Gary Lewis

Well done, Jim! Good writeup on the wiper linkage, motor, bushings, etc. And, obviously you did a good job on the timing cover and front main. No leaks. I'm sure looking forward to that on Big Blue. Also, you are right, it was Matthew not Cory that had the driveshaft fall out under his truck.

So, did the original seller hold it and finally sell it at Mecum's auction? Did someone buy it and flip it? Anyone know?

Yes. I thought the flat piece was aftermarket. But it is in a Ford box?

Do you use Crump or Springfield? Another powder coating guy I know was talking about doing a kids fenders and the other body panels down the road. He said they looked really slick. I didn't go into any details on it with him so maybe I am missing something but personally I would leave the body panels in paint. What would you do if you get a chip or scratch in the coating? Getting all the seam sealer out of the cab nooks and crannies and the coating inside the door panels may be a trick not to mention having to make sure you reapply it everywhere after. If you do go with it, I'd love to hear how it goes and drive by to check it out. Amen! The prep for powder, as you know, is painstaking. EVERYTHING has to be off. That would be a chore. And then there's the inevitable scratch or chip. Not something I want to do.

I was confused. I thought "flat" was the straps and "round" was the cable. Anyway, I don't know. What is the part number on the box in the pic? E3TZ 99431B54-B? There was obviously an E0TZ part, but it got replaced by the E3.

Check out the Tailgate tab here: Exterior/Beds, Tailgates, & Components. And especially the Changing Tailgates tab. The reason you see more of one kind that another is that there were more trucks made with one than the other. Three years, 1980-82, had one style and four years, 1983-86, had the other - the E3TZ part.

Scott - I'm not familiar with those. What part are they from this drawing? Or, is it basically the thing shown on the actuator shown here?

Ok, I see how it mounts. Thanks. As for the bumperettes, they are officially "GUARD AND PAD ASSY. (FRONT BUMPER)". But, that's not the easiest to remember.

Dave - That's a landmark with it running off its own gas tank. Congrat's! But those leaks are a serious problem. You have replaced all of the hoses, right? I didn't and had a leak that caused the truck to stall after several miles on each run. On the radio, I assume you have the wiring diagram, but just in case: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/radios.html. As for the hitch, was it yours or Ray's that was hanging so low?

Does it bolt on in place of the bumperettes using the bumper's bolts?

I think the originals had grease fittings, but I really don't know for sure. But if everything looks good I see no reason to replace them. Just make sure you make sure that grease flows from all four bearings of each joint. And if one doesn't flow then you'll want to pull it apart to find out why.

White Knite - How much toe-in are you running? When the dust settles on the D60 install I'll need to set ball park alignment so want to know roughly where to start. Cory - You just found it? Or did it sort happen after pulling 4 nuts off? I've learned to take those off with the truck on the ground as the way the rear suspension moves forward when you lift it up makes getting it off very difficult, if not impossible. But on the ground it has been quite easy.

This thread is to document the installation of Sky's Offroad Design's 85-91 Ford F-350 4x4 2" Front Shackle Reversal (Superduty Spring) kit on Big Blue. This is being done separately from the Big Blue's Transformation thread in an effort to keep things focused. That's because Erik at Sky has asked me to work with him on any issues that might arise in the installation as this is a new kit. He's installed it himself but wants feedback from people who haven't been close to its development. So this thread is specific to this kit. Having said that, I am also going to install Sky's 85-97 Ford F-350 4x4 Adjustable Panhard Trac Bar, so this thread will include that as well. And, Erik wants pictures and measurements. So I've taken a few of both and include them here, but will be adding to them if he wants different measurements or pics. Here's an embedded spreadsheet with the measurements, which I'll update as the project goes on and those measurements will automagically appear here. And, for my reference, the file is "D60 Installation" and it is in Big Blue's Suspension folder. Here's a pic of the left front. Note the dark spot on the fender liner. That appears to be where the tire hits at full left lock, although the right fender liner doesn't have any marks so it isn't being hit on turns. Apparently a 32.9" tire is about the max that can/should be crammed in these wheelwells with the stock suspension.

Rick - Good point. And since that page and those pics will go away, here are a couple of snags:

That's a good trip, Jochen. All of it pretty much on level ground? What kind of speeds did you drive?

As Steve said, you need the other components. There were actually 3 different dealer-installed speed control systems. I don't know which one you have, but I'm sure it isn't the first one since this is a pic of that one: But here's a pic from the '86 Accessories catalog, and this one looks like yours: And here are the part number listings. You can see that the first two systems were from Dana, and the third one from Specific Cruise Systems. I think that's what you have.

Yeah.

Jochen - It isn't far to the frontier, but where in the Netherlands is he going? And what is he going to study? Anyway, glad the truck is doing so well. Very good to see the Ford trucks being appreciated elsewhere.

Cory - That's a lot of work for a weekend. Wow, I'm impressed! As for the show, I sure hope you do make it, and soon! Over time the crew from here is going to edge out the "others". It'll be our "reunion", although each year we'll have new family members we've never met before. Looks like both you and Shaun might be aiming for 2020.

That's a nice truck as well. But, it is an oddity - an Explorer with a rubber mat rather than carpet. However, the '85 Explorer brochure does say that Package A trucks got "Color keyed floor mat with insulation" while Package B trucks got "Color keyed carpeting". I'd never noticed that. And I've never seen an Explorer with a rubber mat.

Wow, that IS a nice truck. Good to see actual bidding going on up. That truck is Big Blue's brother. But, it is in better shape than BB. It is now on my "research" list. Again, we need a historian!

Cory - I don't know anything about the 8.8. Don't have anything on the website re their specs, and haven't worked on them. Sorry. As for organization, I have dividers for the pliers and little holders for the end wrenches and sockets. But I'm not going to tout my organization. Cory - The sign by the thermostat behind your tool box. I thought it was going to say 'And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"'. Guess not. What's the story on it?

Jochen - That is a really cool sight! A Ford truck taking a Ford truck to the body shop - in Germany! Your truck looks great. And, it appears to be running and driving well. What year is your buddy's truck? A '72?

That is a really nice truck! Here are things I noted: Air horn: May be the Ford accessory, but I can't tell Forged I-beams The little power steering cooler And that bed is really clean! But you are right about the bezels - they pop. I like that.

Yes, they are! You got lucky.