Hello From a New Member

Hi Everyone,

My name is Tom.  I live in Vermont.  This past August I purchased a 1983 Ford F150 in Billings, Montana.  I drove the truck across country, back home to Vermont.  Although I broke down in Iowa, with a leaking water pump, it was an amazing first experience with this truck.  Along the way I met so many super cool and helpful people, including the mechanic in the town of Victor, Iowa who replaced the water pump.

My red 1983 4x4 Ford F150 has a manual transmission, four on the floor with a granny gear.  The 351 Windsor engine had 76,000 miles when purchased in Montana.  It has a motorcraft variable venturi carburetor.  I am currently having that carb rebuilt by Hite Parts in Ohio.   The air pump is disabled; the pulley does not spin at all.  There are a lot of vacuum hoses; and, I'm slowly learning how all of the vacuum assisted solenoid valves, valve checks, vacuum valves, and other emisison related valves work.  It appears to have electronic engine control with a Duraspark module affixed to the inside of the driver side plastic wheel well (inside the engine compartment).  I am in the process of cleaning the engine compartment and better understanding how everything works!

I initiallly began reading the Bullnose Enthusiasts' Posts as I think my first big job will be to replace the motorcraft VV carb with a retrofit replacment.  So, if anyone has any good suggestions for taking that step, it would be super appreciated!  When I replace the carb, I will also take the opportunity to replace the valve cover gaskets.  I'm also wondering if a retrofit carb would require a new intake manifold.  I am strongly interested in replacing the carb as, although it runs fine when warm, it does have difficulty starting up on cold mornings.  In Northern Vermont, where I live, we can get some very cold weather come winter time.

In the meantime, I've provided lots of TLC to the truck.  I replaced the muffler; I replaced all of the cab roof marker lights; replaced all of the wiring and relay for the fog lights; fixed a number of leaks in the cowling that were allowing water on to the cab floor; replaced all of the door/window weatherstripping; placed 1/4" square hardware cloth under the cowling vent to prevent leaves from getting into the air channels and duckbill drain; and cleaned out those duckbill drains which were super jammed with lots of debris!  I also purchased a vacuum gauge and I'm learning how to check vacuum readings and checking all of the vacuum hoses.  

Although there is some body work needed, the truck is in amazing shape for being 36 years old.  The truck was primarily used on a ranch in Montana; and, the first owner kept meticulous service records.  Eventually, I will go underneath the truck and begin to replace or clean the suspension, gas tanks, etc.

I retired two years ago and it has always been my dream to own a truck such as this F150.  I love the classic look!  I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about the best ways to maintain and care for this truck.  Thanks so much for all of the information that has been posted to date.

Best,

Tom

Welcome to the forum, Tom!

Tom - Welcome!  Glad to meet you.  

Buying a truck remotely and driving it home is gutsy.  Glad it worked out pretty well for you.

You should start a thread in the main section on your truck.  More people are likely to follow it and chime in there as here in the New Member section.  And, it gives you a good place to track your progress.

And speaking of progress, you certainly made some.  

As for the carb, the Motorcraft 2150 was the other carb used on that engine, so that would be the easiest replacement.  And I would replace the VV as it wasn't well understood back then, and it is unlikely you'll find many (any?) that truly understand it today.  But it was a good design, just poorly understood and, therefore, had very little support.

Or, you could replace the intake with something like an Edelbrock 4bbl and put a small 4bbl on it.  I like the Eddy 1406 for that, and it comes out of the box jetted just about right for a 351.

Having said that, you really can't change much w/o upsetting the computer, and if you do you'll not like the lack of power since it'll lock your ignition timing to just get you home.  If you have emissions inspections in VT then you'll have to make some decisions.  Without emissions inspections you could remove the computer and change over to a simple ignition system.  But with emissions you may have to stick with the 2150 and all of the many, many complicated devices under the hood.

Anyway, welcome!!!

Where's my brain this morning?  A couple of other thoughts.  First, what did you do before retirement?  Just trying to get to know you.

Also, we have a member's map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu above) and I'd be happy to add you if I had a town in VT.  Kinda cool to know where the others are.

Welcome!

Welcome to the forum Tom!    

Very nice truck!
I'm headed up to the extreme SW corner of your state next week.

Tom, good to have you. All the members here are all over the country. Thank you for the story about how you bought your truck.

If you dont need emissions tests there, and want drivability and guaranteed starts, I would start looking at some aftermarket EFI systems like MSD Atomic EFI, or Fitech, or Holley.

There are guys here that swear by carbs for all weather. And they may be right. But if you want to "set it, and forget it".....then look at EFI.

Someone just started a thread about installing an Atomic EFI.

tom wrote

Awesome, thanks Ray!  I'll check out the new thread.  As I get to know the
truck better, I'll take some time to figure out the best way to go.  In
researching Vermont's inspection standards, it looks as if the State does
not require emissions testing on trucks 15 years or older.  Thanks for the
note and suggestions about the EFI.  I'll check that out.
Best,
Tom

Here is the link for the Atomic MSD thread:http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Just-checking-in-new-project-started-EFI-on-82-tp41833.html

 And just a forum tip. If you respond from your email account, you get all the reply/forwarded junk like you see in the above posts. If you come to the site and reply, you can use this button at the top to place just the quote you are replying to.


 

Thanks Gary!  I checked out Vermont's inspection requirements; and, it looks like my truck will not need the emissions test.  So, that creates a number of options to consider.  I'm going to take some time to sort things out in terms of next steps.  Looks like I should start a new thread.  Thanks for the welcome and advice!
Tom

That is fine to place me on the map.  I live in Fairfax, Vermont.  I was a school principal before retiring!  

Readsboro/Whitingham is "just" into Vermont.
I go shopping in Greenfield or North Adams.

But I like it anyhow!  😉

Tom - You are now on the map.  And, I know the countryside a bit.  Used to have a client in Burlington and have spent many days there.  And, skied there as well.

Do you happen to know of the Mexican restaurant with the huge assortment of hot sauces in Burlington?  I have a story about that place.

Nice! Enjoy!

Hey Gary,
Thanks for putting me on the map!  Regarding the Mexican Restaraunt in Burlington, I'm not sure it is there anymore.  There have been a few over the years.  They seem to come and go.  That's awesome that you were able to go skiing in Vermont.  We do a lot of nordic skiing as winter settles in.  No snow yet though!
Tom

Tom - This particular Mexican restaurant had a tray of hot sauces they'd bring out, and one bottle was marked XXXXXX and the waitress said not to use it.  Of course our son did, and he was gasping for air.  We laughed so hard!

Years later I was in a meeting with some HP big shots and the lady next to me had gone to school in Burlington.  I mentioned the restaurant and she started laughing.  She had the exact same story but it was her husband.

As for skiing, we've been to Kitzbühel, Austria, several places in Colorado, the Poconos, and Killington.  I can honestly say Killington was top notch.

Morning Gary,

Yeah, that sounds like some hot sauce!  I keep trying to remember the name of the restaurant, but can't seem to recollect.  Burlington and Killington are great places in Vermont.  Sounds like you have had some great skiing adventures.  We typically do most of our winter sports up in the Northern part of the State.  Let me know if you ever get back up this way!

I finally received my rebuilt carb from Hite Parts in Ohio.  I installed the carb on Friday afternoon.  Ran very rough at first, but smoother after five minutes or so.  I made a few adjustments to the curb idle and fast idle screws.  I did so by listening to the engine.  After a few test drives and cold start ups, the carb and engine seem to be doing OK.

Yesterday, I did a cold start at 39 degrees F with dry conditions.  With the air filter housing off I observed the cold enrichment mechanism in action.  There is a little plunger like device towards the front of the carb.  The plunger was in an up position cold, then definitely fell to a down position as the engine warmed - about three to five minutes.  Looking at all of the linkages on this cold enrichment system, I could see how complicated adjustments could be on this carb!

This morning I did a cold start at 40 degrees F with a fairly steady rain.  I depressed the accelerator pedal twice, and the truck started right up.  Using the tip of my finger as a plug, I checked a number of the vacuum hoses.  I found a fairly good vacuum and no leaks (I still need to check vacuum with a gauge).  With the air filter housing off I observed the venturi 'rockers' (I'm not sure what those things at the top of the carb are called).  They were open about a 1/4" and I could actually see the gas spraying in from two jets or ports at the top of those venturi openings.

I think these are my next steps:
a. check all vacuum hoses with vacuum gauge;
b. puchase a tachometer and fine tune idle adjustments with the tach;
c. ensure the cold enrichment system is working properly for cold starts.

In the interim, I still need to understand how all of the other peripherals work, such as the VOTM dashpot and the EGR.  I also need to figure out what to do with the air pump or smog pump that is still installed in the engine compartment, but doesn't work.

That said, at the end of the day, I think I am going to replace the VV carb with the carb that you suggested.  I guess I could also go with an aftermarket EFI, but I did a little bit of research, and those systems seem very expensive, with lots of other required work.

When you get a chance, could you let me know if I need to replace the manifold with the Edelbrock carb you suggested, with I believe was the 1401.  As Vermont does not do emissions' tests on older cars/trucks, it looks like I can also replace the Electronic Engine Control, as you suggested.  Would you also be able to let me know what I need to buy for that replacement.

Thanks so much for all of your help!  I feel like I am learning a bit more each day!!!

Best,

Tom

Actually Gary, I think you suggested the Edelbrock 1406.

Tom - Several thoughts.  First, we have info on the VV here: Documentation/Fuel Systems/Carbs, Chokes, & EFI and then

1985-86 Fuel System Adjustments

Motorcraft 7200 VV

As for the intake, to properly use a 4bbl carb you need a 4bbl intake.  Yes, there are adapters, but I wouldn't do it.  And if you are going to do it I'd recommend the Edelbrock 2181 and the Eddy 1406 carb.  However, the 2181 is a non-EGR manifold, and if you are going to run EGR you'll need the 3781 intake.

Concerning the computer, luckily that's a stand-alone system so you can remove it and its associated wiring and sensors/actuators.  To do so you'll need a DS-II distributor, the blue-grommeted DS-II ignition box, and the associated wiring harness.  Sometimes you can find the harness at the salvage or on-line used, but here's a new one that's listed in our Resources section: https://www.americanautowire.com/shop/ford-duraspark-ignition-harness?gclid=Cj0KCQiA28nfBRCDARIsANc5BFD_eKOARtxGxIk1pR2_K-UZ_RaPLfITW53XclvWK_9hQhk7J96C8c0aAvyYEALw_wcB