PaPa's 69 F100 Explorer Coyote 10R80 swap

[Venomous duck]

Here are some shots of the engine crossmember and the area where the residual valve was mounted.

[Venomous duck]

And here are some close up shots that show the texture.

[Venomous duck]

Last two.

[The Bandit]

Ok after seeing your frame i'm certain that i will be using the eastwood products for mine as well.

Man your frame is perfect!

[DuckRyder]

That looks Fantastic!

[sargentrs]

[Venomous duck]

Thank you for the comments. Motivation is hard to come by and they help more than you know. Work will probably slow down a little. I am to the point of replating all the bolts and hardware. I got started zinc plating but could not get it to work properly. I finally discovered that my solution was contaminated with copper. I have been using the system from Caswell. Buying replacement chemicals from them for the solution was going to be expensive. I am going to experiment with some other chemicals and see if I can get that to work. I will post the progress when I get the bugs out.

[hfdco4]

Any updates, especially on your DIY Plating?

[Venomous duck]

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I have updated. I spent about 2 months of my truck time (about 10 actual days) setting up my zinc plating rig and trying to make my own zinc bath. I tried the common recipe that most use. I also tried to change the mix of chemicals. I got close in the end but was never happy with the results.I finally gave up and went back to the Caswell system and got perfect results the first time. Maybe someone can learn from my mistakes. I will try to give you an idea of whats involved.

[Venomous duck]

Each bolt is its own project.

[Venomous duck]

This is a fairly long process but it saves money and you get to use original hardware.

[Venomous duck]

Now its onto the actual plating. You will need zinc anodes. I bought two zinc bars off ebay. You can also use a roll of zinc that is used to keep moss from growing on your roof. You can get it at any store that sells roofing supplies. You also need an adjustable power supply. These are cheap and you can buy one on ebay for about 50- 70 bucks. Search ebay for laboratory power supply. You can get by with a 5 amp but you will probably want a 10 amp. You will also need test leads, don't get the cheapest ones. I recommend 14 gauge. Sorry, my power supplies are on a shelf above my bench and are not in the pictures.

[hfdco4]

Wow, thanks for the write up.

[Venomous duck]

It is very important that you do not touch the finished bolt. You do not want the chromate rinse to pool on the surface because it will cause blotches and an uneven finish. Lightly blow it with compressed air, be careful or you can can blow off the chromate finish. You can use a blow dryer to dry out the bolt or hang it in front of a heater if its in the winter time. Then hang it up and leave it for a few days, a week is better. The chromate takes a while to cure.

[Venomous duck]

Here are what you can achieve once you get it all figured out.