My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

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My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
This post was updated on .
How many can say they bought their Bullnose new and still own it? This is my Bullnose 86 F150 LX. It’s a 351HO with a few bolt on’s. It was my first new vehicle purchase, bought back in late 1986. I was 26 when I bought this truck. It’s been a good ole trunk and done everything I’ve ever needed it to do. It’s even done things beyond its capacity and it has never once let me down.

As some of you know, I had considered selling it recently. I went and drove a brand new Dodge Rebel for which I almost pulled the trigger on until the wife said I couldn’t have two trucks. I pondered it for a while and then conceded figuring I’d just sell it. That is, until I found this forum. When I found this forum, my basic plan was to post on it to acquire some idea as to what Blackie was worth. I never did make that post. After spending some time here, I generated a new found interest in the truck and decided to just fix it up and keep it. I think I’ve kept a few of you very busy since my sign on here. I don’t know how Gary gets anything done on his truck, as he’s always sitting in front of his computer answering questions on mine. Thanks to the bunch of you that have been so generous with your time and help.  Below are some photos of Blackie when he was about a year old. With the exception of the red “MOTORSPORTS” stripe running down the side of the truck, this is how he looked when I drove him off the lot at Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio Texas back in 1986.










So right now, I’m just trying to make him mechanically sound. I’ve really neglected the ole fella mechanically. I have a Mustang project I’m working on and when that is done, I will get on with some serious business with Blackie. After I told wifey that I was going to pass on the Dodge and keep Blackie, I told her that I was going to fix him up and that would require just a little expense. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m angling for one of those new Broncos! Hey, while I can’t have two trucks, I can have a truck and a Bronco, right!!!

The paint and body on Blackie are really pretty good. He’s got straight up a 100k mile on him and I’d like a little more umpf under the hood. Thinking I may stroke the current engine when the rebuild comes. Also loosing the bench seat, for a couple of buckets and a center console. I can’t take this bench seat any longer.

Anyway, look forward to getting to know some of you a little better and sharing in our passion with these Bullnose Trucks!
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

salans7
What a cool story! Thanks for sharing. I held onto my first bullnose (bought when I was 15) for about ten years, but lost sight of the future with it and sold it. About a year later I started itching for another, and am now building my "dream" truck which is actually a 1990 F350 disguised as a bullnose. You made the right choice in keeping the truck, as I'm sure you would have have felt the same way I do about mine. This new truck I'm building is great, but it's not the old one and it won't take it's place. It just doesn't feel the same.

I also have a 2003 Ford Ranger that I bought used right after I graduated high school about ten years ago. For that entire time it's been my daily driver and I plan on keeping that truck around for as long as possible so that I can have my own cool story.
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
Administrator
In reply to this post by Machspeed
Yes, cool story!  Love it!

And I'm sure glad you kept your truck.  As for the "little expense", you can spend a ton on Blackie and still be far less than a new truck.

Speaking of the new Bronco, Janey told me today that we are w/in 3 payments of having Blue paid off.  So I asked her if that meant I could then buy a new Bronco.  I think she thought I was crazy, but then she realized I wasn't serious.  At least I don't think I am.

But I will admit that I do spend more time on the computer than working on my truck these days.  Fortunately we have a lot of really capable people who are helping answer questions, so I am getting a bit done.
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

FuzzFace2
Cool story, I still have my first Bullnose .......... but I only bought it 4 years ago  
Then again I did a cab off frame rebuild as a driver and have up till it got hot, no AC yet.

I did hold on to my first new truck for 16 years and 230K miles and sold it for my 2nd new truck.
Still have it after 18 years & 240K and counting.

I think there is a thread started on "other projects" you could post up something on the Mustang as I am sure others would like to hear what you are doing to it.
Dave ----
Dave G.
81 F100 flare side 300 six / AA OD / NP435 / 2.75 gear
http://cars.grantskingdom1.com/index.php/1980-Ford-F100?page=1
81 F100 style side 300 six/SROD parts truck -RIP
http://cars.grantskingdom1.com/index.php/1981-Ford-F100
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

71_badmach
In reply to this post by Machspeed
Very nice and original owner, amazing.  Look forward to following your progress.

As an aside, my "handle" badmach is from my time owning a rust bucket 71 Mach for about 15 years.
Dave
85 F150 EFI 302
Ohio
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
In reply to this post by Machspeed
So Blackie saw sunlight today for the first time in a couple of months. The entire bed was filled with empty boxes and old worn out parts from my intake leak that lead to replacement of nearly everything on the front of the engine. I also had some left patch panels I used to fix my rear wheel arches from a few months back. I need to post on that little repair.

Anyway, made a trash run to my Church's dumpster and back. No leaks, oil pressure and water temp were fine. Seems to have a little more pep too. May need some fine tuning though. I noted that it takes a few revolutions of the engine to fire it up when it's cold or even luke warm. If I turn it off then right back on, fires right up but if it sits for about 15-20 minutes, it requires several revolutions to fire up. Thoughts?    
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
Administrator
Glad you got it back on the road.  But it sounds like your choke may not be adjusted well.
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
Just a bit before I found the website here and subsequent renewed interest in Blackie, I decided to fix the rusted wheel well arches. I had this truck fully repainted about five or six years ago and when rust started to pop up in those wheel arches, I was really disappointed. Below are some pictures of him after the repaint and partial restoration.

 
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
As I am the original owner of this truck and it being a southern state truck, I was very surprised to even see rust like this on my vehicle. It was bad too, a lot worse than I expected. As such, it amazes me when I see another Bullnose truck that is not rusted in those areas. Anyway, to fix it I had to purchase patch panels for both sides and also the inner fenders. I purchased all the sheet metal through NPD and I was very pleased with it. Here's what it looked like just before and after I cut the outer skin off.

John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
The above two photos are not the same rear quarter. The one on the left is the passenger side, while the one on the right is the driver's side. Note the cut out pattern outlined by the tape in the two photos. One is correct and the other is not. I did the diver's side first (pic on right) and made some very bad choices in cutting it out. First bad choice was going too high above the body line. The second was not radiusing the corners. This caused me a lot of grief when I welded it back in, as I got some warpage and even some fuel canning. As hard as I tried, I could not dolly and hammer that warpage out and the more I tried the worse the fuel canning was. I was over my head in that. As such, I took it to someone who knew what he was doing and he utilized heat in the right places to straighten and remove the fuel canning. Below are photos of my work in fixing the passenger side which came out quite well.

 
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

grumpin
Nice!

You’re making me nervous about the rust though!
Dane
1986 F250HD SC XLT Lariat 4x4 460 C6-Sold
1992 Bronco XLT 4x4 351W E4OD
1998 GMC Sierra SLE K1500 350 4L60E
Arizona
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
Administrator
In reply to this post by Machspeed
John - You are explaining exactly why I went pro from the start.  (Actually, the first guy wasn't a pro but he said he was.)  While I had planned to do everything myself, including the bodywork, I came to the realization that I didn't know enough to do that.

I'm sorry you had that experience, but it looks like you have it sorted nicely.  Well done!
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
Gary, nothing ventured nothing gained. I learned a lot in this process, knowledge that I will apply to the work I do on my Mustang. Moreover, I'd rather fumble through something to eventually work to near perfection, than pay someone to do a half arse job and then have to pay someone else to fix it. I've done that before and I really struggle with it. Puts a bad taste in one's mouth for sure. I probably don't need to tell you, but it is very hard these days to find people that take any pride in their work.  
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
Administrator
I understand.  And I really hate having dumped big bucks into the first pass on both Dad's engine and bodywork.  But had I done the bodywork I'd still be working on it.  I think I've come to the conclusion that for things like bodywork where there is an art to doing it I'll pay an artist to do it.

That leaves me to do the one-off things that you'd be really hard pressed to find someone to do, like integrate a '95 wiring scheme into an '85 truck so you can go with the EEC-V EFI.  Or add the 90's fuel system but step the pressure down to accommodate a carb for the interim.  And then there's the Saginaw P/C pump with a hydroboost brake system and a '95 master cylinder.  And adding a '95 D60 front axle with a Sky RSK.  If you found someone to do those things it would cost 10 times as much as doing them yourself, and even then you'd be involved on a very frequent basis as the questions came up.

But it gets down to what we want to do and what we are capable of doing.  I'm more of an engineer than an artist, so I'm learning to stay away from things that take an artist's touch.
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
Yeah, I get that Gary. There is a large learning curve for paint and body and indeed there is some artistry in it. I've always been fascinated with it though and it has, by far, the greatest impact on a restoration, thus my desire to learn to do it.  
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
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A better man than I.  My artistry is limited to drawing stick figures, and even then they aren't easily recognized.  
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Frank Wyatt
Nice truck John, and great story to match. Congrats on changing your mind on selling it as no other truck would be able to replace what you have now, no matter how nice they may appear. Plus, you can fix what you have now if something goes awry.
1981 F 150 Custom 300 ci with a fully rebuilt 1968 240 head Carter YFA T-18 3.25 9" rear 2WD
dual gas tanks
1990 Lincoln Town Car 5.0 AOD
Home town Mc Kenzie, TN
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
Thanks Frank, and I agree on no truck replacing my truck for a host of reasons!
John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Machspeed
Administrator
Fixed latch assembly and repainted my tailgate. Originally, it had white "Ford" lettering which I have thought to go back with. Have even thought about red lettering as I have a red pinstripe running down both sides of my truck. The more I look at it, think I may just leave it as is.



John

"Blackie" - 1986 F150 4x4 - Mildly warmed over 351W HO - Original owner
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Re: My 86 Bullnose - "Blackie"

Gary Lewis
Administrator
Looks great!  I don't think I'd go back with white.  But red pinstripe?
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
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

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