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I got some feedback from a mechanic that the starter solenoid had some stripped threads (thanks, PO!) and should be replaced. Ok, easy peasy, no problem. I order one from RockAuto. Then, I missed a warning on the page (paraphrasing here) "Do not use this solenoid on a vehicle with an EEC - your EEC will be damaged, your wife will leave you, your dog and cat will start dating, etc" Ok, fine. I go on Napa, and order one from there that looks a little beefier anyway. I get it in the mail - first thing, the same warning on a bright yellow piece of paper. So, I learn that the original solenoids have a diode to suppress leaky voltage coming back to the EEC when the solenoid disengages. The trick is, I can't find a solenoid that advertises to have a suppression diode. My existing solenoid is a 3 terminal (no "I") on it. I also looked in the EVTM and there is a diode inline perhaps (see below) but I'm not confident looking at just the diagram (not the schematic) that the diode is for the solenoid. I also don't seem to have the G756 connector. Is there an inline diode in the wiring harness somewhere, or where can I find the right solenoid? Hopefully I have stated the problem well enough.

Ok, so a fairly big update to put here! Short version: Truck is back on the road, but more layers of the onion still. Longer version: I was at AWS re:Invent a few weeks ago in Vegas. While I was there, I was supposed to meet some colleagues at a restaraunt. I got there 30 mins early, so I had some time to kill. Even knowing the odds, I gambled a bit. I ended up hitting $4,000 on a slot machine. So of course, what do you do with unexpected "free" money? Spend it on the truck of course! After the tax man, I had about $2500 to spend. I knew the brakes needed help and since I never tried to do it all on my own (and not wanting to get it wrong, the consequences didn't seem appealing to me), I got the brakes all done. All new rear stuff - drums, pads, wheel cylinders, hoses, etc. New master cylinder as well. The engine has been running rough but didn't have time to dive deep into it, seemed like a fuel problem though. So, off it went to the carb shop. The brake mechanic couldn't get it running well enough to drive it down there, even though it was only three blocks away. Thanks AAA! The carb guru Bill (who told me nicely that he hates the EEC-IV system with a passion) went to work. You may recall I put a new mechanical pump, and put a pass-through electric pump in as well to help starts after sitting for a long time... well, the new mechanical pump had suction and pressure, but no volume. Bill said that was very odd, he's never seen that before. Anyway, new pump, by passing the electric just to reduce variables. It ran much better, but still had some surging occasionally. Bill said the system runs so lean for smog that he has seen this before. He put a larger jet in, and the surging went away. He also cleaned the carb out and replaced the stepper motor that he said was "in pieces". He made the persistent hesitation off the line better, but its still there. He says it is a function of the EGR (which is also new, Motorcraft part) opening up and the existing exhaust gases leaning the mixture too much when first hitting the throttle... opinions/ideas welcome there. But, the truck is behaving much better. Got the truck smogged - passed! I immediately hit the DMV and got it registered. Now I'm good for two years, and I intend to drive it more often to keep things happy. I noticed my turn directionals weren't working... I put a new flasher in and it's better but it also may be related to the position ignition switch. One time after replacing the flasher, the directionals didn't work until I moved the ignition slightly. FWIW, other things like the gauges etc are working ok. I know this type of thing has been a problem for many, so I'll read those threads. I also need a new starter solenoid (PO stripped the threads on the positive side), I'll post a question about that in another thread. There are some more things but I'll write about those later. I hope everyone has a good Christmas!

This is super cool! I'll have to keep this in mind for when I get my truck painted back into its original color.

I'd be happy to help, let me contact my friend that did the design and printing, and I'll get back to you. I may take a few days to hear back, but I'll let you know. Feel free to send me a direct message to discuss further.

I have a design that I installed on my truck, and it works well so far. Not "road tested" really, but in the garage all the operations of the door work well!

Great picture Gary, looks from the faces that a fun time was had by all! Memories made all around.

I hear ya! I looked for a cheaper solution, but I kept coming back to this controller. It's really small, but it's quite heavy for what it is. I'll report back after I use it for a bit. Sounds good Cory, thanks! It seems like what I really want is an Interval On Timer Relay. There are some that fit the bill but are in the same $ range. It is a fun rabbit hole to go down... https://www.littelfuse.com/products/protection-relays-and-controls/time-delay-relays/interval/krdi/krdi121.aspx

I'd be happy to contribute my image. I cleaned it up a bit, got rid of the background noise etc. It's a pretty good scan, done at 600 dpi. I found some silver inkjet paper that looks pretty good on Etsy (matte is harder to find than glossy), but inkjet doesn't seem durable enough to me, and I have no clue about the adhesive properties. I'm wondering if you could 'turbocharge' the adhesion with a 3M contact spray. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what Jeff comes up with as well. If there's a will, there's a way!

This is cool! I still use the mechanical fuel pump, but I put a in-line electric pump in between the tank and the mechanical pump. I wired a momentary button in to only run the electric pump when the button is being pressed. This primes the carb, and works well. I wonder if I could get rid of that button and put this in, and just not wire it to the oil pressure. That way I'd get the 3 second prime and no manual intervention of having to press a button. May not be $65 worth of button presses though, since I already have a working solution. Thanks for sharing!

This will be interesting. There are different classes of USB devices. The USB sticks everyone uses belong to the Mass Storage Class, they are basically block storage devices, just like a hard drive. I have a feeling the adapter being mentioned is a Audio device class, and that the head unit expects a Mass Storage Device. Not to be a stick in the mud, but unless your head unit can handle more than a Mass Storage USB, it's probably going to be a no-go. https://www.usb.org/defined-class-codes Thank being said, I'd love to be wrong (as happens more often than I'd like to admit!)

Struck out on the email - "A print shop should be able to do it" I may look on a site like Etsy to see if someone can print one off...

I noticed the notation is slightly different on this post (thanks Eddie!): https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Visor-Decals-tp126867p127242.html

I scanned the decal in, and played with it a bit. I think I was able to make a decent facsimile, but it needs a little more touch up. It looks doable though, now the hard part (printing)

Just as a follow-up, I got a response from Jim Osborn Productions saying that demand was not high enough to make an 80-86 version of the decal. I'm not sure what the threshold is to make it worth their while, but I replied and said that the 80-86 trucks might be more popular than they realize. Besides that, I asked if any tips could be given on how to make one on my own. The 87-90 sticker arrived yesterday, I could scan that in any make my own after a little tweaking in Photoshop or something similar. I asked about paper, adhesive, etc. I'm not sure how much they are willing to share but I thought I'd ask. I said (and am truthful) in saying I'm not trying to make money, only complete my project.

4th gear is "OD" for the 1980 - 1986 trucks. 3 gears + overdrive = 4-speed. 5th gear is "OD" for the 1987+ trucks. 4 gears + overdrive = 5-speed. AOD = 3 gears + overdrive. It is referred to as a 4-speed automatic. By contrast, a C4 or C6 is called a 3 speed because all you get is 3 forward gears, no overdrive. Got it, thanks for the clear explanation. For those (still) interested, I think this reproduction decal (and lots of others) trace back to Jim Osborn Reproductions. He makes an 87-90 sticker, but no 80-86. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sa4AfjhuEUdL2Gp6D119-tFoyWhihpI4/view?fbclid=IwAR3rCckrco3tm0usdSvqlCq7cCYymEziplQ1T0unQQ7bDV6CIAizyTYg0w8 I'm going to send an email and see what luck I have

There is a reason LMC states that the AOD sticker is correct for 1987 - 1991. 1987 is when the manual transmission became a 5-speed, whereas the Bullnose generation was only a 4-speed. So the 1987 sticker would have the number "4" on it in the manual transmission diagram. The specific one for the Bullnose generation would not. The fourth gear + overdrive verbiage also shows up under the "Driving Modes" section. The "AOD" notes on the sticker is the same. Capiche? That is an interesting factoid! But if the 87 trucks had a 5-speed, wouldn't the decal have a '5' and the Bullnose era have the '4' ? Just making sure I understand. Now I have to decide if I put the decal on knowing it is wrong. Well, I said I wanted to know truth and I'm mostly glad about that haha. Thanks again for the info.

Nice, thanks for the update! Fingers crossed for good quality on these, they look better than the older ones.

I brazed my floor as well, and the hole I dealt with was larger in diameter. I’d never done anything of the sort before (I spend too much time on my computer working, haha), and it worked out just fine even as a beginner. I used a MAP torch.

Powerman5K, have they come in? I had a set of panels I bought used at the very beginning of my project... didn't open them until about 6 months ago. Turns out the plastic on the top of the panels (near the window) is very weak and is basically turning to dust. I tried to fix them up but when I tried to fill in holes etc, sanding around the areas would have plastic get lifted up and flake off - they just would be so fragile it's not worth trying to use my SEM paint to get them the right color at this point. So, I am in the market for replacement panels. I just looked on eBay and there are a few nice used sets but they are going for almost $800 I noticed the Coverlay ones are around $450 now...

That’s a good strategy. Unfortunately my truck is in the inverse situation, but trying to fix that!

Thanks ratdude! It seems like your decal has slid down over time? Looks like a have a good outline for where it is supposed to go when fresh.

I did see that Dave, good observation! I am chalking that 87-91 up to an error on their part. I am certain there was a sticker like that originally on the visor from when I was a kid. I can't remember the exact verbiage etc, but the graphics and layout match what I remember. Of course, the picture on LMC isn't good enough for me to see if there's anything 87-91 specific on the sticker, but if/when I do an LMC purchase, I figure I can spring for a sticker and try it until I am proven wrong. In fact, I'd love to be proven either right or wrong on this one more than relying on a 25 year old memory I wonder if CA trucks had more decals for some reason? Like the goofy "Everything in the building causes cancer" notices that are everywhere in CA buildings? (I'm only half joking here)

Thanks for looking, Gary. Hopefully someone on here has a survivor where the decals are still there, or they have a better memory than I! I am 99% sure on the shift decal I pointed to at LMC. But I can't remember which side it went on (driver's side makes the most sense) or if there was another decal on the passenger side.

Hi Everyone, I realize that the decals vary by trim level, etc. The PO on my truck removed the vinyl off the visors and replaced with an open-cell foam of some sort, so I don't have the original decals and I'm trying to piece together what SHOULD be there. I know one side (driver side) had a "Shifting" decal, indicating when to use overdrive, when to not, etc. I'm pretty sure it is 42-0145 here: https://www.lmctruck.com/1980-96-ford/fd-1980-96-decals I'm not sure if anything was on the passenger side visor. Anyone have examples or original stickers where you can confirm what decal goes where? I guess 2wd with Overdrive would be the most similar. Thanks!

Nope those are Dennis-Carpenter panels. Their panels dont have the black felt for the door handle, I had to source NOS gromets to put on mine and paint them with SEM to color match them. It states they are made from new molds and the ones Dennis Carpenter has are the original Ford toolings as they sport the original part number on the back of the door panels. Yep, I'd prefer to get the Dennis Carpenter ones. I've emailed them twice over the past six months or so. Initially the person indicated the issue was due to COVID, and them not having enough staff to build the products being asked for. The last time I emailed them, I just got "check back" and that's it. I understand their predicament - I'm not upset with them. At my work, we have processors and other electronics that we are getting 52 week lead times for. Things are just crazy out in the world right now. But, I would like the Dennis Carpenter ones as they would look like the originals down to the part numbers on the back of the panels as you mention. I will try to exercise my patience and waiting, but its getting hard to wait!