Bonus Built Dot Com | Since 1996

I take back what I said about the radiator. After driving the truck for a little while today it started up again. Minor concern. What is fixed is the ram bushings. It took all of 5 minutes to do. I gave the truck a drive today. When I first started it it smelled really bad. That was probably dust/oil/junk burning off the engine since it hasn't really been driven for a couple months. When I got back the smell was gone. What was also gone when I got back was power steering. Apparently when it heats up the fluid doesn't do its job so well. Again, this is nothing that has to be fixed today. Lastly, remember the intake leak that I decided wasn't there afterall? It is. Rear of the intake at the ends. It's a little messy but it's not eating up significant amounts of oil, so it can wait to get fixed. What I'd like to focus on is getting a new crossmember made for the engine. The one I have hangs down way too low. Should be pretty easy once I get around to doing it.

December 29, 2002

The radiator leak is fixed. I'd like to project repairing the steering in the next couple days but I think I've done that a few times already.

EBAY ALERT!!! A member of the Bonus Built mailing list recently purchased an aluminum dash insert on Ebay. Apparently there is a guy who regularly has them for sale. They tend to sell at minimum bid and look decent. If you're in the market for one, have a look here.

November 30, 2002

Very peculiar. I posted earlier that the power steering cured itself. Now I can't find an oil leak. I cleaned the back of the block off with brake cleaner and then went probing at the RTV seal at the back of the intake. It all felt solid. Coincidentially I had sanded down part of the radiator tank to JB Weld it, and then I forgot where the leak was. So I started the engine and ran it a while. I found the radiator leak pretty fast, but didn't see any oil. I couldn't run it hard, but idling for 20 minutes and a couple times around the block couldn't make it leak. Puzzling. Could the oil have come from somewhere else? Did the Oil Fairy leave it there?
In case you've come here looking for info on my Mustang, here it is.

November 23, 2002

I finally got a chance to get a good look at the truck and figure out what needs to be done. First off, the oil leak isn't from the sender. I'm 95% sure that the rear seal on the intake manifold blew out. I can feel an empty spot. I'll try to clean it up and inject some RTV. Hopefully that will hold because I really don't want to pull the manifold and do it all over. I couldn't spot the exact source of the fuel leak, but I suspect it's at the fittings at the bottom of the tank. A turn with the wrench should do it. I've actually had that problem before. Radiator leak: I found it and I think a little JB Weld will fix it just fine. Power steering: Big mystery. The fluid doesn't look that bad now. I got a cooler that I'll install on the return line, and I'll flush the system. If the problem comes back I'll replace the pump. Brakes: They feel fine now.

November 11, 2002

As many people already know, the management of bonusbuilt.com are not big fans of IFS swaps. We belive in the "charm" of driving an old truck. Further, as was probably evident when the articles on the bolt-on fallacy and build quality of aftermarket parts came out last year, we aren't very fond of the manufacturers of most aftermarket parts either. With that in mind, head on over here and read about one guy's trouble with the Heidts Mustang II conversion. We won't go so far as to say "told you so", but this is not a surprise at all.

November 2, 2002

Please please please...When you email me make sure you give me a valid email address. Too often I get messages bounced back because the address was incorrect. Sometimes it is something obviously wrong like "default_user@msn.com", but other times people spell things wrong in their own address. This especially bugs me if I've written a lengthy reply and had to look things up. I don't like wasting my time, so before you write please double check that what's in the "reply-to" field of you email program is actually your address.

October 27, 2002

No time to fix the truck yet so it's just sitting. The Mustang is healthy and stable now though, so hopefully I can get to the truck soon.

Somebody elected to offer an opinion on my car yesterday, but didn't stick around for the answer--so here it is.

October 8, 2002

I guess the search box on the site hasn't worked for a while. I found the problem with the code that kept it from working and I have no idea how it got messed up. Just plain strange. Anyway, it seems to work alright now, so go ahead and search.

I have a bit of an email problem. A lot of people have my @bonusbuilt.com address in their address books--they also have the Klez virus which makes it appear that I'm sending viruses to people, which I'm not. I'm also getting sent the virus many times a day, which is pretty annoying. I'm trying to figure out what to do.

September 16, 2002

Okay, heres the list of stuff that went wrong after my little near miss a couple weeks ago:
Oil leaking from pressure sender.
Fuel leaking
Radiator leak
Power steering pump overheated (fluid is brown)
Brakes feel "different". More investigation needed here.
Most of that probably resulted from the second part of the incident--the "floor it to avoid getting rear ended" portion. The high rpms (though the engine has a 5500 rpm rev limiter) and resulting heat are responsible for just about all of it. If this is the extent of it then it's nothing too serious. Probably should count as a mishap though as it's rendered the truck pretty much undrivable. I don't know the exact MSLM but it's around 700 miles. I have the Mustang out of the garage now, and the truck is in--so hopefully I can get it healthy again this week.

September 8, 2002

Driving the truck to work on Tuesday I nearly got into an accident when some numbnut turned left in front of me. I was cruising at about 40 and already in the intersection when the car turned. I really don't think he/she even looked or was even aware that I was there until it was all over, if then.
When the car started coming I hit the brakes and turned hard right to get out of the way. Of course the brakes locked up so I didn't have much control. I was positive we would hit. I was looking at the other car as I passed and I can't believe we didn't hit. The car should have hit the midsection of my truck and I kept waiting to hear/feel the collision. The car didn't hit it's brakes--it kept turning. So I'm skidding along and the car is keeping pace with me. I let off the brakes and righted myself, and the car was still right with me. So I punched it and put some distance between us. When it shifted to 2nd I skid again. I righted myself from that and by that time there was another car between us. That was stressful both for me and for the truck. I got instant cigarette cravings and the truck is leaking oil and (I think) gas. Plus the brakes feel different. The pedal goes a little farther before they apply and it feels--well, not mushy but different. I wonder if the fluid got heated up or something. Oh yeah, and the power steering doesn't work now. I haven't even begun to figure out what's what yet, but I definitely have to give the truck a head to toe inspection and see what's what.

Anyway, if you ever wonder why drivers in LA shoot each other maybe now you know.

August 26, 2002

Okay, whose the joker who tried searching this site for "Toyota RE engine to Toyota R engine"? Did a regular reader to it just to see if I pay attention? Is this a hot new swap for classic trucks I've never heard of? Is somebody misguided? Stupid? I'd laugh but I'm too confused.

There have been a lot of searches for tune-up data. Personally, I don't think there's much useful info here on tune-up data. Give it a week or two and there will be. See, this is why I keep tabs on what you all search for.

August 20, 2002

I've just made updates to the Visitor's Gallery, Swap Meet, and Owner's Registry. Come to think of it, I think I saw a pig flying, and on the news they said that Hell was getting pretty cold. Could it be that I'll get all the product reviews posted soon? We'll see.

I also added wiring diagrams for stock trucks. There is 1 for 48-50 and another for 50-51, but they're both pretty much the same.

I'm continuing to drive the truck whenever I feel like it (which is just about every day). MSLM is about 655. I need to get the brakes sorted out on the Mustang so I can get it out of the garage. When it comes out, the truck goes in--it needs a couple hours worth of TLC--otherwise the MSLM might not get much higher.

Ford Ranger power steering in an F1? Anybody heard of this? Let me know if you have.

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE -- USE IT!!!

I use it and my system is 100% clean. I am sent a half dozen viruses a day through this website and they're all stopped dead because I have current anti-virus software. Lots of people don't use it, but they should. I've been getting hate mail all week because somebody who has me in their address book has the W32/Klez virus. That virus spoofs the "from" field when it sends itself out, so it looks like somebody else sent it--in this case me. So I'm an innocent bystander but dozens of people are writing to tell me I'm an asshole. By the way, if you read the headers in the infected email you'll see who really sent it to you and it's not me. Spend a few bucks and get Norton or MacAfee. There's even some really good free programs out there. Use something!

August 10, 2002

I will have an honest to goodness update in the next week or so. I have recieved a couple emails from people wondering where I ran off to. The answer is "nowhere". I've just been spending a lot of time working on the Mustang. That's not to say the truck has been neglected. In the last 2 weeks it has about 100 miles on it--now the power steering bushings have gone out again.
I'm not sure how to feel about this, but I think the Mustang and the F1 are in exactly the same state right now: Running fine but looking ugly. Actually the Mustang is beyond ugly. Pug fugly is closer to the truth.

July 24, 2002

Nothing big to report. I've been driving the truck about 2 days week--all is well. I've also been working on my Mustang. Maybe one day I'll do a compare/contrast article on restoring an F1 vs restoring a Mustang. The short story is that Mustangs are much easier and cheaper to restore.

July 16, 2002

I replaced one of the power steering bushings today. One had fallen completely off and the other was in decent shape so I kept it. It was a move of lazyness as I couldn't compress both new bushings enough to get the nut back on. It's an annoyingly close fit. Tomorrow I have to drive the truck to work so I just needed a quick fix. When I test drove it I noticed a rattle on the passenger side. It seems the fender has loosened. Not a big deal but it is odd.

Also odd: I have a second project vehicle now. It's a 65 Mustang. Given the slow rate at which I've been working on the truck I don't think the Mustang will take away from it. Unless my first assessment is horribly off it should be about done by the end of the year if the money doesn't dry up. Being the confused gearhead/computer geek that I happen to be, I've also given the Mustang its own website.

July 12, 2002

I drove the truck to work the last 2 days. It's been a lot of fun and despite temperatures in the mid-90's it has been comfortable. The bad news is that my steering wheel went clunk when I parked this afternoon, which is the unmistakable signal that the bushings on the power steering cylinder have failed again. I doubt they even had 100 miles on them. I have to be doing something wrong. Every Ford car in the 60's had that same setup and they didn't eat bushings every 100-200 miles.

This reminds me of MSLM, which I haven't talked about for a long time. MSLM stands for Mileage Since Last Mishap and more or less means "how long has it been since the truck broke down?" Current MSLM on my truck is just over 500 miles. I'm embarassed that it's taken since November of 2000 to get there though. I really need to drive that truck more. 500 miles, however, is a record. Since I changed the drivetrain and brakes this is the longest time without a problem. Even when the truck was stock and I drove it daily it would have some kind of problem about once a month, which amounted to about every 500 miles. Anyway, 500 miles tells me that the truck is reasonably healthy and that the bugs are pretty much worked out of the system--apart from steering cylinder bushings of course.

July 3, 2002

If I can manage to update the photo galleries and parts reviews this week I will be very happy. I have pictures going back to December that need to be uploaded. I was looking at the owner registry and it has gotten a little cramped. I'll probably redesign that.

By the way, does anybody know of a service like Axlenet that does polls that actually work? F**k those f**king f**kers, I'm through with them.

July 1, 2002

Every week or so I get a report on what people are searching for on the website. This is often helpful to me as I can include things that people want to see if they aren't already here. The problem is that people tend to enter very poor keywords, and use other bad habits, when they search. As a public service I will let you in on a few secrets of searching this, or any other, website.

For starters, make sure you spell your keyword(s) correctly. No matter how hard you look, there are no Fird trucks on this website--at least there shouldn't be; I do use spell check.

Secondly, use descriptive words in your searches. Searching for "truck" is pretty pointless since that word appears in just about every paragraph on this website. The same goes for the word "Ford". It's all over the place! Combining the two and searching for "ford truck" will get you a shorter list since the two words don't appear together frequently, but you still won't get specific results since everything on the website is about Ford trucks. This is the world of Ford trucks, so you have to narrow your search a little. What do you want to know about Ford trucks? Be specific. "Instrument cluster", "steering wheel", and "tail gate" are all good because they are specific and will yield meaningful results.

Next, I want to address this business of not putting spaces between words. A lot of people do this and I have to wonder why. Have you heard the expression "garbage in, garbage out"? If you search for the phrase "Dan's blue 1950 F1" you might find something. If you search for "Dansblue1950F1" you won't get anything because the search engine is looking for the word "Dansblue1950F1", which as we all know doesn't exist. Spaces are good. They tell people when one word ends and the next begins. Feel free to use them in you internet searches.

Lastly, I ask that people use common sense. This is a website with lots of information on Ford trucks made between 1948 and 1952. If that is what you're looking for, or it's close to what you're looking for, you're in the right place. If you need information on your 68 Dodge you're in the wrong place. If you need information on your 65 Mustang, you're in the wrong place. As much as I love Mustangs, there isn't much here about them. There are probably equally good websites about them out there, and you should find them.

The internet is a tool, and you have to use it correctly or it won't work for you--just like any other tool. You wouldn't look up phone numbers in a cookbook would you? Yes, I know--some of you would. You'd be wasting your time though, and you only have so much of it in your lifetime so use it wisely.

June 30, 2002

I just got back from my honeymoon today. There were about 1000 miles of driving involved and I'm happy to say that I'm happy with both the sound system and shocks that I put on the Explorer. The Edelbrock IAS shocks are hella-expensive but if you don't mind spending the money they're pretty nice. I had them on smooth road, rough road, and dirt road and it's all good. They're neither stiff nor soft, though they can be either depending on road conditions. Body roll is decreased a lot, so fast turns feel a lot more comfortable. I think I like them.

By the way, I'd love to drive my F1 on highway 58 in California between about Bakersfield and San Luis Obisbo. It's about 80 miles of 2 lane highway. I only passed about 10 cars the whole way. It's got some big inclines, tight turns, downhill--nearly treacherous mountain driving. Then after about 15 miles of that it smooths out and you get long stretches of straight road with lots of little hills. I have no idea what the speed limit is but I don't think it matters since nobody is likely to come out there and catch you. I was doing 85 and still getting passed. Anyway, it would be a fun afternoon with the truck. Varoom.

June 8, 2002

Thanks to everybody who send advice and help with the Explorer radio. I ended up replacing it, the changer, all 4 speakers, and I added an amp and subwoofer. Needless to say, the performance now is far greater than the stock unit ever was or could be. I hope I'm not buying into a lot of hype, but I just orderd a set of Edlelbrock IAS shocks for the Explorer. If they're crap I'll definitly say so. They don't make them for an F1, by the way. Soon I'll probably be in search of the "perfect" shock for the F1.

I work for 1 more week, then have 3 weeks off. I'll be home a little over half of that, so chances of substantial website updates are high.

May 11, 2002

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I'm caught in the middle of demanding work schedules (ask any teacher how the 4th quarter is), night classes, wedding planning, and hockey playoffs. There isn't much time for anything else.

Today I added a few Swap Meet and Owner Registry entries. Again, sorry to anyone who submitted a long time ago and was waiting to see their name in lights. You're lit up now.

Yes, the lawsuit was an April Fools joke. I had hoped that everyone would realize that and have a giggle but some people didn't.

By the way, don't bother with the Monthly Poll. It hasn't worked right in a while.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Today is Motherf***er day. I find myself saying that word a lot today as a lot of things are going wrong. The most recent is the worst. My "gonna be" (wife to be) just told me that the radio in the Explorer died. The display has been dead for a year as has the cd changer. Now it's all dead. Crutchfield has tons of stuff for that car, but the prices are insane. Happy Motherf***er day.

April 1, 2002

This isn't good. I just received an email from the lawyers of a particular maker of aftermarket suspension conversions. Apparently a statement was made about their product in the product review section of my website. They consider it to be libelous and have threatened legal action against me unless I remove it immediately. To me this appears to be a clear 1st Amendment issue, but I now must get my own lawyer to make this point for me. I will not take down the offending statement because it merely an opinion, and opinions are protected by the constitution. In fact, if you read the product reviews I doubt you would even notice the comment. Click here to read the letter sent to me by the lawyers. Do it now. Click here for the sake of democracy.

March 31, 2002

I've done a little more work on the Consumer Information section of the website. It's still a little disorganized but the information is there. I've recieved a lot of product reviews the last couple days and they'll be up soon. I think this could end up being a huge addition to this website.

March 29, 2002

I've gotten some response to the rants I posted last night. Unfortunately the responses were all from people agreeing with me about the poor quality of directions for truck parts. This has prompted me to start a consumer information section of the website. Visit it now to submit a review of any aftermarket part you have installed on your truck. Eventually I would like to see this develop into a comprehensive listing of aftermarket parts available for our trucks, but it requires your participation.

March 29, 2002

As promised--the first series of rants are here. I have posted my opinions on the subjects of "bolt-on" parts and the lack of decent directions for truck parts. Check em out.

March 28, 2002

Okay, since the Kings-Oilers game isn't on tv as originally planned I have been making updates on the website while listening to it on the radio. I'm here to tell you that hockey is best experienced with the eyes.

New stuff today: A new tech tip; many new Owner Registry entries; a new tv show sighting; and a few bits here and there to correct typos and misc. proofreading things.

Does anybody have pictures, samples, formulas, etc. for original truck colors? Please send any information my way.

Upcoming Truck Shows: East Coast USA
Thanks to OldIronGarage for this

June 9th. Florham Park NJ Metro Jersey Chapter of the ATHS. Sunday show paved parking lot. For information 201-529-0045 Scott Baker.
June 14-15 Antique Truck show and flea market Macungie PA near Allentown close to 500 trucks last year lots of parts avail. For information 610-584-8282.
Both shows no tin given out just a good time kicking tires and talking old trucks. Many trucks are unfinished. Some good project trucks can be picked up also.

Coming soon, an essay on the "Bolt-in Fallacy".

March 26, 2002

I finally replaced the worn (smashed, destroyed) bushings on my power steering ram. I mentioned that I was going to have to do it a while back and I got some alarmed emails about it. People like this unit and I always recommend it for people who want power steering on a stock-ish truck, but understandably people are squeamish if the thing has a habit of eating bushings. Here's the deal with that -- last time I changed them I used HELP! universal shock bushings that were too thick so I cut them down with a utility knife, probably weakening them. This time I bought HELP! shock bushings for Ford & Mercury (p/n 31018), which were almost the right size. They have a 1/8" or so ridge on one side that I had to sand off to make fit. It took about 5 minutes per bushing with 120 grit sandpaper. If these don't live long I'm going to look for something urethane for strength and resistance to oil. It only takes a minute to change them but who wants to do that every few months? I'll keep posting about the life of my bushings because I know it's of interest to some people.

This might also be of interest to some -- I picked up a pair of mechanics gloves yesterday. I've seen them for a while on Crank & Chrome and Trucks but was always doubting how good they could be. I saw them in the store and I'm a little impulsive when I shop so I got them. So far they seem alright. They don't get in the way once you get used to them and they definitely keep the grime off your hands. We'll see how durable they are.

I had another offer on the truck today. I won't sell it but it would be interesting to know what people would pay for it. I'm sure nobody would pay me what I have spent on it -- probably 1/4 of that.

March 15, 2002

I added some Swap Meet and Owner Registry entries.

Please join me in wishing bad luck, injuries, and unwise trades upon the San Jose Sharks. Likewise, join me in wishing continued bad luck upon the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. Conversely, please join me in wishing incredible luck upon the Los Angeles Kings and may they pick up a high scoring soon-to-be free agent (Thornton, Amonte) for a song before the trade deadline. I know better than to expect a Stanley Cup, but a division title would be nice.

March 2, 2002

March Updates:

New Owner Registry and Swap Meet entries.

A few more movies and tv shows have been added to the tv section.

Somebody very brave has contributed a story for the Hall of Shame.

Various Stuff:

Have you heard about the Dodge Dakota IFS swap? I get alot of questions about it but never knew too much. Industrial Chassis now makes a Dakota kit for 48-52 Ford trucks. They also make Mustang II kits. The site is worth checking out.

Bonusbuilt.com will receive a mention in the Wrench Room column of Canadian Classics magazine this spring. Look for it.

February 18, 2002

Oh for crying out loud! I don't know why the poll won't work. I'm pretty sure it's not my fault though. If anybody is interested here's the direct link to the poll.

February 9, 2002

What the dilleo? The poll doesn't work apparently. Rats--I'll do what I can but it looks like a problem on axlenet's end.

I added a bunch of new registry entries.

February 6, 2002

I really need to drive my truck more. It bothers me a little bit every month when I write my insurance check that I don't drive it more. Today I went into my garage to get something and I had to climb around the truck to get it. Then I stared at the truck for a few minutes and felt bad. I really need to drive it more.

Instead of driving the truck, I worked on the website a little.
A couple new movies were added to the movies page.
A new tip has been added to the tips/hints page.
New links have been added to the Survival Guide.
New items were added to the Swap Meet.
A new poll is up and the results of the old one have been archived.

I have about 15 Registry entries to add. If you've submitted one in the last month or so be patient. It'll be up soon.

February 3, 2002

Is it sour grapes? The FTE mailing lists are gone as of today. Some of the reasons given seem a bit silly to me but it's the webmaster's right to do whatever he wants to do with his lists. Let me just remind everybody that the list on this website isn't going anywhere. I do this as a hobby--for fun. I don't depend on this for my income (in fact I make nothing from it) and I don't feel bitter if people don't acknowledge how much time or energy I put into it because I do it mostly for my own enjoyment. When the website had its 5th birthday nobody cared, including me--that's okay.

If you haven't already, check out the Bonus Built Mailing List. It's free, informative, friendly, and fun. Plus nobody pulls an attitude on you if you don't have the "right" parts in your truck.

2002

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December 30, 2002

December 29, 2002