when not in use.

[m81mclaren]

GR thanks and that's such a wild extended bed! In our search we found a 72 in snot green just like the one pictured with the white plastic camper. The engine was dead and the seller listed the camper for free if you remove it. We did not want the camper though now in retrospect the super extended bed and bumper option with the big side toolbox was a way cool option. I never really liked these trucks growing up but have a totally different view now. Your lower pic unit is awesome as well and that camper looks like a boat with an upper deck! I'll bet it's a comfy cruiser and great camping rig. Ford had a ton of great available options on these! Prices are on a serious rise now much like the GM square body of the same era; it's insane. BAT has couple listed right now on offer one with a modified 428. Here's a factory brochure pic from Fordification.com which is an incredible resource.

Our interior on the XLT. Aftermarket dash pad we need is $600! That's like 69 Mustang dash pad money.

"Wall to wall carpeting"!

[m81mclaren]

Good news the mechanical gauge reports 20-25 @ warm idle and 50+ at cruise @ 40mph so I'm thinking the original sending unit was just not functioning at full capacity as Tigger experienced. We will replace that with a high quality SW gauge/sender and keep flushing the oil a few more times. The Seafoam is doing it's job and the little bit of smoking at both start up and running is now gone. We are learning as we go so thanks to all of you for the helpful replies!