Gary Lewis

Wow is right...holy smokes are some of these trucks hitting the big bucks! I'm not a big Dentside guy, but I REALLY like this truck...absolutely gorgeous imho. I wouldn't change a thing on it. Wow! $95K! It is an immaculate truck, but still...

Gary, AMC had the same color match issue with the tan parts. This because each part / pair were made by different companies. I bet Ford and others did the same. Dave ---- Yes, I'm sure that is the issue. I don't know if the parts didn't really match the day the trucks were new, but they sure don't now. Perhaps the different paints or dyes fade differently? The different plastics might age differently? Dunno.

Interesting. Don't know that I've ever seen an Indy 500 Pace Truck. It looks to be essentially all there, and that isn't a bad price at all.

Glad you got it apart. Bummer on the cap and needles, but it sure won't hurt to have a new u-joint in there.

I guess I may find out something about what I have "in" Big Blue. I stopped in to talk to an insurance man yesterday as I know I need much better insurance than what I have. We set Wednesday afternoon as a meeting time, and 'twixt now and then I need to flesh out a spreadsheet on what is "in" it. The other is, as detailed in the Thoughts On Tonneau/Bed Covers? thread, I've found a bed cover that works with the racks and roof top tents of several companies. And Janey thinks I need to get it on order. But Cory has suggested a couple more brands, so I'll check them out before ordering. However, this will mean some changes to Big Blue. I will have to pull the drop-in bed liner, which means the tool box and in-bed hitch apparatus have to come out. Then I'm going to have it Line-X'd. Plus, there's the issue of how to lock the tailgate, as we've been discussing in What Is The Difference In Tailgate Mechanisms: Bullnose vs Bricknose? So I still need to find a neat, clean way to lock it. Hmmm, what about somehow disabling the existing handle until something is done to the mechanism on the front side of the gate? And since you can't get to the front side if the cover is closed and is locked...

Jim - I haven't given up on the hope of an electric lock. I hope to look at a release mechanism I have today to see if I think an electric lock will work. If so, I'll explain here. If not, then there's the potential of there being a lock on the handle itself. That's not my favorite approach, but it is better than nothing. However, I don't see a clean way to lock the cover to the gate. I don't like the idea of the hasp, nor screwing into the cover. But did I miss something? As for how you feel, I understand. But this is something that Janey wants. And now that I think about it, I realize it is an excellent idea. Not only because it gives us peace of mind with regard to our belongings when we travel, but also because it is a base from which to build for a roof top tent. And that tells our son I am serious. This truck is ready, so lets go.

Thanks, Cory. I'll check them out. I'm not hung up on Pace Edwards, but some quick Googling had said that two companies have the tracks for the racks - Retrax and Pace Edwards. Maybe there are others?

I can take some pics and measurements tomorrow.

Clifton - I can get the cargo light dimensions if someone else doesn't first. I say that because mine is caulked in rather tightly and I'd rather not remove it. But I can't help you with the grab handles as I don't know where they should go.

I spent a long time on the phone this morning. Turns out that Retrax doesn't make bed covers to fit our trucks. But Pace Edwards does have bed covers to fit our trucks, some of which have tracks for racks, and here are some of my notes: The Full Metal Jackrabbit With Explorer Rails is a great one, but if used offroad the twisting of the bed can cause it to unlock and roll open. If that is a concern go with the Bed Locker With Explorer Rails, which is the same aluminum material but is electrically deployed and can't come open. But all of their covers clamp to the inside edge of the bed's top, which means you either have to remove the drop-in bed liner or cut the liner such that you can get to the inside edge. I asked if it would be better to bolt it in and he said no. That their clamps are very solid and will not come off. I can modify either unit to fit the bed behind the toolbox, but the Bed Locker will be a little easier. On it just remove the end caps, cut the track to length, and reinstall the caps. On the FMJ you have to remove the stop strip that goes in the track, trim the front of the stop strip and the back of the track, and reinstall the stop strip. They sell a rack made for them by Thule - model # TH1069. It's new model, which has a higher rating than the old model, but their documentation doesn't list the new rating. The old one was 160 pounds. (He said that is probably the "offroad" rating but didn't know for sure.) But Thule has others that fit, as do Yakima and RhinoRack. So I called Yakima and talked to James. He thinks I want their Tonneau Cover SkyLine Rack Kit, Full-size. It has a 220 lb rating, which is their "dynamic" rating, but for offroad you should take 1/3 off, so that would give it a rating of 147 lbs. That works nicely with their SkyRise HD Medium tent which weighs 115 lbs as it gives some room for sheets, pillows, blankets, etc. And it has a static rating of 500 pounds. The bottom line of this is that I've found that at least one bed cover that works with the racks from several vendors. So I am comfortable buying a Pace Edwards cover because later I can go with a rack and roof top tent that will fit the tracks.

Yes, but the lock mechanism is the same. Here's the cables and studs, which doesn't show the locking mechanism as well:

Bill - Thanks! Never would have guessed it to be that big. Wow! No, I don't think I need a picture of the interior as mine might be different than yours. And here's the best illustration from the MPC. I submitted a question to Pop&Lock via email, so we'll see what they say. I think what I need to do is pull to out a tailgate handle and see if there's a way to use the lock that I have to prevent the handle from being pulled up. If so, then the question is if there's enough room inside the tailgate to put the lock in. If so, can it go in via the handle's access hole. If not, how big of a hole do I need to cut. Thoughts?

Jim - Ok, but I didn't mean to cause you extra work. And "yep" on the fun. Bill - I'd bet the mechanisms are the same but they just added an access panel to make it easier to install the parts. Dane - That's a bit more "utilitarian" than I was looking for. I was thinking more like this, although I've not found one yet:

Well, I cannot tell you the difference in the tailgate mechanisms. That's because the Bullnose tailgates don't have an access panel to remove, like the instructions imply the Bricknose and later 'gates do, so you cannot see the mechanism. From what I can tell there are only two alternatives if I want a locking Bullnose tailgate. First, find a key-lock for the handle, and they may be available. Second, cut up one of the spare 'gates I have and make a panel to fit BB's 'gate. Jim - Could you shoot a pic of your access panel and measure it, please? I don't mean for you to pull it off, just a pic of where it is and then dimensions. Perhaps that will help me understand if the patch panel idea is reasonable.

So, you aren't going with the SEM color code, but having them scan it and mix to match. Cool! Didn't know that was an option. But, on Big Blue there were several different shades of the original color. I'm confident that all the panels were original, but they didn't match. The door panels matched each other, as did the A-pillar trim, and rear corner trim. But each pair was a different shade of blue, as is the dash and dash pad, which didn't quite match. So, which panel are you matching?

The sprue on my Champion radiator measures .304" ID and .383" OD. The only tap that seems to work with those dimensions is an 8 x 1.25mm. It measures .282 & .321". So I ran it in the sprue, and it cut threads. Then I ran this bolt in. Went in easily and obviously doesn't have the depth of thread needed for strength, but if it was put in with epoxy would it hold? Obviously that's not very pretty, and looking online there are some options of 8 x 1.25mm plugs. But most of those are steel. I suppose they'd be fine since the block is cast iron.

SEM has the color codes for that color, and all interior colors for our trucks. You get the color codes on the page referenced above. But, as it says on that page, all SEM matching colors are mixed on demand. Saying it another way, SEM says that none of their matching colors will be found on the shelf as they don't sell them that way to dealers. But Vinyl Pro does mix SEM paints and ship them, and they are great to work with. Again, a link to them is on that page.

Check out our page at Documentation/Specifications/Interior Paint. The color code for your paint is there, but note that you will not find it on the shelf. It will have to be mixed, but there is a link on the page to Vinyl Pro, which mixes the paint and ships it to you. You'll love working with them.

I built my shop ~10 years ago and used U-Coat It epoxy on the floor. It was a huge effort and a fairly large expense, and it is wearing off. The tires haven't lifted it, but 10 years of use have pretty much worn it out in the high-use areas. If I had it to do over again I'd consider having the floor sanded and sealed like they do in Sams or other similar buildings. I don't know how that stuff stands up to brake fluid, gasoline, and brake cleaner, but they leave significant stains on the epoxy.

I understand, and agree, that a determined & experienced criminal can defeat the lock. Any lock. But I'm just trying to have reasonable security such that I can feel comfortable leaving things in the bed of the truck when we go in to eat, or overnight at a hotel. (Obviously we won't leave the crown jewels there.) That's the way Blue is set up, meaning a locking tonneau and tailgate lock, and we feel fine leaving things in the bed. So you think the bolt just goes above one arm of the scissors mechanism and keeps it from going up? That would make sense. So if the one I have will bolt into the mechanism I have then problem solved. Or even if it can be made to bolt into. You've helped a lot as I hadn't twigged as to how it works. So don't worry about the pics for now. Let me see what I can figure out with the one I have. THANKS!

Scott - I see what you are planning on the anode, and that should work - assuming there is enough room for it to hang there. But you might need to bend it to get it in, and that won't cause a problem as it is the surface area that does the trick. And I see no problem at all placing a connector in that circuit. I'd sure do it as getting it out of there can't be fun. I'm in full agreement on the scotch-locs. If I don't make it to heaven (but I will) I'm going to look the guy that invented them up and hit him really hard. Dad used those things everywhere and I had to take them off and repair things. Glad you got the trailer done. I'll bet those lights make a huge difference. Jim - On tapping the sprue, I have a wide range of taps, including #14-20, and will see what would go in there w/o too much deformation. If we could get some decent threads we could run something in and epoxy it. (Yes, 14-20, not 1/4-20, which I also have.)

Jim - Thanks for the offer. I have the Bullnose gates so will take pics of the guts of one of them. But it isn't urgent as I plan to spend some time today calling the tonneau and roof top tent manufacturers to see what will work.. But assuming I find that there is a combo that will do what I want to do then I'll need to figure out how to lock to 'gate. I have a lock I bought years ago, but there's not much with it. It is just the actuator. And it can be moved w/o power. I assumed that the locks wouldn't be able to be moved w/o power, so I'm confused as to how they work. Here's the whole of the instruction page from the 1987+ lock. Does it make sense to you how it works?

I'm in the market for an electric tailgate lock, and the hunt isn't going well. I've only found one that comes close to fitting, and it is the Pop & Lock PL8200, which is said to be for 1987 – 2007 FORD F250 (FOR TAILGATE WITHOUT OEM MANUAL LOCK). But they don't have one for earlier trucks. So, what is the difference in the mechanisms between the Bullnose and Bricknose tailgates? Can I make this one work? Is there another one someone knows about? Here's a snag from their instructions to show you what little info I have on it. (And trust me, those blue wire taps will get thrown away, as I have the same opinion of them that Jim does.)

Clifton - I agree we need the measurements, but I'm not sure which ones you are asking for. You said "I'm currently in need of a measurement myself, two actually." And then "Is there anyone with a set on their truck who could measure the location so I can add some to my truck?" Is that the hood letters? If so, see if this post helps.

Jack - Dave is right. This won't be cheap nor easy. And there may be less expensive alternatives. But first, we need to know a lot more about your truck. Please tell us if it is an F150, 250, etc. What transmission. What size tires? Etc. As for other possibilities, you could put an overdrive between the transmission and the transfer case, which would reduce the engine speed. But there's the cost of the OD unit as well as new driveshafts. Another possibility is an overdrive transmission. In the case of a 460 you are pretty well limited to a ZF5, but that would actually work out fairly well. If you go to Documentation/Driveline/Calculators and put in 4.56 for the axle ratio you'll see that with 33" tires you'd be turning these RPMs at 65 MPH: C6 transmission: 3300 RPM T19: 3000 RPM ZF5: 2300 RPM 2300 RPM is not slow, but it is almost exactly what a truck w/a non-OD transmission and 3.55 gears is turning at 65 MPH. Yep, my Big Blue did that RPM for many thousands of miles before I installed the ZF5. And compare that to the 2700 RPM you'd be turning with a non-OD manual transmission or the 3000 RPM you'd be turning with a C6 - if you only went down to 4.10's. So, a ZF5 swap would be something I'd consider were I you. It might be less expensive and would sure be more flexible than going to 4.10's. But, again, tell us more about what you have now and what you want to do.