Gary Lewis

I think you two have suggested a good approach - a stouter tranny with the existing rear gears. You should easily be able to do such a tranny for the price of new gears, and to tow very much the tranny will need to be changed anyway. Then, if the rear gears don't cut after trying the combo out, it change them as well. But if it was me, I think I'd look for a ZF5. I say that because, using the calculator and assuming 235/75-15 tires, the engine will be turning ~1800 RPM at 65 in 5th with the 3.08's. That's just about right to get good MPG when not towing. And when towing it would be turning ~2300 RPM in 4th, which is also about right.

Welcome! Sounds like the kinds of issues I had with my D60 reverse shackle kit. But, with lots of perseverance it looks like the corner has been turned on it, so hopefully you'll find that corner soon. Where's home? We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I'd be happy to add you. And, you'll want to start a thread in the main section to work through/chronicle the issues on your truck. Along with lots of pics. Also, you should create a signature that includes details about your truck. Details on how to do that are on the Signatures tab here: Bullnose Forum/FAQ's.

Gary, How does the ZF5 shifting compare to a T-18 or NP-435? Those are the two reasonable truck transmissions I have experience with. They don't shift like car transmissions, but I never found them too bad (other than not going into the non-synchro 1st until you stop). But the absolute worst transmission I've ever had the displeasure to drive was the ZF-6 in my '08 F-250. Several times in the less than one year I owned that truck I had to coast to a stop on the side of a highway because I couldn't get it into any gear while I was moving. And it wasn't just me. Everyone who drove that truck said it was the worst shifting trans they'd experienced. The only "good" thing about it was that it was so bad that after being at the dealer for over 30 days of attempting to fix it Ford bought the truck back from me on a lemon-law claim (I didn't like a lot of things about the truck, so I was happy to be able to upgrade to an older truck without losing my shirt on resale of a truck I had bought new). I want to go back to a manual trans sometime, and I'm wondering if the ZF-5 is enough better than the ZF-6 to consider. But my front-runner right now is an NV-4500. But back to HBF84, while swapping in an older heavy-duty 4 speed does mean you'll lose overdrive, that's not necessarily a bad thing for you. I don't know what your current overdrive ratio is, but if it's 0.7:1 (which is fairly typical), that's a lot like changing your 3.08 axle gears to 4.4. So just changing the trans might be all you need to do. Bob - The three manuals I've owned and driven in these trucks, the NP435, T-19, & ZF5, have all driven pretty much the same - like truck transmissions. By that I mean they don't want to be hurried in the shifting. And, bear in mind that all three were well worn. But I have a newly-rebuilt ZF5 about to go into Big Blue, so should have that experience to tell some time this year. The only issue I thought I had with the ZF5 was bad synchros. The 3rd gear ones were worn so you had to be really slow with it. But that's the case with Big Blue's old T-19 as well. Also, with the ZF5 it would some times not go into reverse until you moved the truck. But that turned out to be a broken gear. Otherwise the ZF5 was fine, albeit a bit noisier than the other two.

Christian - That should fit fine. It is for the 8' bed, and Ford didn't change the dimensions on those for many years ahead of nor behind the 1980's. Did your guy get the tailgate straightened? And did you get the wheelwell moulding from ebay?

Rob - Welcome!!! Nice truck. Hope you'll start a thread in the main section to track your progress on it. And, ask questions. And tell us your plans. We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I'd be happy to put you on it with your permission. Ireland! We were there about 4 years ago: Dublin; Avoca; Cork; Dingle; Adare; Dromoland; Bru na Boinne; etc. Loved it. Felt quite familiar having lived just out of London for a while. But, much more green. So, someone else that may understand "I have a cunning plan." Or Assumpta Fitzgerald. How 'bout Geraldine Granger/Kennedy? Basil? Our Rose/Onslow? And I could go on, like Captain Peacock, Jacko the house painter, Dogsbody (who originally came up with the cunning plan?), etc. And more recently there's nobody left alive in Midsomer. And Shakespeare and Hathaway have been resurrected and are solving crimes? Yes, I've mis-spent a large part of my 72 years on the Beeb. And I'm assuming you got it in Ireland, although I confess I didn't watch while we were there. Welcome!

So my '97 service manual has the same text and same picture (that shows how to connect the hydraulic hose ). But not the same torque specs. Mine says 16-30 lb-ft.But it does still say the slide pins go through the caliper and spindle. But they don't. In fact a couple pages earlier it says the caliper assembly is bolted to an anchor bracket which is bolted to the front wheel spindle. But there's no way the anchor bracket could be bolted to the spindle either. It's actually bolted to the knuckle (and the axle section of the service manual agrees with my nomenclature. The only thing I can figure is that maybe the 2WD knuckle and spindle are one part (they aren't on a 4WD) and they are sloppy with the nomenclature in the brake section (and have no pictures to clarify).And it's the anchor bracket to knuckle bolts that I needed the 3' bar on. They are to be torqued to 141 - 190 lb-ft!I did scan the three pages of the service manual that talk about this. They're .pdfs so I'll try to attach them here.Scan0001.pdfScan0002.pdfScan0003.pdfIt is good to know that they fixed the "85-100 lb-ft" spec in later years. But, as it turns out, there were two mistakes in the '95 FSM. It says the brake hose block is supposed to be tightened to 10 - 15 lb-ft, and I tightened it to 15 but it didn't feel tight. Yours says 22-30 lb-ft, so I need to go back and tighten them up. Anyway, I ran my pdf program against your scans, optimizing/straightenin/OCR'ing them and then merged them into one file. Here 'tis so we can easily get back to it: (Thanks!)

Not a thread but a page: Documentation/Driveline/Calculators. It should let you figure out what RPM you'll be turning with any transmission, tire size, and rear gear combination. But let's talk about transmissions. None of the 4-speed OD transmissions were very heavy duty. So if you want to tow very much you should consider changing out the transmission as that will be your weak link. Unfortunately the Bullnose era was when the manufacturers were just seeing that they needed OD transmissions. And they started introducing them in the light-duty trucks, only. Then later in the decade the heavy-duty trucks started to get them. So, if you want to tow heavy loads you should consider a heavier duty transmission. But the ones that come out on these trucks, like the T-18/19 and the NP-435, do not have an overdrive so you'll hurt your MPG. But the ZF5 from a later truck can allow you to tow heavy loads and it has an overdrive. However, it is a truck transmission and it needs to be shifted S.L.O.W.L.Y. You have a lot to think about.

Good pics! I like the truck. And if I had a '68 Cobra CB unit I'd trade even up.

I agree. A rust converter will bond VERY tightly to the rust, but not quite as well to bare metal. So some people prefer to use the rust converter on rusty metal, although you have to have the loose stuff off in order to do that. Others have said they leave their clean metal out in the elements to surface rust and then paint it on that. But the way POR recommends is to use a phosphate etching material and then hit it with their rust converter. The phosphate etches the metal to provide a texture into which the paint can settle an to which it can grip. I've done that, but I've also used POR-15 on freshly media-blasted parts and it has adhered extremely well. Also, many rust converters are not UV stable and they turn white over time if they get hit with UV. So it is recommended that you top-coat them to protect them. POR sells a top coat for use on their rust converter. I've had good luck with it, but find it VERY difficult to tell where I've painted the top coat on if the POR-15 is black. So I do one of two things now: Use the POR silver rust converter so I can tell where I've painted the Chassis Black top coat Spray a good quality Chassis Black top coat with a rattle can Either of those has to be done will the rust converter is tacky, and spraying is MUCH faster, so that's my preferred way now. I can't say that it is as durable as the POR top coat since I've not been doing it that long, but it sure seems to work.

Yes, the price was decent. And it would work. Here's a shot of the Rosewood pad on the left and the 1985/6 Burledwood on the right:

Should fit just fine: 87/88/F150/350 (Regular Cab) E7TZ 16450-D Kit-bright-includes instruction shee

Summit had a deal on both front leaf packs for $220 shipped. The junkyard wanted $150 for OEM leaf packs, so the choice was pretty simple for me. Tomorrow they'll be here, and then we'll see where mine sits. I'm thinking it's gonna be up there for sure. That price makes it a no-brainer. It will be interesting to see how high yours is w/o an engine. Ours are pretty much in the same condition, so....

You forgot the proclivity for 80-page microanalyses.

I remember work getting the best of me. Hope when you do get to check it out it drives well.

That's a great truck! And for a good price. Someone needs to snap it up.

That's a really nice truck. But, I'm not high on the seats and the design(s) behind the seats.

Yes, I'd think that the horn pad would be a fairly easy thin to hydrodip. But then, I've never done it on anything, so what do I know.

Glad it is helping so much. We have a really good team here, and it makes it fun.

Jim - You are right. I had it backwards. Shaun - It is supposed to be 56 on Sunday, so maybe I can get the engine in soon.

Hey now!! I think he was quoting a famous person. Anyway, going to be watching for a warm day when I can roll the truck back a bit so I can get the shop crane in front of it easily and then put the engine in. That'll free up a lot of room in front of the truck where the engine currently sits, allowing me to roll it forward enough to get the doors ahead of the lift. That way I can have easier access to work on installing the firewall brace and find the jumper that is bypassing the clutch switch. Then I can install the pedals, hydroboost, and master.

It is called SPRING (TRANSMISSION GEARSHIFT LEVER SPRING). But I can't find it in the illustration section of the MPC either. Don't know what to say.

Thanks, David. It sure feels GOOD! I worked on the pedal assembly this afternoon. First, I tested the clutch switch and it is bad, so jumpered the starter circuit somewhere and I have to find it. Next, here's the hydroboost pedal on the right and the stock F250 pedal on the left. Notice that the hydroboost pedal's pin where the linkage to the booster goes is higher, meaning that there's less leverage. That's needed to get the right "feel" in the brake system I'm told. And here are the pedals back together. The bushings looked new so I reused them. But, there's a bit of a problem - the stop that is supposed to open the vacuum dump valve to kill the speed control misses the stem because it fits over the pin, which is higher on the pedal. So tomorrow I'll see if I can bend the arm that the valve sits on to cause it to hit the stop. And, I'll look a bit more for the clutch switch that you, David, got me. It is here somewhere.

Kinda doubt it meant in-lb as 100 in-lb is only 8 1/2 ft-lb. And the 22 - 26 is probably right. Anyway, this happened today. (Note that the lift's pad is not touching.) The top of the front wheel opening is 43" from the floor, and the back is 41". Wonder how much the front will drop with an engine, batteries, winch and bumper, etc? Surely well over 2", so I won't have to lift the back in order to have the front lower than the back. And here's the status of THE LIST:

I agree with David on everything he said, inc the bit about the Motorcraft dizzy. But if you decide to go with a one-wire unit, which includes the HEI, see the Ignition Simplification tab here: Documentation/Electrical/Ignition.

Good! Those things are invaluable.