Most insurance companies were run poorly and are not suffering from paying out damage claims.
The insurance company response to this is to raise premiums and lower coverages.

But you are likely talking about a "rider" or "addendum" style package to your existing insurance coverage...likely your homeowners insurance...who are the ones "suffering" and are loathe to add any coverages.

SafeCo allows for these riders, and I'm sure others do as well.

You will be required to produce an inventory and value based on real world evidence.
This will be an additional item on your general coverage similar to covering jewelry, collectables, tools and machinery, and parts inventory items like most businesses.

If your insurance company will not allow for this type of additional rider coverage, I would directly ask them why.
Then go searching for a different insurance provider.

There are certain insurance companies that directly service specialty items, like Lloyds of London (Lloyds is not actually an insurance company by the way, but those details only matter if you choose to use their services)
This style of insurance provider will insure just about anything as long as you can prove actual value and are willing to pay the premiums.

Search around, this is not an unusual insurance item/subject...It might only be a "problem" with your agent.

New fuel sending unit with verified ohm reading between 8-73.
Verified working fuel gauge on the dash.
Verified working wiring between the gauge and the sending unit.

With sending unit out of the tank, hanging on the plug, and manually operated I can get it to read on the dash gauge; empty where empty should be, half tank where half tank should be, 3/4 tank where 3/4 tank should be, but not reach full. I can sweep smoothly between empty and 3/4 tank on the gauge as well.

I can get Ohm readings consistent with the level of the tank float and where that should be on the gauge.

I can achieve the readings with the sending unit touching the tank and hanging free from the tank.

I have verified the float is buoyant and moving freely in liquid by submersing it in a bucket of water in the position it would be in while in the tank.
I am using a poly float, not the brass float.

But, when I place the sending unit in the tank, even if just placed there, it will only read below empty on the gauge and there is about 1/3 a tank full of gas.

I bend the float arm to lower the float, effectively making it read higher on the gauge....still below empty on the gauge.

I have both visually looked inside the tank, as well as put my hand in there, to verify there is nothing in the way of the float travel through its full range of motion.

Verified dash gauge.
Verified float is floating.
Verified sending unit is sending within required gauge parameters (according to Ford literature)
Verified wiring is good.
Literally operated float by hand to verify gauge is moving with sending unit out of tank.
Bent float arm to set float lower in tank initially in an attempt to "find" 1/3 tank level on gauge with sender installed.

But the effen thing won't work once placed in the tank...just placed, not even locked with the lock ring (although it has been tested that way too)

What have you got for ideas with this one?


 

 

I am wondering if anyone has a really nice "FORD" oval for the center of the grill on a 1980-1986 F-series truck (Bullnose body style)
Specifically, this is for a 1986 F-150.

Original part number: E2TZ-8213-A.

Dennis Carpenter sells a Chinese replacement...but I want to find an excellent original if possible.

Thanks, and have a great day.

I have seen powder that is more white than grey from gas that contains ethanol. Collects in bottom corners of float bowls.  Took apart my buddies Holley for him and there was so much in bowls I asked him if he had been hanging at beach with his car.

This is certainly not the ethanol grey powder I have also seen.
This stuff is the consistency of talcum powder and the color of JB weld grey (it does not get "wet" in the fuel either and turn into a paste. It stays dry even in fuel)

After testing a few things (I'm not done yet) it is looking more and more like the Holley metering block is disintegrating.
I don't know why, but that seems like the most reasonable answer at this time.

I have checked the filters carefully and there is no grey residue of any type, let alone the large amount I have found in the carb fuel areas.
The secondary float bowl does not have this grey residue.
I have pumped some fuel through the trucks system and into a clear container and there is no visible particulate, and there is no settling particulate.
I ran an Autolite 4100 on this engine for a little while (until I found it leaking at all welch plugs, which are being repaired) and that carb did not have any grey dusty residue in the bowls.
I am currently running an Edelbrock carb and that too has no grey residue.

I don't know what else to test within this system to help me figure out what is happening.

I'm going to remove the primary metering block and drop it into a container of gas and see what happens.
If grey dusty residue precipitates, I think that is pretty definitive concerning the metering block dissolving.

What do you think?

I played around with isolation of all the vacuum sources to be certain there were no erroneous faults, and I found none.
This was both good and bad because I sort of wanted a smoking gun to repair instead of more diagnosis...but it's okay.

I have swapped in a few different PCV valves and they do make a very noticeable difference.

The 351W engine is pulling between 18" and 19" of vacuum at idle so I am surprised the PCV valve I pulled from my big cammed, low idle vacuum, 289 works the best...but that PCV valve eliminated the misfire and sputtering issues in the 351W.

The engine still has some other issues, but progress is being made each time I figure something out. (gotta love figuring out an unknown modified engine that has been sitting for more than a decade)

With the engine now running in a steady state I was able to see there is likely something wrong with the remanufactured Duraspark distributor in use.
The timing stays stationary until about 2600 rpm, then it jumps a big amount of advance, but not fully advanced until well above 4000 rpm...Tearing into that next to see what is happening.

My opinion.
The Ford gears are good, use them if they fit your needs.
I don't think anyone will be worrying about the literal part numbers on the gears of a restoration because that is not an area any judge will ever inspect...if they can get factory gears in good condition they might use them, but I don't think anyone will be paying huge money to attain that type of restoration part because you can still attain 3.91:1 gears to complete a restoration
The same with differentials, bearings, connecting rod and main bearing cap fasteners, and other internal items nobody will ever see...as long as the part works properly, and functions the same as the factory part (think new Detroit Locker as opposed to vintage Detroit Locker) things will be fine.

The best scenario I see is you trading the factory gears to a restorer to make things "just right" for a good aftermarket set you can use in your non-restoration application.

Again, just my opinion.

After searching other websites, I was, once again, face to face with just how good this forum really is compared to a lot of what is available on the web with similar content.

For years I have been a member here and I have witnessed many questions being answered in a good manner, and with useful details and direction.

Thank you to all who make this the reality it is.

I am working on a modified 1986 351W, in a mild street truck, with Edelbrock heads and intake and I don't know anything about what is actually inside this engine.
With all the available info on the web I have become a learn before leaping tuner if I am able.
Even with my knowledge and experience I still like to listen for the current "best" situations if I can find useful results.

My search was basic and in looking for a good timing curve for a 351W with Edelbrock heads and intake and a mild cam....I thought this would be simple.

I was able to find numerous threads where the original question was something like "What is good timing for my 351W" or "What is a good initial timing for my 351W" or something to that effect.

As I read through the many threads, I realized none of them ever answered the question about timing.
Dozens and dozens of threads, from all the regular Ford, Mustang, Truck, or other sites, as well as more general hot rod type sites, yet nobody answered the timing question with any usable numbers.

They all devolved into something that talked about other stuff like "you don't need the vacuum advance, get rid of it" or "why ask such a simple question" or rambling about how their car runs great while never answering the question.
My favorite was a guy diverting to all sorts of questions about what literal distributor was being used...as if the distributor used makes any difference on where the timing is set to get the engine running right, when the question was literally about what timing should I set my 351W.

I realize my searches might not have been looking in the right area, but that is not my point.
My observations of searching for a pretty simple, straight forward question about timing lead me to many, many, many threads that never answered the question at hand, not even indirectly.
This made me think how great it is around here because you will almost always get your answer.

Thanks again to Jay and his great website and for all the really great members who do take the time and invest the effort into answering the questions asked...It means a lot to at least one person.

For now I'm going to set the timing at 35* total and see where the initial falls. (with pump gas, which is all this motor likely needs, I'll likely end up somewhere between 32-36*)
With the rebuilt Duraspark distributor we put in I think the advance springs it came with are super stiff so that will have to be altered too.
While I'm in there I will see which slots the arm has and then modify accordingly.