Gary Lewis

Bill - I feel so much younger now. Thanks! As for lubricants, we have a page here: Specifications/Lubricant Specifications. This info is a melding of several owner's manuals, and it says this, with the bolding being mine: But even better, there's a link to this writeup on Hemmings that has these specific comments re Fords: Bottom Line: Dexron/Mercon, with V being good and SP being better. But not LV.

So sorry that you are having those problems. That's really a shame. That's the feeling that Vernon had when he was trying build Big Blue up. No one appeared to have a clue how to fix it. Remind you where you are?

That has to be frustrating! At least it is now starting, but it is like driving a time bomb - you feel like it is going to fail to start every time you try. You don't have a signature so I don't know what the truck is. But if it has an electric fuel pump then it may be a problem where the pump isn't running. How 'bout creating a signature so we don't have to ask?

I don't think I've seen it before. But I've put it on my eBay research now and will track it. Nice truck.

$40 to $150 for essentially the same part?!?!?!?!

It was worth it.

That's a really nice truck for the price. Ain't no way you could build something like that for twice the price.

That certainly is a win-win. But, have you checked the size of those schematics? I checked some of mine today and they were wider than 11", more like 12 1/2". But, if you scan those then maybe I don't need to scan any more of mine? (By the way, I've found that you have to scan at 600 dpi to be able to make the pdf legible at the amount of zoom that needs to be used to read them.)

But then you're talking about using the factory wiring to the cab - the ammeter wiring. No matter what wiring you use, you're always getting voltage "in the cab" if that's where the gauge is. So why not just run the wiring the way it needs to be? You have to run 2 wires to the voltmeter no matter what - it's not going to attach to the film circuit. So it's not "another" wire to the voltmeter - it's just one of the 2 that are required. And they don't have to be big - telephone wire is big enough (if anyone remembers what THAT is! ). It doesn't matter which side of the voltmeter is switched - every additional connection & switch in the circuit adds resistance. But the ig.sw. is self-cleaning, and built to handle a lot of current. So it's the best switch to turn the voltmeter on. If there's resistance in the stock wiring, fix that. Adding more wiring to bypass problems is just adding more problems. There's at least one BIG error in that diagram, so that resistor might be another. Haynes doesn't show it, and I can't imagine why it would be there, in addition to the ICVR. I don't recall my truck having it. I'm not sure where you're getting those numbers, but that would mean each gauge averages 5 Ohms, which seems VERY low to me. Especially considering that the fuel sender alone can't go below ~20 Ohms. At 5V, that would limit its max current (even if the gauge had 0 Ohms) to 0.25 Ohms. My point is: you're in there "fixing" the wiring anyway - why not do it right and fix it all? Don't work around other problems just because they're common & not directly-related to this swap. First, for reference I'm quoting info from this page (Electrical/Gauges) and the Gauge Circuits & Spec's tab, which shows the results of my testing of the gauges and wiring harness, and refers to the ICVR page with discusses my testing of that monstrosity. Some time ago I got tired of doing tests and then losing the results, so have been documenting my testing for posterity. Depending your definition, yes it could be considered the voltage "in the cab", but it will be measuring the voltage effectively at the battery since the red/orange wire connects essentially to the hot terminal of the starter relay. And, my testing shows that the ammeter Rocketman converted to a voltmeter for me only pulls ~80 ma, so there will effectively be no voltage drop on that wire to the ammeter since there is nothing else on that wire. In other words, it will be reading battery voltage. Having said that, 80 ma is too much current to be pulling all the time, so I agree that a relay is required. And for that I'm considering placing a relay in/under the dash to switch the ground to the voltmeter. And, I may take the pull-in current from the black/light green wire which is going to the hot side of the ICVR - as you suggested. I really don't have to run any wires to the voltmeter. As said, the red/orange wire will bring battery voltage right through the film circuit to the voltmeter. And I'll break into the yellow/light green wire in the harness prior to the connector to the cluster and install the relay and ground circuit, so the yellow/light green wire will bring ground to the voltmeter, right through the film. That way there's no change to the cluster itself but installing the voltmeter. As said, there's so little current being pulled for the voltmeter that the skinny little red/orange wire won't have enough voltage drop to worry about. And there are no switches nor other wires to go through but the relay and its ground. That resistor is there, as you can see on the Gauges page. My DVM registered 8.9 ohms, which is what the all the EVTM's show as well as both the '85 and '86 Wiring Diagrams show at D13 on Page 1. Well, my numbers for current draw were off. As you can see from the Gauges page, each gauge pulls about .2 amp, not the 1 amp I was remembering. But the fuel senders run from 10 ohms to 73 ohms, also shown on the Gauges page. And the gauges run about 12 ohms themselves. I think I am fixing the wiring correctly, but that's my opinion and not everyone will agree with me. I plan to use the factory's hot wire to the gauge and switch the ground with a relay triggered by key'd power. No wires to run through the firewall and nothing to change other than the ammeter to a voltmeter and the ground circuit. Ok, all of that is really about how I want to put a voltmeter in the system. But now let's turn to the 3G page "upgrades". I've duplicated the existing page and have hidden it in the menu - two ways: 3G Alternator Conversion - Tabbed: I'm thinking that there is too much info to put it on one looooong page, so am playing with it in a tabbed format. 3G Alternator Conversion - Test: To this point this version is just an edit of the loooong page format. So, I'd like everyone's input as to which approach seems best - tabbed or loooong paaaaaggggeeee. I'll work in the background as I can to "upgrade" what is one of our most popular pages on the website. Let's see if we can't make it a bit better.

Oops, I meant to reply to your comment, Ray. I had the engine idling at basically the same RPM in both cases - I think. But, when I swap back I can check that out and make sure I compare apples to apples. Or, I may put the Street Demon 750 on. Its been sitting on the shelf since Tim had Dad's engine on the dyno, so why not use it.

Join the crowd! But, you have to admit, that thing is pretty. And, he has good taste in carburetors.

Yipes! If they didn't have a check engine light then what I said is WRONG, and you really need to pull the codes. And, I agree with Steve and Ray - get a stock air inlet system. They are probably available in most salvages, and the ones from the early 90's, like 93, have a cold air inlet tube that goes up to the radiator support. Otherwise you are pulling HOT air into the intake, and that's not good for power. In fact, where is the air inlet temp sensor on this? Is it still there?

Ray - I'm looking for a large-format printer/scanner as well. And one I'm looking at is the HP OfficeJet Pro 7740. Unfortunately the reviews are love/hate, but it appears to do 11x17, although maybe not from the document handler. So let's keep each other posted on what we find. My wife's already given me the go-ahead to buy one, so I'm on a mission.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Ford+woodgrain+bezels+1980&_sacat=6028 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-1986-Ford-F150-Bronco-Woodgrain-Door-Panel-Inserts-ONLY-RARE-READ/192807582750?hash=item2ce43a3c1e:g:yO4AAOSwg1JcT3cK:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true https://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-86-Ford-Pickup-F150-F250-350-Truck-Bronco-Door-Panels-Blue-Woodgrain-Insert/123581245873?hash=item1cc60429b1:g:1P8AAOSw1qhcMWaz:rk:2:pf:1&frcectupt=true Thanks, David.

Fed up? Sell it? What's the problem this time?

Yes, David is right. It will fit the carb. The question is will it hit the A/C compressor. I don't think so, but it is hard to tell. However, Rick has one, or at least a similar one on his truck, so maybe he knows?

Ok, I think we now have enough varying views that we can sorta pull things together. Let me address a few things from what each of you have said, but I'm sure I'll miss some of your favorite points: Steve - I have seen people wire a 130A alternator to the existing alternator lead, so I think it is important that we tell them not to do that, and why. As for using the red/orange wire to run the voltmeter, I want to use that for two reasons. First, because I want to know the battery voltage and not the voltage in the cab. The wiring to the cab is, in my opinion, less than adequate, and coupled with marginal switches and varying current loads, causes the voltage in the cab to vary significantly. So I want to know what the battery is "seeing". Big Blue's aftermarket voltmeter was wired to the fuse block when I got him and it always read low enough to cause concern on my part. Second, using that wire means I don't have to run another wire to the voltmeter. But, I think you misunderstood my intent, which was to install a key-on relay in that wire - although I didn't say that. Or, maybe put a key-on relay in the dash to provide the ground to the voltmeter? You have to be in there changing the ground side of the gauge anyway, so..... Also, I wouldn't want to use power from the ICVR. There is an "8 to 9 ohm" resistance in the feed to the ICVR (see Pg 98), and since the gauges can pull about an amp each that would cause a significant voltage drop. But I think overall we are in agreement. Jonathan - As we've discussed on the side, the current page does have some pics of the alternators as well as a discussion of the pulleys. But you've volunteered to get more of pictures when you are able to get to the salvage, which we can certainly use. And if you find the discussion of the IDI pulley issue we can take that into account. Bill - I went through exactly the same thinking as your engineer friend regarding replacing the current (pun intended) shunt and came to the same conclusion. Any shunt that would give the same voltage drop across it as the current shunt but with twice the alternator output wouldn't show anything noticeable if the alternator died and you just had a few accessories on. I even explored using a Schottky diode in parallel to the shunt to carry the charging load but allow the shunt to work in the discharge direction. But the voltage drop across the diodes isn't linear so that wouldn't work. However, having another shunt in series with the diode and having that combo in parallel with the original shunt would work. But it was too complex and I finally decided the voltmeter would be easier and better. All - Let me work on the page and get back with you. Unfortunately I'll actually have to either modify the current () page or, maybe duplicate it and hide the test one, as I can't really show you my plans here in this thread. Thanks for the help.

You are on the map in Chandler. But I can change that if you'd like.

You might be high on those parts, but I don't really deal with those things too often. Perhaps David/1986F150Six can comment since he watches eBay like a hawk?

Welcome! Glad you found us. And, nice truck. Running a tow service you may see lots of these trucks? By the way, we have a member's map: Bullnose Forum/Member's Map. I can add you if you'd like.

Brad - I don't think you messed up. I think Ray's frozen in place. I sent him an email as well. Lets see if that breaks him free. Cory - I suspect that the wiring diagrams are like those shown here, meaning multiple pages for each year and in large format: Electrical/Wiring Diagrams. But I don't know if that's the case.

Those are dealer added AC vents. I have seen 3-4 different styles, but this is one type. Often there is a black-weave trim panel between the two passenger side vents. I was thinking that was the conclusion last time. But I was afraid to trust my memory.

These questions are for Ray/NotEnoughTrucks - right?

And, more specifically, blown diodes. That would give alternating current to the relay's coil, causing it to alternately pull in and then drop out, creating a buzz. Thanks for confirming the theory.