Gary Lewis

Jein. If you get Teflon tape into the system it can plug things. So I keep the tape 2 turns back of the edge of the connector. And then I use PTFE paste on the leading edge.

Welcome, Michelle! I'll bet the folks on here will point out several trucks that appear to meet your requirements. But you should share with them where home is and how far you'd be willing to travel for the right truck. I think you'll find that the best selection is in the Pacific North West, but there are surely others to be considered.

Thanks. Yes, there were some oddities through the years.

I just confirmed that in the 1984 facts book. It says that everything but the 351's got 3.55 gears, but the 351's got 3.50's. That obviously means the smaller engines were backed by 8.8's and the "big" 351's got 9" gears.

You've probably seen my post that I now have the full set of "fact books" for the Bullnose years. And I'm using them for documenting many things. In fact, today I got the engine spreadsheet done using them, although I started another thread to discuss whether it is too complicated or not. (If you've not seen it please go look and tell me what you think.) And, I got the specification sheets from the yearly facts books scanned and included in the appropriate engine page. Along the way I learned a few things, including: The EFId 1986 302 was rated at 190 HP @ 3800 RPM and 285 ft-lbs @ 2400 RPM And the 4V 351HO was rated at 210 HP @ 4000 RPM and 305 ft-lbs @ 2800 RPM We've been saying that the "little" 302 isn't very strong, but in EFI form it does quite well, and at lower RPM than the 351HO. There were some variations in the 4.9L's output. For instance in 1982 the max torque was 234 ft-lbs for the F250HD and the F350, but from 253 to 257 for the lighter-duty trucks. In addition, the peak torque RPM varied from 1200 to 1600 RPM in 1982, but went up to 2000 RPM for the HD trucks in 1983. Plus, there's a note about a reduced-overlap cam being used with manual transmissions and really tall gears. In 1984 there's a note that says that 3.55 gears were used in many applications. But, there's a note that says 351 2V and 4V applications use a 3.50 ratio. So Ford thought the 8.8" wasn't the ticket for the bigger engines and slipped the 9" in instead. Pretty well confirms what Bulldawg1081 was saying. Anyway, as the king of trivia, I'm like a pig in slop!

Guys - I need your help. Pretty please? Please go to the Year To Year Differences page, click on the Engines & Driveline tab, and tell me what you think of the spreadsheet. My expectation is that I've made it overly complicated. That's because I tried to incorporate all of the little notes that are on the specifications sheets. So, for instance, in 1980 you'll see Note 3 that says the 5.0L wasn't available in CA on an F250 below 6000# GVW. One option would be to eliminate the notes in the spreadsheet, and just show the 5.0L to be available in CA in 1980 for F100's - F250's and Broncos (U). And if you wanted the nitty gritty you could click on the 5.0L (302) 2V hot link on the left, which will take you to the detail pages. Another would be to just put something like a check mark wherever the engine was used and leave all detail out. But that seems a bit simplistic. Anyway, PLEASE take a look and let me know.

Well, my 2015 F150 Platinum with every bell and whistle cost a bunch more than that. But, I still really like it. And it will out-tow any Bullnose, and do it very comfortably and get decent MPG doing it. For instance, we towed our 25' Sea Ray to Lake Powell and back, including a stop at the South Rim, and got 11.0 MPG for 2500 miles. Big Blue, which doesn't tow as well as Blue, gets 11.0 MPG with nothing in the bed nor attached to the hitch. And he rides like a buckboard. Blue has seating for 5, in absolute comfort, and Big Blue has room for 2.5 as the one in the middle has to contend with the shifter. In addition, Blue is on his way to Kansas with my daughter and grandtwins. It is raining, but I'm comfortable knowing that they are driving a vehicle with a 4 star crash rating, anti-lock brakes, air bags, pre-tensioners, etc. Having said all that, I still like Bullnose trucks. And you could have a REALLY nice one for what Blue cost. But it wouldn't have the capabilities of the present trucks.

It is a 1982 magazine ad for a black XLS... If you have a good copy of that advert I could put it on the website.

Well, Boxing Day, as far as sales go, would likely be our equivalent to the Black Friday sales in the US (Thanksgiving, right?). Yep, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. But it has now started early, meaning on Thanksgiving, and extended through the weekend. I bought my Surface Pro tablet last Thanksgiving evening on a really good sale at Microsoft.

There is a song in there somewhere........ Aye! I'll agree it is a long, long way from Clare to here. I know, 'cause we've spent a couple of days in County Clare. We stayed in Dromoland castle, which may show on that map near Latoon. Thanks for the memories!

It is fine to post videos like that, even though it is an earlier year truck. (One of the Facebook pages is having an argument about the moderator's insistence that nothing but Bullnose be posted.) I didn't watch the whole thing, but it is very well done. Is this something we should put in the Resources section?

This??? 🤷‍♂️ Yes! I hadn't seen that. Was that a package?

When I bought my diesel I made all the common mistakes and it drove me nuts. They are very simple to work on, but if you don’t know the basics they will seem like the most unreliable nightmare you’ve ever owned. Most of the time they don’t need actual work, they just need maintenance. The engines themselves can run a half million miles before needing a rebuild. Unfortunately in the wrong hands the usually last much less. I include myself in that group, but I am now the wiser for all of my mistakes. It does need some work, but for $450 it is a steal. Jonathan - No joy on finding the author of that timing procedure? I looked and found a zillion places it is posted, so should I go ahead and add it?

But, Brandon/Bruno2 posted on December 30th about a sale at BlueTop on Monday, which would have been New Year's Day.

Oh...yes...lol. I didn't know that it wasn't a thing in the US. I'm just curious when I should be paying extra close attention for the sales. The shipping and exchange rate on these steering boxes make this an expensive purchase for me...every penny counts on this one, so I'll wait for a sale. I don't know when they do their sales. But, I'd call and ask. As for Boxing Day, I ran into the term when living in England. But hadn't heard it before, or since for that matter.

And are the courtesy lamps on the same circuit as the dome light? Yes. Black/light blue wires.

My truck needs those so badly my windows are loose in the doors...lol. Between them and the door seals, my truck cab is about as tight as a spaghetti strainer. One of many things on a long to-do list.... I didn't know that the Dorman handle uses SAE bolts. But at least you had them. As for the window seals, it is a bit of a project, but you'll be amazed how much better the truck feels.

I only have my 2wd 84 F150 to compare, but my truck appears to have left the factory with zero degree bushings for the alignment, and they're still in there now. A guy I know through work spent a few years working "in the pit" in the late 1980's doing truck alignments, and after all these years he still had a handful of alignment bushings in his toolbox (which he gave to me, which I ended up not needing). It would be interesting to know...and maybe Gary does know, but I wonder if these trucks had any more than a toe alignment done on the assembly line? I had my alignment done last fall, and after replacing every joint, bushing, mount, and even the rubber coil spring isolator pads, my truck alignment came in well within spec with the zero degree bushings still installed. One of the old timer alignment guys I spoke to about my truck said that if the alignment bushings need to be changed, it means that there is something else wrong...such as the coil springs are worn out and sagging too much. (Speaking only about trucks at stock ride height with regular-ish size tires). Once you get into lift kits, etc everything alignment related changes anyway. I don't know what they got on the assembly line. And so far the only alignment I've had done was on the '82 I had, and it took new bushings as they couldn't dial it in with the factory ones.

I assume you found the answer to this question long ago, but the steering assist ports (an extra $100 charge) is if you are running the extra "assist" cylinder that mounts where a steering stabilizer would be. It is pressurized along with with the factory steering gear. Likely intended for the guys with 6 foot lifts and 35" tires. "PRE-TAPPED PORTS OPTION: Red-Head offers a porting option for those that are either already running a hydraulic assist steering, or plan to in the future. If you choose to make this upgrade to the box (from the drop down menu), your gear box will come with two pre-drilled and tapped ports with plugs. For clarification, hydraulic assist is NOT something your vehicle would have come from the factory with, rather it is an upgrade that adds a hydraulic ram to the steering linkage to aid in steering. Most vehicles do NOT have this option, thus if you are unsure if you have it, you probably do not." Cory - That was a good find on the explanation. I didn't know that, and someone recently asked me about adding that ram. As for BlueTop vs RedHead, I don't know. But, most Yanks won't know what Boxing Day is. The day after Christmas, right?

Interesting! Would be cool idea for a Bullnose transformation - all black. And that looks to be a lot of truck for $3k. But a Kenwood w/o speakers?

Sounds like a camper's paradise. Take pics to post!

Another of the F600 parts?

There is soooooo much false information here. First, it was not really an option. It came as part of the Explorer package on the 1980 and '81 Explorer trucks, but not the '82 or later Explorers. Yes, it is listed in the catalog so it could have been ordered, but it was not an option as there wasn't a box on the truck order form to tick to get it. Second, I believe even the catalog is in error as it wasn't for 1980 - 84 as shown. Just '80 and '81 Explorers.

Used in a # of calibration codes, most of which are California spec or High Altitude.

80/84 F100/350 EOTZ 9275-A Use with aft axle steel fuel tank—incl. (1) COAF 9276-A gasket