Gary Lewis

Yep. May have to replace the radiator. May have to replace the hydroboost unit. Will have to replace the Saginaw pump, but the new one is on the bench. Probably have to replace the hydraulic clutch line due to a leak. The hits keep coming.

NPT is the standard for USA and Canada. When it comes to pipe work and plumbing in general, Canada still uses all of the American sizes and standards. I deal with BSP (British Standard Pipe) and JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) on a fairly regular basis as it is common on the marine world...well, common on all of the vessels that are built in Europe and Asia, which most are these days. However, NPT is still the standard here for everything on land. Interesting. I did a fascinating study of thread standards many years ago and was blown away with how many different threads there were at one time. Starting with when threads were invented and tools with which to create threads were available everyone came up with his own and they differed in pitch, major and minor diameters, angle of the thread flanks, etc. Then industries standardized threads within each nation, so you had standards for watch makers, plumbers, auto manufacturers, ship builders, etc. And all of those were different between nations, or at least continents - with the UK being a one-off. Then global wars happened and parts wouldn't interchange, so there was some international standardization. Then globalization of markets and manufacturing, and even more standardization happened. But we still have enough differences to make things difficult.

Yes, I think it is 3/8 NPT. (Should that be USPT? Or is it a standard in Canada?)

Rob - I don't know how many are ready to pop for one. But I'm ready. Today I backed Big Blue out of the shop and into the daylight to compare Classic Consoles colors to those on BB. That was after trying to compare colors in the shop and finding it very difficult. And even in the daylight it was difficult. Turns out that there are three different colors in Big Blue's upholstery, as shown below. The seat belts come closest to Corinthian Medium Blue. But the side of the seat is closer to Metallic Dark Blue. And the seating surface could be MAD 4470 Blue or Metallic Dark Blue. Given that, I called my consultant out and she said that Metallic Dark Blue is the best match overall. So, I think I'm going to get a Shorty for Christmas.

Well, I've been gone for a fortnight and came back to this on the shop floor: Yep, coolant. And it came out of this hole in the radiator support: But, from whence it came I know not. I can feel dampness in the bottom of the radiator support but cannot see where it is coming from. I think I'm going to have to pull the fan and shroud to get a better look at the radiator.

From what I've seen the aftermarket doesn't supply those things. But if you don't need OEM then maybe you can make one out of a 3/8-18 pipe fitting?

Have you looked here? Documentation/Cooling Systems/Elbows And you can see at least one of the parts in Documentation/Engines/300 Six. There I see 18599, but maybe not the other?

Maybe, George. We should at least have the same trim color as 1985 & 6 used the same blue. But, as shown below, my seat has KB as the code, and that translates to "blue cloth and vinyl". And KB was also used in '86 - is that what you have?

Yep, mine were waiting in the mail when I got home. Hope to get out to the shop this afternoon and see how they, the blues, look against BB's upholstery.

Thanks, guys! Renting a Jeep out there is pretty reasonable. That Rubicon cost $222 for a day, plus gas, and was very capable. We passed the turnoff to Engineer Mountain trail and a sign said "Recommended for short wheelbase vehicles." That got me to wondering about Big Blue's 133" wheelbase. But as Bob has noted, the locals use long wheel base trucks with seats in the back to take people on tours on many of those trails. And, I saw several of the Jeep Gladiators up there, which have a 137.3" wheelbase. So I'm pretty sure BB will be fine.

I've read about people using grease, bread, wet newspaper, etc to drive the bearing out. Didn't work for me. Instead, I used a very small gear puller with the legs turned around.

Not bad at all.

Im pretty sure I have the original 1981 AM/FM radio from Dad’s truck. But if I remember correctly the FM doesn’t work. I could ship it to you if that would help, but without FM maybe not? However, if it could be repaired you could see how you could improve it to modern standards to go back in Dad’s truck?

As some of you know, Janey and I've been gone for two weeks on a vacation to Colorado. We got back last night and now I can tell you about the day we spent Jeeping near Ouray. Some may ask why I should report on that in a Bullnose forum, and the simple answer is that I intend to take Big Blue to the same area in the near future. So this was basically a scouting trip. This was a two-couple vacation, and it turns out that I was the only one really gung-ho for renting a Jeep. In fact, the ladies were very skittish about going on high roads, so we chose easy trails. And, we went with a really capable vehicle - a 4-door Rubicon which had roll control, sway bar disconnects, and lots of other features. And, it had 35's on it aired down to 24 psi, which was adequate for the highway and ok for the trails. LAST DOLLAR ROAD: The first trail we went on was Last Dollar Road, which was essentially a dirt road. In other words, EASY! And the scenery was stunning. We were there are exactly the right time for the aspen, and they were brilliant against the green of the pines. Here's a shot through the windshield of the Jeep: Here's another section of the road: And this was taken from roughly the same spot but shows the wide range of colors: To sum up the road, it is EASY. We were going south and when we got to the high point we were stopped by some folks in a 2wd minivan asking if they should go on. And the answer was "Certainly!" Turned out that they'd already done the hardest part of the journey with a few rocks to negotiate, and the north part is just a dawdle - but BEAUTIFUL! So even 2wd Bullnose trucks will make this easily. OPHIR PASS ROAD: After Last Dollar Road, and lunch in Telluride, we went up and over Ophir Pass. This is rated 2 on a 5-point scale and 2 on a 3-point scale, but is certainly more of a "trail" than a "road". In fact, on this I disconnected the sway bars on the Jeep to allow a bit more articulation as we traversed the rocks in the road. This was all the trail my passengers wanted, although the Rubicon made it very easy. It was just the long, steep road on the side of the mountain, shown below, that had them spooked. This shot was borrowed off the internet, but was taken from exactly the spot where we caught up with another Jeep. We pulled over and talked to them and the guy asked if we'd ever been on that road as he was "puckered up from the road ahead". I told him I had and that it isn't all that bad, so he asked if he could follow me. Given that, off we went. The roll control was already on and the sway bars disconnected, but at that point I locked the front and rear diffs to ensure we didn't spin a tire as that would spook the passengers. And sure enough, we didn't spin a tire and the ascent was easy. And here we are at the top of Ophir Pass - Janey, Gary, Leesa, & Rob - at 11,789': The descent, going east to Colorado 550, aka the Million Dollar Highway, was gentle and easy. So while my passengers weren't thrilled, I think the rating of "2" on a 5-point scale is about right. It is an easy trail that is best done in a vehicle with a low range so you can hit the rocks gently, but locking diffs aren't needed. And wheelbase length isn't an issue. And now I'm chomping at the bit to take Big Blue and try some of the other trails!!!!

George - Sorry for the late reply, but we've been gone for a fortnight on vacation and just got home so I'm trying to catch up. According to this page on their site the standard prices are: BC Shorty: $135 BC Cruizer: $145 BC Tall Shorty: $145 BC Tall: $160 Those prices are with the large drink holder in black. You can go with the mega drink holder in black, which adds $5, or you can change the color of the drink holder's rim and that adds another $5. In other words, a large drink holder with a black rim adds $0; a mega drink holder in black adds $5; a large drink holder with a different colored rim adds $5; and a mega drink holder in a different color adds $10. And all of those prices are standard. So if we get a group of 5 or more we'll get 10% off that.

Sorry for the delay, but I've been traveling. You are now on the map.

George - I'm not hung up on the price of the USA630, and was just using it as an example of what I was considering. And, as an aside, I understand the "superhet" terminology quite well. Was once a ham radio operator and passed the test about a 5-tube superhet receiver with ease. So retaining the original receiver is great for me. But you are right that I probably don't want to go "whole hog" on the speaker system. I once had a Miata with Boston Acoustics 3-way speakers in the doors which used 6 1/2"s as the woofers, and they would move your pants legs on certain bass notes. But for Dad's truck I'll probably be happy with a 2-way system and a self-powered subwoofer under the console. So, what I think I'd like is radio, meaning head unit with an internal amp, with sub-outs and Bluetooth for both streaming and hands-free. However I can see that the next logical step up would be a similar system but with an external amp. And in reality adding that amp isn't that big of a deal, so if that's what you and Nick come up with I'd be interested.

Yep, I understand exactly what you are saying. And I plan to incorporate that feature as well when I install a security system. Another advantage of the style of Ford box I used is the megafuse, which simplifies the 3G conversion. But not all of those boxes have that, so you have to pick and choose at the salvage.

I think a rebuild is a good idea. However, if it is gum in the fuel you are likely to have the problem all over again until you get a good slug of carb cleaner mixed with that fuel. Or, better yet, replace the fuel. I was reminded yesterday of my experience with bad fuel - back in 1970. We lived in Wichita and after filling up the Holly on the '69 Bee started flooding, badly. It wouldn't idle and the fumes from the exhaust would make your eyes water. I put two cans of carb cleaner in the tank and we took off for Salina, which is 90 miles away. You could see the gas gauge going down, and we just made it to Salina when the gauge hit empty. I dumped two more cans of cleaner in and filled it up again, and we started back for Wichita. But it was still running horribly. Jump forward to yesterday and as we passed the rest stop on I-35 just south of Salina I asked Janey if she remembered it. She said "That's where you took the carb apart and cleaned the gum out of it." And that's exactly what I did, finding a film of gum on the needles and seats that wouldn't let them seal. So, if you had just filled up before the problem started I think you may have the same problem. And if that tank is still full of that fuel you'll probably have the same problem as soon as you put that carb back on. On the other hand, that may not be the problem. So tell us more about what happened just prior to the first incident.

You are now on the map. As for changing out an IFS for a solid axle, you can check out my thread on Big Blue's Transformation for doing that, as well as many other things. I used a Sky Offroad reverse shackle kit and put SuperDuty springs under it to make the ride smoother. But that cost quite a bit, so you are better off getting the F350 of your dreams to start with.

I wondered why that 004 box had the "uncommitted relays". Now I see. Cool! And, I like those boxes. It is great that they have connectors on them as opposed to the Ford boxes. I guess I should have added some connectors to the Ford box I used to make it removable. But, CCI? Have you provided a link to them? Somehow we need to capture this info for future reference.

That's a really good review! I'm impressed. George - You've said before what Nick has done to the factory radios, but what can he do? In other words, can he add Bluetooth so a 1981 AM/FM radio could have hands-free? What about a USB input? Sub-out? How much power? I've planned to buy something like the Classic Car Stereos USA-630 and a self-powered sub when the time comes, but I'm a long way from being ready to do that. However, I'd like to send the business your way instead of buying from someone else if that is what Nick wants to do. So maybe we can kick it around here and then discuss pricing via email?

You are right, Scott. Big Blue is effectively an 86 and later F350.

Welcome! Glad you joined. And hope you find that dream truck. Speaking of which, I think that’s a good choice. But if you find an 86 it should have the D60 in front. Where’s home? We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member’s Map in the menu) and we could add you with a city or zip.

Excellent! Congratulations!