Pumped the tires up.
FL - 23lbs
FR - 13lbs
RL - 34lbs
RR - 35lbs
Put them all to 42, sidewall max is 50, but compressor was overheating getting them up that high.
Checked front bearings, no hub movement that was discernible by hand. Front axle shaft on passenger side is REALLY loose, though, and I don't know why.
Tied exhaust back up with wire for now, going to have to change parts of the exhaust eventually, just want to get it through inspection so I can get working with it and make some money.
Picked up a hitch at the JY this weekend, but it doesn't "go to" the F150. Going to have to make some plates to mount it up, but the mounting location/method I'm going to use is stronger than flange-mount anyway, so I'll have a better "cushion zone" with respect to tongue weight and load capacity.
Fuel leak. Great. Add this into the random not-FE things I've been doing to "test" the truck lately, and I'm looking at ~5MPG average. That doesn't mean I burned that much fuel, but burned/leaked it.
The spec for the truck shows
Power: 108 kW , 145 HP @ 3,400 rpm;
Torque: 265 ft lb @ 2,000 rpm
I cruise 60 MPH at nearly my torque peak. I think longer gears are definitely going to be necessary to take advantage of the torque range of this engine for towing/hauling as well as good economy numbers, so the 3.08 rear is a must have at this point.
Driving, it just seems like I'm shifting too often to be efficient. This engine will continue to pull all the way down to 1,000 RPM in 5th gear @ WOT without bucking/shaking/lugging. Much lower than that, and you get resonant noise, but still nothing uncomfortable until you get to ~750RPM (idle).
I think once I get everything squared away and loosened up, this truck will be a great candidate for an economical towing/hauling tank.
If anyone has a BSFC map or a dyno sheet for a stock 4.9L from 1987-1996 (FI engine), that would be awesome!