1981 F150 Blue. Named Walter, for now anyway

Much better!  

The brakes look great!  Much better!

Thanks.   All adjusted for the moment.   After they have a few drives on them, I may tighten on the parking brake adjuster a bit to get a notch or two higher for full grab.  But much more smooth predictable braking.  

update 4-26-2021:  Installed new LEDs in dash.   Ford emblem on steering wheel, painted the chrome (Molotow chrom paint/ink) on instrument bezel, painted needles racing (Fluorescent) red, installed Taiwanese headlight harness from LMC, swapped hood ornaments (awful to get back in).  Also painted air cleaner lid silver as that looks better than black and seems to be more original?

Headlight harness is super easy.   I had 11.5 v at headlights with truck off before the harness, so not a discernible voltage difference in my case, but I feel better about the wiring.  LMC has a video.  I took more photos, but not much to see really.  Lay it out as instructions indicate, plug it all up, make ground and battery connections, zip tie it in.  Takes longer to round up drill, bit, and screws for the relay than to install basically.   Headlights need some aiming the hot spot for driver's side is about 10' in front of truck.

All that was a lazy day round of projects.  LEDs in instruments was easy enough and was probably the biggest improvement for the least money so far.  Cheap ebay kit - $12.82 delivered to my door.  

Maybe someday I will get a new bezel - either a black radio bezel or a rosewood instrument bezel so they will match.  Only Bullnose guys notice it anyway.   I'm fortunate to have both - I see a lot of trucks missing one or the other or the radio bezel has been hacked.  

One more layer of the onion... not many left.  To a point now where it's down to maintenance projects as they surface.   Or huge things like paint.  And some refining - hood/cowl seal soon; maybe get the spare painted up and buried back under truck.   It's bungeed to bedside currently, out of the way for the moment.  

You are making good progress, the new lights look great!

Thanks.  I'm done enough to not worry about spending so much on it for now.   Just Fix Or Repair Daily now I guess.  So long as it isn't Found On Road Dead, we're all good.  Figure out niggling things like the now kaput temp gauge.  

rcarlisle wrote

Thanks.  I'm done enough to not worry about spending so much on it for now.   Just Fix Or Repair Daily now I guess.  So long as it isn't Found On Road Dead, we're all good.  Figure out niggling things like the now kaput temp gauge.

That's what I figured on.  Just do a little at a time.  Before you know it you got a lot done!

4-28-2021:  gave the inner fenders a "craigslist restoration", i.e. spray painted them black.  Also discovered front turn signal to be hanging by wires.   Mounting posts broken.   Ordered 2 from SW Performance (where I got the distribuotr cap that took forever to arrive).  But they were $17.99/pr and free shipping.  I can live with it.

Tried to bend the front crossmember back into place - didn't work.

And a biggie - managed to get the S spring into the drivers door hinge.   Had to unbolt door from hinge, wiggle it mostly into place and then hammer it the last little bit to drive it home.   Hope it stays.   May change to newer style hinges if it doesn't.  There is a lot of wiggling and figuring in this operation.  Had my 13 y/o son helping so he could kinda see and think through an unusual problem.  He was pretty cool on helping, suggesting, and offering to help hold door.  We undid top bolts completely, loosened bottom so door would fall out of way.  Marked them first.   Then had to get them back into place.  

I've told him he would likely be learning to drive in this truck, so I think he is starting to be more interested. Plus I try to involve him in the process when he is at my house.

Do you guys get tired of messing with your trucks/projects?  I've reached a point where I really don't want to work on it much.   Just want it to be ready to go.   Would really like to be able to just attend a cruise in or something in it.  

Do you know what can get rid of brain matter from the plastic fender on top?  My brain box leaked out and made a mess.  It does not want to come off.

Sorry to hear your crossmember didn't bend correctly.  Maybe swing by a machine shop with a press.

Cars and Coffee meetup would be a good spot to hit up.  I am sure your truck would get some attention.  The attention may help motivate to get more work done.

I don't know what to clean that sticky stuff with.   Mine is still in there and has some stuff on the top.  Knowing me, I would start with lacquer thinner since I have it on hand.  

Yeah I will try to get it out at some point.   Still need to bury the spare back under truck as well.  But I need to paint it up first.  The spare and carrier.  Dust and rust isn't a pretty combination.

I don't know of any cars and coffees up this way (justr found a couple if they are actually happening).  most are cruise ins held in afternoons up here.   IN normal times, there was one in each part of county on successive weekends each month.  I think the big one in pilot mountain is starting back in July.  https://www.hotnightshotcars.com/  This thing absolutely packs the town with cars and spectators.  The local one attracts quite a bit but nothing like Pilot Mtn.  Maybe others will fire back up if that one goes well.

Not much more to do other than maintenance really.   Refine what is there.  Till I get some big bucks.  Where is that next stimulus check anyway???  ugh.

rcarlisle wrote

Not much more to do other than maintenance really.   Refine what is there.  Till I get some big bucks.  Where is that next stimulus check anyway???  ugh.

About $250 a month starting in July for each kid.  Here is a link to a calculator.

https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/child-tax-credit-expansion-2021-see-how-much-money-youll-get-for-each-kid/

I don't think I qualify and if they do send me a check for kids, I would put that in their accounts anyway.. Ex has custody.  Hope she gets some to help with their expenses, I guess.  

I really don't care one way or the other if we get more stimulus checks.  We've been blessed to be able to work through the pandemic and managed to save more since there is less to do.  But it has been a joke at our house about another check to recover truck monies spent since it came to our house.

5-5-2021 update.  Nose and tail mostly finished.  

Had to have new turn signal lenses/housings, so bought the cheapest ones.  Chinese of course.  Had to hog out the holes for the sockets to go in.  Taped off the headlight doors and painted them.  Put a new brighter headlight in passenger side.  Spray painted the grille lightly then wiped the agreed chrome with lacquer thinner in a shop towel.  Polished with some chrome polish.  As good as it's going to get for a while.

Tail has distressed lettering, newly painted bumper, new taillights.  Just need to clean the black off the tailgate protector.  

Inside, we took those black binder clips you get at staples or your office desk drawer and clippers the seat cover in a few places to make it less saggy.  Have to see how those hold up.  No photo.  

Looking good, Randy.  The little things make a big difference!

I'd love to restore him back to1981 glory.  But that's not in the cards really.  So just fixing what I can, make it look like someone cares for it.  But yeah little details make it better for me and it always gets compliments.

  One lady at work walls around it everytime I drive and tells me what I've done since last time.  

I think getting the AC checked is next.  See what that is going to cost. Hopefully just needs charging and whatever goes with that. I'm lost on AC.

rcarlisle wrote

I'd love to restore him back to1981 glory.  But that's not in the cards really.  So just fixing what I can, make it look like someone cares for it.  But yeah little details make it better for me and it always gets compliments.

  One lady at work walls around it everytime I drive and tells me what I've done since last time.  

I think getting the AC checked is next.  See what that is going to cost. Hopefully just needs charging and whatever goes with that. I'm lost on AC.

It only took me 4 years to rebuild mine LOL

You have to build the truck "for you" and no one else.
It's yours and you have to live with it so do it your way!

When I take the weekly trash to the dump or get gas 1 or 2 people tell me its a nice looking truck.
First cruise in I  went to last weekend I was invited to a All Ford show in a few weeks.
That felt good to be asked now I got to do a better job on the detailing

On the AC if you dont have the equipment, gauges & vacuum pump, and dont plan on using them again then I think it best to farm the job out.
I hit up HF for the gauges & vacuum pump, I had to use it 3 times, hope the charm, on my truck and my son has used it on his car. So in my case I think it has paid off. Oh 134a is not all that cheap if you have to fill it 3 times
Dave ----

I agree - everyone should build their trucks to what they can and want.  I see trucks I think are really bad, but they aren't mine.   I don't know what their priorities are.   IF someone wants a big lift and 37s on truck that the fenders are rusted completely out, that is their thing, not mine.   Sniper EFI on a 40 yr old engine with no clue of internals and covered in greasecake?  Hey go for it if you have the cash.  

And I'm finding that when I do things over again, I am going to have to do some more thorough cleaning and detailing.   SOmetimes I wonder if my truck wasn't pulled from the Wooly Swamp.  This thing will become even more of an oddity when I do signs on side.  Hopefully in a good way.

And if it's anymore than putting in a can of AC PRO, I'm lost on AC, so I will take it somewhere.  

Its really coming along and looking good!  Where did you get the turn signal housing?  Mine is busted.

a matching set.  https://swperformanceparts.com/product/67f-set/  Cheapest ones I found on the net. $17.99 with free shipping.  Shipping was better on these than on the taillights I ordered.  They have the fender lights too I think.  https://swperformanceparts.com/product/75f-set/

Open the socket holes a little and they are pretty much identical to the Ford part  EXCEPT they are missing the Ford embossing on the side of lens face and the locating pin on back.  They have the plastic posts that you thread the stamped nut on them.  I just got the set so they would be the same appearance.  

Update 5-7-2021:  went by garage that did the engine swap.  He said it was an autozone crate motor, so that's good - new engine.  He does not know where the trans came from - already in truck.   But new clutch.  He said that he didn't know the condition of AC system, but that he did put everything back in case someone tried to fix it later (that would be me).  He's going to look at it sometime next week, see what it needs.