Gary Lewis

What about a fuel supply restriction ahead of the carb?

2 1/2 turns is a bit farther out than I usually find on them, but not bad. Which is why I'm confused with why you are so lean at cruise. And, like you, I can't think of anything that would do that. Have you checked to make sure the orifices in the boosters are clear? I'd run a strand of copper wire through them. Seems to me like something is blocked.

WOW! So much good karma! And so many options. This is a good project to follow. Or, maybe projectS?

Name's not Dave () but I've gotten good service from Midwest Transmissions.

Wow! The tires hold air and the engine runs! You may have gotten a really good project truck.

You are a busy boy! Lots of Bullnosing going on.

Yes, massive. But seemingly only at speed since the idle screws don't have to be out a long way?

Cool project! I'm interested, for sure! So that's an 85 or 86 F350 dually?

If the alternator is working you should have power at the stator output, which is what feeds the choke. So I'd be surprised if it is the alternator when you were just working on the wire. Perhaps the wire came off? I'd spend the time to get the choke sorted rather than going manual. You should be so close to getting it done. And I'm thrilled that you see this forum as having "polite, professional, helpful conjecture and suggestions". That's what we are striving for.

Dane - Glad you saw that. Jim - I don't know how much room I have, but I'll measure it. I'm guessing that a 4x4 will be the right staring point. On the dynamics, I wonder about bolting the tool box through the support to the floor and letting it float over the gunwales? Maybe not even need to reinforce the corners that way. I'd put the weather stripping in that the TSB calls for, and probably put it between the box and the bed on the sides and in front to keep it from hitting. And with a pair of supports it should be pretty solid and well supported. Good idea on osage orange, or bois d'arc as it is sometimes called here, although since we are in Osage County you'd think osage orange would popular. It is used for fence posts so maybe I can find some.

Bob - There's not all that much to go wrong with a 2150, especially to cause those symptoms. It sounds to me like you still have a vacuum leak that is causing it to be quite lean at cruise. I expect you are running out of time before the trip, so I'm going to tag Bill in this discussion. Perhaps he will have some suggestions on what would cause these symptoms?

I like the idea of the 4-disc CD changer. But does it work with the speakers you have? And could you put an aftermarket, modern player in place of the one you'd planned to use and stream music from a phone or a thumb drive? That would let you use the setup you've created and have far more music than 4 CDs, plus have Bluetooth for hands-free calling.

Nice! I'd pay $20K for that.

That would certainly be a good project. Body looks straight and w/o rust. But the front seat covers are hideous!

Congrat's! Gonna be fun driving it.

Nice price.

I'll guess they were for fog lights. The yellow/orange fog lights were popular back then, even though they didn't really add much light.

Dane - The write up says “ After these reinforcing "L" brackets are installed, the toolbox should be mounted to the pick-up box rails with 2-3/8 inch diameter bolts as shown in Figure 13.”

Dane - Just for you I’ll document what I do. Jim - I missed that they are 5/16”. Good catch. I’ll have to make those, as you said, and then powder coat them. But I’m sure that doing that and providing support on the bottom will help a lot. Speaking of support, if I use wood what kind would you recommend as a spacer? I’ll put plywood under the box to spread the load, so the spacer won’t be against the aluminum, and the bed will be lined so it won’t be against the bed itself.

Cool! Literally! Good job. You are almost “there”. You are going to love the way it drives.

I’ve not seen one, but there aren’t that many parts required. Commercial L-brackets for the corners to tie the header to the bed sides are the main parts. And some type of support under the tool box, along with the recommended ply to spread the load. Or am I, as usual, missing something?

The discussion in the thread Why Do So Many Beds Crack Here? got me to reading this TSB: Documentation/TSBs/Body, Windnoise, Water Leaks, Trim/87-01-18 Tool Box Mount. In it Ford says: Floor-Mounted Toolbox: This type of toolbox is preferred in severe usage applications since it is supported directly by the pick-up box load floor. Cross-Body Saddle-Type Toolbox: This type of toolbox is very popular but not the best for severe and off-road (4x4) applications since its weight is not supported by the load floor and its mounting location eliminates the use of the RPO in-box spare tire carrier. If availability, or load floor space constraints require that this type of toolbox be used in severe loading applications, the following installation guidelines should be used. For vehicles without angle section rail and headboard protectors installed, the "L" brackets described in TSB Article No. 80-22-16 (Figures 12 and 13) should be installed prior to mounting the saddle-type toolbox. After these reinforcing "L" brackets are installed, the toolbox should be mounted to the pick-up box rails with 2-3/8 inch diameter bolts as shown in Figure 13. It is very important that these mounting bolts be "centered" in the bodyside inner panel support depressions as indicated in Figures 14, 15, and 16. For vehicles with angle section rail protectors installed, the cross-body saddle-type toolbox should be secured to the rail protector only, not through pick-up box side. I've not had Big Blue's tool box out yet, but I'm SURE it isn't installed according to that TSB. Here are the relevant figures for future reference. But I may install some support between the floor of the bed and the bottom of the tool box as well since I'll have it loaded. Thoughts?

This discussion reminded me of this TSB: Documentation/TSBs/Body, Windnoise, Water Leaks, Trim/87-01-18 Tool Box Mount. And in it Ford says:

Looking good! And I agree, installing those things is fun.

I’ve rarely run one with the top off, but it works. If your float level is too high you could be getting spill-over on starts or stops. Too low and it could be sloshing away from the idle circuit. So I’d concentrate on the float level. And blowing out the passages is a good idea. If you have gunk in there it can cause all sorts of issues.