Ford F-Series Pickup Owner's Bible?

Ford table of contents:
1 EVOLUTION OF THE FORD F-SERIES 1
V-8 Era: A New Truck Emerges 1
1942: Ford Trucks Forge Their Own Way 2
1948: A Truck With A Firm Identity 2
1953-56: A Marque Emerges 4
1957- 64: The Pragmatic Years 8
1965: The Advent Of Twin 1-Beam 10
1967-79: Years Of Bold Refinement 12
1980: An Advanced 4x4 Chassis 15
Poised for the Future 17

2 BUYING AN F-SERIES TRUCK 19
Selecting The Right Truck 20
Anatomy of a Half-ton 20
F-250 Virtues 21
One-ton 22
Shopping for the Right Components 23
The Ten Best Picks In Used Ford F-trucks 24
Inspecting A Used Truck 24
Buying A New F-Series Truck 28
1994 Ford F-Series Specifications 30

3 OPERATING YOUR F-SERIES 33
Learning To Drive Your F-Series Truck 35
Operating A 4x4 F-truck 36
Off-pavement Four-wheel Drive 38
Tread Lightly Four Wheeling 41
Special Uses For Your 4WD Truck 43
4WD Clubs 45

4 WORKING ON YOUR F-SERIES 47
The F-truck Chassis 48
Front Axle Types 48
Steering Gear and Linkage 49
Drum and Disc Brake Systems 50
A Glance At F-truck Engines 51
Transmissions and Transfer Cases 55
Driveshafts 58
Repairs On Your F-Series Truck 59
The F-truck Owner's Toolbox 61
Sourcing Ford Truck Parts 68
Assigning Work to a Shop 69

5 LUBRICATION AND MAINTENANCE 73
Maintenance Overview 73
Selecting Lubricants and Fluids 74
Service Intervals 75
Building a Maintenance Schedule 76
Do Your Own Maintenance 78
Storing Your Truck 86

6 TROUBLESHOOTING AND MINOR ADJUSTMENTS 89
Guide To Troubleshooting 91
Engine and Electrical Problems 91
Cooling System Troubles 96
Clutch and Manual Transmission 97
Driveshaft and Axle Woes 99
Steering and Tire Troubles 100
Brake Problems 102

7 COOLING SYSTEM SERVICE 105
Safety Precautions 105
Cooling System Basics 106
Finding Leaks 108
Overheating Problems 111
Water Pump Service 112

8 ENGINE TUNE-UP AND EMISSION CONTROLS 117
Emission Controls and Tune-up 118
Engine Applications 118
A Closer Look At EFI/MFI Engines 121
Ignition Tune-up 122 Carburetor Tune-up 133
Major Engine Diagnosis 139
Valve Adjustment 141
Emission Controls 144

9 CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION SERVICE 153
Troubleshooting 153
Clutch Service 156
Transmission Adjustments 164
Rebuilding The Warner T-98/T-18 Ford Truck Transmission 165

10 TRANSFER CASE, DRIVESHAFTS, AXLES AND HUBS 177
Transfer Cases 177
Troubleshooting 178
Driveshafts 180 U-joint Service and Repair Tips 180
Driveshaft Lubrication 182
Driveshaft Angularity 183
U-joint Installation 184
Axle Assemblies 185
Differential Action 186
Axle Types 187
axle Troubleshooting 188
Axle Seals 189
Closed-knuckle Steering Rebuild 190
Locking Hubs 195
Hub Rebuilding 196

11 SUSPENSION AND STEERING 201
Springs 201
Installing New Springs 202
Frame Damage 204
Shock Absorbers 204
Gas Shocks 205
Selecting Shocks 205
4x4 Steering and Front End 206
Rebuilding A Ball-joint Steering Knuckle 206
Steering System 208
Power Steering 210
Inspecting the Steering System 212
Wheel Alignment 213

12 BRAKES AND WHEEL BEARINGS 217
Wheel Bearings 217
Front Wheel Bearing Fundamentals 217
Wheel Bearing, Service 218
The Braking System 221)
Pedal Warning Signals 221
Brake Fluid Precautions 221
Brake Service Tips 223

13 BODY AND DETAILING 229
Battling Rust 229
Body Detailing 232
Quick Tips to a Better Detail Job 235
Pickup Bed and Tub Liners 237

14 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BASICS 239
The Electrical System 239
Electrical Troubleshooting 242
Testing Battery and Charging System 246
Starter Motor 248
Starter Troubleshooting 249
Starter Overhaul 250

15 ACCESSORIES 253
Winches 254
Electrical System Upgrades 261
Roll Bars 267
Seat Belts and Safety Harnesses 269
Trailering 270

16 FORD ENGINE PERFORMANCE: MILD TO WILD! 273
Engine Performance and Smog Legal Modifications 273
Ford F-truck Power: An Overview 275
Valvetrain Modifications 275
Ignition Modifications 278
Performance Carburetion 280
Lubrication and Engine Oil Cooling 283
Supercharging 284
Flathead to FE F-truck Power 287
460 V-8: The Ultimate Racing and Tow Engine 290
351 Windsor V-8 Buildup 292
302/5.0L, V-8 Tips 294
Engine Overhaul 300

17 DRIVETRAIN UPGRADES 311
Performance Transmissions 312
Four-speed Changeover 313
The Clutch 314
Clutch Types 314
Aftermarket Clutches 315
Traction Differentials 317
Conversion Axles 321
Driveshaft Footnotes 322

18 CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION UPGRADES 323
Chassis Modifications 323
State Lift Laws 325
Off-pavement Suspension Tuning 325
Upgrading Shocks 327
Urethane Bushings 328
Installing An Upgraded Suspension 329
Steering Gear Conversions 336
Tires 337
Tire Glossary 339
Brake System Upgrades 342

APPENDICES 343
Sources, Hardware Grading, Toolbox, Engine Break-in, 4x4 Trials

INDEX 357

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, ABOUT THE AUTHOR 363