Gary Lewis

Thanks, Bill. But I'd really like to find one close.

Ah ok, now I understand the T-19 diagram! This is a so well known design weakness, they already illustrate it! Jim - I hope the knee starts working well and soon! Jeff - That's funny!

Yup, that's what mine did, but I was at a stop sign and it just fell over. Ok, I'll be gentle with my ZF5. But then I always am.

Sounds like you have it well thought out.

Bummer about the tranny. I like my ZF5. It might not shift nicely into 3rd coming down, but it won't leave me stranded.

Mat - You are now on the list. As for grandkids, my grandson is to arrive in mid-July and I need to have a running 235 to bolt in by then. So far the search hasn't been very much fun.

That sounds like something I'd want to do before taking it very far.

The console came with the cup holders. And that console is one of the best things I've done to the truck. As for "OBS" Scott - Do you use the remote bass control? I'm thinking of installing it as while the Sony has an adjustment for subwoofer level, it only adjusts to three levels: +10 dB; 0 dB; -10 dB. The analog remote bass control from Kicker would be easier to get to as the Sony settings are buried deep in the menu, and the Kicker control would offer a lot more granularity to the adjustment.

So, it is done? Or what else is there to do?

Thanks, Jeff. I agree. There's 3/4" on either side between the sub and the mounts for the console. So it seems like it is a "perfect fit". By the way, I was surprised by how heavy this thing is. The manual says it is 11.4 lbs/5.2 kg, but it feels heavier than that. It is very well made and it is SOLID.

Good to know there is an alternative to that cable. And I guess the ends where enough different to be a problem? As for the issue of the compressor coming on, I had a bad hose on Big Blue that didn't always leak. It was where the fitting was crimped on the end and leaked when it was moved, like when the engine torqued over during acceleration. We never did really figure out when it leaked for sure, except that when they moved it by hand it leaked.

Over half a year does qualify as "a while". But I'm glad you are now able to work on it. And it is looking good! How thick is that aluminum?

Jeff - As said elsewhere, you aren't a dummy. It is just that some of our members have more experience is certain areas than others do. But collectively we have a whole lot of experience!

Jeff - I don't believe you are a dummy. Not at all. As for the Bronco II, back in the late 90's when we were looking for a car for our teenaged daughter and son to drive I talked with our next door neighbor who had a Bronco II. He strongly recommended that I not buy one, and that was not only due to the rollover problem, which could easily have been an issue with the twisty roads where we lived and a new driver, but also because it was very unreliable. He'd had no end of trouble with his with things like the engine, transmission, and body leaks. In fact, he said he couldn't leave his out because Ford had never been able to fix all of the leaks. So while I don't have any experience owning nor driving one, I have heard from someone who did have that experience and it wasn't good. I'll stick with our Bullnose trucks, thank you very much.

Thanks Gary! Just trying to be a productive member of the site. Are you accepting donations? I could chip in for the forum upgrade. Gary, I don't remember much that I can help with these days, but these Flareside beds are imprinted in my brain lol. This is a great thread and I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing the progress of Bronco Dave disassembling this bed. As with everything on these trucks, it's like an archaeological dig trying to understand what was, and what was done previously by other owners. That part is always fun, even as a viewer. Keep up the good work Bronco638. Peace & Axle Grease! Thanks Cory! I appreciate your insight. You've obviously done this before (more than once) and it shows. I just couldn't image trying this level of refurbishment on a truck from the Rust Belt. Not only would it have been a battle to dis-assemble it, most of the intricate things would probably have been rotted/rusted away. There's more to tackle on this truck (the interior has me concerned as I have the funky door locks and very tired door cards). I think the engine compartment and drivetrain will be next up. Additionally, Mar-K sent an email letting me know my parts shipped. They'll be here Tuesday, June 4th. Woo. Cory - You are really helping. Dave - You are on the list of people I'll hit up when the time comes, which may actually be next week if I can get a bank account set up.

No steps backward today. I got the sub mounted, although it has to come out for trimming and painting or powder coating of the mounts. Anyway, here's a pic of the sub mounted. I used 2" x 2" angle. It is attached to the console supports by being sandwiched between the console and the mount. And the tabs that come with the sub are then screwed to the angle by 5MM-.80 screws with the angle being tapped to accept them. Here's a shot that shows what you can see of the mount and sub with the console mounted. But remember that the shot was taken with the flash on, so normally you won't be able to see the dark gray sub and black angle w/o a light. And in this shot you can see the marks where I will trim the angle. Can't show pics of underneath as it is really hard to see there, but nothing touches the sub anywhere. The console clears it all the way around, the wire to release the seat platform to slide fore/aft misses it by an inch, and there's about 2" from the sub to the floor, depending on where you measure and where the seat is positioned. Basically, it fits perfectly. Last, here's a shot to prove my point about not being able to see the sub or mount w/o extra light:

I don't like to use anything stiffer than copper wire to clean carb orifices. Otherwise it is possible to enlarge things.

This thread is such a wonderful example of the knowledge that we have documented on these trucks, and explains why we must spend the $1800 to port all of this over to the new forum. Well done, guys!

Welcome, Jeff. It really has taken a lot of time. Discussing things with our friend who suggested 501c7 status, reading up on what that would take, trying to write a charter & bylaws, finding two outfits online that said they'd do that for free but then wanted real money, finding a local lawyer to do it & providing the information they requested, learning we might not qualify for 501C7, providing more info, finding we don't qualify, researching GoFundMe, researching LLC's, discussing GFM & LLC's with the lawyer, etc. I'm glad I documented most of that in this thread so I can get back to it should people ask. But now we have a fairly simple and straight forward path and we should be able to survive for the long haul. Keep on trucking!

I refuse to use the term OBS or Old Body Style. It is so vague.

The C6 is really one tough son of a gun. Stands up to the 302 and 460 and everything in between. Not the most efficient, but strong. Glad it is working for you.

One more round with the lawyer. Here's their take on GoFundMe or something like that: They gave me links where I could verify their conclusion, and I agree with them. But, they also said that they see no reason to form an LLC. All that does is shield you in case someone sues, and they don't see any reason anyone would sue. Given that they recommend operating as a sole proprietor, of which the IRS says "A sole proprietor is someone who owns an unincorporated business by themselves." There are several things that can be done, including taking out a tradename, getting an Employee Identification Number, and setting up a bank account. But the first thing to do is to talk to the bank and see if they even need an EIN in order to set up a bank account. They may let me set one up using my SSN, in which case the other things aren't required. Then when I file our taxes I file a Schedule C 1040 and show the income and the expenses. If they net to zero, which is the hope, then there is no additional tax. So Monday I'll go talk with our bank and see what I can do. If I can get a bank account set up then I'll let y'all know how to send money to it and then contact Invision to get the migration started.

Two steps forward and one backwards is still progress, right? The two steps forward: F3: I found that F3 is always hot and has a connector still in the PDB, so I don't have to take any keepers out. D1: And, I realized that I don't need to wire in diode D1. But, the realization that I don't need to wire in D1 came hand in hand with the realization the D2 is mis-wired. I explained that in a post in the Big Blue's HVAC Blower Issues thread. Basically, after a bit of study I realized that one diode is all that is needed if it is placed across the blower motor's leads. But you can read it there. The Kicker sub is supposed to be delivered today and Janey has graciously agreed to let me open it and start installing it tomorrow. I need the harness so I can run the 17.5' power wire out to the PDB, which will then let me put the PDB back together and button all that up. Then I'll run the remote turn-on wire & the RCA cables from the Sony to the Kicker, which will let me put Mission Control back together.

Time for an update. As I've been re-wiring the passenger side PDB I was planning to use the 2nd spot in the box for a diode to protect the relay that grounds the blower in high. But that got me to thinking about how a snubber diode should be used on a motor and I realized I'd implemented the first diode incorrectly. The first diode, which is actually D2 in the PDB, was wired from the positive lead of the motor to ground. But, the "low side" of the motor is only truly grounded in high, so if the ground relay isn't closed then the diode is trying to snub the excess current through the resistor pack. And while that does some snubbing it won't be all that it could be. So now I'm going to wire the diode from the positive lead to the negative lead of the motor. So whenever the power relay is cut and the back EMF hits the diode will snub it regardless of the speed setting on the control switch.

Cool! But I'm intrigued - surely he wrote in French but it still rhymes in English?