Gary Lewis

Yes, there is a tutorial: Documentation/Electrical/Instrument Cluster Voltage Regulator: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/icvr.html. And you are right, Jim. I found that 5.4 volts put the three sets of gauges I tried right where they should be. So that's the voltage I dial in.

I know you asked Jim, but I'll answer. The "placeholder" bit is just to say that while I have the '84 EVTM I've not put it on the website. That's because for all practical purposes it is the same as the '85. And yes, there is an ICVR in your truck. It was used up through '86 and then in '87 the gauges changed so it was no longer needed.

I had a set of auto hubs on my 84 Dodge in 1990 and they work fine til they don't. Mine failed at the WORST moment. Exploring a muddy forest road on some property I had posted a for sale sign on earlier in the week. Going down hill. When the road got really bad I thought I'd walk it a bit and decide. It only got worse. So I tried backing out only to find I had no front drive axle. Had to walk out of there. Ended up going to the land owner's with hat in hand so to speak. I was there without permission. He brought his tractor down and pulled me out. And gave me some tomatoes (gotta love the South). But yeah, one hub failed, leaving the whole thing just spinning. open diff. So in went manuals, which didn't let me down again. Even my 2015 had the automatic hubs, now called Integrated Wheel Ends, fail. Apparently it is a very common problem and the dealer knew exactly what the issue was when I described it. It happened when I was trying to use them to drive on some really slick snow/ice combo in Colorado, and the result was that I had to back down the mountainside for fear of getting stuck if I tried to turn around. Then later they tried to come in while we were driving 75 MPH and continued to do so for an hour. So I like my Warn hubs. If I might need them, like on the 265 miles we did on the Greencountry Oklahoma Adventure Trail, I lock them in and know they'll be there when I need them. Otherwise they are locked out.

If your DVM says there's no resistance then the inertia switch is closed and you need to look elsewhere for the problem. And to do that you need to follow along in that diagram. You "printed" Pg 104 of the 1985 EVTM, which you can find here: Documentation/Electrical/EVTM/1985 EVTM and then go down to the section on Electric Fuel Pump Control. As you can see, the inertia switch is after the fuel pump relay, so you can check at the inertia switch to see if the relay is coming in. You should have battery voltage on both sides of the switch with the ignition switch in Start or Run.

I've been thinking about this EFI more and more, and now I'm curious about the Multiport kits. Seems like the only real choices are Edelbrock, or a Holley ECU kit with OE stuff... https://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-359300/make/ford How much better is multiport going to be over a throttle body EFI kit? Hard question to answer, I know...but it seems like it would be far superior. Maybe not in my application, but obviously there's no better method of fuel distribution... If I did go with OE stuff, I'd have to source a bunch of parts...but what all would I need? Upper and lower intake, obviously. Injectors, fuel rails, throttle body, etc. Would there be any benefit in the end over the Edelbrock multiport EFI kit? I guess the main benefit would be that it would have MAF (assuming I used the EFI parts from a Mustang?) I can't definitively answer the question about how much better a multi-port is over throttle body, but it interesting to note that none of the automobile manufacturers still use throttle body - as far as I know. So there's obviously some advantage since it has to cost more. As you said, the multi-port approach gives the best distribution possible since each cylinder should ingest the same amount of air with each revolution and giving each injector the same pulse should give the same amount of fuel. That's not true of a throttle body system where fuel can drop out of the mix due to twists and turns of the intake runners, which vary by cylinder. But another thing not normally though of is that the engineers can design the intake manifold/plenum differently for multi-port vs throttle body/carb use. I've run into that on Big Blue where I'm currently using an multi-port EFI plenum with a carb and have a lean off-idle issue. Apparently that is because the plenum is "big", meaning that the engineers didn't have to keep the runners small in order to keep the fuel in suspension. So the runners are big and at low velocity I'm having dropout issues, which I've covered up by fattening up the mix. So if you think about it the multi-port plenum can deliver more power because it doesn't have to keep the fuel in suspension. That doesn't mean that all plenums will deliver more power, but they can be designed to do so.

I hope you aren't wanting my input on pushrod length as I don't know. I understand what you are doing, but don't know which approach to bank on. However, I applaud your thoroughness and your attention to detail. You are considering every option and doing a good job of researching things. Glad the cam is actually moving. Otherwise it would seem like a bearing might be too tight. Anyway, keep up the good work. We are following along.

Glad you figured it out.

It is great that you have the original paperwork. That makes it really special. And you can display it at the car shows. I'll bet the mechanics were all over your truck. Many of them have probably never seen one like it.

Lets take it one issue at a time, starting with the inertia switch. Below is the diagram from the 1985 EVTM of your circuit, and you can see Connector C119, which the EVTM says is "near the inertia switch". I'd unplug it and check to see if the inertia switch itself has continuity. Having said that, you do have a DVM, right?

Yes, now is the time to make the swap.

So it is actually the water pump itself? I’d replace it as that surely means the bearing is failing.

Thanks for the explanation, Angelo.

Cool! Not that I want to do that, but it looks like it would be an easy way to go to a 4-link rear suspension.

Not a bad price for all of the bits that you get.

If I remember correctly the inlaid fabric and fabric map pockets came out in '85, so those door panels should be Canyon Red. In other words, they will not match earlier trucks, although they could be painted.

Do your auto hubs have different nuts than the manual hubs? The later ones do and I'm wondering when the change was made. Anyway, good progress. Hope you have it on the road soon. And I think you've figured out what the problem is on the fuel system.

Cool! That is great to know, Scott. And yes, it does look like plenty of room. That opens up lots of possibilities. Thanks much!

The main section is the best place to post a question. Just click on Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum in the upper left to be taken there. And you can post pics there or here or pretty much anywhere. And that is a nice looking truck. It is really cool that you bought it new.

You are now on the map, Matt. And it looks like you are training them well.

Sorry, it should say Skiatook, OK. But, if you Google it there is only one Skiatook. Anyway, about 20 miles north of Tulsa.

Congrat's, Andre!!!!

It is your call, but I think you should start a new thread.

You obviously did a great job on getting Brutus back together. Well done, he's looking good! Bummer that the seat cover faded, but it is wonderful that they are sending you another one. As for the Ranchero, why not start a thread on it?

Yes, I did go with the Sony DSX-GS80, and I really like it for a number of reasons. First, there are a gillion ways to tune the output, including with an app on a phone, in order to make it sound the way you want. Second, it can monitor two phones at a time, so instead of being like our "new" vehicles where it connects to the last one used, this one connects to both my phone and Janey's so whichever rings can be answered. Third, you can adjust the display color and brightness so it is visible in most conditions. I say "most" because I suspect that you'd have to run the brightness up really high in order to see it if the sun were coming directly in from the back. But it can be done. As for the support at the rear, the little radio was held nicely in the bezel by bending the tabs over on the mounting cage, but I thought for a truck going off the road as BB is to do it needed more. Let's just say "it can be done" and if you want to know how I'll give you some links.

Welcome! Glad you joined. We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu above) and would be happy to add you if you'd like. Just give us a city or a zip as we don't use addresses. That sounds like a really nice truck. Sure hope you'll post some pics of it. And we'll be happy to help with the inertia switch problem.