Parting out the 85

I will post this in the for sale section also, but since most of you have been helping me with all these various questions I wanted to throw it up here.  For those that do not know, I bought her recently with the intention of flipping it whole, however after finding out several more concerns it would be more beneficial for me to part her out and take what I need for my 84, and sell the rest to regain my initial purchase price, the parts alone I am taking basically cover that for me so prices are going to be plenty low on parts, and the little stuff we can call just pay shipping or come get it on the house.

Truck info:
85 XLT extended cab long bed 4x2
Previous owner claimed low mileage, and the mileage on the title says 83k, I cannot prove the accuracy of this at all.  My guess is 183k and someone fibbed to the DMV when titling it at some point.
Red Interior (captains chair style seating with rear bench)
Electric Windows/Locks (NOTE driver side window motor will need to be replaced, wont go up under its own power, and when assisted up it barely holds the window up)
351 with a 4 barrell Holley (she is leaking from the rear main seal so that needs to be replaced)
Both tanks are 4 years old so relatively new and have not been in a rust belt state
Motor runs great and has a new distributor, wires, plugs, starter relay, coil, rotor, and cap.

It would be easier for me to list what is not being parted out:
Instrument cluster and associated tachometer wiring/cable (going in my 84 since it does not have a tach)
Transmission
All HVAC components from both the motor and interior sides including ducting and plastic housings, compressor, blower motor, etc.

Everything else is free game, just tell me what you need.

Talking body rust:  Bed has spotty rust lines over both wheel wells, driver fender is recently new and rust free.  Doors appear to be rust free, but I have not started checking for bondo patches, nor have I done a "knife check" to the corners yet.  Cab seems solid, floor seems solid but I will not know the true condition until I start stripping things out.

NOTE: I am traveling for work right now so the soonest I can get around to parting things is this weekend.

I am located in Chesapeake, VA 23321, so local pickup for large stuff would be best of course, but I do have a shipping account with R&L carriers.  Not that I can get the "hookup" on cheap shipping but its better than the standard Joe.

Wow!  That's a major about-face.  From flipping it to parting it out.

I will warn you that parting one out is a LOT of work.  I've done it several times, and hope to not do it again.  And, there's the unbelievable # of parts you wind up with.  It is just mind-boggling.

But, I'm just warning you.  Not saying it is the wrong decision.

On the tach, if your '84 has full gauges then you won't need any additional wiring.  Just the gauge cluster.  But, if the '84 has idiot lights then you do need the wiring harness, and that could get quite involved.  I think, but I'm not sure, that the harness that runs from the left headlight, through the cab, and out to the right headlight has to be changed out.  One is an idiot light harness and the other a gauge harness.
 However, you can hard wire it, and maybe easier than changing out the harness.

All in all, it might be easier to fix up the '85 with parts from the '84 than upgrade the '84.

Gary, the 84 is a full cluster, just without the tach, by the idiot light cluster I assume you mean that one that has an oil light and something else....mine has the individual temp/oil/voltage gauges, but the tach area is just a blank window without a needle and some white markings where the tach would be.  I am not afraid to part her out at all, really all I plan to do is remove the front clip and cherry pick the motor/trans combo.  Gut the dash and all the HVAC, and leave it at that.  If people want parts I will pluck those, but my main concern is just pulling the heart out, and some internal guts which are all easily accessible.  Once I have what I need I will let her sit for a bit to see if people want to lay claim to various parts and its off to pick and pull to be sold.

I wont pull from the 84 to save this truck, because the 84 is in such better shape frame and body wise.  Sure the 85 runs but the reason I went about face is because I had a friend come take a look at it while I am out of town....photo after photo of frame rot.  Bad enough in some places that she is one big speed bump away from being in two pieces.

Add in the fact that I am only $405 into the 85 (purchase price and tow home), I can easily salvage my initial purchase by stealing the bits I want for the 84 (including that Jasper transmission as a spare).

Wow!  That's bad rot.  Now I understand.

On the tach, all you need for sure is the gauge cluster as your '84 will be wired for the tach.  In fact, depending on the printed circuit on the back of your 84' cluster you may be able to just add the tach to the current cluster.

But, the speedo with the tach cluster will have a trip odometer, and I love having one.  So I'd use the whole cluster.  And, Ford's instructions for resetting the odometer on that cluster to match the 84's are here: Electrical/Gauges and on the Odometer Reset tab.

Anyway, I understand the plan and it makes sense to me.  Good luck.