Gary Lewis

Ok, Janey and I've just come back from a 720 mile jaunt in Big Blue with the captain's chairs for Dad's truck installed. Some of this trip was cruising on the highway and some of it was on pretty rugged forest service roads where I was down in 4Lo just to go slowly enough. So we gave them a really good workout, and here are the observations: Comfort: The chairs are very comfortable, and certainly moreso than the bench seat. Neither of us got tired of sitting, and at one point Janey sat in the truck for 4 hours w/o getting out. Position: I feel like my seat is a bit too far forward, like maybe one notch on the slider, but it cannot be moved back any farther as it is hitting the end of the track. However, that isn't really a problem as once I'm in the seat there's plenty of room. Arm Rests: We like them, but they aren't to die for. They are too high to be really comfortable for Janey, and while they are about the right height for me I get along just fine w/o them. Further, the outboard one on the passenger's side rubs the rear quarter trim unless it is put down, which is a pain. Head Rests: The height of the captain's chairs causes the head rests to hit the rear window if the seat is all the way back. I was worried that it would mess up either the seat or the new window film so put a soft cloth between the head rest and the window. And while the head rests might help Janey in an accident, they look to be too low to help me. Console: Of all the things that were involved in the change to these seats, the console is the biggest improvement. We love it! We put our lunch, documentation, pills, pen, gum, etc in it and there was still room for more. And it is at the right height for me to put my arm on. Further, I don't think it needs to be moved back as even a large drink can be put in the driver's drink holder and it'll just miss the shift lever. And a giant drink can be put in the passenger's drink holder. In addition, there was room behind the console to stuff jackets - and even a quilt in case we got stuck. Bottom Line: I think I'd prefer the low-back buckets seats over the captain's chairs. The lower back won't change the comfort, assuming I have the upholsterer do them exactly the way he did the captain's chairs. And the backs won't hit the window. Nor the arms hit the rear quarter trim. So I'm looking forward to getting the ones from Chad in a couple of months. Thanks, Chad!

Bruce - Is it possible that the PO didn't rotate often enough and the cupping started then? I've always thought that once cupping starts it only gets worse. Right?

I don't have any experience with which to answer your question. But I do have hydroboost on Big Blue, and there's nothing mushy in any possible way with it. If you press on the pedal you'd better want to slow down NOW. I'm using the F450 master that came with the hydroboost unit and kept the rear wheel cylinders stock. But in front I'm running the '95 F350 calipers that came with the D60. Anyway, all I'm saying is that my hydroboost system works very well. It may not be perfectly balanced, but I've not had any problems with it in any situation.

In some ways that would be superior to the voltmeter since the voltmeter has the wrong scale on it. On the other hand, I enjoy watching my Rocketman voltmeter as it tells me a lot about the regulator. For instance, normally the voltage comes up into the low 14's after startup and then settles down to 13.9 on a long drive. But today it went up to 14.5v right after startup after the truck sat outside at 15F. But after a bit it came down to 13.9V. Anyway, an ammeter powered by an op amp could be pretty cool. The output wouldn't have to be linear. Maybe you could set it up so that it would go full scale at the full output of the alternator, but show significant movement at low current - enough to alert you if the alternator goes out?

Well done! Odd that the one axle was so small. Was the OD of the original bearing the right size? Glad you were able to turn the lock ring to size. What a pain. As for the "pudding", it really seems strange that they'd spec something like that. Seems awfully thick! Anyway, you are making good progress!

I think you’ll be happy with that alternator. But why would you limit the ammeter’s sensing to 30A? So you can see if things get out of balance? I had an alternator quit and was using so little current that I didn’t notice it - until I turned the headlights on. So, as long as you allow full current to flow but have the ammeter show full scale with 30A you might be able to detect failure.

Good to know. Thanks.

The seats look great! How did you mount them?

That's a bummer on the push rods! On the air cleaner, my experience is that all the snorkels interchange. And the HO air cleaner is bigger in diameter. Hope that helps.

Hadn't thought of that, Matt. I've never had them rebalanced.

That's possible, Bruce. But the tires don't have that many miles on them. No idea how many since I got the truck with them on it. Biggest trip was to Ouray, and probably 2000 miles to/from Ouray. Maybe another 2K around here. So maybe a total of 5K miles. And I've rotated once while I've had it.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input. I'm starting to think that quiet wins over offroad traction. That's because I spend so long getting to where I'm going offroading, and so little time there. And it isn't like I'm in some serious competition that needs that extra little bit of traction. Drove the truck today with the never-been-on-the-ground spare on the LF and the difference was amazing. I could hear the cupped spots on the other 3 slapping the pavement, but not nearly as loudly as the previous tire that was in the LF position. And now that there's only one tire on the front with flat spots I can tell that the jiggles in the steering are timed perfectly with the slapping sound. So, what's with the cupped spots? They are on the outer edged of the tread and I'm wondering if these tires aren't round. Everyone that looks at them sees the huge amount of weight that was required to balance them, and with that weight they don't seem to be out of balance. But as they've worn they've developed the cupped spots that are visible and audible, and all I can think is they aren't round. Thoughts?

I was thinking of using some header wrap around the collector and flange. Are there starter blankets? On the upside, it's not like this thing will get driven all that much...couple thousand miles per year. Yes, there are starter blankets. But header wrap would work. Or, if there's enough room, a spacer between will make a big difference.

They look good, Cory. But that starter sure is close. Do you think a blanket will suffice, or will you have to have a heat shield?

Matt - Interesting on the Falkens. Unfortunately on Tirerack there's not any consumer survey stats yet as the tire is said to be new. Dane - Check out the specs at Documentation/Driveline/Calculators. That calculator is pre-loaded with all the tranny specs. And the diesel came with the close-ratio tranny while the gas engines got the wide-ratio. All - Please keep the tire suggestions rolling in.

Yes. It is called email subscription. And you can subscribe to a thread, a folder, or the whole forum. And you can get notifications for each post or a daily summary. If you want to subscribe to a specific thread, at the top of the thread to the right is an Options link. And in it is "Subscribe via Email". Or, if you want to subscribe to the folder that several threads are in you click on the Options link, but it is on the left this time. Last, you could subscribe to the whole forum by going to the main page and clicking Options/Subscribe via Email. So, here's an example. Let's say you want to subscribe to the eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, & Kijiji Finds folder so you see the things people find. Go to the main page/Marketplace/eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, & Kijiji Finds and then subscribe. Or subscribe at the Marketplace level, which also gets 4 other folders, like Want To Buy.

The close-ratio ZF on the diesel has a 4.14 first and 2.37 second. The wide-ratio on the gas engines has a 5.72 first and 2.94 second. So I can see why he said start in first on yours. But I wind out before getting across the intersection. Still, I’ll think about the 35’s. Perhaps with the EFI on it’ll pull better at low RPM and taking off will be easier. And since that’s on the agenda soon, maybe I’ll do it before worrying about tires.

Dane - I think I'm going to like the tint. Shame he couldn't get the strip on the windshield, but he will later. Supposed to be clearing off over the next few days so I'll have a good chance of seeing how the tint helps the mirror, but I'm pretty sure it'll be a big help. As for the tires, thanks for the recommendation. I have a bit of time to figure this out as I don't think I'll be taking the truck on another trip until the fall, so will be exploring. But Tirerack provides a handy tool to compare tires, so in the snags below I'm comparing your K02's to the General Grabber X3 and my Discoverer S/T Maxx's. And both of those appear to be better than mine. For me the Offroad Performance and Comfort Performance, and particularly Noise are keys. And mine comes in a distant last in all cases. Also, I'm wondering about going with 35's. The extra 1" of ground clearance might be nice, but I don't think I want the taller gearing as 2nd gear starts require slipping the clutch a bit already.

Picked Big Blue up from the window tinting guy this morning. Don't yet have any pictures of the tint as the wind is whistling from the north and the temperature is plummeting. But we went with a 30% tint on the side windows and 20% on the rear. However, he ran out of his 5% tint while trying to get the stripe across the top of the windshield, so he'll have to finish that later. And while it was very overcast today, the tint seemed to really help on the mirror's display. But the proof will be when the sun comes out. Then I installed the Rockford Fosgate speakers in the doors. Man, that took some doing as I had to use a carbide burr in a die grinder to make the speaker opening about 1" larger to let the speakers sit into the door properly. But they sound sooooo much better than the Sony speakers! I'd been hearing a sharp, high-pitched sound on some recordings and couldn't seem to get rid of it. But it is gone now. Plus, the bass is much stronger. So I'm a happy camper. Then I turned to the tires. I'd seen some damage on the LF that caused me to look them over closely. As you can see in the picture it looks more like a crack from getting old than damage from rocks in Colorado. But I'd bet it was hastened by airing down to 15 psi, which caused all kinds of flex. I checked the code and these tires will be 10 years old in May. So it looks like new tire time. Gonna have to think about what I want to replace them with. Suggestions? Anyway, I put the spare on and think we are good to go for the upcoming trip. But, before a longer trip BB will need new shoes.

I missed the 4x4 in your signature. Sorry. But, you are right. And here's a page from the 1986 Light Truck Book, which was a Ford publication given to the dealerships to explain what the vehicles came with. I think it'll answer your question:

Yes, we can move an individual post as a new thread. Have to make sure the Subject isn't Re: .... and it may take other posts with it, but they can be moved back. Or, clone the post as the new how-to?

I used a Ford bracket. I thought I posted a link to it in this thread, but maybe not.

Thanks, Bill. And, speaking of DeeZee running boards, we have some info on them on the page at Documentation/Manuals & Literature under Other Publications.

Excellent! Thanks for the update.