Gary Lewis

Yes, but - what are you going to use to "wash it all down"? I like to use O'Reilly's brake cleaner to prep things. However, if you are doing this on the fiberglass top I'm not sure that's a good idea. Instead, maybe rubbing alcohol? Also, do the new seals not come with their own adhesive? 3M's weatherstrip adhesive would be my choice if they don't.

No prob on the smudges, they prove it is authentic.

I have the '81 and '85 wiring diagrams for sure, and think I have some others. And, I scanned some one of them and put it here: Electrical/Wiring Diagrams. But the way I did it didn't work at all, so I'll be looking for other ways to do it. One approach would be if they were scanned into some document format that I can put on my Google drive. That's because I can embed a doc from my Google drive on a webpage and you can then click on the doc and it'll download and open on your computer. So, if you are going to scan them could you scan them into a pdf?

Ok, I OCR'd the files and put them on. That will let me strike through the errors and put corrections. And, I put that on the page so can correct it in the background and it'll show up automagically. See what you think and let me know, please.

See what you think: Specifications/Towing. And, I'll see if I can OCR them. Thanks again.

No prob. I'll use them. Thanks.

A 400 HP/500 ft lbs engine in Dad's truck isn't the most practical. But probably better than a V10. He's going to have a really hard time getting much money out of the truck.

PDF would be best. That way I can OCR them. Thanks.

Wow, that is confusing. So if you say "I have a '94 Ford diesel" there will be lots of questions following. As for my list, yes a Bronco would be a good addition. Perhaps replacing the F350, as you suggested.

Steve - Interesting door idea. Will be waiting on the how-to. Ray - You think the tail gate escaped the customization?

Bill - How about emailing me the files for those pages? I might as well put them on.

Yes, the Marti report does show it. And I'm sure that if you know what to look for you can tell from the build sheet - assuming you have it. But in my work on the build sheet (Specifications/Build Sheet Interpretation) I can't tell. Perhaps there's a code in Body, or Accent, or TuTone, or Scheme that tells. But since I've never seen a build sheet for a Freewheeling package I don't know what that would be. So, if you know of people with build sheets then I'd be happy to try to decode them and see if I can figure out what it is telling us.

Here's the same page a bit easier to read from Literature/1981 Bronco Brochure. Anyway, yes it was one of only a handful made. But since you are going to have to completely redo it anyway, why not start with a better one? I know it wouldn't be "original", but will an original completely redone be better or worth more than a better one made into a Freewheeling/Chromatic? If we were talking about a Mopar or a GM with numbers that match, it would be one thing. But I don't think you can even prove from a build sheet that it was a Freewheeling package on a Ford, although maybe you can from a Marti report. I'm not talking about deception. I'm just wondering what the difference in value would be as there will be a huge difference in cost creating or re-creating it.

Yup. I doubt the V10 is even bolted down. Looks like it is just sitting there, not connected to anything electrically or mechanically. A poorly thought out project that didn't get finished.

I figured that trim was added...but I have no idea. I have never seen a Flareside with that trim, front or rear (at least I don't think I have...). I know it's got a few bits mixed up, but it seems like it would be a good start if one wanted a Flareside 4x4. Yes, those bits are easily fixed. Could be a nice truck.

Ok, forget what I said. No way, Jose!

Don't be so harsh. For $1500 you get two engines, neither of which run, a nice dash pad, and a strange overhead console. What's wrong with that? And, since there are no inside door handles it would make a nice vehicle with which to kidnap people - assuming the doors actually latch. But just think of the possibilities! Plus, I'll bet the hub caps are the ones that continue to spin after you stop. However, since that thing won't go they'll never get to spin.

Yes, having the certification label helps figure out what it is/has. But this one is a bit of a mix. Rare to have a tach in a Flareside, but it is a Ranger and not a Custom, but I wonder if it was swapped in. He may have picked up the tach cluster from the '85/86 where he got the instrument and radio bezel. They came from an A/C'd truck, but this one doesn't have A/C. And to have the aluminum wheels probably says they've been added as this truck didn't get a lot of options from the factory. What about the trim? It has the trim on the wheel well opening, which is my favorite, but only on the front and not the rear. Did the Flaresides not get that trim on the rear? Surely they did, so has the bed been swapped? And, the sliding locks appear to be missing. But yes, it has good bones. Doesn't appear to have much rust, and could be made into a very nice truck without a major expense - assuming the driveline is good.

Oh, so the '95 7.3 is a Powerstroke. I assumed it was still the IDI. My bad. And I don't need a major headache. Thanks. So, if I ever do a Bullnose diesel I think I'll start with one from the factory and do like you are doing - improve from there. And that might make a nice addition to a Bullnose collection. Hmmm: Flareside: Maybe an F100 with the 300 six Dad's F150 Big Blue: F250HD Diesel F250/350 That might make a nice collection.

That's cool! And my favorite year. For just $800? Wow.

Just got back from the Billups wedding. While there one of Cash's friends asked me how I know Cash. I asked him if he knows Carlos, and the discussion about Ford trucks was on. Turns out he has a '95 F250 w/a factory-turbo'd 7.3/E4OD combo. Said it got 13 MPG running 70 MPH towing a Chevy 3/4 ton on the car hauler, and did it easily. And it gets in the high teens just running down the highway light. But, the truck is from Iowa and the salt they use on the road is eating it up. I suggested to him that he sell the truck to one of us so we can transplant that drive train into a Bullnose. And later that got me to thinking about Big Blue. I'm going to great lengths to EFI him and add the ZF5, and by doing so I'm hoping to get 14 MPG on the highway - light. And his '95 gets essentially that pulling a 3/4 ton truck on a car hauler? What's wrong with this picture? Is he wrong? Is it possible a factory turbo'd 7.3/E4OD can get that kind of MPG?

Bummer! I was afraid of that. But, I agree that you don't want to go any higher in pressure as you'll stand a chance of damaging either the radiator or heater core. But, think how clean and pretty it is going to look with the tranny (and t-case?) cleaned and painted! Yes, it is an apt metaphor. If it isn't one thing it is another. And the question becomes how far you want to peel things. At some point in time you'll say "It is good enough", but it is obviously not yet that time. So, keep on keeping on.

Some of you will remember Cash Billups and his girlfriend Cassandra (Cassie?). They've been to our FTE GTG's several times and were at the 2017 Garagemahal show with their truck, Carlos. Unfortunately they weren't able to come this year because they had a lot going on in their lives. Well, a big part of that was THEIR WEDDING! As of this evening they are now Cash & Cassandra Billups! Here are the bride and groom: And, for those who have met him before, here's Carlos:

I suppose they'll let you tag it for whatever weight you want as you are paying more in taxes the higher you go. But, I would have thought they'd want to confirm that your truck is safe at whatever weight you pay for.

Ray - That's a good offer, and I'm sure folks will take you up on some, if not all, of them. In my case I have the 1981 and '85 sets, so don't really have a need for more service manuals. Having said that, do you have any other Bullnose literature?