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L'il Blue '83 F150 4x4
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L'il Blue '83 F150 4x4
 
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Hey all, this is going to be the thread I post most of the changes I make on this new project truck. I'm a total noob (other than what Ive soaked up from Gary L), so bear with me, but it might be interesting for some who are also new to read about what/how I'm learning.
Here's the "new" truck- rescued it in May 2023 from Anderson, SC, where it had been a country-boy party truck for a long while (full of dirt, hay, fishing gear, shotgun shells, cigs and beer caps  ) Some rust on the body, but frame is good and no deal breakers, I'm told. The engine runs really well, sounds good, and I'm using it (sparingly) as a Daily Driver.
  I'm also figuring out a plan for the restoration(?), based on what I'd like to do to it. I bought it as a possible flip opportunity, but even just a week into owning the truck, I kinda suspect that I might want to keep her around (or my son might), once I fix a few things up. First order of business is to get it cleaned as much as possible, inside and out, so that I can assess what all needs to be done. My 12yo son and I started that this weekend, washing, vaccuming, tearing out the rotten floor pads and the bed liner, and starting a list. That list will guide the rest of this thread, as I go.   
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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In reply to this post by tjmac
After cleaning the truck a bit, the kids decided it was cool enough to take to the 5th grade graduation Luau party. She looks pretty good in a grass skirt! This is the "Aloha" Trim package.
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
 Got an extra gas pedal? Found that that this one is cracked while cleaning. If not, I can get one pretty easily, I think.
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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Just added it to the list
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Found this one. Took a picture to show here and realized how dirty it was, so cleaned it. Found that the scrub brushes from the NICU work very nicely. And they are 11 years old.
 The spring is just in case yours went AWOL when the original pedal cracked. Keep those cards and letters coming in as the box isn't full yet. And I just added a driver's arm rest. This one is black but is in far better shape than yours, and if you paint interior pieces... 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by tjmac
Love it, so funny pict! The twins had fun dressing Li'l Blue, for sure  I can't say if Bullnose Enthousiam is genetically transmitted or not, but they have a wide smile each time they're sitting in a (Blue) truck, Big or Li'l!
Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022. Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel. |
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TJ - Via text message you asked about a Bullnose steering wheel, matching horn pad, and horn. Let's discuss those here, in reverse order.
I saw your horn on the driver's side front of the engine compartment, right behind the radiator. There should be a Y/LG H wire going to it, and to translate from EVTM-speak that is yellow with a light-green hash mark. But given that the oil pressure sending unit wire was unplugged it is possible that the horn wire is as well. Or that Fuse 16, which is a 20A fuse that also serves the cigar lighter, is blown. Or the horn relay is bad or disconnected. But you can test the horn by connecting 12V from the battery to the terminal on it where the Y/LG H wire goes. As for the horn pad, there are two types - with and without speed control switches. Since you have speed control you want the switches. But there are also black ones and Rosewood ones. And since your instrument and radio bezels are black, not Rosewood, you probably want a black horn pad. But I don't have a black one. I do, however, have a used-but-good Rosewood one and you could paint over the Rosewood. Or, if someone out there has a black one you could go that way as the Rosewood ones in decent condition are sought after. And now for the steering wheel. Again there are two styles - skinny and fat. The skinny one feels odd to me but a guy at church today said he prefers them. I like the padded/fat ones as it fills the palm of my hand better. The skinny one is 5/8" thick and the padded one is 15/16" thick, with a pic below. But I need some guidance here. What do you prefer on the wheel? And how about the horn pad? Plus, have you tested the horn?  
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
Wow! Thanks! I think I prefer the skinny wheel- rosewood pad is fine.
Here's the horn wiring- i only see one blue wire coming out and going up near the fuse box.  Fuse box- i don't have the numbers for the fuses yet, (or havent looked for them here yet)- maybe you know by looking which is the horn, usually? Ive got a couple of extra fuses I found when cleaning.  You mention cigarette lighter- I dont think I have one anymore.  from the smell of the truck, I'd have thought that the former owner would have made that a priority...would it have been down below the air conditioning?  Adding a pic of something I'm not sure what it is... 
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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In Bullnose project advance news, I put on the rearview mirror I found under the seat and put through the washer. It's not stock, I don't think, but it works for now until I do some research on what it should be.
Replaced the side mirror glass today, and it went well.  Didnt want to replace the whole housing, since it's in good shape, so I found an aftermarket mirror specialist called K Source. Advance Auto sells them, but this particular size wasnt easily available from their website. I found another seller on Ebay, autocaredepot, who could ship quickly and cheaply. Note- the glass I bought was labeled as 73-87 Bronco mirror glass, but after checking the measurements several times, I figured it must have been the same arm/glass I was looking for. I got the mirror in the mail Saturday, well packed, with instructions and adhesive tape (which I did not use). I would buy from that seller again in a heartbeat.  I put it on with silicone on the five contact points, and used the paper instructions and the adhesive tape as spacers to keep the glass from sliding while it set. (i'm sure the right way to do this is to take the mirror arm off, but I'm rarely patient enough to do things the right way- which might prove a problematic personality trait in restoring old trucks!)  The fit left more of a gap than I wanted, but it's passable, and I'm maybe thinking about putting a bead of black silicone around the glass to fill the little gap. The new glass vibrates while driving a little bit more than the original drivers side glass does, but it's not too bad.
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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Ok, you'll get the thin steering wheel. And the Rosewood (ask your wife the significance of the name) horn pad.
Glad you got the inside mirror on as well as glass in the passenger-side mirror. Good job.  Oh, check to see that the arm is tightly attached to the door. And if you put RTV in the gap you might trap water in there.
As for the horn, I forgot that some trucks had a blue wire. Pull it and jumper from the battery to that terminal on the horn to see if the horn works. And the thing under the dash is the horn relay, but it is supposed to be attached to the speed control module, which sits up under the dash, so my guess is that the speed control might not be there. But since the horn relay is connected to the speed control wiring.... So start by testing the horn itself. If it works then check the fuse, shown below but available at Documentation/Electrical/EVTM/1985 EVTM. If the horn doesn't work I may have a spare, but I don't think so. (You don't get the bullhorn, even though your kids would love it. Ask them. )
And the cigar lighter is part of the ash tray that I saw in the tool box. Yes, it goes in the opening at the bottom center of the dash. Speaking of openings, wasn't there a radio in the dash? Last, I'll send one of the clips for the jack handle as well as a couple of pop rivets. And I may even have an extra pop rivet gun. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Haven't been able to check the horn relay yet, but will do later this evening. Just jump it from the positive battery post to the horn terminal?
Also found out as I drove it for the first time after dark, that dash lights are not working, regardless of the light control. Could just be a bulb- checking that this evening too. The under-hood light pulled out with some effort- i think it had been in there a while!  
TJ McCloud
Lil'Blue:1983 Ford F150 4x4 Standard 5.0 302 V8 C6 3 speed automatic DS-II Ignition 2150 Carb |
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Yes, just jump from the positive battery post to the horn terminal after you remove the wire that is on there. If the horn works then we'll have to troubleshoot the wiring, the fuse, the horn relay, etc. If not I'll send another horn.
The light itself of the underhood light pulls out of the housing. There's a small speaker-sized wire that's about 20' long coiled up inside. And there's a mercury switch that turns it on when the hood is fully open. If the light pulls out and then fully retracts I'll be amazed. And if the mercury switch also works it'll be a miracle. But if so then there's no reason for me to send you another one. However, knowing a little bit of what you have going on that could wait for later. Or I could send you one and pick it or the existing one up on our next trip. And I do have the bulbs. The dash lights won't be just "a" bulb as there are 5 of them in there if I remember correctly. And it isn't something easily checked as the headlight & windshield wiper control knobs have to come off, the collar between the wheel and the dash bezel has to come off, and then several screws have to be taken out. And that just gets the dash bezel off! Then there are several screws plus the speedo cable and electrical connector to get the gauge cluster out so you can check the bulbs. It is more likely to be the fuse or the headlight switch. If the fuse isn't blown then all the things shown below should light up. Your HVAC control is on the floor so isn't a good test. And your ash tray is in the toolbox. But you could look to see if the light above the headlight switch and wiper control comes on. And the digital clock is supposed to dim when the interior lights come on. So if either of those things happen there is voltage coming out of the fuse and headlight switch dimmer, so there is either a wiring problem or all 5 bulbs are out. If it is the bulbs I have 5 HIPO blue LEDs that will light up the dash. You may not like the blue, but go to my post here and see what you think. And if you are going to be that far into the gauges maybe I should send you the red paint for the needles. So if you get a chance, please check to see if the light above the headlight & windshield wiper controls comes on and if the digital clock dims. If both do then I'll send the LEDs and paint. Or, if you like the blue as shown in that post, I'll send the HIPO LEDs and paint anyway. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by Ford F834
Thanks Jonathan for the precision! So, if I go with the Factory Installed Speed Control, a Rosewood horn pad will respect the "As Close To Stock" line I'm trying to keep with Big Brother! 
Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022. Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel. |