Gary Lewis

You probably will want to start a thread on your truck, either in the main section or in Projects. That way you'll get more followers than posting about it in the New Members folder. However, that's your call.

Well done on the pic. Big Blue looked kind of like that a yearish ago.

You are now on the map. Good luck on the picture posting.

Thanks.

Yes, if those lit up ahead of me at night I'd certainly back off. But, that's not my intent with them. They'll normally be used in tandem with the wimpy stock backup lights, all of which should start working tomorrow as the new connector came in today. And, speaking of today, we drove Big Blue ~110 miles, about 1/2 of which were on country roads. Which made it quite special when John Denver sang Take Me Home, Country Roads. The truck performed almost perfectly, with the "almost" being due to his proclivity to continue running when I turn the key off when using 87 octane gas. Filled up with '87 'cause that's all the station had. And sure enough, BB didn't want to die the next time we stopped. Part of the problem is that he has an inconsistent idle. 90% of the time he idles at ~800 RPM, but the rest of the time he idles at ~600 R's, which is where I want him to idle. I'd turn the idle stop screw down so that he normally idles at 600, but then there'd be times he go to 400. At 600 he'll shut off pretty nicely, but not so at 800. Also, another project is now on the to-do list. A security system with door locks. I usually remind Janey as we get out to lock the door, but we were sitting at lunch with the truck across the street and it dawned on me that I don't know if I reminded her and she didn't know if she'd done it. So as we talked about it we agreed that a security system is something we want on the truck before we start taking overnight trips in it and leaving it outside a hotel. My plan is to put it where the center speaker would have been under the dash cover, and poke the blinking LED through one of the speaker holes. I think I have the wiring for the locks, and probably the lock motors as well, but I may simplify the wiring as I don't see a need for installing the switches - assuming that you can still lock or unlock the doors with the pin from inside the truck when you have electric locks. Right? Does anyone have a recommendation on a good, but inexpensive security system? One that has an ignition kill function? (Yes, Scott, you know where I'm going. ) As for where we went and what we saw, we went the back way to Pawhuska, the town where Ree Drummond's Mercantile is. We've been there several times, but didn't go in this time. Instead, we found the Swinging Bridge that is fairly well hidden, but is only 4 blocks south of the Merc. Here 'tis:

Cory - I agree with you. The TTB's would normally be held in by the top bolts.

That thing is great! I'm betting it'll go for $50K.

That looks good. Janey and I were just talking today about the lack of tint on Big Blue. What % tint did you use?

Bill - Welcome! Glad you joined. What part of Ohio? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we could add you if we had a city or zip. On the alternator, if yours is an '86 with a 2G then all is right with my thinking - at least as regards what alternators '86 trucks got. But if your '86 has a 1G then that's when I want to see the build date. My understanding is that no '86 trucks got the 1G, so I'm watching to see if someone says theirs did. On your pictures, you seem to be having problems posting them. Have you read the how-to on the page at Bullnose Forum/Forum FAQ's?

Thanks, Bill. At that price you can't go wrong. They really do a good job and pull so little current you could do like Jim suggested and wire them into the existing backup light circuit if you don't want to be able to bring them on at any time.

I think shortening is easily done. Lengthening might be more difficult. I'd go for it were I you.

Oh! I'd forgotten about that comment. Anyway, you are right that you can't be too prepared. And that will be a great sendoff!

Wow, Cory, that looks excellent! You are moving right along.

Thanks, Dane! I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it is my backup or fog lights. For my own benefit I'm going to list what I have to do to get the truck "done" for the trips this spring/summer: Backup Lights: Replace the broken connector that goes to the transmission's switch with the new one that comes in today. Radio: Put the rear support in place to catch the rubber stud on the back of the radio Mission Control: Replace the Front Locker switch with the new one so unlocked is in the "down" rather than "up" position. Then tame the indicator lights on the switches, hopefully with the LightDims. Air Compressor: Install the tank under the fender and the compressor in the tool box, plumb them together, and run the power cord to the relay box in the cab. A/C: Take the truck up to my nephew and let him replace the o-rings, pull a vacuum, and charge it up. Odds & Ends: Then there are several "little" things I want to do. For instance, the Explorer emblem is about to fall off the right side, and I need to pull it off and put it back with serious double-sided tape. And I want to compound the paint again and wax it. And, and, and... But, as said, I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel!

Jim is right. If you don't have that label it is almost impossible to tell the year of the engine. The blocks were cast months, if not years, in advance and sat around "seasoning". What you are looking for in the way of the sticker is explained on the page here: Documentation/Specifications/Calibration Codes.

I used poly bushings, but I don't think that makes it any easier to install. From my reading, poly gives a firmer ride and a bit better control, but can squeak if not properly used. And it probably lasts longer than rubber. Rubber gives a better ride and won't make noise. But that is just my limited understanding.

Serves me right for spouting off before actually looking at it. Now I'm pretty sure I won't be moving the mounting point. In the picture below you can see that the release handle is barely accessible outside of the roll cage. If I shift it in I have to move it far enough that it will be accessible inside the cage. But doing that would move the point where the cable hooks up too far to the right so it wouldn't have a straight pull. I'm thinking now that rather than do that I'll leave it where it is and just move the pedal over. My biggest concern with that is that it will put a lot more twist into the mount when I apply the parking brake. So I'm going to have to figure out if I think that will cause more problems than it solves. So all I've got done so far is taking the pedal assembly out. It has enough issues (binding up with rust, rubber bumpers falling apart that require removing and replacing rivets to replace) that I'm looking to see if I can get a new replacement. So far I'm not finding anything. So no real progress yet, but at least I've got started. And it's important that I get started. On Monday we scheduled another trip out to Moab! So I have about 2 months to get this and the rock rail finished! It is hard to tell from a picture, but is there any way to bring the pedal out/back past the roll cage? In your shot it looks like it would clear the cage if it was brought straight back. If so, can it be also set up such that when released it is high but clears the door opening, and when depressed it goes down basically even with the cage? You'd have to change the geometry of the pedal's arm, but it looks like it might be doable - from the picture. Moab!!!! Cool! I'm jealous!

No, I don't think that is a ground stud on both sides. I think that is one of the HVAC bolts. My remembrance is that the engine side ground goes to a screw by the windshield wiper, but we have a page on that (Documentation/Electrical/Grounds/Engine To Firewall Ground) and it differs a bit from my memory. And on the inside I think G701 is just a screw going into the firewall. But, let's talk about your fuel gauge because if everything else works it is not likely to be G701 that's the problem. There's a troubleshooting procedure in the EVTM, but if you ground the wire from the sender at the tank the gauge should slowly go past Full. If it doesn't, then you need to move your testing back to the Fuel Tank Selector Switch. If you can get on the Y/W wire coming out of the switch then the gauge should go to Full. If so, then try to get on the DB/Y and put the switch in Front and the gauge should go to Full. If not then the switch appears to be bad. If so, then you need to check C127, which is a gray 4-pin connector sorta under the master cylinder.

Janey and I are taking the truck on an outing tomorrow, so I took it for a spin around the neighborhood to make sure it is ready. Then I left it in the driveway until dark and checked out the lighting. The way I have the fog lights adjusted they are at the same level as the low beams, and even though they are pointed straight ahead they go way out into the ditches. I really like them! As for the backup lights, it is like night and day. Literally! Here's a shot from the bed of the truck, hence the dark spot. I initially started with the lights splayed out at ~25 degrees, but that was too much. This is probably with them out at 10 - 15 degrees, and it works very, very well. I should have closed the gate before taking the pic, but the gate is also evenly lit. And from the driver's seat there is light everywhere in the rear view mirrors. Not just from the mirror on the windshield, but the ones on the doors. I CAN SEE!

LOL! John/Machspeed and I were just texting about G701. On a pickup or Bronco it is on the firewall behind the instrument panel, just to the right of the radio. On Page 67 of the '85 EVTM there is an illustration showing where G701 is on the trucks.

Thanks! I'd forgotten that.

Can you be a bit more specific? We usually use a city or a zip code.

There are cheap little connectors that you can buy...I believe from Hedman that clamp on to headers with a hose clamp, and give you a place to attach a heat riser tube. For some reason I absolutely cannot find them online right now (I had a picture of it saved though, see below). I bought two new hoses at CarQuest...I think 2", and clamped them to the spouts on the snorkels, and they just hang on top of my headers...just barely resting on the upper tube, and they stay put no problem. Those are neat, Cory. Looks like a good solution.

Let us know what you find, please.

Got the electric OX locker actuator installed today. First, here's the bracket I made to move the actuator out 3" from the inside of the frame. The right side of it goes up against the inside of the frame and the bolts secure it. And the actuator goes through the round hole on the angle bracket, which came from OX: That gave the cable a straight enough shot forward to miss the frame, although it is hard to tell that in the pic below. However, it does rest against the bottom of the shock, and there just isn't much way around that. But I did split a rubber hose and slip it over the cable to protect it. And, it works. When you flip the switch in Mission Control you can hear the actuator work and then after a couple of seconds the indicator lights on the switch to say it is locked in. Sure enough, with the hubs locked in both wheels spin together. Then flip the switch and it whirs a bit, the indicator goes out, and the tires spin independently. (The truck was on the lift.) Here are shots to show how it routes from both directions, but even then it is hard to tell what you are looking at.