My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

Looking good.
So was it this weekend or next the truck is going to have paint on it for the show?
Dave ----

Well, they were hoping to have the truck finished by the end of this week, but I'm not holding my breath on it at the moment. They told me this morning that they were priming it again today, but I did see my fenders and doors still on the stands in the shop, so maybe they were just priming the door jambs today, I don't know. As much as I want the darn thing back, I also don't want them to rush it either if you know what I mean.

This is a huge shop, and I think my truck is something they work on to fill the time in between other bigger (higher paying) jobs...lol. It is what it is.

There is an all Ford car and truck show this coming weekend on Sunday. If I get the truck back even as late as Saturday I'm going to try and make it, but my hopes are not high at the moment...lol.

Still lots of good weather left though, so I'll have lots of time to drive it yet.

As you said no need to rush them and maybe have the paint not come out right or you rush to put it back together and hurt something.
Dave ----

Well, as of late Thursday afternoon I think I'm pretty safe in assuming the truck won't be ready for the weekend...lol.



The good news is that all the welding is finished. New cab corners are in, RH front lower door post is welded up, and they had to put a couple patches on the lower backside of the cab corners. The new fenders and doors are painted inside and edged.



As rusty old Fords go, this old thing is actually not in terrible condition. I was kinda worried about what they were going to find behind the windshield trim, but it was clean as a whistle back there...just dirt and debris build up, but no rust.

The truck is going to be great, Cory!

Yes, it is certainly going to look great.  And, it'll win lots of shows, just not the one this weekend.  But, it'll be worth waiting for.  

That is good news!

Disregard the question that was here. Ive been wanting to read your whole project thread and it gives me a good reason to do so

Update: skimmed some and found page 35. The color on the bed looks amazing.

kramttocs wrote

Disregard the question that was here. Ive been wanting to read your whole project thread and it gives me a good reason to do so

Update: skimmed some and found page 35. The color on the bed looks amazing.

I got here too late to answer!

The old Blue Mule is coming along. It should look pretty good when it's all done.

I wasn't 100% sure on the blue when I first saw it on the bed panels, but it has really grown on me. It is what the truck is supposed to look like. That particular color was 1982-1984 only I believe. I had gotten so used to looking at the old faded paint, that is what I had in my mind as "normal"...lol.

As said looking good
Did you or they check out the cowl area for bad / cracked sealer?

The weather is to be cooler this weekend so I hope to do a cleaning of my garage, get the truck in primer and if I have enough time get the white on the cab.

Race is on who will have paint done first LOL Oh you have yours half done
Dave ----

FuzzFace2 wrote

Did you or they check out the cowl area for bad / cracked sealer?

Dave,

Yes sir, I checked out the cowl area last year when I did the hydraulic clutch brace on the firewall...the install requires that cowl panel to be removed. The seam sealer is all still in pretty decent condition with no sign of any rust or leaks...nothing to speak of at least. The seam sealer was getting bad down low below the door hinges as the rust had worked its way up behind it. Peeled all the old stuff off and got them to sand blast the area and fix it all up.

So far I'm happy with the body work these did. The cab corners look pretty good, and the way the guy has them installed it should look pretty close to factory. I had new filler panels made for the back and even had the edges bent just like the factory ones were, and they're going to rivet them on for me too.

salans7 wrote

I can attest to the fact that they do not come apart in a way that makes them reusable. Out of curiosity I tried to remove the washer on a striker bolt that was missing the bushing. The striker bolt came out of the washer, but it was completely stripped out/cross-threaded.

When I was at the junkyard on Saturday and went around and checked a few different 1987-1996 trucks to see if I could grab a couple of the later style striker posts. Does anybody know if they will work as-is on the Bullnose doors? I thought I had read over on FTE that the later style striker post introduced in 1987 replaced the previous 1980-1986 version. Anyway...I noticed...and maybe you guys already know this, but on the later trucks, the striker post can be removed from the plate/bracket. I grabbed a couple from a 1994, and found a 3rd one on a believe a 1995.



And the striker bolt can be threaded right out of the plate...



So I went back over to a 1987 F250 that was there, and while the door striker post looked exactly the same, the post would not thread out, same as the Bullnose ones. Not sure when the change took place...1992 maybe?

Anyway, I just wanted to try them and see if they fit OK, and it will be nice to have the ability to slip new bushings on. If the bracket part doesn't fit, I'll just cut it off and round out the edges to make it look like a washer.

I put them on my 86.

grumpin wrote

I put them on my 86.

Excellent. Good to know they fit. I'll get 'em cleaned up and painted with some new bushings.

After you responded I thought wait was that the Bronco, so went out and took a picture!

grumpin wrote

After you responded I thought wait was that the Bronco, so went out and took a picture!

Excellent! I'll be doing the same shortly;). Thanks Grumpin.

grumpin wrote

After you responded I thought wait was that the Bronco, so went out and took a picture!

Tan weathertech floor mats? Now it's just getting spooky

On topic - I also swapped my latches out for the newer kind. No complaints.

kramttocs wrote

grumpin wrote

After you responded I thought wait was that the Bronco, so went out and took a picture!

Tan weathertech floor mats? Now it's just getting spooky

On topic - I also swapped my latches out for the newer kind. No complaints.

...

The guys are down to bare steel on the hood and roof, and the new fenders and doors are on and awaiting alignment. This thing might actually be in the paint booth this week. Fingers crossed!