Gary Lewis

David - I don't think starting it is going to be all that soon. With the grandtwins coming in about 10 days I think I'm going to be having fun other ways. Bill - I think I'm going to call this clocking "good enough". It seems to fit the wiring that came with it nicely, and it makes it easy - I'll tell my kids it is a '95/'96 truck. As for what I did today, I got the PDB's wiring all buttoned/taped/zip tied up. Here's an overall shot and you can see that I backed up on what I said yesterday - the wiring goes above the battery tray. Turned out that the side marker light wiring isn't long enough to go down there, and I wanted to keep it in the bundle. However, I'm a bit worried that the huge battery will need to go back against the bundle, so I need to get the radiator bolted in and that will let me set the battery in place and find out. If that happens I'll lengthen the wires to the side marker light wires - at the same time I lengthen the turn signal lights, which I just discovered are too short. And, speaking of the huge battery, I've been worried that it will be too much for the tray. But then I noticed in the MPC that there's a brace, as shown below: So, I'm thinking I need to find one of them. Or, make something that will go from the frame to the tray. Thoughts?

Dane - Glad it is helping. Today's installment is the 286-page 1981 Owner's Guide. (Documentation/Literature and use the spreadsheet or Documentation/Literature/1981 Literature and click on the pic of the owner's guide). And the notes you see are my father's as this was his. Unfortunately it was falling apart so, with David's help, I bought a new one some time ago and felt I could, therefore, take this one apart.

Our page (Documentation/Exterior/Exterior Trim & Moulding) says that ain't the guy. Ours would be E3TZ 16850-A. And that prefix of E2BZ says car.

Actually, that 12A581 is a generic part number for a connector, although I'm not exactly sure which connectors. However, there are bunches of them listed. Here's what the MPC says that would be applicable to your truck. I cannot swear it is the right one, but if you found 12A581 then this should be it.

Thanks Gary, I don't think I need a picture. I thought it might be bent as well and turned the tips in a little without success. I get it pushed down all the way, followed by a slight turn and then it pops out again! I'm thinking the 'ledge' is too small to hold it, hence I thought a piece might have broken off, but unlikely it would be identical on both sides. I might put a file to it and try to modify it a little and then keep trying to get it to stick. As for the PCV, so air goes into the system through the oil cap, would that be dirty air then(as it draws from outside the filter)? Anyway, bottom line, all I need is those to connections, correct? Do you know the function of the blue valve in the picture(next to the snorkel)? I'm not sure which "blue valve" you are meaning, but take a look at the documentation here: Documentation/Fuel Systems/Air Cleaners. That shows what each of the components do. As for PCV system, the air coming in is supposed to be clean having gone through the filter on the air cleaner. No, it isn't as fine of a filter as the one for the air going into the cylinders, but it should do the trick. And if you connect the oil fill cap to that filter, and the pcv valve to the barb on the carb or the intake (I don't know which on the 4.9L) you should be good to go. On the transmission, I took some pics anyway. Hope they help:

Sorry, I'm late to the party. But you can't do my trick with the later controls - as you found out. So do as you are suggesting, and what David did, and put it in the recirc line.

I don't know how much "better" the engine runs, but it sure *looks* better! If Ford saw fit to put a dual snorkel air cleaner on their Mustang GT, why not put it on a Ford F150 with the same engine? For those of us who have modified our engines with similar performance upgrades the production Mustang GT received (4V carburetor, hotter camshaft, better exhaust, etc.), why not top it off with a dual-snorkel air cleaner from a Mustang GT? If one didn't know better, it looks like it actually *could* have come that way from Ford, right? It looks much more unique and functions a lot better than an aftermarket chrome open element style air cleaner that everyone and their mother-in-law has. I figured with dual exhaust pipes, I might as well have a dual snorkel air cleaner. The beauty of these air cleaners is that they are OEM stock Ford pieces that uses stock Ford parts. So Ford/Motorcraft did make an air filter for these at one time, but I don't know if they still do or not. To answer your question, I simply ask for an air filter for a 1985 Ford Mustang GT. I use the Purolator filters. Amen to all Rick said. However, my dual snorkel uses "all OEM stock Ford pieces" as well. A stock HO air cleaner and a second, stock, snorkel grafted on. But the advantage of my approach is that you can decide where/at what angle your second snorkel comes off, which lets you miss accessories like the air conditioning compressor, which aren't in the same locations on my 400 or 460 as they are with a Windsor. Now, if I just got the right lettering cut out it could read "460 HO" to mess with people. (There wasn't a 460 HO, just the 351 HO. But, why not? )

Yes, it is! I wasn't aware that the hood ornament was used through 1984, but the MPC sure seems to say it was. I can't prove otherwise as the only two Explorer brochures we have on site are the '81 and '85. It was still used in '81 but not in '85.

Looks like it fits all of the NP435's.

Thanks, David! Now that I know how I want to route the wires I think I'll pull the radiator support so I can step into the engine compartment and finish routing/taping/convoluting/securing the wiring near the blower and going into the PDB. Next would be to put the starter on and run its wiring and secure it. Then I can truly install the radiator support and route the wiring across it, install the aux battery tray and the smart battery isolator, etc.

Maybe not "finished", but looks good and not too highly priced: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-Ford-Bronco-XLT-4X4-302-V8-CALIFORNIA-RUST-FREE-VEHICLE-4WD/193387943372?hash=item2d06d1d5cc%3Ag%3AcekAAOSw6VVec9oR&LH_ItemCondition=3000%7C2500 Not a bad truck at all, but the bid is likely to go right on up. I think it is way too early to be thinking about buying, although I just mentioned the idea to the love of my life and she said "How many old trucks do you want?" To which I said "Maybe a Bronco." And the "Oh" I got back could be taken as "That makes some sense because Bret wants one." (It could also be taken as "If you want another hole in your head I'll oblige." But I like my translation better and won't ask what she meant.)

Gregg - I twigged about the surname pretty quickly after you said you lived in Scotland. But that wasn't why you were there. Cool that you were able to support your daughter as she went to school. While neither of us play golf, have you seen Tommy's Honour? I liked it, and it might show some scenes that are familiar to you, though I don't know where it was filmed. Anyway, we are here to help, whether you know a little or a lot. We are in it together.

You are now on the map.

Translation: Flareside Owners Group = FOG.

Yes, it is a strange weather pattern we are in. We just had a big thunder storm, so the loblolly in the low spot of the yard is getting bigger rather than smaller. Not sure I can mow there this year. Anyway, the fact that the compressor came in and spun is a good test. Now, if you get warm weather, you should be able to knock it out.

Hello, Frank! Glad you joined. What part of SD? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I'd be happy to add you if I had a city. Nice truck. Too bad it isn't moving. Is the carb the main issue? Hope you will start a thread in the main section so we can track your progress.

There's definitely plenty of sweat equity needed for sure. But there's still so many things I need to purchase as well to do other things (sound deadening for the firewall, firewall brace, etc.) and it adds up quickly, hence why I'm erring on the side of caution. I have money in savings and four weeks worth of PTO, but I'm not a risk taker and have always been on the frugal side anyway. The half-finished projects I've seen over the years haven't been a good starting point for whatever I'd want. And the "finished" ones haven't been done to my satisfaction - like the Bronco the guy wanted $10k for but with the tires he had on it the 3.50's needed to be changed so it would get out of its own way. So you had to spend another $1k to re-gear or re-tire. I have too many projects as it is. But you young'uns might be able to pick up something that you can work on when times get good again. Keep your eyes open.

It was a generic thought, not for me specifically. No, I do NOT need another project. (Now, if I find a finished Bronco....)

That cap may be bent. And you do not need a tool to take it off or put it on. Just gloves and/or shop towels to protect your hands - you press down HARD and turn it to lock/unlock it. I could probably take the one on my tranny off and get a pic of it tomorrow if you need it. And you've got the PCV system figured out. Air goes in via the filter on the side of the air cleaner, through the hose to the oil filler cap, down through the crankcase, up to the PCV valve, and then into the base of the carb to be burned. The only aftermarket throttle cable I've heard of is Lokar. Can you post a pic? I'm curious what the issue is.

Yep, my F350 is about to shutter down after the parts I already have on order come in because I can't see and can't predict the future of the economy. I think my job is probably safe, but being sent home early each day to save payroll may be a possibility. We find out tomorrow. You broke your NEW windshield???? As for the job, here's hoping it'll be secure. But I can understand stopping projects for a bit. Having said that, there might be opportunities in the future to buy ones that others need out of. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it may well.

I didn't get to that connector today. After adding the 1980 owner's guide to the site I added the headlight wires to the PDB, which let me put the bottom plate on it and mount it to the fender. Then I grouped the wires, removed the vacuum reservoir and routed the wires around it, etc. I haven't put the final tape wraps nor convolute on, but wanted to position everything before doing that. So, this happened: It isn't really mounted, but is in place so I can figure out where to run the wires. And here's how I ran them today - above the battery tray using the factory tie points. But I don't like that so will probably run the wires below the battery tray as there's a nice opening below the tray where the fender liner curves down.

I understand, completely. The engine was in the air but wouldn't go into the truck, so I had to change the connection to it, but it wouldn't go back on the engine stand, so I did some really shade-tree engineering and bolted the head of the stand to the engine and then used the arc of the shop crane to get as close as possible and ran an all-thread through the head and stand and sucked them together. Oh, and I missed that I had to raise the shop crane on 2x4's to get the legs of the engine stand under the shop crane's legs. Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg would have been proud.

Kind of like new wine in old wineskins? Or, a new patch on old clothes? Good analogy.

Well, thanks again to Shaun as we have the 1980 Owner's Guide on the site now. (Yes, they are accurately entitled: 1980 Owner's Guide vs 1986 Owner Guide. Why isn't the later one possessive? Looks like the change was 'twixt 1981, which is possessive, and 1985, which isn't. ) Anyway, it is on the site and in the Literature list. Tomorrow it may be 1981's, possessive, turn. Another note: The 1980 Owner's Guide is landscape, which works out very nicely for showing online, while the change to portrait was for 1981.

You are now on the map. As for Scotland, we were headed there this autumn. Have the money down and have the itinerary all mapped out. But, I very much doubt that will happen this year given what is transpiring. We were taking friends that have never been to the UK and we were/are the tour guides as we lived near London a couple of years - back when these trucks were almost new. The plan is to fly into Edinburgh, and after a few days drive up to Inverness. Then after a few days of seeing the sites around there drive down through the Lake District, Liverpool, the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Windsor, and into London. You'll find several ex-pats on here from the UK, and some that still live there, although none in Scotland that I remember.