Gary Lewis

Trust me, I understand "busy". We took a mini-trip for our 49th wedding anniversary on Wed/Thur, and during that time there was a flurry of posting done here, the forum went down, and we had some issues come up at church. So I found myself way behind as well. As for the engine, 3 quarts of a leak has got to make a huge mess. Big Blue is leaking far less than that from the front seal et al and it is making a serious mess, and he's not leaking at that rate at all. Gotta be fun cleaning that up. But, you are correct that I have a year, or more, to plan the trip. So we have lots of time to kick this around. Take your time and I'll take mine as well. Plus, I have another trip coming up and I'm not ready. In addition, the show is coming up quickly. So, let's not be in a hurry.

I'd say so as well. It kills me to see these deals in the US. If I could find deals like this around here I'd probably have a whole yard full of these things...lol. Yes, that's a nice looking truck. And it appears to be in better shape than Rusty, and I got about that for him.

I did a deep dive while on FTE. It is a long thread, but you should start reading here, which is post #83. And the conclusion was Dashes Direct. But, I've not bought one so can't actually give my opinion on the product. Yet. Also, that study of the marketplace is 4 1/2 years old, so the landscape may have changed.

That's the spirit of the Bullnose Forum!

All I needed to know was slide lock. But, I'm assuming manual locks and windows as I think that's what I have. As for condition, I haven't paid much attention to these. So, we will find out tomorrow.

I have two that were given me by Cash, so if you can use them they are yours for shipping. I'll get them out and get pics of them tomorrow.

As advertised, the catalog says it is: 83/88 F150/350(99) — w/rear bumper E3TZ 13A409-F #E3TB 13A409-BA

It is interesting that the catalog shows that to be just what you said 85/86. However, they took it out of the brochure in mid-85 and it wasn't there for '86.

As the advert says, that's for a 1983 truck. For whatever reason they had kits for each year but they were specific to the year.

Thanks. I was off on a 49th year honeymoon yesterday and today, so just got to this. But your write-ups are so well done they will help immensely planning next year's trip as well as the one we are already talking about with the kids & grandkids. Anyway, I'm going to set back when it gets quiet around here and I don't have anything else to do, like prepare for my class on Sunday or prep for the show, and put these in context. Thank You!

Yipes! That's the price of a new one from Just Dashes - I think. The old plastic decays with UV light, and I'm not sure wrapping one in plastic will stop UV.

Is this the one Jonathan is looking for? And, I obviously got into this, but can’t the main page of the forum. 😩

You are right - $1500 is too much for a truck you can’t drive away. I’ve bought several and the most I’ve paid was $600 for Rusty. His engine ran but he had a blown rear diff and two bad driveshafts. About $1000 later, for a total of $1500, I had a very drivable truck with good tires, newly rebuilt engine, but with a number of other issues to deal with. If you can get it for less than $1000 I’d consider it. But, since you can’t drive it you won’t know what all is wrong with it. So, scope it out closely to see if you can make one good truck with the bits and pieces you have.

Such a waste!

In Option 2, which is what Chris voted for, I'd have something on the front, about where a pocket would be, in a small font like: Otherwise there's really nothing that tells someone how to find us. Yes, they can Google Gary's Garagemahal, but will they know to do that?

It does look good! And especially in the last pic. What a transformation!

Right you are, Bill. It is 5A307, and I've added those part numbers to the Part Numbers/Some Part Numbers tabs at Suspension & Steering/Front Suspension. I'll let y'all look through to see what you can surmise.

That's what I paid for Rusty, and he needed over $1000 in rear axle and drive shaft work before he was road worthy. That's a good buy.

Gary, I'm digging back through this swaybar stuff again, and I'm curious about the axle brackets on the 2wd trucks. Item # 5486 in the image below upper RH corner (The bracket that sits under the coil spring lower mount, on top of the radius arm). Do you know if this bracket was the same from 1980-up? Was the same one used on 2wd and 4x4 trucks? And, was there a specific spring mount that went with this swaybar bracket? I want to go parts hunting, and I'm curious what trucks I can scavenge parts from. The swaybar end links and bushings appear to be readily available aftermarket, and bolts are no issue, so those items are no problem. I was reading that the swaybars were the same between 2wd and 4x4, but the end links and mounts were different. In any case, my main curiosity right now is the bracket on the axle end where the end link connects as that will likely be the hardest part for me to find...and if it isn't the hardest to find, it will be the hardest to remove...lol. I've added the part number info on 5486, the end bracket, to the website on the Front Part Numbers tab here: Suspension & Steering/Sway Bars. But I'll let you work out the answers to your questions - and let us know, please. As for the spring mount, I haven't done that yet as I've run out of time. But do you have an illustration or part number? I can find it, but if you already know.....

Wasn't aware of any of that. Might be why Vernon didn't go with beadlocks. Makes sense.

Excellent write up and really good advice. I'll plan on trying Poughkeepsie Gulch, but late in the trip. And, we'll try it going down so we can see the fun stuff before we bail - if we bail. Thanks!

I thought that the sidewall would make a big difference in how much you can/should air down. But obviously there's the bead issue with going down too far. And that's one area that Vernon didn't throw big bucks at - the wheels. Given what he did elsewhere I'm surprised that they aren't bead locks. Instead they are plain steel wheels. (I'm not griping, just observing.)

Yes, I also love the wheels. And the tires work well with them and look right on the truck.

I need your input, ASAP. As discussed on another thread, I'm planning on having t-shirts made for the "helpers" at the show this year. That way people can pick them out to ask questions, realize they are "official", etc. And, they'll have something to take home and spread the "good news". Given that, I need to come up with a design. In another discussion this morning someone asked about the license plate that David made for me, and looking at it I had the idea of using his design as the basis for the t-shirts. But I've realized that the oval and scripted "Ford" are a trademark and those things are closely protected. In fact, I now remember that I had this discussion last year with the local print shop when I had banners made and we came to the conclusion that the proper thing to do was to use the correct blue for the banner and just have them say FORD in block letters. So, given that I'm thinking the t-shirts should match the banners, which are shown in the pic below. One approach would be to have the back show as below and nothing on the front: Gary's Garagemahal FORD Truck Show Another would be to add something on the front in a small font like: Bullnose Forum garysgaragemahal.com Or: Gary's Garagemahal the Bullnose bible garysgaragemahal.com But, I'd love to have your thoughts. PLEASE?

David - That's a good idea! We would love to have you attend church with us. And, we have plenty of room for everyone that comes to the show. So, everyone please plan on going to church with us on Sunday - even if you are leaving town that afternoon.