Heading to Spokane to pick up a 5th Wheel

[Happy_Camper]

Well, I'm not real sure this is one of my "smarter moves", but, I'm heading up to Spokane to pick up a 5th wheel in a couple of weeks.  Should be a real interesting trip.
This weekend I'm doing a complete rear brake job, changing the diferential fluid, replacing the old leaky valve cover gaskets, hooking up the heater hoses, reinstalling the trailer brake controller, changing the oil, adding some gauges, and some other small odds and ends.  
Next week the flip ball hitch shows up, so I'll get that and the new trailer plug wired in.  Then I'm going to have a dual exhaust run down the passenger side and out behind the passenger wheel.  
Only "hitch" in this whole "get-a-long", is one exhaust valve, that has a slight leak, and one broken exhaust manifold bolt.  
2000 miles round trip, 4-1/2 days... I figure, if the snow doesn't get too crazy (I have chains), I should be able to average 50mph on the trip up, and about 40mph on the trip back.  
The 5th wheel is about 11K# GVW, with about 1,700# on the pin, so I'm comfortable with that.  
I've got autoparts stores mapped out about 100 miles apart. Hotels set up for the way up.  Just need to figure out plans for the way back.  
Damage control plan is to find a storage yard near the break-down point, and rent a car for the rest of the ride home.  Then go back up in spring, and bring the whole shooting match home.  
Haven't done anything this stupid in about 20 years.  
Wish me luck!  

[fordman]

i love road trips.

[Doug Comer]

  I'll use any excuse for one.

Doug

[70_F100]

i love road trips.

RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD

TTTTTTTTTTTTRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPP!!!!

[FLATBEDFORD]

Wow! That is good and stupid! Sounds like an adventure. I wish I had the time and lack of judgment to do something like that. I am serious. I'm not busting on you. Sounds like a blast. Good luck. Take pictures. Keep us posted.

[austin]

sounds like a good trip

[Happy_Camper]

Wow! That is good and stupid! Sounds like an adventure. I wish I had the time and lack of judgment to do something like that. I am serious. I'm not busting on you. Sounds like a blast. Good luck. Take pictures. Keep us posted.

      In my wilder days, I did stupid stuff like this all the time.  The most famous amongst my friends, is when I ran head on into a tree on a Saturday night, and by Wednesday, a buddy of mine and I had the front end pulled out, a junkyard radiator installed, the front suspension straightened out, and safety wire holding the distributor in place.  We took off on a week long surfing expedition. I don't think either one of us had enough money for bus fare back.  Somehow we always made it.

Got the rear brakes together.  Still need to change the brake hose, then bleed the system.  Man, the rear brakes are a breeze on these old trucks!  
Does look like I will need to install a speedy sleave for the wheel seal on the driver's side this spring though.  The surface is really worn.  Strange, because the passenger side is pretty good.  I found 9/16" lugs that are a direct swap, so I'll probably add them at the same time.  
I'm going to try and take a laptop, so I'll try and post pictures, and updates along the way.

[flyboy2610]

Haven't done anything this stupid in about 20 years.  

Wow! You're doing good!  

[Atlasexcavating]

Good luck Happy, I love road trips! I just came back from one,I still had some personal belongings stored in Ontario from since we left there a year and a half ago. A few weeks back my wife and I flew back ,did some visiting and drove a U-Haul back through the mid-west up through Idaho and Washington and home to Victoria on Vancouver Is. The only place we hit snow was in Nebraska/Wyoming and was stranded there for two days. All part of the fun though. I'm going on one soon again to Oregon

[marxtoys]

Good luck Happy, I love road trips! ........... I'm going on one soon again to Oregon

Last time I did that, it ended up being a one-way trip.  



Just some of the beauty I would see if I turn the chair 180°....... and move a few rigs.




Best of luck!

[fireguywtc]

Sisters is one of my favorite towns in Oregon, just beautiful there!

[Happy_Camper]

Wow!  those two pictures are stunning.  I almost got to make an escape to Colorado a few years ago.  Was just getting ready to put the house up for sale, when the job assignment changed, and they asked me to stay in the Socialist Republik of Kalifornistan.  I have awesome neighbors, so I'm not complaining
Your pictures are a big part of why I'm getting a 5th wheel.  Plan to see the Tetons, Yellow Stone, Mt. Rushmore, etc.  Maybe even get up into the "Hells Gate" area of B.C.  

Well today, I got the brakes finished.  If you ever have to bleed brakes on your own, here's a trick I learned years ago:

Pump the master cylinder reservior level down about half way, and flip a bottle of brake fluid into the reservior. It takes a bit of practice, but once you do it a time or two, any spillage can be caught in a shop towl, and a quick wipe down of the master cylinder is all that is needed. If I'm doing front and rear, I flip a bottle into each reservior.  Here I'm just doing the rear brakes.



Wrap the threads on each bleader with two to three wraps of teflon tape.  Put the bleeder back in and snug it up.  Then put the box end of the wrench on and open it 1/4 turn.  Put a peice of vacuum hose on the bleeder, and run it into a dry empty bottle with about 1/4 filled with clean brake fluid.  
In this picture you can see the old nasty brake fluid has been pumped out and mixed with the good stuff.  I pump the first side until the fluid is clear, and that's usually fills the bottle half way up. Close up the bleeder, pinch the hose, and move it to the other side. wrench first, then tube, then open 1/4 turn.  Pump this side until clear (usually about 1/4 more fluid in the bottle).  Then lock it down.



Pump and release the pedal slowly (like two seconds down, and two seconds back up).  And once both bleeders are closed, pump once more slowly. Then flip the brake fluid bottle back out quickly, and top off the reservior.  
Next to speed bleeders, this method works really great.  It wastes a little bit of fluid though, because of the initial amount that needs to be poured into the bottle.  Took me about five minutes to bleed the rear brakes today.  

Scott

[Happy_Camper]

Well the old girl is as ready as she's gonna be, other than exhaust (goes to the muffler shop Tuesday).
The shell and camper kit are off for good.  


Got the Flip ball mounted in the bed.  These things are rated for 30K# towing, with 7,500# on the ball.  That's more than I'll ever try and pull.  Took a whole day to modify the mounts to fit.  The bed is in worse shape than I thought.  The front two mounts are grabbing nothing but air. Next summer, I need to do some work to fix the bed, and get it sitting correctly on the frame.


Installed a volt meter and re-installed the trailer brake controller.  The P.O. installed a nice controller with the pendulum setup.


Changed the oil, and heater hoses. Added some Red Line ZDDP stuff.  Bypassed the heated carb spacer.  There is plenty of heat under the hood. Added some more electrical wiring for the 5th wheel.


Still have to pack all the gear, and load up.

[papabug71]

I think your going ot be fine. You have covered all the basic "long trip tune ups" so it should be a piece of cake. FWIW, your truck looks 32456 times better with the camper OFF !!

I have the same truck, just in the 1/2 ton varitey. Too bad its getting parted out. Its a basket case.

[Jarred Hodges]

My dad had a 73 F-250 with a 360 4spd and he pulled a 30ft 5th wheel trailer with 10,000 pounds of scrap regulary. As long as you take your time it should be a fun trip