Gary Lewis

Yes. On the two wires, I'm guessing that the two wires you are talking about are the ones I've circled. If so, then they are fed by the internal ballast resistor - if you have an ammeter.

ETM - Don't miss that we have a member's map (Bullnose Forum/Members Map). I'd be happy to put you on there. Just give me a town and I'll add you.

If I were considering setting up a business to flip vehicles I'd get a tow truck and a trailer, and make runs to the Pacific Northwest to buy trucks. And better yet, fly out there, buy one, and drive it home. I've not done the math, but I've seen trucks in the PNW going for far less than what'd they'd go for here. And back in the salt belt they'd go for even more. So, if you can buy them and get them back for a reasonable cost you should be able to make some money. But, again, I haven't done the math so don't know it would work.

Gary, I'm going to try my very best to make it in 2019, so if everything were to work out properly, then yes sir, I'd bring with me;). Sounds great! Hope you can make it - with or without the analyzer.

You also have to consider clearance for the PTO you want to install. In some cases, there's more space by the t-case than by the trans. Yes, that's one way, and that type of winch was a factory option on early Broncos. https://supermotors.net/getfile/972895/thumbnail/hesw-p1.jpg Yes, that's another option. But most light-truck hydraulics are run from a Saginaw PS pump. Yes, that's how most rollback wreckers are built, using a PTO hydraulic pump & hydraulic Ramsey winch. You can also install a PTO generator & have 220VAC anywhere, but it's an expensive way to drive a generator, and a lot of weight to add to the truck. Interesting! Hadn't thought about maybe having more space around the t-case than the tranny. But it makes sense. And, I didn't realize that early Broncos had an option for a shaft-driven winch. I guess with the 60 amp alternators, which required 3000 RPM to hit that output (I have charts from the dealer facts books that show that), it might have made sense to run the winch off the engine via a PTO. But today when we have alternators that kick out 130 amps with far less engine RPM, and the advent of much stronger permanent-magnet motors, that doesn't make sense. And, I didn't know that some hydraulics are run off a Saginaw PS pump. But, that makes sense as the Sag has a lot of capability. And with the serpentine belts we can use that capability. Cool!

I'm going on memory here, but the first three valves don't look right. They are 5-port valves and I thought the 460's and the diesels take a 6-port. Plus, the ports look to be for hoses and not the quick-connects Ford used. And, the electrical connector doesn't look right. But the last two have the 6 ports, they appear to be the quick-connect type, and the electrical connector looks correct. Is my rememberer off the rails again? Anyway, I'm glad to know there are options available at a reasonable price. Thanks!

Hello ETM! Glad you found us. I do like your truck. But, by "noodle frame" do you mean one with the holes in it, which is frequently called a "Swiss cheese" frame? That's the standard frame for an '80 or '81, and there wasn't a problem with them. However, those who don't understand physics complained, and Ford discontinued them for 1982. Speaking of 1982, your truck has an '82 or later grille. Not the 1980/81 grille. The later grilles had the Ford oval in the middle, like yours does. But the early ones didn't. Instead, they had a more regular egg crate and the FORD on the hood. Anyway, sounds like you are going to use the truck.

Gary, I'd love to have it myself to toy around with...I'm just not sure I want to spend that much on one. If I knew for sure I could sell it later for the same or similar price, I'd buy it just to screw around with over the winter. It is a little off the beaten path for me, but a coworker of mine is in the area and will be coming to our office on January 7th. If it's still available on the 6th, I'll re-evaluate my need for it then...lol. If I were younger I'd have that thing. But, at this age I'm realizing that there aren't that many more distributors to curve. However, I'd still like to have it. So, if you buy it and don't like it you could bring it to the show next fall?

The dog ate your homework!?!?! As you get an understanding of what shrouds fit what radiators, perhaps we could capture the info?

That sounds like an interesting business proposition. But, you may decide that flipping cars & trucks is so much fun that you'll do that instead or in addition. It takes just the right type of person to flip things. My brother can do it, but I can't. He knows just what to fix or improve in order to make money. I don't know where to stop and have 2x the money in it than I can get out. Anyway, good luck! Maybe you'll find some cool Bullnose trucks to flip - and keep one, or three?

Those are unusual knobs. Must have been made by the same person that made the Christmas tree light string I wanted to buy a few years ago. It had shotgun shell casings of all different sizes and, therefore, colors. But Janey didn't want it on the tree.

Good deal, Cory. Glad you are getting better. But I'll keep praying. And, glad you got the truck home. Now you can work on it over the holidays - right?

Yes, that was my assumption as well - that the fuel would be burned pretty quickly. And, I agree that E85 should not be used in these trucks. The fuel lines were not designed for it. In fact, even smaller percentages of ethanol hurt the hoses. As an example, when I got Dad's truck it was dripping gas from the rear tank. I investigated and the hose from the tank to the hard line was so gooey that gas was dripping right through the wall of the hose. And when I pulled the hose off I wadded it up in a ball and it stayed that way.

Good. Did the example make sense? I actually worked through it myself as if I was trying to find the part, and learned that what I called the side gear wasn't what Ford did. That's when I turned to the illustration and started there.

Kevin - I've worked through the Painless wiring diagram and it is the same as the Ford diagram in the EVTM - with the exception of the external ballast resistor. So that'll be fine once you get the ballast resistor bit sorted out. On that subject, you can turn the key on w/o hitting Start, and measure the voltage at the battery and at the ignition switch side of the ballast resistor. They should essentially be the same, although there will be a bit lower voltage at the resistor due to loss in the wiring. But if the voltage is something like 9 or 10 volts when the battery voltage is 12 volts then you picked the wire with the resistor in it. However, just to make sure, if you have battery voltage on the ignition switch side of the ballast resistor, check the other side - it should be down to 8 volts or so. If it is also at battery voltage you don't have current flowing and this test isn't working. Also, I said you apparently have another problem in the wiring as you had 7 volts at all 4 terminals on the solenoid. However, it is possible that your new solenoid welded itself closed, which would put battery voltage on all 4 terminals. That is known to happen with brand new solenoids these days - bad right out of the box. So, after you get your battery charged up I'd replace your solenoid with the original one. Yes, if it is a 3 terminal one you won't have a place for the wire on the other little terminal, but you can tape that wire up and not use it for a bit as it just tells the ignition module that you are in Start and the module is supposed to retard the timing a bit. However, you don't have to have that function. In fact, some modules don't have that built into them. So, for now just tape the wire and test with the old solenoid. And, once you pull the new solenoid off you can put your meter in resistance/ohms mode and check. If the solenoid is welded closed you'll find connectivity from every terminal to all of the others.

The shift lever does show the position for OD, so it should be the AOD. Ought to get decent MPG. And the body appears to be in fair shape, although the interior needs some work. And the front bumper is bent - hopefully the frame is fine.

I agree. Put some of the conditioner in and then burn the gas. But I wouldn't use any ethanol after that as one guy on FB said his Edelbrocks have died from it. And the fact that it says not to use E85 is significant. Here in the only state that is OK we have lots of 100% gas available. That's all I use, in all our vehicles.

Three would be belt, suspenders, and string. Where you going to mount that chunk of aluminium?

Wow! Where to start? If you have 7 volts from the negative battery terminal to the positive terminal on the starter relay with the negative cable off the battery then your battery is almost dead. Now for the ballast resistor. You may have picked the wire with the resistor in it and if you did then you'll have a very low voltage going to the ignition module. You can't check for voltage across a resistor if there is no load on the resistor since it is only with a load that voltage drops. So, you might want to rethink which wire you use as you really shouldn't need the extra ballast resistor. And, you really didn't need the 4-terminal solenoid. Look at Page 27 here (Electrical/EVTM/1985 EVTM/Start & Ignition Gasoline Engines). Except for engines with an electric fuel pump Ford only used a 3-terminal solenoid on DS-II ignitions. And I'm not sure how Painless told you to wire things, but I'd do it just like Ford did. Can you post a pic of the Painful () wiring diagram?

Thanks. I'll assume that it worked well for you. It is interesting to see how parts were replaced by '94 when that version of the MPC was produced. There are even some 1990's parts in the listings.

Here's a table that Keith posted on FORDification that helps us understand the issues. As Bill is pointing out, the 300 isn't as long as the 460. And, it shows that the 300 isn't as tall as the big blocks. But, I wonder if it has to do with the way the 300 sits upright?

Yes, the front springs are very different. And the leaf springs are harsh, in my experience. On the frame, a good welder won't overheat the metal, and I really doubt the frames on these trucks is heat-treated. But proper welding and reinforcing is imperative for safety.

Its the ammeter that got my attention. The needle appears to be off the pivot.

YUK! Why, oh why, would someone spend their money to do THAT?

Well, it is almost Christmas, so here's one of your presents. We have a new member that is going to ask questions about parts for his rear axle. At least that's what he said in his contact form/email to me. So, I spent some time trying to get ahead of him by getting the info on the website. I did it with a bit different approach than in the past, and I'd like your feedback on how it works - or doesn't. Please? Go to the Driveline/Axles & Differentials page and click on the Rear Axles & Differentials tab. Here are the tabs you'll see: Applications Listing: This is the info that's been on the website for some time, and via it you should be able to pick out your axle, although you may have to start with the certification label decoder or find the tag on the axle first. From this list you can get the illustration # and parts list # for your axle. Parts Lists: This tab has an extract from the Master Parts Catalog of the pages holding just the parts lists for the Bullnose F & U-series trucks. This is exactly what is in the MPC, at least the 1994 version thereof, so is "gospel", but these are my optical character recognized (OCR'd) pages in a pdf. And the the pages that don't apply to us have been removed so you don't have to look at all the "other" axles. And because they've been OCR'd you can search them. Illustrations: These are also pdf's of the illustrations, and they have also been OCR'd. So, you can search them as well. But, maybe more importantly, you can zoom in on them w/o them getting blurry. Anyway, please see what you think as I believe this approach will be a big help when we are working on things. But, if it doesn't work then I need to know.