Gary Lewis

Thanks for posting the intro in here. I'm going to include your pic for you, but you should read the info on how to post pics in the menu at Bullnose Forum/Forum FAQ's. And, is Jefferson, Georgia home? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map) and we can add you.

Hopefully I didn't see this too late. I already got started. But there were so many inches of dirt on it took a long time to penetrate past it. Now that I can actually see metal I'll try to be more careful. What type of grease do I need to get? I probably should grease it today to try and push out any water. Good question. I've always used a moly grease on front ends.

Welcome to the Bullnose Forum! Glad you joined. However, before we get into finding a hood, you probably missed the email I sent you asking you to introduce yourself in the New Members Start Here folder. Many do miss that email as our joining process is broken. But it is important as we have our guidelines in that folder and since we hold everyone to them we want you to have a chance to read them. So once you've assured us that you've read them we can proceed. But the best way would be to start a new thread in that NMSH folder and introduce yourself.

"All the way down" is determined by where the arm is put on the serrated shaft. Once you get the wipers to shut off properly you can pull the wiper arm off the shaft and reposition it so they rest just above the windshield trim. As for getting them to turn off, try the troubleshooting instructions on the page at Documenation/Electrical/Windshield Wipers.

I started at 6am. Need to get as much work in on the weekend as I can. This is dragging on so long. I really want to get this on the road. Just finished my second cup of green tea. RockAuto says it is the right seal but so is the hundred others of seals that don't even look the same. But after looking at it in person I think it may be correct. I am going to try and drive it out and measure it to be sure. One of the reasons I want to rebuild it is so I can clean and paint it. But I will try and pressure wash it. Those are grease fittings on the top correct? Maybe after cleaning I can pump it full of fresh grease and see how smooth it feels. If feels good maybe I will just clean it up on the truck and not paint. Yes, those are grease fittings. But don't push water from the pressure washer into all of the joints as you may not get it out with the grease. So take it easy and don't linger too long on each thing.

Oh, so many questions so early in the morning! And I've not finished my 2nd cup of Joe! Yes, I think that is the type of seal you need, but I assume that RA says it is the right seal? And yes, you have king pins and not ball joints. So that's what's inside. But king pins tend to wear very slowly, and they sometimes take a reamer to get installed correctly. So unless you know that your king pins are worn that's something I'd leave alone at the moment. You can always come back later and do it as a part of a front end rebuild. Ditto the tie rod end. You won't have to tear anything up on the wheel bearings or seals to do that, so I'd suggest getting things together and see if they need to be replaced. But, tie rod ends are pretty easily done so if you want to do them now go for it. As for how to do it all, follow the instructions at Documentation/Suspension & Steering/2WD Spindles. Having said that, those instructions are from the 1985 FSM and don't say they work for the F100. So if you have questions I could scan the 1981 FSM section and add it, which should include the F100.

John - How 'bout we put it in the Interior section? Start a new page called How To Recover Dash Covers & Door Panels. Meaning it would be in the menu as Documentation/Interior/How To Recover Dash Covers & Door Panels. (Don't look, it ain't there yet.) Randy - Is that OK with you? I can do the work as you've provided all the text and pictures. But, the title of this says "pt. 1". When is pt. 2 coming and what does it cover?

Congrat's!!!! Glad you got it certified! And you are right, if it is gonna be IN California it needs to come FROM California.

I'm now reading the same thing. Apparently they are saying 1990 was a cutoff/change point. However, I've read previously that older hoses that have been used will not leak because the oil will have sealed them. But to be safe, new hoses are a good idea.

Yep, the hose clamps are visible now, out where they should have been. And I added the Grypmat to the list. My son got me that for just this kind of trip, so it'll be in there. Anyway, this list is great as it lets me slowly think through all of the things that might be needed and I have a good place to keep it so I can get back to it. And, y'all can comment. So, keep those cards and letters flowing in! http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/uploads/6/5/8/7/65879365/waving_orig.gif

I think you are wise to replace everything as you go on the brakes. You'll be happy when you get it together. As for calipers with long arms, I have the same question but no answer. On the bolt pattern, the 114.3mm or 4.5" is not the distance between every other bolt, but the distance between the center of the wheel or hub and the bolt circle. However, I've read that "You can also measure from the CENTER of one bolt hole to the CENTER of the third hole using a multiplier of 1.05 to find your bolt circle." I've not done the math to prove that, but it seems to fit with what you are finding.

I recently went through this on Big Blue. I ordered: Dorman 800-072 3/8 in. Nylon Fuel Line - Black, 25 ft. If I remember correctly the supply is 3/8" and the return is 5/16". However, I used 3/8" on both and the 25' was just enough to make a whole new system. But I had to get the right connectors. Dorman 800-084 Fuel Line Quick Connector for 5/16 In. Steel to 3/8 In. Nylon Tubing, Pack of 2: This fit the 5/16" steel tubing but used the 3/8" nylon tubing. Dorman 800-082 Fuel Line Fitting for 3/8 In. Steel to 3/8 In. Nylon Tubing, Pack of 2: This fits the 3/8" supply steel tubing to the 3/8" nylon tubing. Dorman 800-301 Fuel Line Repair Tool: This wasn't absolutely necessary as with a hot air gun you can probably get a good joint of the nylon line on the fittings, but it made it easier and more sure to get a good connection.

I'm certainly no A/C expert, and in fact farmed the completion of my system up to my nephew. But here are my thoughts. Lines: My limited understanding is that R12 lines that have been in use are compatible with R134a. And that new lines may not be. I think you may be better off with your used lines, but let the others comment. Orifice: I'm running a red one in Big Blue and it seems to work quite well. That's what was in the '90 system and what others recommended, so that's what I went for. And I think I had to use a screw to get the old one out of my system. Evaporator: Replace it. If you had a leak that showed up under the dash then it pretty well has to be the evaporator. Don't waste your time working on a system that will probably leak. Compressor: My nephew told me that if the system had been working that the compressor was probably fine. But since I didn't know if the compressor on Huck had been working I replaced it, which cost ~$200. I think I'd stay with the existing compressor if I knew the history, as you do.

Nice truck! A 302 and a C6 wouldn't be my dream driveline, but it would work quite well.

Oh, I forgot the Swiss Army tool. There's a story with that. Years ago we were in Italy and I saw one of those for sale in a little shop and thought it would be nice to have. But I thought the price was too high and surely I could get it back home for less. However, when we got back home I found that the price here is every bit, if not more, than what they wanted in Italy. And, of course, I wouldn't have purchased it in Italy so it wouldn't be all that special. A few years later we went on a cruise on the Danube and started in Nuremberg. As we always do, before leaving Janey and I discussed what we would be shopping for on the trip, and that Swiss Army tool was my item. We landed in Nuremberg and started wandering the Old Town and there it was! And for a good price. So within 2 hours of landing on a 2 week trip I bought what I was looking for. But I watched for it the whole rest of the time and found that I really did get a good deal. No one else had it for that price, and in most cases they didn't have it in stock.

I looked through it twice and still didn’t see hose clamps! I like the Swiss Army Knife tool! Bruce - I agree that a saw would be well advised when overlanding. In fact on the GOAT we found a place where we were just able to get through w/o trimming a tree. So when we go overlanding I'll take my Ridgid reciprocating saw and some long blades, as well as the battery charger and two batteries. That thing is amazing and should be all I'll ever need. But, for the Ouray trip I'm not sure that will be needed. From what I've seen the trails are well above tree line. Dane - No wonder you couldn't find the hose clamps. They, and several other things, were buried in the Sockets section of the Hand Tool Box. I've moved all of them out from under Sockets, and turned the hose clamp entry red - just for you.

Well, with the code they give I got the total price, inc shipping, down to $52 so I ordered the 25' set. That will let me put the other set in Blue, and I know that there's a good chance that our daughter and family will want to borrow him in the near future so that's a bit of peace of mind since the SiL specifically asked for a set the last time they borrowed it. John - Why not that NOCO Boost X GBX45 1250A 12V UltraSafe Portable Lithium Jump Starter? Two reasons. First is price. At slightly more than 1/3 of the price the jumper cables appear to be a good deal. They won't ever fail to hold a charge. Second, I'm not sure I trust that little battery pack to do the job. I have a Stanley Simple Start lithium booster and keep it plugged into the inverter in Big Blue so it is always hot. And it did nothing to start Blue, although to be fair the battery in Blue was really bad. In fact, the only way I did get it started was via the jumper cables off Big Blue. So for the price difference I'm going with the sure thing. Jim - Yes, I'd forgotten about batteries being registered to the vehicle. That's a HUGE pain. We ran into that when shopping for the Subie's replacement. The guy at BMW explained that it took a specific battery for their vehicles. That and a few other glaring differences to the MB helped us make up our mind. I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to swap batteries on Blue. The new wedge-style connectors were so easy to remove and perfectly clean. And the wedge-style clamp to hold the battery in was simple. Only a 10mm wrench was needed. In fact, the hardest part was lifting the battery out as the nice people at Ford either removed the handle or bought a battery w/o a handle - even though there was a place for it. And so far I've not found any presets that were lost in the ordeal.

Good job! Yes, I especially like the sling. But I was initially concerned that it would slide down the floor at the opening - until I saw the blocks at the ends and finally twigged to what you were doing.

Haha, thanks Gary. There are some very specific reasons that it was able to happen in 10 months, and all of them will not likely be possible in the future, so it's one of those things I'm very fortunate to have done it when I did. 1. I was having issues sleeping for the last several years, but after a surgery this past winter I am now sleeping again like a normal person, lol. For the first portion of the rehab of this truck, I was awake and moving sometimes at 3am, and usually no later than 4am. Those longer days translate into getting more done. 2. Covid-19 Lockdowns and restrictions...they most definitely allowed me to have much more time than one would normally have. 3. I had the space and shop to use at my work, with almost unlimited space, and equipment to use (like forklifts) for swapping cabs, frames, drivetrains, etc. Now I'm back to working out of a singe attached garage at home, with limited space and limited equipment. I won't be able to tackle a project like this one any time soon, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to...haha. I've had my fill of it for a while. By the way, in case I haven't thanked you lately, thanks again for the website, the documentation, and the forum. I've used the information on here A LOT, and made some great friends along the way. Once again, a tip of the hat to you. Those are very likely once upon a time reasons. And I'm especially glad you are now sleeping like a normal person. As for not wanting to tackle another project like that, for a while, I certainly understand. And, I'm glad to have been able to contribute to that project, even if only in a very limited capacity.

Yes, 2/0 would be bulky on the end. And then there's the carrying case. As it turns out, they have a model called ENB125 and while it is "only" 25' long it comes with a carrying case. Best of all, it is only $51.98, inc shipping. It doesn't come with the pigtail to connect to the battery, but I don't need that, so is a good fit for my use. As for jump starts being pretty much a thing of the past, not so in my driveway. The other day I tried to start Blue and got nothing but clicks. So I put the "little" charger on it and came back a few hours later to be greeted with more clicks. I then put the big charger on it, the one with a 50A setting and a 200A boost. Hours later more clicks, even in boost. Luckily it was sitting outside of the garage and I could get Big Blue close enough that the 10' jumper cables would reach and I got it started that way. But the battery was soooooo bad I didn't really want to drive it and wound up just replacing it - and the new clamp and connectors made that a breeze. However, had Blue been sitting in the garage it wouldn't have been easy to get close enough to it to get the jumper cables to reach. I'm not 100% sure Big Blue will fit through the garage door as Blue just barely fits, height wise. And I'd rather not jump it off Janey's GLK as its battery isn't that big. So I'm seriously considering the 25' set.

You deserve a medal, Cory! Something like Restorer Of The Order. Well done! That is an amazing journey, and what is even more astounding is that it was done in 10 months! That would have taken me years, and years, and years. Congrat's!!!!!

Not surprising at all that the Ford dealer had nothing. The M-block engines are forgotten. However, the cap for a 460 would work, although they wouldn’t know that. Points and a condenser, the kid won’t know what they are! So, you have both fuel and ignition problems?

I saw this advert on Facebook that caught my interest: Energizer 1 Gauge 30' Kit. Part of the interest to me is that I already have wiring from my aux battery to connectors like those at the front bumper. So I wouldn't have to add anything, just connect when needed. But at ~$100 it got me thinking of what I could do myself. I already have a 10' jumper that allows me to run the winch if it is installed on the trailer, and I have left over 2/0 cable. So all I'd need is another connector and the alligator clips. The connector is $18 from Amazon, and some pretty heavy duty clips are $36 from Century. So for ~$53 I could have a set that plugs into my 10' jumper. It isn't 30' long, but then who needs 30' jumper cables? Thoughts?

Thanks, Chris. I saw that also when I Googled "coffee in Ouray" and that came up as the first hit. Have you been there? Do you have a "review"?

Oh, I forgot the coffee maker. Well, I supposed we could take one, but surely some place in Ouray makes good coffee?