The "don't make it a project" truck

In reply to chandler :

Glad you like them. They're not really big enough for a full molded tool kit, so I mainly have mine filled with fluids, a spare belt, jumper cables, stuff like that. A tool roll would be a great fit, though. And I do think it's neat that they molded cupholders into the lid of each box.

Got my front shocks in tonight. I couldn't use Bilstein 5100s, as I did in back, because Bilstein doesn't make them for the front of the 4WD trucks (you can get them for a 2WD F150 of this generation, though). So I decided the best option for me was the Bilstein 4600 series. Maybe not as good as the 5100s on paper, but more than good enough.

Before:

Removing the old shocks was super easy. Just need two 18mm wrenches and a 13mm wrench. Cranking the wheel all the way to one side gives you enough room to remove the upper nut and lower nut/bolt. And the old ones were worn enough that they weren't keeping any tension on the lower bolt.

Old vs new.

New shock in place. You'll need a 17mm wrench and an adjustable wrench to install the Bilsteins.

I went out for a quick drive and I love the way it rides. I'm not going to say it handles like a sports car, because that would be silly. But it's much, much nicer than before. Firm but comfortable.

It didn't cure the break bounce in the rear axle, so I guess I'll actually have to replace the drums. But this was still definitely worth the time and money.

Remember how close the exhaust was to the passenger side shock? There's a reason for that. A while back in another thread, I posted a picture of a weird twist in the exhaust pipe.

Only thing I can figure is a previous owner caught the exhaust tip on something while backing up. I don't know if it's causing me any problems, but today I finally decided to do something about it. 

I debated installing a catback exhaust, but I just don't think it's worth it on this truck. Instead, I went to the junkyard to cut a replacement section from another truck. I did my research ahead of time to find a regular cab 4.2 truck in case the exhaust was different on trucks with different engines & cab configurations. And I lucked out--someone had already cut out the piece I needed from the first truck I looked at. Thanks to whoever did this and made the cut cleanly. Cost: $6.28.

Cut off the bad section of exhaust, leaving a little more than I needed.

Connected the new exhaust to the factory hanger and made another cut to create a butt joint.

Is there a better feeling than finally using a part you've had sitting around for 10  years? I had an unused 2.5" band clamp in the garage. I'm not a hoarder...I totally knew this day would come.

Exhaust tip angle/location is good enough.

And remember how close the exhaust was to the passenger side shock? Now there's a ton of room.

More pics of the twist in the exhaust.

The truck is still doing fine, but I decided that with 175,000 miles on it, it was time to rebuild the steering and front suspension. Don't have a lot of pics, but I replaced all the tie rod ends, the idler arm, ball joints and wheel hubs/bearings. On the driver side, the axle shaft had rusted to the hub fairly solid. Yeah, I know, look at the poor guy in TN, complaining about rust. But I ended up having to buy a 12-ton hydraulic gear puller to separate them.

A while back I had the truck pretty loaded with stuff and drove down a big hill; I didn't completely run out of brakes, but a sudden stop would have gone poorly. So while I was at it, I decided to replace the front brakes. 

 A lot of people don't like parts bin engineering, but when you have the vehicle at the low end of the lineup, it's kind of awesome. Case in point: Expeditions got bigger calipers, bigger pads and thicker rotors (1.200" vs. .95") than the regular F150. The 7700-series F150s got the big brakes, too, though they use the goofy 7-bolt hubs/rotors/wheels.

It's a bolt-on swap and couldn't be easier. Here's the new stuff:

Yeah, not as sexy as an aftermarket big brake kit, but should be an improvement.

So, this is fun: I knew that 2000 F150s can have one of two wheel stud sizes based on the month of production. Mine should have had the smaller studs, so that's what I ordered. But apparently it had the larger studs. So now I'll need to wait until Monday to buy new lug nuts and get the wheels back on.

Today I got the truck aligned. I also had new tires installed, 265/75-16 Coopers I bought over a year ago. Didn't actually need them at the time, but I couldn't pass up the price.

I had originally planned to put them on the steel wheels that came with the truck. I didn't want to spend the money for aftermarket wheels, but I decided to pick up a set of factory 16x7 aluminum wheels both for style, and to offset some of the weight I've added to this truck. Found a set of 5 wheels in my preferred style for $150. They're only in so-so shape, but so what?

I still need to pick up some center caps, but I really like the new look. 

Most recent update isn't a good one. In general, the truck's been doing great. Until two Sundays ago.

 I was on my way back from a junkyard trip in Knoxville grabbing some parts from a 93 Mark VIII. I was on the freeway, noticed a huge cloud of smoke behind me, and had an instant "Oh hell, is that me?" kind of reaction.

Pulled into the first exit, limped into a gas station and could tell it was the transmission. Got out to find what was left of the fluid pouring out of the inspection hole below the torque converter. 

Had it towed home, then towed to a shop because I'm willing to rebuild an engine but automatic transmissions are where I draw the line. The shop said the ultimate cause of the leak was damage to the torque converter snout that ate the front seal, and at 178k, everything else was pretty worn out, too. Since nearly half of the final cost was labor for removal and reinstallation, I didn't think cheaping out and doing this again later was the way to go, so I opted for a full rebuild. 

Honestly, it cost probably right around what the whole truck is worth in good running condition. I wouldn't have blamed someone else for parting the truck out, but I'm hoping that with a new transmission, it'll keep being a good truck for a long time.

Heck yeah!  You've already done all (OK...most) of the other major stuff.  I see no reason not to spend a few car payments on a rebuilt transmission!

I've been debating on doing a thread on my truck, but this is pretty much it, you just haven't had it as long as I have and did all the repairs and mods out of order from what I did.

I went with a fabric tonneau cover instead of a topper, though.

I've also had three transmission swaps in my truck.  Long story when it involves a stock engine 

I'm glad you're fixing it - I'd love to pick up a similar truck.

Got the truck back from the trans shop after less than a week and so far, so good. Definitely could have bought another truck for what it cost, but I don't think it would have been as good a truck as this one. So far so good since then.

Another minor update, but one I'm kind of happy about: I was disappointed that the Kobalt tool set I got to carry in the truck was too big to fit in the Swing Case storage in the bed. I didnt' want it banging around in the bed, so the only real option was storing it behind the passenger seat, and I wasn't thrilled with that. Size compared to the Swing Case:

It also has a lot of standard sizes that I didn't need, since everything on this truck is metric. After a lot of looking, I finally found a metric-only socket set that seems decent and fits in the Swing Case: https://www.tekton.com/3-8-in-dr-skt-and-r-sets-1-4-1-inch-6-24-mm?quantity=1&set-range=6-24-mm. Has 3/8 standard and deep sockets from 6-24mm, a couple extensions, swivel, and the case is a little under 14x9x3. Depending on your needs, it might not be right for everyone, but it has all the sizes I'd need to work on the truck itself, and almost all the sizes I'd need at the junkyard.

Size compared to the Kobalt kit:

Fits great in the Swing Case, with room for my DC tire inflator next to it.

I've filled the other swing case with fluids, spare belt, etc.