Rosebud

I agree with Gary.
The 'tubes' are just part of the frame liner, not strong enough, nor welded to the frame rail where they would tie inside to outside and stiffen the box.

If the tubes were longer and thicker (enough) so bolt clamping pressure was applied to only them, then the rail wouldn't propagate a crack from the stress riser.

You guys are talking of tubes thru the frame to keep it from cracking have you looked at the Crown Vic front end swaps?

From the factory the frame has tubes all the way thru and welded top & bottom.
When doing this swap onto a truck frame you need to grab the tubes and weld them into the frame of the truck. The tubes are longer than the trucks frame is wide, looks to be about 1" to 2" longer.
Most have the tube stick out above the trucks frame and have the CV cross member sit flat on the bottom of the trucks frame.

So I guess they learned something?
Dave ----

No A-arm swap, just the stock box.

Big tires and lifts make it worse.

Gary Lewis wrote

The "tubes" are probably part of the piece inside the frame.  They were on mine.  They are just curled pieces of the liner's metal.

The tubes I spoke of would be HD tubing that just fits the bolts, and is welded to the frame on both the inside and outside.

Yep, after doing some pressure washing, I can see it.

Gary Lewis wrote

ID it so you know from whence it came?  I don't have a clue.  Sorry.

I did manage to figure out from the casting numbers that it's a 1989 engine. It has a flat tappet cam in it but the holes for a roller lifter spider are drilled and tapped. the flexplate had "1983 t bird" written on it in paint marker, so now I'm worried that it could be a 28 oz. plate, because I can't find any numbers on it, or any info that I feel good about, on the web.  I thought the cylinders looked like they had been washed down, so I got my dad to look at it (I'm 41 and have studied this stuff since I was 9 and his opinion on engines still means more to me than my own). He said it looked like the engine had sat long enough for the cylinders to start rusting before it was put to use again. That makes sense to me because even though the walls look bad, the biggest spot I have found in a cylinder is 4.008".  

I've been going over the electric system today, while I think about what to do with the engine.  Removed the EEC harness first. Next, I had to figure out why a starter button had been rigged up with a piece of extension cord. The "why" isn't so obvious, as the original wiring for the starter seems to be working.  The worst wires so far are the ones coming from the alternator. Twisted, taped, and melted wires  for everyone! I have a 1-wire alternator laying around, so I might just try to  swap it in there.

This truck is so dirty, I'm starting to think it may have been buried at some point (a'la Lone Wolf McQuade). I've been pressure washing more and more as I dig deeper into this thing.  Today I found a wrench in the bottom of the right front fender.

Bonus tools are the best tools!  

On the starter button, check to see if you have a tilt steering wheel.  The key there will be a T-shaped slot where the turn signal goes into the steering column's cover.

If it is a tilt wheel you may have a broken part in it.  Big Blue apparently has that part broken and sometimes it won't pull the ignition switch far enough to start.  Read up on it here: Interior/Steering Columns.

Or, it is possible that the ignition switch itself isn't properly adjusted.  Read about that here: Electrical/Ignition.

On the engine, how much taper or out of round is there?

No tilt wheel. But I know what you’re talking about. The funny shaped piece that hooks to the rod. At first, the starting circuit wasn’t working, so I checked the ignition switch and it was good. So I unplugged a plug under the brake booster to check for continuity through the NSS. That was good.  After I plugged that plug back in the starting circuit has been working fine. Gotta love old wiring.

On the engine, I have checked random spots all over the cylinders in all directions and have seen 4.003-4.004 consistently, except right at the top measured vertically they are 4.007-4.008. 1/2” below that they are right back to 4.004.

Due to budgetary constraints I will probably do some honing, rings and bearings, and throw it back in there. It’s killing me to not do a nice build on it, but there is just too much other stuff to fix.

Glad you seem to have gotten the wiring/starting problem fixed.

On the engine, what size rings will you go with?  Stock?  I'd guess you'll have to, and run the original pistons.

You know, you can jumper the safety switch with a spare fuse from the fuse box. *idea!

Surprisingly, the slots are a perfect fit.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

You know, you can jumper the safety switch with a spare fuse from the fuse box. *idea!

Surprisingly, the slots are a perfect fit.

Now that’s what I call tech right there! There’s not many forums out there for any vehicle that can take it to that level.

Gary Lewis wrote

 what size rings will you go with?  Stock?  I'd guess you'll have to, and run the original pistons.

Yeah. I’m tempted to just replace the bearings and let it ride.

Sometimes the simplest methods are the easiest to test if a component is going bad.

Taking it out of the equation is an easy diagnostic.

Picking up these little tips can help everyone, so I try to share.   

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long! Rosebud is still in progress, slow as it may be. The plan is evolving, though.  I gave the engine a fresh set of rings and bearings, a Comp 212/212 .480/.480 cam, and a Street Demon 625 carb. I still wanted to try out a quick fuel 450, but i got the Demon at a pretty nice discount.  It's running good, but blows bubbles in the cooling system. I knew I should have gotten the heads checked out. Since last fall, I've been using it to move other junk around the yard, and havent made any more progress.
In the meantime, I bought an '00 2wd Lincoln Navigator with a locked up engine thinking I would use its undercarriage for my '55 F100. The more I think about it though, I like the bullnose better than the '55. I also bought an '82 F100 2wd with thoughts of building a Bullnose truck with similar specs to a first gen Lightning. This truck had a 302 that was locked up, so I took it apart to see what was going on. I found a little bit of water in the #8 cylinder, and a bent connecting rod. It also had an AOD transmission, so that has been added to the parts pile.
So as it stands right now, the plan is to use the Navigator chassis, piece together a body from the '86 and '82, use the Rosebud engine and the AOD to build the truck that I want. I have never considered myself very good at bodywork, but it looks like I'm about to get some practice.
 
 

Man, it HAS been a while.  Wow!

But I'm glad Rosebud is running.  However, the bubbles aren't a good sign.  So, since you plan to use that engine I'd suggest doing a leak-down test and see if you can determine which head is leaking.  That way you might only have to pull one.

As for the Navigator, what is the advantage of using its chassis under a Bullnose?  Better ride?  Handling?

And how hard is that to do?  Are the wheelbases the same?

    It is a much stiffer frame, fully boxed and wider. It came from the factory with air ride, but it has been converted to coil springs at some point (A popular way to avoid the costs of fixing broken air ride). A-arm front suspension and 4-link rear with substantial sway bars. The truck being a lot lighter than the navigator might mean that the ride isn't luxurious, but I will do something about it if it's too bad. It also has better brakes, and a huge gas tank that I hope to retain. The wheelbase is within an inch of a shortbed bullnose. One crazy idea i have is to build a "unibody" like the trucks from the '60s, just because I like those, and I think this frame could be stiff enough to support it. The Navigator also has the steering box attached in the way you guys told me about, with the tubes through the chassis.
    This isn't a terribly practical plan, But since I have the stuff sitting around, I think it will be fun. It will also condense my fleet of junk down a little bit.  If I could end up with a nice driving bullnose for a daily driver, That would be great! I have a 1940 Hudson that I put on a 1997 Tahoe chassis three years ago, and it works really well. Body swaps have always appealed to me for some reason.

So, something like 118"?
The idea of a big Bronco with a passthrough is pretty appealing! 😊

The newer chassis would be nice, but I think I'd want more than a tired 302 to motivate it.

Ok, I understand.  Thanks.

But, like Jim, my next question was "Where's the similar specs to a first gen Lightning?"  Rosebud's 302 doesn't seem like it fits the bill.

You guys were talking about bracing the steering box. Thought you die hard off roaders might be interested in this.
https://solomotorsports.com/shop/parts/general-parts/steering-box-sector-shaft-double-shear-adapter/

 

Bruce moose4x4 wrote

You guys were talking about bracing the steering box. Thought you die hard off roaders might be interested in this.
https://solomotorsports.com/shop/parts/general-parts/steering-box-sector-shaft-double-shear-adapter/

  A link bar attached to that adapter, running to the opposite side of the chassis, would be really helpful in my opinion, especially when using a dropped Pitman arm.