Gary Lewis

On the temp gauge, don't put much stock in the original gauge. Your test, probably with an IR thermometer, is the best bet. And if you put a 195 degree 'stat in and it is running 186 at the thermostat then the 'stat appears to be stuck open. While it is possible that your IR thermometer isn't reading quite right, I'd still replace the 'stat. But, that's not the cause of the engine not running well until warm. Nor is the warm air flapper valve. It is surely the choke. And I disagree strongly with your mechanic. If your choke is properly hooked up then all the adjustment does is determine how long it will stay on. But it will still come fully off when the engine is warm unless you go crazy with the adjustment. There should be three screws that, when loosened, allow you to turn the thermostat housing. And you should have a scale or series of notches on the carb with a single notch on the housing. With the engine cold mark which notch on the carb the index mark on the housing is closest to. Then loosen the screws and with the throttle open just a bit by hand, turn the housing one notch forward/clockwise - I think. That should close the choke plate slightly. If so, tighten the screws and give it a trial spin. If that doesn't close the choke a bit and instead opens it a bit, go the other way. By going one notch at a time you'll arrive at a setting that works when you first fire it up and yet pulls off completely when the engine is warm. However, if your choke is not properly connected it may not pull off completely. Do you have a metal tube coming from the intake or the exhaust and going into the choke? Do you have a wire connected to the housing?

Thanks, Cory. That one's a bit different, but may be the closest we are going to get for a comparison. Personally I like the idea of the plastic version as I think it'll be quieter/less noisy. And, it seems safer when running electrical wiring, although they should still be well protected. Anyway, that helps. Thanks.

Good to know, Jason. Thanks for the follow up.

Yes, welcome! Glad you joined. Where's home? We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we could add you if we had a city or zip. A 300 six with a three-on-the-tree is surely a base model. And a lot of the guys here love that kind of truck. Hope you'll post some pics. And, by "the FORD forumn" do you mean FTE? As you've probably seen, several of us are ex and some are current FTE'ers. IOW, we know the place and many of the good people there.

I am sorry to see that. I hope you got a good deal and can enjoy the "new" truck. But what is it?

A cam is base part # 6250. Our page on Documentation/Engines/300 Six shows that the same cam was used from 82 to 86, and a different cam was used from 1987 onwards.

Is that the sender for dealer installed cruise? I seem to recall looking at a dealer cruise kit on Ebay, and the sender that came with it attached to the back of the speedo in the cluster.

Oops, I forgot the steering wheel. There's a part in the tilt column that is known to break. When it does it can cause the problem you are having as well as an issue where the truck won't start. There is a short discussion of that on the page at Documentation/Interior/Steering Columns, and some links there to how to fix it.

Let me see if I understand. The right headlight's low beam is only getting 8 volts but the left headlight gets 12 volts on low? And the high beam warning light is lit dimly when the headlights are on low, but brightly when they are on high? If that is correct then I think you have at least two problems. In the schematic you can see that the left and right low (and high) beams are both driven by the same wire out of the dimmer switch, so for them to do different things means that something like Splice 811 is bad. But, if the high beam warning light is on some when the headlights are on low that points to the dimmer switch itself. I'd start there and see if either cleaning or replacing it fixes at least the warning light problem, and maybe the low beam problem if I misunderstood.

Glad the alternator works. On the surging, my experience is that a very lean condition causes that. So you may well be right about the cracked hose. Or maybe just a hose that has come off. David/1986F150Six recommends "the smoke test" to find vacuum problems. He blocked off the carb's inlet and blew through a large vacuum line, like maybe the brake booster one, after puffing on a cigar. Very quickly smoke came out from a cracked vacuum line he couldn't see, and that was the problem. On the deal, get everything you can! I don't know about the head, but do know the intake and exhaust manifolds are sought after. And on the writeup, one of the advantages of this forum software is that the pictures are part of the forum. Many other forums just have links to the pics embedded in the post, so when you pull a post up your browser knows to go to the other site and get the pic. But so many of those sites change, die, or require fees that the picture owner doesn't pay, so the pic is no longer available. I know I ran into exactly that last night looking for info on behind-the-seat storage units - many of the pics are NLA. I can understand why those sites do that as it keeps the size of the backup down, significantly. But with the changes that Photobucket made a few years ago, and the probability that other sites will do the same, I like the way our software does it. Basically, as long as the forum is here the pictures will be as well. And I plan for the forum to be here for a long, long time.

Ouch! I've been told the stones are PAINFUL! Glad she's ok. On the lights, please let me know what you think of the whole setup. As for the engine, I see nothing wrong with one from NAPA.

No, it isn't the OEM one, which probably looked like the one shown below. I don't know what brand it is, but it looks like it'll work quite well for Big Blue.

Is it E4AZ-9E731-A? Hmmmm. The envelope says ...... By golly, I think you are right!

Nice truck!

Congrat's on the birthday! It is always good to make it to another one. And, glad your wife is alive and kicking, but I hope she's also well. At least she's well enough to put together a honey-do list. Which Hella reflectors did you get? And which Phillips bulbs? I ask because I'm in the market for better lighting. On the engine, I suggest getting a crate engine because that will get you a warranty. As for where to get it, maybe Scotty The Mad Porter? He specializes in 460's but has told me he does all of the Ford engines. You'll have to tell him it is speed density, and I'm sure he will know what can and can't be done to keep that happy.

Do any of you have a clue what a behind-the-seat storage unit would go for. One of my friends on here is selling me one, but we don't know what it is worth and I'm not finding anything online for them. Here's a pic of the unit. It is made of plastic and it going to work very well for Big Blue. The inverter will go in the slot on the left and there will be plenty of room for other goodies.

Dane - "Cool" jokes. Scott - Don't know why they are different, but your guess about 3-row vs 4-row is probably right. Jim - We are down to 32 and are supposed to stay there all night, with more rain coming at midnight. Gonna be slick in the morn. Glad I'm staying home. Rob - Thanks. All - Got the SEM paint in today, so tomorrow I might start on the interior pieces. Not sure how many I'll paint, but there are quite a few that are horrible, like the corner trim and the kick panels, so I'll get started with them. And the new door panels are black so have to be painted. And the dash cover must be painted. May leave the metal trim as it seems to be pretty good.

Congrat's! Getting to drive it after 11 years must be a really good feeling.

It worked! I used a sanding pad with 60 grit and then, when the gouge was almost gone, to 150 grit. Then I finished with a fine file to take out as many sanding marks as I could. Then I filled it up and topped it off by pulling the heater hose off and filling it up that way. And then I put the cap on, added air, and it held just fine. In fact, the new cap, rated at .9 bar/13 psi, held right to 13.5 psi before lifting, which is lots better than the old one that started leaking at little bit at 12.5 psi. Then I pulled the shroud and added self-adhesived 1/2" thick foam weatherstripping to it in order to seal off the edges. It worked fairly well, but not perfectly, as you can see below. Still, I think it seals it off well enough. And, here's the new radiator completely installed and ready to go. But, I haven't started the truck up as it is 33 degrees and raining at the moment, and it is supposed to freeze tonight.

Yes, nicely done! It looks perfect.

Congrat's, Matthew!!!!!!!!! Well done! Sounds like a fun job. As for the paint job, I'd enquire via local car clubs. They will know who is good and who isn't. But have the same outfit do the body work as does the painting. Otherwise the painters will find something the body man did "wrong".

And, that Gary did not lose his cool! You'se guys are something else!

The link here works for me: "Bulb selection matters a _lot_ to how well you can (or can't) see at night. Please see bulb test results posted by my colleague Virgil at http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?392498-Interesting-headlight-bulb-test-results" As for Daniel Stern, I just sent him this email at Consult Daniel Stern Lighting :

Clay - There is something about that brake controller that doesn't play nicely with LED brake lights. I bought the same controller and installed it on Big Blue and had a weird problem when I tried to go with LED's. I think it monitors the resistance of the brake lights and LEDs mess that up.

Ok, we have a plan. I called Champion and they said filing on it will not void the warranty. But that I should contact the seller to ensure they agree with the approach. So I called Stay Cool (503-303-5193) and talked with Bill Campbell. He agreed that filing on it won't void the warranty, but that if filing doesn't fix the problem they'll ship me another one. So I'm off to file on it in a bit.....