Gary Lewis

Bummer on the chip! But it is a question of when not if. On the grounds, the Flaresides only grounded at the socket while Stylesides and others went back to the ground in the cab, as shown in this page from the '85 EVTM:

Jim - They are here: Documentation/Underhood/Vacuum Systems/460. But to make it easier, here they are:

I've not run them, but I did check Tire Rack and they are highly rated. The only issue I can see is that your speedo will probably be about 10% slow. But you can correct that by changing out the speedo gear on the transmission end of the speedometer cable. That's really very easily done.

What's the difference? Looks like the two ports are on different, and dual, planes to me.

I can't tell you all the differences between DS-I and DS-II, but the II came out in about 1976, although it varied a bit by vehicle. At the same time Ford introduced the larger distributor cap because the higher voltage of DS-II systems tended to jump across the smaller caps to the wrong cylinder. And the module you want will have a blue grommet. There are actually several DS-II modules, with grommet colors of black, red, yellow, green, brown, and white in addition to blue. Plus, it goes on the driver's fender well/apron. As for the fuel system, it may be possible to have the exhaust heat cause problems. But what I would have thought for SURE would cause problems on Big Blue didn't. The guy we call Florida Man () had the supply and return lines less than 1" from the driver's side header and it doesn't seem to have caused problems. But it sure scared me, so I moved the lines and put a heat shield on them to make sure.

Chris - What are you trying to say? I'm somewhat aware of the difference between pages and posts. As I'm sure you are aware, we have no posts on the documentation portion of the website, and over 550 pages. Anyway, what are you wanting me to see? All - Time for an update. Chris/ckuske found a statement that suggests that we might be able to upload an export of a Weebly site to Wordpress. As it turns out, the way you "backup" a Weebly site is to export it and save the file. After the most recent addition to the site, which was a week ago today, I exported the site and then downloaded the file. Chris is going to try to import that file into Wordpress soon, and we'll find out if that works. But, to give you a bit of background, that file is 1.7Gb in size and takes between 3 and 4 hours to download. However, of my three Windows machines the only one that is able to download it is this Microsoft Surface tablet. The other two always have "network failures" part way through the download, and while you can "resume" the download you never get done. In fact, on this tablet if you download or upload anything else while downloading the export then you'll get a network failure. So that means that backing up the site is a real bear. In addition there's no way to automate the backup that I can find. All of that adds fuel to my fire of moving us to Wordpress where there are lots of plugins that will automatically backup the site.

I've never heard of having brake failure due to a wider tire. So I don't see a problem brake-wise by going with the wider tire. However, I have seen steering/tracking problems when using too wide of a tire on your original rim. Most of these trucks came with a 5.5" wide rim which is usually said to be 6" wide. And if you put too wide of a tire on it the tire won't flatten out the way it should at the correct pressure. In other words, you'll be running on just the center section of the tire if that's the case. I don't think a 3.8% wider tire will cause a problem, but I would go to Tire Rack, find the tire you are thinking of, and look at the width of rim on which it is to be mounted.

Why a divorced t-case?

I'm reminded of the response we used to give when someone asked for a radio check: "I've got mine."

Chance - Welcome to the forum! As said on FB, I don't know the answer to your question, so I'll use this post to suggest some things. First, make sure you go to the New Members Start Here folder, as requested in the email I sent you, and at least read the guidelines if not post in there to introduce yourself. Second, over time we'll forget what truck you have unless you put the details in a signature. So either we won't answer your questions 'cause we don't want to go back and try to find out, or we will give you a bad answer because we assumed it was another truck. So a signature is highly recommended. Last, we have a member's map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu), and I'd be happy to add you if you'll give me the town in which you live. Who knows, you may be in the same town as one of us and we can help each other.

Thank you, David.

I saw the post with the picture, but don't remember getting a picture via email. If I did I missed it and I apologize. However, I don't have any of those hub caps. I'm assuming that others will see your post and let you know if they have extras. Or maybe David will find them via his searches.

Yes, it can be kept operating. But it isn't easy. You have to find a truck with a non-computerized control system for the smog pump and move that over. I don't know which of the 300's had that, but the 351HO and the 460's had no computer but did have a smog pump. And they had a DS-II ignition.

No, panel bonding is not Bondo. Panel bonding is using a really, REALLY strong adhesive to bond a replacement panel to the original. Bondo is used to fill holes or low spots. When used to fill holes it is just a matter of time before the hole shows up again, meaning it is a temporary fix. However, it can be used to fill low spots in the body.

I have wondered about this as my air pump is gone, the hoses blocked. With 213K miles, the truck still has the original catalytic converters. I wonder what condition the converters are in? I remind myself, though, that the engine runs quite well and returns decent fuel mileage. You'll know when the cat is plugged. There's a college student at church whose 90's T-Bird started running very, VERY poorly. Like, it wouldn't get up to highway speed. They took it to a shop who pulled the exhaust pipe out of the cat to prove a theory, and sure enough it ran great, albeit somewhat loudly. Back in the 80's, if I remember correctly, Ford used a honeycomb cat element and GM used pellets. The honeycomb was known to either get so hot it would melt and plug or gradually quit working and plug from the un-burned soot. But GM didn't have that problem.

Dave - The diverter valve, aka air control valve, determines where the air from the AIR/smog pump goes. If I remember correctly, the 300 six has a little manifold connected to the exhaust so the air can be injected there as well as into the exhaust upstream of the catalytic converter. And the valve determines when and where it goes. If you are eliminating the pump then you can eliminate the little manifold and the hoses to it and to the exhaust. But you'll have to plug where the manifold was if you pull it, or just leave it and crimp over the tubing going into it. Ditto the one going to the exhaust. And, as background, the Air Injection Reaction (AIR/smog) pump gives extra air to the exhaust stream coming out of the engine so any un-burned hydrocarbons will burn. And it gives extra air to the catalytic converter to help it do its job.

I have one bung only on the RH exhaust bank, just down a bit from the shorty header. I asked them to install this when I had the dual exhaust installed, but I didn't give them any instructions other than I needed a bung for later. Hopefully it does the trick for some basic testing? I need to start another thread on tuning as I'm having some issues and I'm starting to get confident that they're fuel related. Anyway, I picked up an O2 sensor thread chaser this morning and a new plug since the old one was very hard coming out a ruined the threads (on the plug, not in the bung hopefully). I think that spot will be good. If I remember correctly they say the sensor should be 18" from the nearest cylinder, and you should be about there - right?

I like it, except for three things: $2855!?!?!? Granted it should ride better, in theory, than a D60 with SD springs, but that combo will come in closer to $2k. And, it is a bit stronger. No bushings: The Sky kit is available with Heim joints, and when I asked Erik about that he said it is "For those who just have to have them". But, he went on to say that the ride will suffer and there will be more vibration. So he didn't recommend them. And this kit has no bushings at all that I can see, as opposed to the bushings in the spring eyes and shackles that the D60 Sky kit has. D50: Do they also have it for a D44HD? My limited understanding is that the D50 was in the Supercabs and Crewcabs above 8500 GVWR, or in a regular cab over an even higher GVWR. But the vast majority of the F250's I've seen have had the D44HD. I've come to the conclusion that if I were in the market for a 4wd F250 I'd buy an '85 or '86 F350 instead.

Yes, it sounds like it needs to be open just a bit more. Usually turning it a mark on the housing is about right to dial one in if it is close.

The way I read the instructions the 1/8" measurement is for the choke unloader, which is when you open the throttle fully. But I can't find a definitive measurement for the cold choke setting. However, I did find a very informative thread on the topic by our very own David/1986F150Six. In it he appears to say that for his truck backing off the setting by two notches from fully closed worked. However, what we don't know is how far "closed" the choke housing was. In other words, he said there was strong spring pressure holding the choke closed, so had the housing actually been rotated a notch or two past where the choke plate first fully closed? But he did say that the choke plate opened "very slightly". So I'd adjust the choke so that the plate was open 1/32" or something like that and try it. And, bear in mind that each engine/carb combo is slightly different, so the "book" setting is just a good starting point. You tune from there.

Ok, so I just ordered this same AEM O2 sensor/gauge kit. The cheaper kit of the bunch should be fine for what I'm doing. If I can't get this carb tuned the way I want it the truck will be getting an EFI swap pronto!! I need to start another thread on carb/AFR tuning.... Cool! Do you have bungs in your exhaust?

Me? Scope creep? Where would I be without it? Done maybe?

Those things are HEAVY! Glad he has a way to hoist it.

Cool! But how big is the guy that's gonna pick it up? Please give us a report when he gets it installed on how well it brakes and how he likes the 3.73 gears.

I think I'd try the DS-II box. They work quite well, and it sure does act like a heat-related issue.