Jon M

You know what's funny, until this post, I perceived the "bastard" u-joint as normal (I probably would have assumed every company did things this way) But now that I've read your comments and think about it, it is wildly dumb that a number of their their u-joints across multiple decades require two different sizes caps each... My problem was that that one of the transfer case flange yokes required the *same* size cap as the drive shaft. So I was confused as to how I was going to go about finding a u-joint with 4 of the same size cap (1.065"). This is my first project truck so I'm learning everything from you guys, Reddit, and Youtube. And I'm coming to this game late in life when learning is all a little bit harder. So thanks for the thoughts guys, and Jim, that Moog reference is going to save my bacon. Much appreciated!

Folks, I'm swapping out my 4 speed manual transmission and NP transfer case for a M5OD and Borg Warner 1356 transfer case (both from a bricknose) and I'm coming across some u-joint dimensions that I wasn't expecting The new transmission and transfer case have been installed and up next is finding a good drive shaft (or, more likely, having one resized). But before I get there I need to solve this universal joint puzzle. When I got under the truck with a standard Moog 434 U-joint (from the the previous transfer case flange yokes) i discovered that the rear-facing flange yoke on the BorgWarner is sized for 1.065" caps, whereas all the others (the front Dana44, the rear 8.8 diff, and the front facing t-case flange yoke) were sized for 1.134" caps. I am kind of befuddled about this (although, that's nothing new), and I don't know what year/model the donor truck was so I can't really search what u-joint options I have on the web like rockauto. Can someone point me in the right direction to find the right sized ujoint with 4x 1.065" caps for this. More-over, what truck transfer case might have been from?

Gary, just want to pile on the kudos here because this has been very pertinent to my current project. Like a few others, I'm tackling the 3G conversion right now (albeit slowly). Based on research into a number of forums I picked up an newly built ACDelco alternator with the LRC (gray or white) regulator, and I've recently sent of my ammeter to Rocketman to be converted to a voltmeter. So when I get those back I'll be installing and hoping for a result exactly like this. Anyway, all that to say, this post has been very educational. I know you're doing a lot of work on the site right now, but this could easily be a side segment for the 3G conversion page if you're feeling up to it.

Thanks for this. I suspected as much but felt obligated to be sure. I'll see if I can post it somewhere and get any interest in a trade.

So I was going to merge the two, I was going to keep the original gauge cluster and install the tach into it with it the tach's printed circuit board. At a glance it looks physically compatible. But I don't know if the internals calculate the inputs in the same way.

Good morning folks and Happy Sunday! I came into possession of an instrument cluster with a tachometer which I was pretty excited about before I realized it had a lower RPM count because it was from a diesel truck. It's definitely not the correct factory configuration for my truck, but it came pretty cheap and I'd rather not spend $200 (plus shipping) on ebay. So I suppose my questions is, will the tach (and printed circuit) fit and work on my 1984 4.9 i6. I probably will not purchase one (unless it's really cheap), but I have this one so if it functions in my truck, I might just throw it in there. You know, just 'cause. (I suppose it's obvious but, the top one the donor, bottom one is mine) I suppose I'll throw in the backstory: I got it from a local yard that specializes in bullnoses for pretty cheap in order to take the ammeter and convert it to a voltmeter in advance of pulling off a 3G conversion. I saw the tach and figured, "why not?" I do not know the year of the donor truck, just that it was a diesel F250. (Additional question, do you guys repaint the needles in your instrument clusters? if so, what sort of paints or markers do you recommend?)

Thanks Mat, Any suggestions on where to get an after-market pig tail for that distributor? Otherwise I guess it'll be another great day at the junk yard (oh darn!). good thought on replacing the entire thing and holding off removal until then, I will absolutely follow that advice. as for the window, I have no idea the origination of this thing. it's aluminum though and the latch was long gone (clearly riveted though) so I had to replace it. It came separate with the truck so I didn't get around to installing it until now. Based on it's age I assumed it was OEM but now I know better. I have half a mind to remove it and compare the corners with that of the glass (which is sitting in the bed for lack of a better place to put it).

Hey Folks, I figured one post to cover two topics would be more efficient, please let me know if this is a discouraged practice. I have been moving my attention to the engine compartment and am noticing a number of places where wiring is exposed and I probably need to start replacing. The first crocodile that's closest to the boat is this fused wiring leading to the distributor harness. The rubber/plastic covering is flaking off and it's starting to corrode in two places. I'm looking for the best way to approach replacing/re-enforcing this wire to prevent future issues. I've been toying with the idea of replacing the distributor (possibly with a blueprinted HEI), but before I go that far I still want to make sure everything stock is in good order. Second and completely separately, I replaced the solid back window with one that has a sliding glass opening. but the corners of the new seal don't fully cover the corners of the opening. I know I've seen this topic discussed here before but I can't find the posts, can anyone give me links to those previous posts, or offer up suggestions for fixing this? (also: kindly disregard the spraypaint job... the young man I bought her from was simply guilty of being young doing his best)

Mat in TN, thanks for that description. If I'm reading you right, then the gap I'm seeing is intentional and I need to cinch down those bolts. Because depressing the clutch is what pushes those splines in which release the pressure between the Pressure Plate, the Clutch Pad, and the Flywheel, correct? No need to buy a new clutch kit... right?

Ok so I'm not crazy. I suppose this means I need another clutch kit. Can you recommend any brands so I can avoid dealing with this a second time?

Hey folks! Dolly (the 1984 f150, 4.9 i6) is coming along. Much slower now that it's boiling outside, but I still find a few hours here and there in the mornings. Well I'm having a little trouble with the M5OD swap. And specifically the clutch parts that I'm replacing. This is very much due to my inexperience so I need someone with a little more grey in their beard than I to educate me. I purchased a standard replacement clutch kit from M-Pact (for a 1992 F150 with a 4.9 engine). It comes with the pressure plate and the pad and a slave cylinder. The cylinder went on fine and after putting on a new fly wheel I got to the task of installing the pad and pressure plate. well once I started tightening down the bolts attaching the pressure plate to the flywheel I noticed that the metal where the bolts connect does not sit flush. Here's a picture: I tightened it down just to see how it would respond and I'm seeing that the splines on the pressure plate (where the throw-out bearing of the master cylinder connects) bend inwards with the pressure applied. Pictures below. This feels not right to me but I admit that I haven't fully wrapped my head around how the pressure applied by the master cylinder works. None of the videos on Youtube (and there are plenty on this topic) mention that you have to cinch the pressure plate down against the spring of the mechanism inside. I made sure to orient the clutch pad correctly as I know if it's installed incorrectly it will wear down the pressure plate, so I can be sure that is not the issue at play here. So could someone explain this to me? Did I get the wrong kit or is what I'm seeing normal? Before tightening After tightening to flush

I just wanted to throw in my $0.02 on the loss of the "GarageMahal". I just love that little pun, it's pretty clever. It seems like the tide of opinion is against me, but if I were the Mughal Emperor for a day, I'd surely keep it. Maybe something like Bullnose Garagemahal or some such. (Also, my Indian wife was a little sad when I told her the website was contemplating changing the name). Anyway, after I wiped the tears away, I voted for "Bullnose Enthusiasts Club".

This is one of the major reasons I enjoy being here. I learn so much things I don’t have to do myself, just for the fun of learning (secretly hoping I’ll never have to. ). Jeff, you hit the nail on the head. I check this website at least once a week and just scroll just to read and learn. And This truck I'm working on is 100% to learn on (but also I need a truck, so I need to learn quickly). Predictably, it turns out everyone was right! So I got the fly wheel on, and now I'm just waiting for the bolts I ordered to install the pad and plate. after that I can get this transmission on and maybe take the truck for a spin!

One addendum. I say I put the fly wheels face-to-face but in reality in order to get the bold holes to touch the opposing wheels bolt holes, they are back-to-back. Sorry if any of this is confusing, I've burned a lot of brain cells thinking on this one...

Hi folks, I'm stumped! In my mission to replace all wearable, moving, or otherwise updatable part in Dolly, the 1984 F150 I have run into a road block. the fly wheel on the transmission is showing some wear and while it was shifting fine, I wanted to replace it (if for no other reason than the experience of learning). Well I got a standard replacement kit and got to the business of bolting it up, but lo and behold the bolt pattern didn't match. it's the same 6 bolts and the sizes are the same but the holes are ever-so-slightly skewed... differently. I matched the new fly wheel up with the old one (face to face) and two opposing bold holes match perfectly but the other four are slightly off. I tried rotating it in a complete 360 circle, using every possible combination to make sure that there wasn't a very specific orientation but it still did not fit (or match the original). what am I doing wrong? this flywheel is from Rock Auto and from my model year and engine size, so I'm thoroughly stumped. two other salient pieces of data: 1) I'm doing the M5OD-R2 swap 2) This is actually the second fly wheel I've bought. I picked up the clutch kit for a '92 F150 4.9 5-speed and when the fly wheel didn't match up, I assumed it was because of the generation. So I bought this one for but it is by-and-large an exact duplicate of the one from the '92 clutch kit - doesn't fit in the exact same way. here are some photos. it was really hard to show how the holes didn't align but the last picture demonstrates with the two fly wheels face to face: \