Welcome back to Episode 11! This episode, we finally got this thing started up, just to discover we did not have oil pressure. Fortunately, some new found friends on the internet gave some solid advice and explained why I had the problem I did and helped show how to gain oil pressure on this engine.
This episode was brief but spanned many days due to the holiday season and personal travel getting in the way. As you see in the YouTube video, we got the front core support put back on along with the radiator, condenser, transmission cooler and new oil cooler. The first start took quite a while to happen, with about 90% of the cranking footage already cut out of the video.
The Longest Cold Start I've Ever Done and No Oil Pressure Either
Once the oil pressure mystery was solved, I put on my Amazon coolant hoses and wired up my vacuum solenoid that allows me to cut off the engine with key-off. This was simple and only required me to tap into the 12v key-on power that was already available in the Ford harness. Unfortunately, the cheap 7.3 IDI glow plug relay seems to be broken, as it clicks nonstop when turned on even when there’s no glow plug harness attached. That being said, I plan on bypassing the timing system and wiring a physical momentary switch to the relay for the time being until I can determine whether or not it IS a relay issue, or if it’s another issue altogether such as a ground or glow plug issue.
Stay tuned for next episode where I plan on fully reassembling the front end, fitting the intercooler and piping, making the exhaust, and adding an intake.
If you’ve got questions about this swap, especially if you’re thinking of doing something similar, drop a comment or DM me at @hankejohnson or @hankscarsandcoffee on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. I’m trying to share every step in detail so that others can follow along—or learn from my mistakes.
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