Gary Lewis

They are reasonably priced, but as you pointed out in the title of the thread, they aren't for a 1983. They are burled wood and are, therefore, 1985/6.

That is both unusual and pretty! But few need/want it.

Part # on the first set is D7TZ 1130-A and they were used through the whole of the Bullnose era. Part # on the top two in the second set is also D7TZ 1130-A, but the bottom pair with the holes for the lock-outs is D7TZ 1130-B and they were also used through the Bullnose era.

E3TZ 7A564-A 83-89 F250/450 or 89 F53/59 — stripped chassis with a 6.9, 7.3, 7.5L and a ZF5

This is for an E-Series van. An F or U-Series would have E2TZ 7228-C.

I don't know if he is doing them or having them done. Perhaps he can tell us?

Wow! You are really making progress. And, it surely looks factory. Well done! What alternator are you going with?

I think you meant to insert the pic below. And, by the way, I put the URL in the line that starts HTTP, but that URL has characters after the .jpg, and this forum won't accept that. So I just cleared out those characters and it worked. Anyway, I've frequently run a filter ahead of the fuel pump as well as ahead of the carb. But I've used the small see-through filters from the parts stores and they've worked fine. So I don't know that you need anything as serious as that Mecury filter - which I think I have on my boat as well.

Big Blue currently gets 11+ on the highway, but he only has the T19 with 1:1 top gear, as opposed to the .71:1 of your E4OD. So where you are turning ~1800 RPM @ 65 MPH I'm turning 2500. And I'm hoping, like you, that with the ZF5, EFI, and a better engine Big Blue will get about 14 MPG. If so, we will have some of the most efficient 460's around.

Pricey. But pretty.

Excellent job on the Zombie. But, you can't pass the turbo'd IDI up!!!!

Dave - My worry about the repair product is that much of the vinyl on our dashes has been damaged by the UV from the sun. So just fixing what's cracked now may not be the end of the cracking. Anyway, glad you got the texture and can't wait to see how it works.

Rob! So glad you joined us! Yes, I've been over here about 2 years. We aren't big, but we are a friendly group and the others have a lot of knowledge. And you make our 470th member. So, Eddy Myrtle has been languishing for 3 years? Even Dad's truck has made progress in that time. Seriously though, I hope you get started on your thread soon. Can't wait for the progress report, and we will provide lots of encouragement.

Thanks, David.

Steve - I appreciate your suggestion. But at this stage of my life I'm wanting to make it "right" as I do it rather than potentially come back to do it again later. Having said that, this is a new philosophy for me and I'd have probably done it as you suggested just a few years ago. My situation is one of not nearly enough time to do everything I want to do, so I want to do something once and not have to worry about doing it again. Otherwise I'd have had the guy who said he'd swap gears with me do so and also check out the differential bearings & seals. Instead, I'm having the differential made "new" and will do the same to the wheel bearings & seals as well as the brakes, bushings, etc. The one exception is the calipers since they are a relatively easy re-build and I trust I'll do at least as good of a job as others would. Anyway, thanks.

But, can those "others" effortlessly pull Big Blue on a trailer @ 75 mph? LOL! Not as easily, that is for sure. So, let me add to my statement. I'm glad that I picked the Max Tow package. I spec'd Blue to tow, and tow it will, with ease. As David said, my brother and I made a mad dash to Florida to get Big Blue, and towed him back through the night at 75 MPH. My brother was amazed at how easily it did it. No muss, no fuss. Yes, I'd get better MPG with taller gearing. But I bought the truck to tow our boat and my car-hauler trailer, which is does superbly, and not to get the best MPG. To date I know of 5,000 miles of towing it has done in two trips - taking our 25' Sea Ray to Lake Powell and back, getting 11.0 MPG at a relaxed 65 MPH, and bringing Big Blue back and getting 9.0 MPG. Plus many shorter trips, like taking the trailer to Kansas to get the D60. And our daughter is tentatively planning a road trip using it to tow a camping trailer of some kind next summer, and I know it'll do the job for them very nicely. So, I spec'd it correctly.

David - Agreed. The 80's were a 'tween time for trucks. The lighter trucks, like the F100's and some of the F150's, got really high gearing in a quest for MPG. For instance, the 1983 Fuel Saver Package got 2.47:1 gears, as shown on Page 28 of the 1983 Dealer Facts Book on the Vehicles and then 4x2 tabs. However, as David has explained before, while those gears gave good MPG, they weren't fun to drive as you had to downshift if there was a hill in sight. But, since the HD trucks were meant for towing and hauling, they needed more reasonable gearing, like 3.54's. Unfortunately Ford didn't have transmissions with overdrive available for the big engines in the early part of the 80's. In fact, it wasn't until 1987 when the ZF5 came out that the 460 and diesel trucks had an OD manual tranny available, and it wasn't until '89 that there was an automatic with OD available for those engines. Ford wouldn't have gone to the expense of making transmissions with overdrive gears available if they didn't help on the MPG. And they help because of two things. One, the higher the engine RPM the more internal friction there is. Second, as David said, the higher the vacuum the higher the pumping losses. Or, to say it another way, the lower the vacuum (due to gear selection) the lower the pumping losses are and, therefore, the higher the efficiency. Here's a quote from Hard Working Trucks: And, in fact the 2 mpg difference is about the penalty I see on Blue by having spec'd the Max Tow package, which gave me 3.55 gears. I've checked with others that didn't tick that box and, therefore, got the taller 3.15 gears and they do get better MPG.

Yes, the 73 does indicate 3.54 gears. That's what Big Blue has and he's spinning ~2500 RPM at 65 MPH, which isn't conducive to decent MPG. But, he'll tow anything quite happily in 4th gear at that speed. So I think the issue is not in the axle ratio but in not having an overdrive gear. We both need the engine turning in that range when working hard, but it sure would be nice to get better MPG - although your 15 - 18 MPG is already pretty decent when compared to my 11 - 12 MPG. Anyway, that would take dropping the RPM when cruising w/o a load. And that takes a tranny with OD. Toward that end I'm installing a ZF5 behind Big Blue's 460. That'll give me the 2500 RPM at 65 MPH in 4th for towing, but drop it to 1900 in 5th for cruising. And then I might get 14 MPH.

They look like they're in really nice condition. You rarely ever see them that nice. Black weave was 1980-1983, right? It looks like the very far left indicator lens is blank/blacked out....the one that later said "Emissions", and then after that "Shift". I seem to recall reading somewhere that this particular lens was blank on the very early trucks? In any case, they're nice pieces for sure. There were at least two black mesh weaves - the one for 1980 and the one for 1981 - 83. I don't remember the difference, but I'm thinking one of them had a bead and the other didn't, or the bead on one was bright and the other wasn't. And I need to figure that out as I plan to buy the F600 radio bezel from Dennis Carpenter for Big Blue. But I don't know if it'll match the black mesh weave instrument bezel I think I have.

It'll stand up to much more. But it won't TAKE powder because it's not electrically-conductive, so the powder won't be attracted to it. I don't know how well it would stick to glossy powder; I don't think I'd trust it on flat powder, either. But it probably won't hurt anything to try.All of this explains why I wanted new lock-outs: time, or the lack thereof.I do believe I could have fixed the original hubs. But it would have been a time-consuming process. For one, just getting the JB Weld in there and machining it back smooth would have been a lengthy process. Here's one approach to the whole project: Media blast the whole thing to provide tooth for the powder & JB Weld to grabMask the cap to keep powder out of the innards as well as the o-ring landPowder coat the capInsert a tube of some kind through the hub that will keep the JB Weld on the land itself. But the tube has to be out of a plastic that JBW won't stick to. Or it could be sacrificial, so needs to be easily machined.Apply the JB WeldMachine the land back smoothOne of the issues I didn't mention before is that the cap I worked on isn't concentric. Said another way, when I mount it on the chuck of the lathe there's runout in the center, meaning at the hole where the dial and o-ring go. And since there are several rough spots on the land, I'd want to put JB Weld all around on the land so when I machine it the hole is concentric with the rest of the cap. And that's just another example of how time-consuming this would be. So, while it can be done it isn't where I want to spend my time. I really want to use Big Blue for some overlanding. Janey has graciously agreed to go with me on a trip to Colorado when I get the truck together. And our son wants to go on trips, and even got me some equipment for such a trip for my recent birthday and Father's Day. But it remains to be seen if he can find the time to do it. However, since I've just turned 72, time is of the essence! I want Big Blue back on the road ASAP so I can both use him as well as get back to Dad's truck. And the clock is ticking......

And, by the way, you are apparently replying via email. That doesn't give us your signature so I don't know what your truck is.

I may be wrong. Here's what I see in the catalog, and that confuses me greatly:

Looks like the F250's and 350's take 1/2-20 nuts with a 3/4" hex. I get that from looking at Amazon for nuts for my truck: https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-41187B-Thread-2-inch/dp/B07FLKQQZV/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=Ford%7C54&Model=F-250%7C667&Year=1985%7C1985&ie=UTF8&n=15684181&s=automotive&vehicleId=10&vehicleType=automotive

Cool! The seat should be done this week? Or is it next? Anyway, it looks good. And, I'll bet it sounds much better than it has - ever.

It will be a long wait on how the vents work if that is what you meant. Someone also say SEM makes a textured pad I think it was but he might of meant the spray that you linked to. I did not get home till after 5pm, out the door at 4am, and I an sure they close at 5pm. I am doing the same job tomorrow so don't think I can get there then either. It would be nice to have the texture paint for the weekend, I think I can swing a few spray cans of paint LOL Dave ---- Yes, I meant the vents. As for work, I remember those days. I LOVE retirement!