Gary Lewis

John - Thanks. Larry - I hope that Ranger can carry a load.

For those that haven't "twigged", as the Brits would say, John and I've come to an agreement on the wheels. And John they are now downstairs, in the way, as you can see. You might ask how a 74 year old man carried them down the stairs w/o falling, and I'd say "He's smarter than that." When I built the shop I installed a trap door, an I-beam, and a winch. Works very nicely!

Ok Larry, Plan C or D on the radiator & support. I just realized that I have a nice, pretty, painted radiator support for Dad's truck and the one I took out of it is available. (Shown below leaning on Larry's tires.) It looks to be in better shape than the one off Big Blue as it only has a little surface rust, and no chunk cut out by . However, David's radiator is from an '85 and won't quite fit in Dad's 1981 radiator support. But, if you go to Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Supports there's a how-to on upgrading an earlier support to take the later radiator. And since I have BB's '85 radiator support laying around you could take the brackets off of it, put them on Dad's support, and install David's radiator.

But how else am I supposed to win??? Joking... You better be joking, that honor is mine, sir! Well, things are going to work out - after I lost more hair. We have six trophies and only five places to vote on the ballot, and I just had new ballots printed. But, when I checked to see which ones we are missing it is Best Paint and Farthest Driven - and we don't vote on how far people drove. So I called and they are making two new labels and mailing them out today. No charge! As for Ugliest Truck, I will have the label from the trophy left over, so...

Let's see if this helps. I measured from the bottom of the fender up as it is really hard to get a good reference point on the top of the fender. I make it out to be 10 1/4" to the bottom of the opening, although parallax makes it look a bit more in this pic. And that is bending around the piece of trim that is there. And here's how I measure the distance from the cutout for the taillight, and that is 15 3/4". Is that what you need?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Gary! This is important in today's world IMO. ~~ Thanks for the explanation about Janey & your brother, I obviously don't read everything.... Chris - I'd planned to add https when we move to the new AWS servers. But I was holding off 'cause I expected it to be a hassle to change certificates in the middle of the move. However, we had no choice as Nabble apparently decided that was the way to solve the log-in problem. I'd probably have more hair and fewer ulcers had they told me they were doing it instead of letting me catch that one more character, "s", in the the URL. Fortunately I finally did and then worked out what changes that required on my end. And now it appears that everything works. Oddly enough, I suspect that making that one change would have solved the problem with our TEST forum on the AWS servers and we'd have been off of Nabble's servers a few months ago. That would have mean two less forums to move and less traffic on their servers. Now we are awaiting Pedro becoming available to help us in September and then maybe we can move.

Yes, Shaun, please take some pics. And please include a shot of the code by the valve stem.

Excellent! Can't wait to see the pics!

Well, the trophies came in today. Looks like I didn't pay enough attention to what categories we had last year. We have "Best Story" and "Ugliest Truck", but we aren't doing those categories this year. But, we've been here before. I'll just have them mail me the correct labels and I'll swap them.

Well, this isn't the "tomorrow" I'd promised, but here are the measurements nonetheless: Here's the measurement for the opening from the inside edge of the window opening. Parallax distorts the inside measurement, but the hole is 5/8" wide and starts at 5/16" inside and extends to 15/16". And here are the measurements from towards the rear of the door: 4" to 4 3/4".

We are a community, and that's what friends do. (And apparently I'm about to meet another friend for the first time. Someone is coming to look at wheels. )

Larry - I think these are the "valances" you need. Right? If so, they are in the ever-growing stack for you. And here are two views of the 1990 460 fan and clutch. As you can see it bolts to the water pump and the fan bolts to the clutch.

Ok, I used what I found in the attic to update our page at Documentation/Driveline/Wheels & Tires. And more specifically the tab called Wheel Types, Applications, Codes, etc and below that the Identification Codes tab. Oh, and there's a new picture on the "Pictures" tab. Ya'll can go there and check it out. And here are some pics to whet your appetite:

So that's where it went. I was glad it found a home, but happier still that you didn't need it. Looks like there will be two alternators in the "swap meet" stuff, but the other one is the Powermaster that I promised Scott. I also have other things, so I'll try to detail them as well. Like several NOS center caps?

Just back from getting our booster shots and picking BB up from the A/C shop. They said the new hoses fixed everything and it is "blowing ice cold air", with no leaks at all and spot-on pressures. So I think an oil and filter change is about all that is needed before he hits the highway for Ouray.

What an offer, David! And if he takes Big Blue's '85 radiator support I think it'll bolt in. Or another '85 or later support. Or modify an earlier support using the tabs off of Big Blue's support, as shown in the documentation. As for the other bits, we just got home from getting our booster shots and picking up BB from the A/C shop, so when I change and get out to the shop I'll see what else I have.

Thanks for the clarification, Bill. I didn’t think the FDM came out in 86, but wasn’t sure. Ford sure tried a bunch of different systems in that era. Makes it very confusing.

Larry - You can have the brackets whether you take the radiator support. As for valances, I may have them as well, but I'm not 100% sure what you mean by the term. Can you point them out in a pic? On the fan clutch, I'll check. May be later today or tomorrow as we are running errands today.

Here are some pictures to help fit it all together. First is the "easy" part of the trail coming up before The Wall. It looks flat and level in the foreground. But if you look at the background you get an idea of how steep it is! This is hard to walk on. Trucks have an easier time than pedestrians, but it is spooky hearing the rocks roll out from under your tires if you're not used to it. Here's a picture of The Wall from 2000. It doesn't look a lot like this anymore, but it might help visualize where the different routes are. Just looking above the little road that's above the grass and rock just above my old Jeep, the route to the right is the "right side" that was the easiest in 2018. The route in the center of the picture was a lot harder. I posted this picture before It shows my Bronco in 2018 on "the left side of the right side". This is probably the most doable route (it's the only place I was successful in 2018), although it might require winching. https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n13104/DSC_7643_Poughkeepsie.jpg I posted this next picture before too. It shows someone on the route that's in the middle of the 2000 picture (see what I mean about it being harder in 2018?). https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n13165/DSC_7749_Poughkeepsie.jpg And here I am further to the left on that route up the middle. I did not make it up here. https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n13104/DSC_7648_Poughkeepsie.jpg I don't have many pictures of the bowl that's above The Wall, but here's one from 2000: and another from 2018: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n13104/DSC_7657_Poughkeepsie.jpg Those don't give you much to go on, but it's all I've got. Chris - Those clips are cute! I've seen them 13 times, by actual count, as my grandson and I've watched Cars that many times. And the minivans are a neat part of it. I love the conversation between them. But Janey doesn't get to go. She has sjogren's syndrome and cannot be in the sun for any length of time, and obviously on top of a mountain is one of the worst places to be. The trip was already planned when she learned that, so I invited my brother. And we will be careful. And we'll have fun. In that order. One of the reasons my brother agreed to go is that he knows I'm going to be cautious - always have been more cautious than he. His sons have serious RZR's and are into "let's see if we can get this thing to go straight up" and my brother isn't into that. He just wants to go and have a good time, safely. Bob - The pics really help. Thanks! I've seen a youtube of people going up that "easy part of the trail coming up before The Wall", one of which was on a motorcycle. He fell several times and then finally turned around and went back down. So I have some idea of how steep it is and how loose the rocks are. And hearing the rocks come out from under your tires is unnerving. I heard the shale do that on Ophir Pass, but it wasn't that steep, although it was a shelf road so... On The Wall itself, I think I like the "left side of the right side". I don't like the idea of having rocks to slide into backwards or tip into with the side of the truck. I'd rather a clear shot, and don't mind winching. But the approach angle looks steep, so I'm thinking I will drag the trailer hitch. And the bowl doesn't look that bad. Again, it is hard to know how steep it is in the pictures, but the 2000 pic does show it. And that's the way we'll be coming down to scope out The Wall on Day 2, if we do that. Thanks again as this has helped immensely. I need to get another round of maps together, send them to my brother, and then have a discussion with him about them. He'd already agreed with the previous approach, but I really think substituting Imogene for Last Dollar will make a huge difference and get us into 'wheeling.

So the FDM's actually started in '86? I wasn't aware of that and haven't found it in the MPC. Apparently the base part number changed from the sender/pump combo so I need to look elsewhere.

Maybe that is the switchbacks. It looks like there's an easy way down on the right, with a hard way down in the middle. However, I'm confused. You said "(The Wall was a lot easier in 2000 than it was in 2018). But then when we drove up it in 2018 we barely slowed down." Do you maybe have that the wrong way 'round? In any event, you are saying Big Blue is capable, so I need to get my ability and confidence up to match his capabilities. So maybe Ophir Pass & Imogene on Day 1, Engineer Mountain Road et al on Day 2 as well as a peek at The Wall, Poughkeepsie Gulch & The Wall on Day 3, and then MAYBE Black Bear on Day 4.

Heinz - Sorry, but you apparently have the later version of the fuel system. The earlier version is shown in the first illustration and the later one is below that. (I'd much rather use Ford illustrations that LMC's.) I don't understand how the later system works. I say that because I don't see how it knows which tank to return fuel to w/o the tank selector. Unless it uses different in-tank pumps with check valves. Maybe Bill/85lebaront2 knows? I'll tag him.

Matt - Glad to see that things are getting back to normal. And those events sound like a whole lot of fun!

Again, Bob, thanks for the detailed response. I, too, like the idea of going up difficult stretches rather than down. So I think if we try The Wall we will come in from the north, up the trail. But to scout it out I think I'd like to come in from the south given how close we will be at Hurricane Pass on what I think will be Day 2. And regarding that you said: I'd like to try the bowl, but want to make sure I know where it is. I think from what you've said it is in the green circle, right? If so, what is in the blue circle? (The yellow one is supposed to be The Wall, according to All Trails.) And it is just soft, albeit steep? Ok, sounds like something we can do. As for The Wall itself, it is one of those "I've got it, I've got it, I ain't got it" things. I understand your words now, but when I'm there looking at it I'll probably have to re-read and re-think things. But let me get back to that in a day or two and I'll ask more questions. Thanks again!

Just a little update. Got bored with cleaning the shop and packing for Ouray, so decided I'd play with the tow eyes for the bumper. As previously described, the plasma cutter they used didn't leave the smoothest surface, and the top edge as well as the radius at the rear had bumps in them. So I pulled out my belt/disc sander combo and worked on one of the eyes. In the pic below you can see the one I worked on to the left, and I've circled some of the divots that the plasma cutter left on the other one. The end cleaned up very nicely but I have a bit farther to go with the top edge. Still, I'm pleased that it is smoothing out so nicely. Now to clean up the mess I made.