Gary Lewis

Otis - Your image is apparently above the 1Mb max size of pictures. So you either need to make it smaller via some app like Photoshop, or do like I did and chose the Big Size option shown below. But, I like your truck!

That certainly is a cool truck! And I do think the price is reasonable, although you might be able to get it for $10K.

That is very decent MPG under those conditions. And while tuning might help some, it is really more for ideal conditions rather than stop, go, and idling. Not much helps MPG when there's idling.

That looks GOOD! Is that SEM?

Yes, it is sorta a Bullnose. Sure looks like it is one. Sorry to see you sell it, but you obviously have other projects you want to do. Good luck with them, and keep us posted.

You are now quite literally on the map. Now, how 'bout some pics of your truck?

Small world. Our son and his family just moved to that area from STL. He works for NextEra and they just moved into an apartment about 1 mile north of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. We were there a month or so ago. Want me to put you on the map?

Nothing to be sorry about. I was just "funnin' you" since you asked if I know where to get that info. Yes, I do, thanks for asking. Anyway, the EVTM is a go-to resource for me and I think it'll help you as well.

Being the joker that I am, I'm tempted to answer "Yes" and let you stew. But, as you are new I won't. First, you need to acquaint yourself with the 1981 Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual. That breaks the wiring down into systems and explains how to test it. Then, turn to the Fuse Block & Circuit Protection section and see if that helps. As said in the New Members section, we have a large reference website to provide support.

Welcome! Glad you found us. We are a small group, but we have a lot of knowledge and a rather large reference website to back us up. Where's home? Perhaps you are near one of us. And, by the way, we have a Member's Map, and I'll gladly put you on it if you give me the location. But, just the city not the street address as we don't want to lose our privacy.

Cool idea - his and her Broncos.

Wow! If there's a prize for the most Bullnose trucks I'm so far behind I might as well bow out. My 2.x pales in comparison. (The "x" is for the parts of several trucks that are being stored. Not sure how many trucks I could build, but as there's no frame I guess it is less than one.) Anyway, congrat's! Other than removing the lift, what are the plans?

I'm sold. It is what it is in the front, and while it is stiff, with the sway bar end link off it doesn't hurt your teeth. Prior to that you saw bumps coming and got prepared. But the rear, even with that link disconnected, hurts your neck. And a trip to Colorado from here to Ouray, which will be 1700 miles w/o the side trips, doesn't sound like as much fun as it would be with a bit less spring. Plus, the stiffness can't help traction when traversing the mountain backroads.

Very nice truck. You certainly couldn't replicate it for that price.

Good explanation, Jonathan. Thanks. I'll leave well-enough alone.

I haven't really heard of anyone doing a shackle reversal on a leaf spring TTB. As I understand it was designed for the solid axle F-350 (which, as 82F100SWB noted, had shackles that were designed for the TTB anyway). And originally the kit manufacturers said that their kits shouldn't be used on TTBs. Later on they started saying that the kits could go with TTB, but no one seems to know what changed that made it now a good idea (speculation I've heard is that what changed is the kit manufacturers desire to increase sales began to outweigh their desire to sell a good product, but that's just internet speculation). And on a solid axle at least a shackle reversal lifts it about 2". So keep that in mind before swapping if ride height matters to you. Interesting. Hadn't heard/seen that they didn't recommend it early on. Maybe I don't want to do it. But, I wouldn't mind another 2" of height in front - unless my leaf-removal exercise drops the rear quite a bit it is much higher in the rear than the front. But, as noted, I can remove the 2" spacer block in the rear to drop it some if needed for air bags.

Hood bulge. Interesting. I saw a pic of a bumpside hood with a bulge recently and thought it looked cool. Kind of like the Powerbulge hood of the '68/69 Super Bees. Nothing major, but saying "I've got something here....."

I'm happy hosting this forum and the website elsewhere. I do back up my machines routinely, but it would be devastating to lose the website or forum. I've wondered about doing the shackle reversal on Big Blue, but want to get the rear sorted before I worry about the front. Maybe I'll get to try the rear mod's in a few weeks.

Yes, just started yesterday. I was driving around with it disconnected, but now that my exhaust is quieted down (and I can hear potential pinging) I hooked it up. I'm getting too much advance now, so I need to adjust the actuator and play with it a bit. Without vac advance, it was a dog below 2000 RPM, and it would light right up above 2000 RPM. Now, it's much better below 2000 RPM, and seems a little sluggish above. I'm not hearing any pinging at all. If I have time I'll play with it a bit tomorrow, but between the choke and the vac advance, I have a some adjusting to do before I'd consider it all set. Get the initial advance sorted first, then mechanical/centrifugal advance sorted out next, and then the vacuum advance.

So you can use the upper and lower pieces as well as the horizonal "row" to fill in? And what, pray tell, is your thought about the hood bulge?

The loss of the literature is a pity. Glad I have the majority of mine on line. As said in a previous post, we have the following trucks with the same "K" spring code: '85 F250HD regular cab rated at 5922 lb GAWR w/a 6250 lb axle and LT 235/85R16E tires (Gary's) '86 F350 crew cab rated at 6084 lbs GAWR and with a 6250 lb axle and LT 235/85R16E tyres (Jonathan's) '86 F350 crew cab DRW rated at 7400 GAWR and with a 7400 lb axle and 4 215/85R/16D tyres (Bill's) The '83 dealers facts book shows the F250HD as having the same frame as an F350. So the only difference in the rear would have been the 7400# axle vs the 6250# axle on the F250 and the overloads. But with the additional weight of the crew cab and heavier axle the F350 probably rode better than the F250. Or, said another way, the F250HD rides the worst of all the trucks. Oh, and mine has the 2" block shown below.

Oops, missed this post. That's not bad MPG at all, but I'd think you could up it a little bit with some tuning. Have you played with the vacuum advance yet?

Not bad at all! Big Blue's odometer is dead-on and the speedo is slow by almost 10%.

Evan - That's basically my plan when I can get to it - pull leafs until I like the ride, and then go back with overloads or air bags. I'll still have the capacity when needed, but will have a much more reasonable ride all the time. (I don't understand - Ford used the same spring pack in the F350's and just added overloads. Why not use a lighter spring pack in the F250's with overloads?) Bill - Early Hemi's are WIDE! I remember seeing an early Dodge pickup at Carlisle many years ago that had an early Hemi sticking way out of the engine compartment and they had to leave the side panels off the hood to clear the valve covers. So I can understand not getting them in. But I don't remember my Slant 6 being that wide in the Valiant, although I guess it was. As for the flathead six, did the Spitfires have an aluminum head? Something tells me they did.

If the door creaks immediately on pulling the vacuum source then you have a leak or a bad check valve. You can test the check valve by pulling the hose off the side going to the HVAC system, being careful because that stuff is brittle, and checking to see if there is still vacuum on it after you remove the source. One way to do that is to put a vacuum gauge on it. Another is to put your thumb over it and see if the vacuum remains when the source is pulled. And you can test the HVAC system by pulling a vacuum on the line which you removed from the check valve. A Mityvac will work, our you can put the hose in your mouth and pull a vacuum. If the system is leaking you'll know pretty quickly. On the choke, are you saying the pull-down doesn't open the choke unless you help it? That could be a problem as it might let the choke set when you give the engine a lot of gas and the vacuum drops off. Then when the vacuum comes back it might not pull the choke off properly. For that check the linkage as it may be binding. Or the pull-down may have a hole or split in it.