Gary Lewis

Welcome, Noah! Good intro. Welcome, glad you joined. Would you like to be on our map? (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu.) You sound like the perfect candidate for that truck. You want something that works, and something you can work on. Looks like you found it. Other than the diesel instead of the 460, your truck is quite similar to Big Blue - before I "upgraded" him. On the clutch, we should probably diagnose/discuss that in a thread in the main section as it'll get more attention there than here. But you have checked the clutch master to see that it is full? And make sure you take the rubber boot out to check.

I respectfully disagree. I think the garden shed is more aerodynamic. Our trucks have recesses, like around the headlights and turn signals, that catch air. Garden sheds don't. Nor do barn doors. Compare our trucks to the later trucks and you'll see that those recesses are filled in. So, while I consider the later trucks .... less than pretty, they are more aerodynamic.

Yes, that is cool! I like it, but already have the security system transmitter on the keys for Big Blue.

That's a lot of decals, Dane.

A diagonal bracket across the flap? That would work.

Nice looking alright! Welcome to the forum! But tell us more. Where are you located? The front tag appears to be European. The headlights appear to be yellow, which aren't legal in the US. And you say you "Imported this 1985/1987/1992" - does that mean it is an '85 with '87 and '92 parts? If so, you can add 1980 or '81 to the list as the FORD letters on the hood were from those years. So, please tell us more!

I sure don't know. Haven't run mud flaps, ever. Could you put an insulating piece on the tail pipe? It wouldn't look very good, but....

Good question! I don't remember what the plan was when I created that page, but there was nothing on it so I deleted it. Thanks!

I've not run into that, but have heard that others have had similar problems. Have you seen this thread: Transmission cooler connectors [E2TZ-7D273-A] - NOS? I don't know if they might help, but... Also, I've had absolutely no joy from Inline Tube. I bought stainless brake lines for Dad's truck from them and NOTHING fit. I will not buy from them again. Having said that, I don't know that their transmission lines won't fit. I just don't believe in Inline Tube.

That may be caused by a vacuum leak. I've seen/heard that before on some engine. Check your carb/manifold bolts, and check the manifold/engine bolts. Or, spray carb or brake cleaner around those spots with the engine running. When you find the leak the engine will speed up. Another approach is the smoke test. That might actually be the best approach as it doesn't require the engine to be running, and if I'm wrong running the engine might damage something. Still, I think it is a vacuum leak.

Yes, acceleration and deceleration is bad for MPG. I can see hills but the speed control can't, so it can't ease into the throttle as you start up a hill. Instead, it realizes the vehicle is losing speed too late and opens the throttle too much to catch up, and that uses fuel unnecessarily. Similarly I back off the throttle as we start down a hill, as does the speed control. But I can see when the hill ends and ease back into the throttle at just the right time so there's no loss of speed. However, the speed control doesn't see the bottom of the hill and the speed drops off, so then it has to accelerate to get it back up. I believe that the higher the horsepower of the engine the worse the hit from speed control. That's because the vehicle accelerates faster when the speed control asks for it. As for proof in the pudding, Blue is an excellent example as he has turbos and a boost gauge. If I put him on speed control I can see the boost come on routinely when we hit a hill. And he'll get ~17 MPG. But if I feed him manually I can get over 20 MPG. I did so on a trip to Colorado a few years ago and after many hundred miles we were pushing 21 MPG - calculated manually instead of relying on the Lie-O-Meter on the dash.

Got the PL259 connectors in today, so I'm ready to shorten the RG58 coax on the magnetic antenna mount when it comes in from Midland. And I did a bit more straightening on the step bar bracket and then cut a 2 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of 3/16" steel out of a piece of 3" square tubing. Oddly enough, the piece I cut out was bowed significantly, endwise. I straightened it in the press, but I was surprised that it had that much bow in it when the piece of tubing was nice and straight. Anyway, I beveled that piece of steel as well as the bracket and welded the piece onto the side of the bracket to close it up. I didn't take a pic, but just imagine the bracket below with a plate enclosing the side that is open towards is in the pic. As for the piece of angle drawn in red, it'll have to be turned 180 degrees and be welded between the front and rear plates. And it'll be drilled to take a bolt that will go into the piece of square tubing that goes off to the right. I hope to get that bracket done tomorrow and possibly start on the front bracket for the left side. It, too, needs beefing up. Then when that's done I'll do the same for the right side brackets and powder coat all of them before re-installing them.

I'm not familiar with those things. I see on the box where it mounts, but don't see much advantage in it. Plus, where's the light-bar part of it? What am I missing that others see in them?

Actually, it is Janey that turned her nose up at it, and she doesn't like that one any more than the other. But thanks.

Dad said his truck, a 4wd F150 w/a 351M/C6 and 3.50 gears always got 10, or 10, and sometimes 10. My brother said his mid-80's F250 w/a 460/C6 combo and probably 3.55 gears got exactly the same MPG, even when towing. My experiences have been different. Dad's truck with Rusty's "built" 351M and ZF5 got 14 on the trip from OK to PA and back, carrying furniture on the way and always on speed control - which hurts MPG. But I'll agree with Dad that the same truck with the stock 351M/C6 got 10 and was a dog in comparison to the other engine. Apparently Rusty's engine had a lot more compression and a decent cam. And Big Blue, which is currently inhaling through a 4bbl, gets 11 on the highway running 65 - 75 MPH on speed control. But I think I could squeeze 12 out of it if I took it gently and kept the speed to 65 or less. So if you are getting 8 or 9 around town and might get 11 or 12 on the highway I think you are probably tuned correctly. The C6 is power hungry and the 351M in stock form is badly neutered with a retarded cam and low compression, so you aren't going to get much better than what you are getting.

Kinda pricey, but if that's what you want it looks like a good one.

Nice! I'd like to have that for Big Blue to take the sun off of Janey, but I'm not sold on the look.

I didn't know until I looked it up, so there's no way for you to have known.

I should have said that there were only 3 reds used in those years.

As said on the black ones, kind of expensive, but the shipping is free.

Yes, that's fairly expensive. Might not be so bad if the woodgrained pieces weren't worn.

Nice. Kinda expensive at $135, but the shipping is free.

85/on F250/350 chassis cab - - 10 1/4" Sterling axle - - Bushing:E5TZ 5493-C 85/on F250/350 - - 2/W/D - - 133-155" (10W/B 1/4"-- ring w/sterling gear) E6 axles

CHEAP! That is included in these exhaust systems parts lists: 154; 132; 125; 96; 85; 77; 59; & 57. #57 is for an '82 w/a 351W w/o a converter. But you can look all of those parts lists up on the tab marked Part Numbers and then the tab marked Model Application Charts on the page at Documentation/Exhaust Systems.

Unfortunately, that's for the little Bronco II.