Gary Lewis

It is the compatibility that I'm afraid of on the Ford oval with camera. My 2015 has that, but in later years they've made it well integrated. But I'm sure it is expensive! Looked today and there's a ton of room behind the oval.

Thanks, guys. As for the G, I think it was custom made for me.

Got the mirror's mounting plate made today, but didn't get it powder coated. However, there will be other parts to powder coat on this endeavor so that can wait. However, shiny aluminum is hard to photograph, so you'll have a hard time seeing it in the pic below. Basically it is a rectangle with notches out of the corners to go inside the "ears". And that also prevents the thing from shifting right or left. The plate is drilled and countersunk for a 5 x .80 mm screw, and the mount from the old Bullnose mirror has been drilled and tapped for the screw. And here's a top view of the mirror strapped to the old mirror on the left, and to the new mounting plate on the right. Which one floats your boat? http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/uploads/6/5/8/7/65879365/thinking-26_orig.jpg

Wow! You are making your trucks earn their room and board. Can't wait to see the seats!

I don't have the dexterity (or eyesight) anymore for something that fiddly, not to worry! All it means is giving up the gradient on the temperature side. Instead of blue -> white -> red with a gradual fade left to right, it would be just blue/white/red (the boxes will still change in size). Don't be off-put by this picture, what's shown is a kid's art kit. But it would be like this. If I can get the black part printed professionally for a reasonable price, there will be empty "windows" in what's printed. I would just glue some rectangles of cellophane behind them with a small amount of adhesive like these kits do. You'd only have 4-5 rectangles to apply, it should be easy. I haven't tried it yet because I'm still searching for a printed that can print a decal with an opaque black field and transparent colored windows. I feel there must be one. But this is definitely Plan B if needed. Oh! Now I see what you are talking about. Getting the colored panels on exactly right won't matter since the cutout shows the light through.

Love the videos! And especially the one with Mikey driving. The trailer seems to have done very well. I've often wondered how they are on the trail, but it seems to have followed nicely. What did you think about it? Could you go where you wanted to go? Did it tend to stop you at times? And the S10 seems to have done well. Maybe as well as your buddy's Jeep in the previous videos? Did it have a locker? But you still didn't have a way to air up, right?

I'm learning my truck is "exceptional" and sometimes "off the books" on parts and measurements for two reasons: DIY work done by previous owners, and it was made in 3/81. From the history pages here and other sources it seems that was a changeover point for a lot of "80-87 stuff". For instance, most people have pop-up door locks from '81 on, but _I_ have the (now impossible to find parts for) slide locks because mine was made in Kansas and they didn't change until April. As far as I can tell I have 9/16-18 x 15/16 RH studs on both front wheels, 1/2-20 x 1-1/16 RH on the right rear, and 1/2-20 x 1-1/16 LH on the left rear. All four sets of nuts are different, even on the same wheel, so I'm guessing some were lost over time and replaced with whatever the owner(s) could find. I'm going to get replacements for all of them, run a wheel-lug-repair set around the whole mess, and see where I land. Out with the old: In with the new: They look great IMO, very happy. With any luck they'll last the life of the truck at this point. I could change my mind but at the moment I'm not looking to put a ton of miles on this thing. I like the new wheels!!! Winner! And yes, your truck is "special". It was built in that transition period on locks and turn signals, so is unusual. And, I kinda like that. Dad's truck is one of those as well.

And as I look at it, that info is confusing. It could be construed to say that all 1980 - 89 (80/) F250 HD trucks and all F350's with single rear wheels had LH threads on the rear. I know it doesn't really say that, but it could be construed that way. And that isn't the right interpretation. Big Blue's 10.25" Spicer doesn't use LH threads. So I'm thinking that when they went from the Dana to the Spicer that changed. And that change happened in '85.

So apparently I have left hand threads on my left rear wheel This truck is "special" in so many ways LOL. Every wheel has different lug nuts, apparently replaced/sourced over the years. You wouldn't by any chance happen to know the standard thread sizes here would you? I can't find my thread gauge anywhere and was hoping to order some new ones today. My wheels came with new nuts as part of the package but none of them fit. I can tell for one thing that the front and rear threads are different. The front also takes a 13/16 socket and the rear takes a 1-1/16. So I think the rear must be 1/2-20 and the front might be 9/16-18? But I'm not positive. Glad you caught it before twisting them off. As for the size, all I can tell you is what I read in the MPC - to paraphrase a famous Okie. Here 'tis, but I need to immortalize this on a page in the documentation.

Yes, the plastic box is surely fragile. But I'm actually more worried about how easily scratched the plastic cover is going to be. It will get hit with bugs of all kinds and they'll have to come off - hopefully w/o scratching the cover. However, as I think about it, if the box is only ~$7 then I could easily replace the cover as long as the camera is adhered to the box itself. Just pull the cover to clean or polish it, and replace it should the need arise.

Just to let you know, I'm following along. But to "glue on small pieces of transparency or cellophane behind" the panel sure seems fiddly. You are doing things so precisely that it seems a shame to resort to that. However, I do not have any ideas, much less better ones. So I'm just along for the ride.

Youse guys are funny! I'm seeing a DB7 with an emblem flipping up and a machine gun appearing. Here's my thinking at the moment, but since my kids and grandkids arrive soon and will be here off and on until Jan 5th, not a lot of actual work will be done until after that time. IOW, I have time to think and re-think this, many times over. I'm going to order in a plastic box with a clear lid that is just big enough to take the camera and a waterproof grommet. Then I'll mount the camera in it and explore where it looks and works best on the truck. That will get me "on the road" for our planned trip in mid-January. But I believe that is going to look dorky, and if it does then I'll explore other options. One that my nephew suggested is to mill out a piece of aluminum similar to the plastic box and place it just above the fairlead, which is also aluminum. However, I don't want that to get in the way of getting the EFI system on the truck, so I may well live with the dorky plastic box. Perhaps if I painted it with an aluminum-colored paint it would look less bad?

Before you strip the nuts or studs off, check to see if they have left-hand threads. Some of the F250's and F350's came with LH threads on the left side of the truck. I'm not remembering which axles got those threads, but yours might. There may be an "LH" on the end of the stud, but I may be confusing these trucks with the Chrysler products which did the same.

Two things. First, I used your pic on the other thread here. Second, Santa didn't have a whole lot of room to push back since she got her new work table and storage rack last week. But the fact that she was upset when I got the email notification of an order I wasn't supposed to know about tells me that there will be something under the tree for me to open. And, she doesn't know it, but there will be for her as well.

Bruce - That's an interesting thought! And it sure would be cool! But I don't know how I'd be able to do that on my manual mill. However, I have a nephew that has a CNC mill, so I've asked him if he could do it. Or, what about using a 3D printer for the oval? It wouldn't be shiny like the aluminum would be, but maybe ok? And use a piece of Lexan to cover it? That's pretty tough stuff. Another thought is to put it on something that fits into the receiver below the bumper. The only problem with that is when I put a draw bar in there I'd have to move it. But if it had a strong magnet on the back of it I could just stick it on the bumper for that short period. Also, Jeff did some Photoshopping and suggested this:

I'm going to respond in the other thread to keep everything together. But what you did is cool! As for the other thread, I've invited the tech at the manufacturer, Pormido, to view the thread. So I wanted something that didn't have all of the to & fro of finding the system, and just stuck to the installation of their system. They'd asked for a review, so in a way I'm writing one.

You now have your own thread. And that is a fine looking truck!

Today I fired up the mirror and the cameras, and I'm really pleased. The images are crisp and the lighting excellent. However, it doesn't look like I'll be able to use a 2nd rear camera in the front, just as Pormido's tech support said. The front camera has 4 wires to it, one of which is power and it pulls ~250 ma through that wire. The rear camera has 5 wires to it, and two of those appear to be power. The red one has 275 ma in it, but the black one has 140 ma in it. All up the front camera is pulling 415 ma, and I'm sure that's why they say it won't work. So, I'm back to using the front camera and mounting it in a box with a clear lid, and I'll show you options on where I might mount it in a bit. But first let's talk about mounting the mirror itself. Here it is mounted to the existing mirror using the provided rubber straps. Not bad, huh? But, if you look at it from the side it is far less than elegant. Just so happens that I have an old Bullnose mirror that was badly cracked. So I broke the glass out and removed the mount. And as the picture shows, I plan to drill and tap that piece of pot metal on the left that the mirror mounted to. And here's a shot of the back of the Pormido mirror. You can see the rubber "ears" that stick up, and I've drawn in an aluminum plate that will be 5 1/2" long and 2 1/2" wide. That will be a push fit between the ears and then it'll be retained by the straps. And in the middle of it there will be a counter-sunk 1/4-20 screw coming through and into that mount shown above. Ok, so how to mount the mirror is pretty well figured out, but what about mounting the camera? The piece of wood in the two pics below is the same size as one of the boxes I'm considering. On the left is Plan A, which kinda hides the camera a bit. But Plan B, on the right, may provide a better view as the "thimble" for the winch would obscure things directly in front and below more in Plan A than in B. Thoughts?

Glad you got it fixed!

Some of you know from the other thread that I've been searching for "the right" mirror/camera system for Big Blue. As it turns out no one makes exactly what I've been looking for, which is a high resolution display and two waterproof cameras, one for the front bumper and one for the rear. But in all my searching I found one company which has been extremely helpful - Pormido. And after over 60 email messages to and from their tech support I recently ordered the following equipment: Pormido 12” Mirror Dash Cam with Detached Front Camera Pormido Hardwire Kit for PR996,PR998: Allows the system to be powered all the time but shuts off power if it goes below a certain voltage. That way it can record if the truck is hit while parked. Pormido GPS Antenna for PORMIDO Mirror Dash Cam PR996 PR998: Records GPS coordinates on the memory card. Pormido 2 Meters Extension Cable for PR998: I can cut into this and extend it w/o cutting the mirror or camera's harness. All of that equipment came in yesterday and today I started testing it prior to installation. So the posts following this one will be to document how I install it.

Making progress.

Badger - Welcome! Glad you joined. Do you mind if I move your post to its own thread? It'll still be here in New Members Start Here, but you'll have your won thread.

Well, I fired up the mirror and the cameras today, and I'm really pleased. The images are crisp and the lighting excellent. However, it doesn't look like I'll be able to use a 2nd rear camera in the front. The front camera has 4 wires to it, one of which is power and it pulls ~250 ma through that wire. The rear camera has 5 wires to it, and two of those appear to be power. The red one has 275 ma in it, but the black one has 140 ma in it. All up the front camera is pulling 415 ma, and I'm sure that's why they say it won't work. So, I'm back to using the front camera and mounting it in a box with a clear lid, and I'll show you options on where I might mount it in a bit. But first let's talk about mounting the mirror itself. Here it is mounted to the existing mirror using the provided rubber straps. Not bad, huh? But, if you look at it from the side it screams GHETTO! Just so happens that I have an old Bullnose mirror that was badly cracked. So I broke the glass out and removed the mount. And as the picture shows, I plan to drill and tap that piece of pot metal on the left that the mirror mounted to. And here's a shot of the back of the Pormido mirror. You can see the rubber "ears" that stick up, and I've drawn in an aluminum plate that will be 5 1/2" long and 2 1/2" wide. That will be a push fit between the ears and then it'll be retained by the straps. And in the middle of it there will be a counter-sunk 1/4-20 screw coming through and into that mount shown above. Ok, so how to mount the mirror is pretty well figured out, but what about mounting the camera? The piece of wood in the two pics below is the same size as one of the boxes I'm considering. On the left is Plan A, which kinda hides the camera a bit. But Plan B, on the right, may provide a better view as the "thimble" for the winch would obscure things directly in front and below more in Plan A than in B. Thoughts?

You might be looking for David's Gas Mileage Recipe thread on FTE, and more specifically this post therein.

Yes, it is nice. And while it is a lot of money, I think it is worth it given the condition.