Gary Lewis

Wow! That's a very nice truck! As for the posts, we love them. Bring them on! On the pics, are you ok with editing posts? I can tell you how to edit your post and insert a "width" statement so the pics come out as big as is possible. And on rotated pics, you have to open them in an editing app and then save them. That usually rotates them using the metadata embedded in them.

Couldn't see it, but I looked at it, copied the URL, hit Insert Image, and pasted the URL in there - over the HTTP bit that is already there. And, that is a nice, clean interior. As for Maine, I don't think we have others there. But we have a Member's Map - would you like to be on it?

Welcome! Glad you found us. Where's home? Maybe one of us is close by. And, any pics of your truck?

Ray - Missed your post. We've missed you. And while it is hail season here, we've not had any this summer. Nor have we had any rain. The lake is down 2' and the grass is withering. Dave - Missed your post as well. Have you figured out how to sand the hood? I could ask my paint/body guy if he has any tips if you'd like. As for the diff, that would be a hoot in such a short wheelbased vehicle. At least on Big Blue the 133" gives you a bit of time to react, although it seemed instantaneous. Bill - The factory clutches were totally worn out on Dad's truck when I got it. We got stuck in a pasture with one wheel spinning and had to use 4wd to get out. But it won't spin now - the clutches are Kevlar and they really hold. Big Blue's Detroit Trutrac diff's are supposed to be friendly and gently, according to their webpage: And, while the bit about smooth and quiet is true, the bit about no driver action required may be a bit of a stretch. Unless you don't mind crashing you'd better take some action quickly, like backing off the throttle. That thing would have gone right on around had I not backed off on the first corner as I hit it a bit too fast and had plenty of momentum in the rear to bring it around. But on the second corner I probably could have held it sideways for quite a while since I hit the corner slower and was expecting it. Still, it may prove to be difficult to drive for the uninitiated in snow. I grew up slip-sliding away, regardless of the nearness of my destination, so understand a bit about what can happen and what to do about it. I'm not sure how experienced my offspring are in that regard.

Nathan - Did some research and found that there are only two possible calibration parts list numbers for your truck given the 2wd, 1986 302 EFI, and manual transmission. As you'll see, 492 is for a truck with a manual transmission, and 494 is for a truck with a "TSOD" transmission. I don't know what transmission that is as, while there are other references to it in the catalog, I don't find a description of it. And, in the Transmission Code listing there is no TSOD. But there is a T5OD. So, what is your truck's transmission code on the certification label?

Took some time to read reviews on the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires. The best I read is on Tire Rack, where out of 723 reviews they get what looks like a 4.3 out of 5. That's really good. But, they aren't cheap.

Dave - In the link there's the pic shown below. That and discussions about really tight turns, basically like my zero-turn mower, makes me think he's going to be doing some serious climbing instead of racing.

Wow, that's pretty serious stuff on the brakes. I guess I was expecting a switch that runs a solenoid under the hood, like the line control that was mentioned. A couple of those and you could lock a brake on or bypass it. But those lever-style valves look like they are meant for frequent usage. So, perhaps I didn't fully understand what you are going to do with the truck? I remember something about "jumps" and "race". But, are to tell use more?

I LIKE IT! Yes, that's our retired life. Just wrote our kids today to give them out schedule for the next 8 weeks. Of those we will be gone or otherwise engaged for over half of the time with our anniversary trip, vacation, and a little show/swap meet that I hear is coming to town. And your plans seem quite similar. Ok, keep on truckin'! And don't forget to take lots of pics and make plenty of notes as we want a full report.

It is up to you. But I can see that you might want your own thread to describe your own trip. Either way, I'll be reading it, saving links, etc. Anyway, glad you've had a good trip so far. Hope the trip home is easy and you get caught up on everything there. But, don't forget to POST!

Ok, I assume you just need the part numbers from the drawing. Here's the drawing, then I'll work on part numbers. But which ones do you need?

There's a one-year discrepancy with this, but apparently the 1985/86 and on 4.9L engines had a 3/4" heater hose connection but the heater core was still 5/8". David - Yours isn't that way?

Good price and right parts.

You don't find those NOS very often. And it is a good price.

I should have realized that. Anyway, what tires? Have we covered that?

I'm missing the heater hose part numbers on the site, but here's the entry for that. Looks like the advert is right.

I got it, I got it, I think I got it! I'm curious how much difference the shift to the rear will make in weight distribution. Did you weigh it before? On the brakes, will you have a valve or switch that cuts off brake pressure to one or the other front brake? (I don't know how they do it on rail buggies.)

I’m out and about at the moment (eyes are being dilated at the eye doctor’s office for a checkup), so can’t get to my computer For a bit. However, exactly what parts do you need the numbers on? If they are part of the calibration parts list then having the calibration code from your truck would be a big help. If not, we can probably find the right list, but I need to know if it is a CA or high altitude truck.

Wow! This is going to be MAJOR! Maybe I missed it, but is it to be a really short bed? And how will you do the front brakes?

Cool!

Apparently that image is too big to display w/o resizing, so here 'tis as "big". I see the center hub covers, but don't understand "hun". Can you explain? Anyway, the Bronco looks good! And congrat's on scoring the bits from the '85.

What kinds of documentation have you found? I'm always watching for things I don't have. And, congrat's on the 2nd child!

Lew - I put up the part numbers so you could figure out which trucks would have the right part for you. http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/coupling---rag-joint.html But, I'd go with a new one. Borgeson or something else new.

Intermittent problems are the worst. Technically you don't ever know for sure that you fixed them, although usually you can tell in a few drives that you have. But until then you worry about it. Anyway, keep us posted.....

Justin - Welcome! Glad you found us. That's an interesting story - born the same year your truck was, grew up riding in and driving one, and have owned several. Plus, this truck was babied and garage-kept most of its life. And it sure looks like it has been well cared for. Now, for your plans. Draining the gas may not be enough on the fuel system. You may find you need to replace the tank(s). Fortunately they aren't all that expensive. As for changing the oil pan gasket, good luck. The 460 is such a large engine that changing that gasket w/o pulling the engine is going to be a major challenge. If it is possible you'll have to jack the engine a loooong way up, but the transmission will probably hit the floor before it gets high enough. This isn't going to be easy - if possible. Then there's the carb. I have info on those carbs here (Fuel Systems/Carburetors, Chokes, & EFI/Holley 4180C), but you should watch the carb closely when you first start the engine. The old cork gaskets had a tendency to shrink, and you may have a major leak out of one of the bowls. Anyway, I hope things go well for you. Please start a thread on your truck in the main section of the forum and let us know how it goes. Oh, and you have an early '85 given the trim that is on it. You can read about the difference in the trim in the early 1985 brochure shown here: Literature/1985 Literature.