With the truck running proper, now we need to get it driving right. The clutch on the zf5 took a lot of effort to depress enough to start, and was grinding on downshift into 2nd. The clutch linkage developed some play (a chronic issue in the Ford diesels) so I replaced it with a heim joint. We also replace the complete hydraulics.
Heim joint:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/112596684830
Hydraulics ordered from rockauto