Gary Lewis

Excellent! My nephew and I are anxious to see how it works. I recently almost purchased a Fluke for more than twice that price, and it doesn't do as much as that thing does. Please let us know how it goes.

Well, that's strange! If your voltage is showing mid-14's then the alternator and regulator are working properly. With the lights in the dash going out I'm going to guess that you don't have voltage to the ignition switch and, therefore, it can't pull the starter relay in. Why is why it won't start. But if the lights come back on by themselves it seems like something is getting hot and losing connectivity. Then cooling and connecting again. I don't remember having a bad connection like that, but that is my guess - a bad connection at the battery or starter relay. Check your connections there, including the grounds.

In Arkansas.

He hasn't, but is still thinking of it. Maybe you should be the tester for us?

This Fluke does: https://www.fluke.com/en-us/product/electrical-testing/digital-multimeters/fluke-289. But at $650..... But, the Pokitmeter has intrigued me: https://pokitmeter.com/. At $89 it sure looks good. My nephew put me onto it. Let me see if he bought one......

I think it is the original kick panel that's badly faded. But you are right, the new kick panel is not the right color - in spite of the seller telling me he was shipping me a matched set. I think I'll wind up using SEM on the new panels as they aren't faded and crumbly like the old panels. I think the rear corners and badly faded as well, so might as well spruce them up at the same time.

Ok, I got several things in today: the kick panels and vents; the voltage regulator for the ICVR; and the HiPo blue LED's. But let's talk about the kick panels. First, here's a pic of the original left kick panel from Big Blue, the "new" left kick panel, and the vent. Note that the colors of the original kick panel and the vents are the same, but the "new" kick panels aren't. I may paint the new ones or maybe cut the old ones. See below..... Here's the back side of the left kick panels. They look the same save for the one is cut down, right? They have the same #'s on them save for the old one having BWA after the # and it says CAV#2 while the "new" one says CAV#1. Note the line that's in the original kick panel. That's exactly where you'd cut it to make it the same as the new one. So, in reality you wouldn't have to buy new kick panels. Just the vents.

You might want to look at the factory shop manual section on that page to insure a 208 has the snap ring he's talking about. On the BW1345 I just rebuilt you can't get to any snap rings w/o taking the whole transfer case apart.

Rob - First, you shouldn't have an NP205. Instead, it should be an NP208. The 205 wasn't used in these trucks, as shown here: Documentation/Driveline/Transfer Cases and on the Applications tab. Second, there are factory shop manual instructions on the transfer cases on that page as well, and they include diagnosis and testing which might help. Last, I asked if you've tried 4hi on the transfer case to see if it makes the noise, but you've not answered that question. I ask because the nylon shift forks are known to wear out on the t-cases and then they don't shift into the gears properly. If yours are worn you may not be all the way into 2hi or 4hi and could cause that noise. So check out the different positions on the t-case lever and see if that makes a difference.

Sam - I moved this comment here, where it belongs, and will then move your response after it. ETM - Good idea! I hadn't thought of that. Do you have a recommended app? I looked and there are several.

Plate (front fender & tailgate) "Bronco" (1980/81) EOTZ 16098-J R.H. and L.H

Correct for '82 - 86.

Not for our trucks: 83/86 R — gas engines E3TZ 9189-A #E27B 9F271-BA,BB-contains (3) ports

E3TZ 9189—C #E3TB 9F271-AA - contains (6) ports 83/86 E-F250/350 - - 8 cyl. diesel 83/85 E—F250/350 - - 8 cyl. 460-gas-w/electric in tank fuel pump

84/86 F-U150/350 - - M/T 6&8 All E4TZ 11A152-B SW-1909-located on clutch pedal

Good info, Shaun! Even I understood that.

As for what I did today, I replaced the old battery tray, shown on the bottom, with the new one shown on the top. However, it wasn't quite as easy as it sounds since the old bolts holding the old battery tray in refused to come out and had to be cut out. Note that this is the later style bracket that uses clamps or wedges at the bottom to hold the battery in. Maybe tomorrow I can add the battery and show you how it goes in, but this approach is far superior in my estimation than the Bullnose approach. And I used these fasteners, with the the large washer placed on the back side of the fender to spread the load: I put it in as level as I could: And it has enough clearance to the relay to give me reasonable comfort - especially since I may change it out.

A heartfelt second to that statement. Your generosity with your time and effort to help others is genuinely amazing. Jonathan - If you need the '96 EVTM then let me know. But I hope things work when you get a battery in it. As for my efforts, guys, I just like helping. But it is WE or US that do the work around here. I just set up the environment, but you do the bulk of the helping.

Jonathan - I'll have to look for some of those grab handles, although I should ask Janey first. As for the wiring, I have a '96 EVTM. Might it help? If so, what sections do you need? I'll scan them in and create a page for them.

Correct for a Dana 28 front axle, which was used on the smaller trucks, not the F or U-series trucks.

David - Mad Magazine pointed out that Teddy Roosevelt loved ice cream, but couldn't sneak it past the guards in the White House, so he had his niece get it for him, and here is the full quote of what he actually said to her: "Speak softly and carry a big sticky, gooey, delicious ice cream sundae back to me here in the Oval Office!!" Jonathan - That's a much better looking grab handle than the ones that look like they were intended for bathrooms. I have one of those that was on the dash of Dad's truck. So, that one's from a medium duty truck? Hmmm, that's a possibility. I'll have to see how high Big Blue sits when done, but I have a feeling Janey would love grab handles like that.

I've already pulled myself both into the cab with the steering wheel as well as off the floor - many times. And each time I did it I thought "I used to tell myself NO when I started to do this, but I sure am glad I don't have to do that now." So I'm glad I went with the non-tilting column. As for "needing" to use the larger patch, I didn't/don't think I needed to. But, I had the larger patch so it was more "why not". I agree it is overkill. But so is a 12K winch, 3000 watts of AC, and ~360 HP. So the patch fits right in.

The filters make the camera "see" pretty much what our eyes see, which is obviously why they are there. But every camera is different. I have three Nikons, from the 990 sold in 2000, to the Coolpix S9700 of 2014 that I've been using, to the D7500 that is fairly recent. But the S9700 seems to capture pretty much what I'm seeing. However, when I test the fluorescent paint I'll watch that more closely and see if I can tell a difference.

As one who just did that, I think I'm qualified to reply. I'm going with a heavy duty clutch in Big Blue, so knew the pressure on the firewall would be going up. Not knowing if the little brace, which hadn't been properly installed, would handle it I went with the larger brace. In addition, Big Blue will be lifted as well as used off-road. The lift means the steering column is going to get used to pull one's self in. And the off-road bit means the firewall may be under additional and different stress than before. So the large brace seemed prudent. But, I will agree that it is a pain to install. And one of the biggest problems was getting the cowl off so I could put the backing plate in. But I got it off and the brace in, and I'm happy that I did it.

I would think a lot of the industry there is connected to the oil patch. The Conoco shuttle used to fly from Ponca City to Billings a few times a week. I've been on it quite a few times, and some times the pilots would let the plane drop after clearing the mesa. It was cool.