Gary Lewis

I was told by a Geek Squad member that Surface devices take a proprietary version of Windows. Apparently they’ve tried to load a box-stock version with no luck. This was when I was asking for help figuring out why the Mongoose cable won’t work. 😩

Ahhh! I see said the blind man! It is reading my signature, which is wrong. I've fixed that, thank you very much. I'm using Copilot in other than Bullnose ways now and it is helping. I have this new Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet and have read that it has the ability to limit the battery charging to 80% in order to prevent the battery from degrading. But I haven't been able to find out how to turn that feature on. So I searched for it and it came back with a complex process involving rebooting the device while holding the Volume Up key. I'm sure I would have tried that soon.

???? One of these things is not like the other Sorry, but you lost me. (I think Copilot missed the "dense" part.)

Is there such a thing a "reader published"? In other words, if someone was reading a tome and hit Print, would that qualify? If so, you are welcome to use up your own paper and ink to keep your chicken lips company. But I'm not sure it would be worth the paper it was written on, much less that plus the ink. I did some more playing with Copilot and I'm not sure it is ready for prime time. Maybe what I have, which is billed as a "preview" isn't the real thing. But its answers aren't completely accurate, although they do have some interesting tidbits. For instance, here's Copilot's answer to "What is the most famous Bullnose Truck: Big Blue: This is the name of a 1985 Ford F250HD 4x4 truck that belongs to Gary Lewis, the creator and owner of garysgaragemahal.com, a website that is dedicated to being the world’s best documentation website and discussion community for 1980-1986 Ford trucks and Broncos1. Big Blue is a beautiful and powerful truck that features a 460 cu.in. V-8 engine, a ZF5 manual transmission, a Dana 60 front axle with an Ox locker, and a 10.25 Spicer rear axle with a Trutrac limited slip differential2. Big Blue is Gary’s pride and joy, and he has been working on and restoring it since he bought it in 19992. He has also written several articles and books on various aspects of Big Blue, such as wiring, engine, transmission, and more2. Big Blue is a respected and admired member of the bullnose community, and it is featured on the homepage of garysgaragemahal.com1. The A-Team Van: This is the name of a 1983 Ford E-150 cargo van that was used by the fictional team of ex-military commandos in the popular TV series The A-Team, which aired from 1983 to 19873. The A-Team Van was a modified bullnose van that had a distinctive black and red paint scheme, a red spoiler, a roof-mounted spoiler, a quad exhaust system, and a set of turbine mag wheels3. The A-Team Van was also equipped with various weapons and gadgets that the team used to fight crime and escape from their pursuers3. The A-Team Van was a symbol of the team’s resourcefulness and style, and it became an iconic vehicle in pop culture history3. The Terminator Truck: This is the name of a 1984 Ford F-150 4x4 truck that was used by the T-800, a cyborg assassin from the future, in the 1984 sci-fi movie The Terminator4. The Terminator Truck was a stock bullnose truck that had a blue and white paint scheme, a camper shell, and a set of off-road tires4. The Terminator Truck was used by the T-800 to chase and attack Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, the protagonists of the movie, who were trying to escape from him in a stolen car4. The Terminator Truck was eventually destroyed by a pipe bomb that Reese threw into its cab, causing it to explode and catch fire4. The Terminator Truck was a menacing and relentless vehicle that matched the personality of the T-8004. 1. forum.garysgaragemahal.com 2. drivingline.com 3. ford-trucks.com 4. garysgaragemahal.com 5. bullnosegarage.com So my guess is that it is just counting the number of words written about the various trucks. But it is freaky that it already knows that Big Blue has a Blue Top steering box as that happened about two weeks ago.

Microsoft has introduced Copilot that is supposed to be a whizz-bang AI tool to let you explore, learn, etc. So tonight I thought I'd give it a try and posed this question to it: "What are the most popular forums for the Ford bullnose trucks?" And here are the results: Note that there's a disclaimer that says: Given what it said about me I'd not only not go to the bank with it, I'd doubt it at every opportunity!

Good haul! And replacing the joints is a good idea.

Yes, it does look good! 2 gallons? WOW!

Have you installed a stock diesel tach cluster or are you considering an aftermarket tach? IIRC the alternator pulley is 3:1 for diesels. How many pulses does the stator output for each alternator revolution? As I recall I had to find a pump housing with the boss for the tach pickup (actually I swiped the housing and pickup+wiring from a wreck) Our page at Documentation/Electrical/Alternators says the 420/IDI has a 2.18:1 ratio - although our 460's have a 3.0:1. I don't understand that because the diesel doesn't rev as high as a 460, but whatever.

I suspect that it was factory and that Ford re-used that connector for the lights. But that's a guess. Anyway, I think a later, water-proof connector is the way to go.

Right, the S wire isn't used on a diesel. But the EVTM says that the "Voltage at S is one half the voltage at B". Given that I believe it is a half-wave rectified AC voltage so will look like the signal below and go from 0V to probably battery voltage. Is that capable of running a diesel tach?

Locks for the tailgate aren't easy to find nor do on a Bullnose. In fact, I couldn't find one when I put the alarm system on Big Blue, but maybe I missed something? Subsequently I've thought that one could put an electric lock in the tail light cavity that engages the tailgate, but I've not actually tried to do that. So I don't know if that would be possible.

I'm lost. Have been reading the mail, but have no suggestions. However, unsoldering integrated circuits isn't easy. It is hard to get every pin de-soldered, even using "solder wick", and you have to have all of them "clean" in order to get the chip out. Plus you don't want to heat the legs very much or you can damage the chip. It isn't easy.

If I couldn't determine where the smoke is coming from I think I'd wash the engine down to get it as clean as I could, and then start it and watch for leaks. But the areas I'd concentrate on would be around the valve covers, both on the outside near the exhaust manifolds, and on the inside near the intake. The exhausts obviously get very hot and will create smoke quickly, but the heat riser passage in the intake manifold get hot as well. So you need that area very clean.

Sorry, I don't know.

I thought about the soft covers a lot back when I bought. But we often put valuable stuff in the bed on long trips. So I went with a hard rolling cover to protect those things. But if you don't put expensive stuff back there on long trips then the soft cover would sure be cheaper, easier, and still very beneficial.

Congratulations!!! That initial firing is one of the best feelings in the world. And your process seems like it worked out very well, even the dropped washer. Well done! And your decision to start with a bit less initial lead is a good one. You can always add a bit more if you find that it can take it. (There's a process to do that, as explained on our page at Documentation/Electrical/Ignition and the Instructions tab followed by the Crane Cams Instructions tab.) Have you driven it yet? How does it feel vs the "old" engine? I'd think the smaller head would up the compression ratio enough to be felt.

Well, so much for the theory that I can find the part # in the MPC. Using our new info at Documentation/Electrical/Connectors I find that there is no black 4-pin "sleeve" that matches your usage. There are seven black 4-pin sleeves listed, but one is for the windshield wiper, one for the warning buzzer, one for the little Ranger, and three for 1987 and later trucks. And the "C321" on your connector is confusing as C321 is the connector from the wiring harness to the DS-II ignition module. I've looked in the pigtails catalog and didn't see it. But you may be able to find it yourself as I may have missed it. Go to the page at Documentation/Electrical/Connectors and then the Wiring Pigtail Kits tab. Pick either of the two catalogs and go through it looking at "4 cavity connectors" for one that looks like yours.

Let's start small, Bill. I've already proven I cannot find all ID #'s in the cross ref as I can't find the one for Goose. Close, but this ain't hand grenades, and any little change can be a completely different part. So if you give me the ID #, # of terminals, color, and usage for a few then I'll attempt to find them.

Zachary - I can do that, but we were actually asking that you start a new thread in the New Members Start Here folder instead of tacking onto someone else's. But apparently our instructions aren't very good - sorry. The reason we want you to go to the New Members Start Here folder itself, rather than a post within it, is because we have our guidelines posted there. We hold everyone to those guidelines so want you to have ever opportunity to read them. So if you'll go there, click the New Topic link and create your own introduction then I'll put you on the map. That way you'll have had an opportunity to have seen, and hopefully read, the guidelines. Ok?

I didn't think that you were suggesting that. I was just saying that it would be quite a task as there are a lot of bits of info that don't connect easily - if at all. One thing we might do is when we have our hands on a connector to report what the ID # is. Then I could convert that to part number and update the MPC page.

I also like the top emblem best. As for the hood insulation kit, I can see Ford wanting some money or concessions for use of the logo, which probably explains why they are no longer available. But having your own logo on it would be cool. And if you are going to go with those lights, which are cool as well, then no logo or your own logo would be best as there aren't that many places under the hood for the lights to recess into. So you'll have to coordinate lights and logos. And the tilt switch is a good idea, but you may want another switch as well. Big Blue's hood is open 90% of the time when he's in the shop, so I keep the trouble light disconnected at the connection near the brake booster. But it would be easier if there was a toggle switch. Speaking of that connection, you could use it for powering your lights. It is fused already and should be there on your truck.

That should be pretty handy, Dane. I really like the covers that allow you to use the bed. Mine rolls up into the container in the front, so shortens the bed a bit, but still allows you to put longer things under the container. Not as capable as yours, but a lot better than the hard covers that only open at a small angle. Don't think I'd like those.

Someone might be able to piece the pigtail info together with those part numbers via the ID #'s on the connectors and the cross reference. But it would be a real challenge. Anyway, welcome.

"R" is the little Ranger. Perhaps Haystack can find some markings on his tank that will help us.

Right. It would be easy to put the connector on the sender and read from the red/white wire to ground. The sender should be between 12 and 72 ohms, and probably close to 72.