Hello, new to boards and new truck owner, i just got my dad's old 58 f100 223 3 speed from high school, its been parked since 91. I am an electrician not a mechanic, however i am advanced with tools and i am a competent individual, so i am going to restore this truck myself (hopefully). Back before the truck was parked it had some oil pressure loss issues. It would idle and run fine but when you would hit the gas the Oil light would come on, so my grandpa installed a mechanical gauge to confirm that it was losing oil pressure. They said there wasnt anything obvious that there was a problem besides the initial Oil light coming on. Rumor has it that my grandpa (passed away early 90's) installed a new oil pump in it, but was unable to find the correct bearings. Now this is where i definitely can use some advise as to what actual bearings he attempted to replace with this repair, that way i can start the search for the correct bearings 25 years later. Any help is much appreciated.
The only way to know is to pull the oil pan and have a look. Could be anything from a clogged pick up screen to incorrect bearings.
The engine main bearings, and the connecting rod bearings, are what folks usually replace to help restore oil pressure. The cam bearings, also... Is the truck all together still, or is it half taken apart? If it's all together, I'd see about getting it running, and verify the symptoms, see what else is wrong with it, etc.
If it does to cold good oil pressure at idle and loss speeded up I would suspect pickup screen pluged or nonworking filter bypass valve. The bypass is in the filter in this application just change the filter.
Truck is complete and mostly original, i will not be able to be able to get it started until i finish painting my house (wife's orders). Truck is solid and all my family are mechanics, i think back in the early 90s in small town wyoming didnt have a wide range of resources for parts, so he was never able to obtain the correct bearings before he passed
It looks to be in pretty nice shape. When you get a chance to work on it, let us know, we'll help you figure it out. Parts are not hard to find, now that we have the internets.
Thanks, i know so far that it needs Battery Possible Fuel Pump Possible Starter Clutch Master Cylinder Clutch Slave Brake Master Cylinder (Bone Dry on all of it) and of course the ignition keys (gramma hasnt found them yet. This truck was stored indoors since the early 90s in windy wyoming in a garage that had a dirt floor. This thing is one of the dirtiest things ive seen and most parts were somewhat ceased up (from dirt). So im hoping i can get an Aux fuel tank to test it once i put a battery in it and get the keys Anything i should know before i do a 25+ year cold start?
Get the brakes working first. I'd try putting fluid in them, and see what happens...but it's likely the wheel cylinders are all stuck, so you might as well plan on taking them apart, and putting in new rubber parts. Unless you are set on spending a lot of money on it, then buy new wheel cylinders, new master cylinder, new rubber hoses, new shoes, new hardware, etc. I prefer only replacing what needs to be replaced, but I'm kind of strange. Fuel pump will need replacing. The clutch parts...kind of like the brakes. Either replace the rubber parts in them, or replace the whole thing if you like spending money. Don't tear up the ignition switch...just hot wire the truck for now, to get it started. A jumper wire with clips at then ends, and a remote starter switch, are all you need. See how the tank looks inside. If it's full of old gas, you probably need a new tank. If not, then it might be saveable.
Nice solid truck. Do yourself a solid and get a reprint of the Ford Truck Shop Manual, it will have all the inspection and repair specifications and rebuilding information. About $35, money well spent. MoToRs Repair manual copyright from that decade is a great resource. Old trucks were almost always rode pretty hard and put away wet so by now anything that should move probably won't, and anything that shouldn't probably does. A cylinder compression check would be a good first step to see what you're dealing with. Can also pick a chapter in the manual and "get smart" on a component, carburetor rebuild, generator rebuild, starter rebuild. Good luck with your project, they are great trucks.
On the last 223 that I went through, the parts came from here: http://www.cleggengine.com/ford-ohv-6-223-3-6l-engine-rebuild-kits-1954-1964.html I would follow the previous advice, and get it running. A current diagnosis will be more accurate than memories. There is not much on this truck that you would even need help on, given a good book (or the internet), save for maybe a bit of machine work. The machine work, if needed, is trivial for any reputable machine shop. The 223 is a good, solid utility engine, although I would look into a modern distributor. Ford had a curious theory about how to make them back in the day. It turned out to not be a good thing. Details here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/distributor-mod-for-ford-215-223.748185/ It uses modified off-the-shelf parts, and I think, new plug wires. Huge improvement, small investment. If you go to 12V, and run a Duraspark donor distributor, you swap gears and modify the oil pump drive shaft (mill the late-style 5/16" hex down to 1/4" hex on the pump end).
That's a nice looking pickup you've got there. I've got a 59 F100 223 3 speed. I've ripped my engine apart and rebuilt it already. Your brake wheel cylinders are no doubt seized, the cool thing is that advance auto or autozone can get them for about $10-$15 apiece. Rebuild kits can be bought for about $4-$5, but then you would need to get the old pistons out and buy a cylinder hone to clean out any rust or scoring inside the cylinder. If the fuel pump hasn't had any fuel through it since the 90's then the diaphragm is undoubtedly dry rotted and shot. Same might be said for your distributors vacuum advance diaphragm too. You can run a rubber hose from the pump suction port straight into a gas can to completely bypass the original dirty fuel system. I have an original 1959 Ford shop maintenance manual for my pickup, i have no doubt that it will cover a 58 as well. If you have any questions send me an email and I'll take pictures of the manuals pages that you need. I've rebuilt the engine, transmission, brake system, clutch, and done wiring headlight to tail light. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If you replace the oil pump go with a 1964 unit the 5/16 drive allows the use of a 300 distributor. Do a search on the HAMB for Distributor mod for ford 215 & 223.
Nice looking truck. A great project. You've already made a smart move by joining the H.A.M.B. and posting questions here. You will get some good advice (already have it appears) so keep asking those questions when you've got them. That will be an awesome ride to see back in motion. Family connection makes it all the better. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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