1984 F-150 Short Bed - First Project Car and First Bullnose

Hello all,

I just picked up my very first Bullnose, and really my first ever project car. I'm fairly inexperienced, but have tinkered on my Mustang and helped buddies with their rides. I've always wanted something of my own to work on and play with, but that's just not possible with a single daily driver.

Part of my search was finding something running and in relatively good shape, so some may consider my new truck a completed project but it definitely isn't to me. I also wanted something mechanically simple, which wouldn't scare me off with computers and embedded systems. The Bullnose fits all those criteria. I'm excited to fix some of its current issues, those that pop up, and learn a lot along the way.

The truck is in great shape. Very little surface rust. Original (I think) 302. Three on the tree. No power steering. No A/C. It's the base model, so it's very barebones but I love that - it's an incredible driving experience for somebody young like me (25) who has only driven modern platforms.

Right now there's really only a few issues to address. First, it needs tires but that's really not something I have the capacity to do on my own. Second, the parking brake either doesn't work or is disconnected. I plan to open up the drum this weekend and take a look. Third, the brake pedal is very soft. I'm not sure if that's just a thing on these trucks, since it has plenty of stopping power, but it caught my attention right away. The master cylinder is a mess - like it physically looks in poor shape - which I think may be the (starting) cause of some of the brake issues. Also, the steering is a little off. There's tons of play in the steering wheel (which is interesting mounted upside down) so I'm going to take a look at the wheel bearings and try to figure out the root of that issue.

Other than that, it's a pretty complete truck. I'm going to spend some time driving and thinking about the build before I decide on any direction to take. Right now, I don't really think it needs/should have any power upgrades. I would love to bring it back close to factory condition before starting to think about potential upgrades. I'll have plenty of questions in the future. Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Let me know if anything stands out to you in the photos. Off the bat, I'm pretty sure somebody tried to bondo fix the dash cover, and the doors and dash should match the red color (Napa Red?). Also, should there be a headliner? My trim doesn't go all the way up, so I thought no but there's also old glue on the roof that would suggest there used to be something up there.

Welcome!  Glad you joined!  

Where's home?  I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we can add you with a city/state or zip.

Nice looking truck!  That should be a really good one to put back in shape.

On the issues you mentioned, the brakes may need to be bled.  Or the master cylinder may be worn out.  If the master is worn and you are interested in upgrading, the later style aluminum master with a plastic reservoir is a much better solution.  It doesn't leak like the cast iron ones and you can not only see how much fluid is in it, you can easily pressure-bleed it.  But if you want to keep it stock...

As for the headliner, base trucks didn't have one.  You can add one but then you'd really need the trim that goes with the headliner to make it look right.

The dash pad is a candidate for a Coverlay cover.  It is a molded plastic cover that glues on the old pad and does a pretty good job of hiding it.

The loose steering is probably due to a bunch of worn components, like tie rod ends, ball joints, and even the steering box.  The trick is to have someone turn the steering wheel, engine off, just enough to take the slack out.  Back and forth.  And you look to see where the movement is.

Start a thread in the main section about your truck and we'll walk you through it.

Welcome!

Welcome aboard, and nice little truck.

Your truck is fairly unique with that transmission and engine combo as late as 1984. The three on the tree was much more common in 1980-1981 and it tapered down over the years so that by 1984-1986 they were starting to get pretty rare. They showed up on a few 84's, but hardly ever on the 1985-1986 trucks. Also, the three on the tree was most commonly behind the 300 inline six, but did show up every now and then behind a 302.

Truck looks to be in decent condition and the interior is nice, which is rare these days.

I see a shiny new alternator and what looks like a newer brake booster, so that's a few things that you don't have to do.

Be gentle with that three on the tree shifter. They have a few well known weak points in the steering column that wear and break, and the parts for them have been obsolete for 25-30 years now. If you plan on leaving it in the truck, keep your eye open for spare parts on Ebay or with guys parting out trucks. It's not a matter of IF, but when shifter components will break.

These trucks also had a well know issue with the firewall cracking/splitting around the hydraulic clutch master cylinder, so much so that Ford had a TSB to add a repair bracket/brace to strengthen the area. Yours doesn't look like it has one, but it's hard to tell from the engine bay pics. Do some reading on the topic. You can buy a repair bracket from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard. You don't need to do it right away, but look into it.

In any case, it's a great looking little truck. I like 'em just like that myself, without all the bells and whistles as they say.

Yes, welcome to the forum!  

Three things id note right away.

A) if your rear brakes are poorly adjusted not only is the parking brake not going to work but you'll have very soft pedal.
You should also check out the brake equalizer on the outside of the driver's frame rail to check for slack cables and that the cables all move within their sleeves.

B) Since you don't have a proper air cleaner housing it's imperative that you get a filtered breather on the oil fill cap in the valve cover.  Your PCV system is sucking all kinds of grit and dust right into your engine (and its oil)

C) Steering slop.  One of the worst culprits on these older vehicles is the rag joint on the lower end of the steering shaft near the quadrant gear box. This is just a rubber disc used as a flex joint and damper. The rubber degrades from heat, ozone cracking and being covered in oil.
A permanent solution is to retrofit a shaft that has a universal joint instead of that bit of tire sidewall type material.

Interesting, I just noticed that this truck has the wide radiator, which must have been the Super Cooling option? The Extra Cooling doesn't seem to be option, and the truck doesn't have AC. Seems like an odd option for an otherwise base truck, but anything is possible.

From the 1984 Light Truck Data Book here's what I'm seeing for cooling options.  And it looks like Extra and Super were both options.  (Interesting that Ford's documentation appears to be contradicting itself.)

I noticed the oil fill cap looked different than anything I’d come across before. I’ll get one ASAP, they seem to be pretty cheap.

As for the steering issues, I actually just spent some time under the truck and taking inventory of what I could see. I noticed some pretty degraded rubbery bushing-type material that seems to be what you’re describing. Thanks for the tip!

Also, first time filling it with gas was a trip. Nobody told me slow was the way to go - add that to the list of learned lessons.

Perhaps it's already been replaced at some point, with the only option Ford made available..?

The oil fill cap would have had a hose going to a breather inside the air filter housing.

So, do you think it would best to just temporarily throw something like this in the oil fill cap: https://www.cjponyparts.com/cj-classics-oil-breather-cap-2-push-in-chrome-open-filter/p/OC76/?year=1985&gclid=CjwKCAjwwL6aBhBlEiwADycBIFwRex0jpdsEEYX5b6FtErtA6zcphNXisCARQPM4PAqrzoM0_20v2BoCEeMQAvD_BwE

Obviously have to check diameter and fitment, but just want to be sure we’re on the same page.

Anything like that, or a metal cap twist lock cap that is vented on the bottom (similar to what you have now, without the hose grommet)

You simply want to provide a source of filtered air to the crankcase intake.