Gary Lewis

Thanks, David. I think that's where I'll put it and move the mike to the front. As for the elevation, it was showing about 700' when I got it. And the instructions say to turn the outer ring to align the pointer with your elevation. So I pulled up Gaia, the mapping app, and it said our house is at 723'. I then turned the ring to as close as I could get to 723. But barometric pressure changes will vary the reading, so it isn't going to be dead-on. However, it will provide a good indication of how high you are, and if you want it to be exact then bring up Gaia.

That's good progress. EDL is looking good! And glad you found the dome light, but were the good screws with it?

No, I was asking about the 5 nuts that hold the hub, or snout on. The thing that the wheel bearings go on. The thing I had so much fun removing. I guessed at 70 lb ft, then I found a spec in a Haynes manual that was 60, so I'm not too far off. I know you have a lot of documentation on this site, but I haven't learned to navigate it very well yet. Thanks for the pointer! I didn't find any slots or keyways or grooves or anything that would have prevented mounting it in any of the 5 possible orientations. I'll have to take a closer look at the passenger side, which is still in pieces. Any thoughts on what bad things might happen if I leave it like it is? The only reason I could think of for any orientation was if they built some camber into the piece, but it does not look like they did. Maybe something to do with the 4WD? I'm confused. I'm not sure what you mean by "snout". Here's a diagram that might help us:

Try MAPP gas. It gets a bit hotter than propane. And hit the side of the knuckle nearest the ball joint's stem while you have the press on and TIGHT. I had to install the press, heat the knuckle, bang the knuckle, tighten the press, heat, bang, tighten, etc.

Good point, Jim.

The specs on the spindle nuts, which I think is what you are asking about are: Install and tighten the spindle attaching nuts to 68-81 N-m (50-60 ft-lbs). The instructions are on the Front Axles & Differentials tab on the page at Documentation/Driveline/Axles & Differentials. But the torque specs aren't in the table at the end of the chapter like they should be. Instead they are in the text. And I'm surprised that you could get it on with the groove in the wrong place. Did you swap sides? I don't think it really matters though. And Loctite won't hurt. May not help, but it won't hurt.

You are now on the map. And I know where Green Bay is as we drove through there a couple of weeks ago coming home from the UP. And glad you are keeping the color scheme and decals. On the fender, if you loosen the bolt that is at the back of the fender underneath, the two bolts close to the hinge, and the two bolts holding the fender to the corner brackets near the battery you can probably slide it forward a bit. I did that earlier this week on Big Blue.

We've only recently been plagued with spammers. Not sure why, although we did recently change our joining process. But to this point, meaning on this "production" forum, the change was only to the text and not the process itself so shouldn't have made any difference. Someone suggested it was due to us becoming larger, more visible. However, we've not grown that dramatically of late, so I don't have a clue why.

Yep, that's the right gear up until 5/1/81.

Herb - You are now on the map. And at 79 you may be the oldest person on here, besting me by 5 years. Nice truck! What part of CO do you go to?

Yes, D9ZZ-14528-D is for the left hand and -C is RH.

David - If Big Blue was a daily driver then I'd be worried about the longevity of the Honda bulbs. In fact, Daniel alluded to that when he said: But, I'm not supposed to be driving more than 6000 miles/year, so I don't think I'm going to worry about that. As for testing, you know me. My plan was to put a new 1157 on one side and the Honda bulb on the other, both front and rear, and take pics. But you think I should take one pic with just the two bulbs by themselves? The camera would adjust to average the light, but if one bulb is brighter than the other it should be obvious. Right? And now for what I've done today. First, I installed the BNC connector on the GMRS antenna lead. But when I tried to put it on the connector that's on the truck I found that they are not compatible. So I've ordered the right one from Digi-Key. But, installing that connector will require dropping the headliner, and that's a pain. And if I get a rear view mirror with front & rear cameras I'll have to drop it then as well. So I'm going to hold off installing the connector until I know the status of the mirror - and I sent Pormido a note asking for an update today. However, I did get the altimeter in today and have looked the cab over for places to mount it. Here are the three places I found, in my preferred order. But I'd like to hear from y'all as to what you think and if you have other suggestions. First, here it is up on the headliner above and behind the GMRS radio. In that location it is easy for either the driver or passenger to read in the daytime, and if I want to read it at night I can turn on the dome light as it isn't illuminated. The minor downside is that the handsfree mike would need to be relocated. But in reality it should be farther forward to pick up the sound from the occupants better. Then here 'tis directly in front of the driver, above the sun shade. But it is in an odd, non-centered, location and requires that the mike's cord sags - which it seems to do normally. But then it isn't easy to read by the passenger. Last, it could be put beside the other three gauges. But it doesn't match, can't be lined up exactly, and wouldn't be easy to mount there.

I have some updates on the '52 Mercury project truck...feel free to make fun of me for deciding to make some major changes/mods when the original plan was to NOT do so...lol. I might be a bit of an addict...but the winters are long, and I like to tinker. The old Flathead engine is really cool, and I honestly like it...it runs like a top, has a cult like following, and everybody that sees it says how cool the truck is to still have the original engine in it. BUT...modifying that engine, or adding things too it (like power steering, later model transmissions, etc) is expensive. At the end of the day, the truck needs to be nice to drive, and that is what is driving me to make some serious changes. I bought a nice little 302/5.0 V8 for it. The engine was removed from a 1996 F150. I was seeking not only a factory roller block 302, but specifically a 1994-1996 5.0 from an F or E series vehicle. In case anybody doesn't know, the last few years of the 302/5.0 had the F4TE cam (H.O. firing order...or basically the 351 roller cam). So, outside of the very late 5.0's used in the 1997-1998 Explorers, the 1994-1996 F150 5.0 was probably the best of the later SBF engines. Going to start pulling the EFI and everything off of it today... I listed the Flathead and trans for sale and sold them both within 12 hrs locally. Funny story, but the whole transaction was filmed and will be on a TV show soon...more about that later lol. Local custom car builder shop bought it. They did have a running TV show on Discovery, but I believe they're just doing Youtube and Facebook these days. I also bought a AODE-W transmission...or 4R70W, which was also removed from a 1996 F150, but not the same 1996 F150 that my 5.0 was removed from (that one had an E4OD). The rear diff is going to be a 3.55 geared 8.8 from a 2001 Ford Explorer. I guess I'm going to learn how to remove existing leaf spring perches and weld new ones on in a different location. Stay tuned for more. Anyway, that's all the local news here... TGIF Bullnosers. I like the plan. As you know, I don't leave anything stock, and especially wouldn't when stock was from the early 50's. So going with a 5.0L and a modern auto tranny seems like a good plan. And what is the plan for the fuel system since you are pulling the EFI off?

Yes, thanks Larry, and thanks Jim. I'll delete the posts on Sunday as he's been given 48 hours to apologize.

That's a good heads-up. Janey is awaiting a paper/fabric cutting machine, and it is somewhere between the ships off California and OKC. No one seems to know where it is, but they can't find drivers to bring it.

I use the aluminum kind all the time on spark plugs and other things. I have the copper, but prefer the aluminum. And the only problem on spark plugs is if you paint the electrode. The stuff conducts quite well and bakes into the porcelain. But that would be true of aluminum or copper.

Ok, so the 40V Ryobi chain saw is good? And the blower? Noted. I don't have a chain saw and should with as many trees as we have. And the Stihl blower now only runs with "some" choke, and it is getting really finicky on how much. Last time there was a VERY delicate balance and I was barely able to get the job. I'm not going to spend money again to have it fixed as I've done that too many times. As for the Lightning, I'd go with the 3.5L Powerboost and the 7.2KW inverter instead. I really haven't read up on it, but at first blush I like the hybrid idea. And the ability to power part of your home when the utility power is off is intriguing. (Reminds me - with it cool in the attic now I need to rewire the furnaces so I can plug them into an extension cord and run them off Big Blue should I need to do so.)

And do NOT get any on the electrode. It will NOT bake off. DAHIK.

Welcome! Glad you joined. I see the John Deere decal and colors, so do you plan to keep that? Would be cool if you did. Have I asked from whence you come? We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we can add you with a city/state or zip.

Actually, the swiss cheese frame was two years only, 1980 and '81. And at least one of the harnesses changed a bit each year as they added things. The Bullnose era, while looking from the outside like all things stayed the same, was an era of great change for the engines and emission systems.

Well, it would be fun! But, which truck would get it?

I think there are a lot of curious trucks. Seriously though, the DRL-1 module is actually used two ways. I found two different wiring diagrams on Daniel's site and asked him about it. His response was: My plan is to hook it up the "markerflash" way as I think it would be very beneficial for people beside me to know my intentions when I engage the turn signal. But I'm not as sold on daytime running lights. (I'm not saying they aren't beneficial. Just maybe not as beneficial as letting people beside me know I'm about to occupy their space.)

Welcome anyway. Glad you joined. Tell us about your truck as well as where home is when you have a chance. The latter is because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we can add you with a city/state or zip/postal code.

Whoa!!! I keep telling you, it isn't whoa but GO! Seriously though, just a bit of cleanup where the throttle body mounts will surely help the flow. There's nothing else in the upper plenum to restrict things as the interior is one big huge cavity and the outlets have probably three times the area of the inlet. So that little bit of metal sticking out is all that I need to remove. As for the A/C system, y'all are probably wondering if I've exorcised the smell. And the answer is no. In fact, I've not tried because it has been raining cats and dogs here and has now turned cold. But Saturday it is supposed to be clear and up to 68 degrees, so maybe I can do it then. But tomorrow I'll put the new BNC connector on the GMRS antenna. I may then take a drive to see how it works, leaving Janey at home with a handheld. And if I do I plan to fill the tank to see what the MPG was for last week's trip. Meanwhile I've been working on Big Blue's Christmas list. All of this will come from Daniel Stern with the exception of the last two items, which are from Amazon - as recommended by Daniel.