I just brought my 1979 F-150 home and started tinkering with it and noticed that when driving it for a short time after it gets started it has a problem of getting a little warmer than normal but doesn't get too hot. it has the 302 engine with a 3 speed trans. manual not automatic. I am buying it from a friend that has had this truck for over 20 years kept it in good running order but has let it sit due to the fact he wasn't able to drive it because of his age and the way things are today. I just got done flushing out the radiator using the old way of doing it and it still has the heating problem. When I asked him about it he told me that it has always gotten to normal or never got over straight up and down. I'm guessing that it's just the way this truck is but I'm not used to a truck running that warm. Plus there is the brakes that even though they are in good shape the pedal feels like it works in two stages what I mean by this is when I put my foot on the pedal you can feel the booster and then the braking like you would on one with manual brakes. I am thinking that the booster is gone or is going bad. so what I'm asking is what do you all think and what if anything I should do about it?

 

no reply's this is telling me that all is good and no advise is needed. but, I just thought that I would be better off asking for it anyway

 

one other thing that I have discovered is that the fan blades are about five or six inches away from the radiator but that hasn't caused any problems before as far as the cooling system goes

 

Still have the fan shroud?

Temps usually ran about center gauge (192 thermo) and may stray upward a little in hot weather and under loads. Not uncommon for mineral build ups as well on the top and/or bottom of the radiator tubes causing some restriction. Could drop a temp probe into the coolant and see actual ranges against whats shown. 302 would have had standard cool radiator, but you could also add the 4" tank/core unit for better cooling.

Any vac. noise at the firewall interior when the brakes applied? Guess'n not since you didn't mention it. Will the pedal 'stack' if applied rapidly?

 

no noise coming from the hose or the firewall. yes the shroud is still there and the radiator looks to be too small like one that they put in for a 6 cylinder. the brake pedal doesn't act or feel right no matter how many times I pump it. it feels like the booster has a gap between the back of the master cylinder and the front of the booster itself