Gary Lewis

Sure, that'll work. Just use the ones in the pack that adapt 3/16 to 1/4, not the ones that take 1/4 down to 3/16's.

Yes, let's do!

Troy - Welcome! That is a nice looking truck, but it won't be too hard to build one just like it. In fact, the hardest part may be the fog lights, and we see them from time to time as well. The best place to find rust-free trucks in good shape appears to be the Pacific North West. Some of the guys on here post adverts from there with some really nice trucks for decent prices. I'll bet you'll find something pretty easily.

Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... That is a cool shot! I wonder how hard the landing was?

One of these days someone is going to find the behind-the-seat storage or gun cabinet in one of these trucks.

That is odd. Must have been repainted.

It certainly does look good! And, as I said via email, it is a bit expensive but you couldn't build one for that. However, the seats aren't original so I'd want to know if they used the later base, which will bolt in and use the reinforcements in the floor, or just poked holes in the floor and used washers for spacers. That would lower the value by $1K in my estimation. And, it does have leaf springs in the front so must be an F250HD, and therefore the 460 may be factory. Nice truck. But I have one. Same model, same engine, same tranny, etc.

Bill is correct. The stem of the fitting measures .250".

Nice truck. Not quite my favorite year, but I like the tires and wheels. Yours?

Sounds like a plan. As for a clutch, I've had good luck the Luk brand. But if they have two sizes of clutch kit available, go for the bigger one. There were both 10" and 11" clutches for the 300, so it should bolt right on.

A friend of mine and I carried an 8’ Styleside bed from in front of the shop to behind the shop several years ago. I’d guess I was 65 at the time, and it wasn’t all that bad. I’d guess that the Flareside bed’s weight comes from the wood floor. So maybe they’ve rotted away by the time they get to the salvage?

Are you serious about that Gary?...Wow, I would never have thought. Maybe it's because stripped down, the Flareside bed was easier/lighter to deal with? There'd be no tailgate, and the wooden floor is likely removed. Not much weight left after that. Serious. I haven't found the actual weight again, like I did last week, but I do remember seeing that. However, go to the 1983 dealer facts book, turn to the Vehicles and then the F-Series 4x2 tabs and scroll down to Page 16. Note that the payload for the 4700 GVW trucks is 1430 lbs for a Flareside and 1460 lbs for a Syleside.

It is interesting that most of the pics we've seen show a Flareside. I wonder if they knew that the Styleside actually weighs less than the Flareside? Also, I'm surprised that they are running the aluminum "bullet hole" wheels on that truck. They do weigh a lot less, but I would have thought they are more likely to be damaged than a steel wheel. But, that's just my guess.

Engine looks great. When do you think you'll get it in?

Dave - If you have those pieces loose look them over for markings. We may get a clue that way.

I don't know and don't see it in the catalog, but can measure mine in the morning.

Jonathan - You are right, it has to be a conversion. First, there's a note in the 1982 dealer's fact book that says "XLT Lariat trim not available with Dual Rear Wheel Models". Second, the DRW option wasn't available on an F250. And, it shouldn't have that trim on the bed of a DRW. Well spotted!

Wow! That's a nice truck, and $5300 is a good price!

Yes, I'm "interacting as Bullnose Forum" on there. Thanks.

Hi Gary, yes the springs are original, and yes the bushings are the correct size. Because of the plastic bushings, the rust scale IN the eye was quite thick. You'd be surprised how much metal can be removed when it is scaled up badly. This doesn't appear to have been an issue with the common sleeved bushings...just the plastic ones. What a terrible design that was. I'm going to check with the local spring shop and see if they have any bushings that will fit better, and if not I'll be buying new main leafs. NBD. I think the local spring shop idea is a good one. Good luck!

That would give you a big oil leak! Wow! Surely that was the responsibility of the engine builder? Can't wait for the other shoe to drop. Wake up over there!!!!

That's not exactly its purpose... It's there to "spoil" the air flowing under the bumper & hitting the engine crossmember, which creates pressure BEHIND the fan, reducing airflow THROUGH the radiator. With the spoiler, more air comes through the rad, making the tiny fan more-effective without as much weight as a larger fan would require. On later trucks, especially those with A/C, the spoiler is larger & more-critical. And another barrier was added there, as the 2nd TSB in this caption describes: https://supermotors.net/getfile/724185/thumbnail/tsb961710refrgtsubs.jpg Steve - That's an interesting theory. And, it may have answered a long-standing question about the "Pony". I turned to the page on fans (Cooling Systems/COOLING FAN #'S & ILLUSTRATIONS) and found that there's no really small fan to fit your theory - except for the "Pony", which got a little bitty 15" fan as opposed to the 18"+ fan for other 300 six's. As explained on the 1982-84 Pony tab on the Bullnose FAQ's page, the Pony is mentioned several times in the catalog. But it is not mentioned in the dealer facts books nor listed in the price lists. So, my wonder had been if it was planned but not produced. However, what if the parts catalog just has the wrong name? Maybe "Pony" is a term that Ford employees called the truck with the Fuel Saver option. And, note that the parts catalog also called it the Fuel Economy Package, so there was already some confusion regarding its name.

Cory - That's a really good question. I've been wondering the same, so just did a test. I posted on the bullnose fords 80-86, which is a public page, and my wife didn't see it. But, I have had a few instances where a FB friend of mine liked a post I've done on one of those pages, so that had me concerned. And, since I have the two FB pages, Bullnose Forum and Gary's Garagemahal, I've joined two of the groups as Bullnose Forum and post that way. But the others don't seem to allow a "page" to join, so just post as myself, which is what I did on the bullnose fords 80-86 page.