Gary Lewis

Thanks, Jim. Notice I didn't chase the powder coating rabbit when dealing with the skid plate? My theory is that it'll get banged on, so why PC it? But I do want it clean. As for the center of the onion, I dunno. Haven't been there in a looooong time, and I forget. Perhaps have a Bloomin' Onion? On the wire, now I'm pretty sure the system can handle all the current the alternator can deliver. And with the inverter and winch, it may just get a chance to do so.

Maybe was visiting his cousin? But, perhaps you are onto something. A Tweaker Of The Week thread where people post their "finds"? I thought I was way ahead with Big Blue, but Jonathan may be closing in on me.

I'm along for the ride! It was about 10 years ago that I built, or had built, my shop. Was an epic effort, but it was WELL worth it. So I'm sure yours will be as well.

No! I don't wanna slow down! You'll just have to forget the background and read the daily digest.

Thanks, Dane.

Man, that looks like a mess! I've had "fun" fixing Big Blue's wiring, but at least his wasn't that badly hacked. That doesn't look like fun.

Yipes! The Mityvac MVA6850 Pressure Bleed Adapter Kit is $167! I thought I wanted a set, but I don't think so. However, I may go to the salvage and see if I can find a cap and gasket from a clutch master cylinder that will fit Big Blue. That's basically all I need at the moment in addition to the one I made for the brakes. As for the different bleeder sizes, I can tell you aren't up on the changes to Big Blue. That's a 1995 D60 solid front axle under there, with bigger brakes and larger calipers. And apparently they come with larger bleeder screws.

Yes, it certainly does. I'd noticed that before so I checked to see if it might have been on backwards. Not a chance - the bolt holes are different from side to side. And yes, it is coming along. Let me think a bit about what is needed to start the engine: Clutch: I want to incorporate the hose that Jim sent between my master and slave - which is made of aluminum. Granted this isn't absolutely necessary before starting the engine, but it may make moving the truck easier as it will require re-bleeding the system, and it could use it. Fuel System: Need to determine what to do with the FDM's and install the tanks, pumps, lines, etc. And order the regulator and install it. This will require some figuring out of how to connect things. Oil System: Got the Brad Penn break-in oil today and can now fill the engine, spin the oil pump, and see that the pressure comes up w/o leaks and the gauges work. HVAC: Have to install the plenum, make the wiring changes, and hook up the heater hoses. Cooling System: With the heater hoses connected and, hopefully, the upper radiator hose installed, I can fill the cooling system. Power Steering: Need to fill the P/S system and bleed it. But I'm thinking that I should remove the belt to the P/S pump to ensure I don't have any issues while breaking in the cam. Then I can deal with that system in a less-stressful time. Anyway, I think I see light at the end of the tunnel.

I think the Magnaflows will be mellow but quiet. But I'll probably opt for quieter rather than louder. Anyway, I got a bit more done today. First, I added the gaskets between the headers and collectors and provided supports for the ends of the muffs. The passenger's side is touching the heat shield under the seat, but I don't think I'll be running or driving it long enough for that to be a problem. Then I installed the skid plate under the transfer case since the muffler shop is going to need to know where it goes to make sure their exhaust clears it. But, mounting it wasn't as easy as it might first seem since there was a thick layer of grunge on the inside where the t-case must have been leaking. I took a putty knife and got most of that out, but there sure was a lot of it. Then I heated up the parts washer and ran it through. Here it is: Then I went out to get the FDM's but realized they are back in the tanks so I needed a tool to remove the keeper ring. But, the stone guard was in the way of getting to the tanks so I took it in and decided to install it. Again, that wasn't as easy as it sounds to get it where I wanted it. The issue was that it clears the engine oil cooler by only 1/8" and took a bit of shimming and tweaking to get that clearance. And while I was looking things over I realized I hadn't put the ground on the alternator that Jim suggested. So I pulled out the left over wire and lugs, found a piece of #2 and the right connectors, and made one. It runs from the bolt hole on the back of the alternator down to the ground stud on the block where the #2 battery ground meets the #2 frame ground. I think we are now truly grounded.

You might consider going with the later sun visors that have the inboard support. They are a really nice upgrade to our trucks.

Welcome! But, did you read the guidelines? I ask because the New Members Start Here folder is where they are and where the new members are supposed to post first. But, if you've read them then it is ok. Nice truck! And a nice story. Don't miss that we are going to have a virtual truck show on Sept 19th, although entries must be in by midnight on Sept 13, and you could enter your truck. That story might just be the ticket. Where's home? We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we'd be happy to add you with a city or zip.

That is cool! So COOL! Beautiful. Well done, Cory!

No, I'm not ready to swap gauges. There's nothing wrong with these, and I just painted the needles, installed a voltmeter instead of the ammeter, added an adjustable ICVR, and HiPo LED's.

These are just for break-in. They were on the truck when I got it, but they are not my cup of tea. Instead I'm going with Magnaflows. Don't know which ones, but the shop told me yesterday that they have an SUV muff and a truck muff. They think I want the truck one as they are smaller. Not sure I do, but we shall see. I sure do NOT want drone. The intent is to wear this thing out using it. Long trips, off-road, etc. And I don't want to be exhausted by the exhaust at the end of the day. But, I do want to hear that 460 a bit.

Yes guys, cherry bombs! That's what was on it when I got it. They aren't too loud - unless you have it under a load, like pulling a trailer. But for break-in they'll work. So I'm getting ready to install the gaskets and hang the back of the muffs to take the load off the headers. Also, I got a note from Tasca Ford that they were refunding my money for the upper radiator hose because "Part #F5TZ-8260-A is currently on national backorder with the automotive manufacturer and has no estimated date of resupply. We do not currently have this item in stock at our warehouse and are unable to acquire it at this time." So I went back to Rear Counter and called Bob Allen Ford who supposedly had one. But the nice guy there said he'd sold it since they updated their inventory. However, he looked in the Ford parts network and found another dealer that had one. So I called them and the hose is on its way. Jim - On the line and slave cylinder, I'm going to drive the pin out of the master that's on Big Blue and see if the fitting on the line you sent will fit. If it does then I think I may run your slave/line combo as the pin is so rusty it does not want to come out of the slave. So I fear that if I try to force it out I may damage the slave. We shall see what happens. But the slave itself is 4" from the header and the line doesn't get closer than 5". So I could run the leftover heat shield I got for the dip stick on the line. And with the boot you sent I think it would be ok. I didn't have any problem before and had essentially the same headers on. However, if I can get the line in that'll be that much more insurance. Thanks again!

Thanks, David. It seems that I do. For sure. But, with the retirement of Bill/Numberdummy from being our part # guru I'm doing the best I can. I can't replace him, but I can find a few things.

Yes, "r/b" means "replaced by". The good guys at Ford noted changes that way. The not-so-good guys took the old number out and put the new number in. That's obviously what happened where we have an E6 # showing for 1980 and later trucks. There had to have been an earlier #, but they just wiped it out and put the new one in. And that makes it difficult when one of the older parts shows up NOS as it is hard to tell what it fits. I have a 1982 MPC and a 1989 version of the MPC on microfiche and a viewer, all courtesy of Bill/Numberdummy and Chris/ctubutis. So if I really wanted to I could go look at the 1982 version and see what the earlier part number was.

Yes, he certainly does! I like the door lock idea.

I missed the bed. Not too knowledgeable in "step side" beds.

I didn't know that. IIRC, Huck's column is damaged at the lock, and I assumed it was due to them struggling to get the cylinder out.

I do already have the 38 gallon tank. It came from Vernon and has the strap extensions. But, I see what you mean about the electrical connector. I'd missed that. Not only does RA seem to show only the later style, so does Amazon. Apparently the vendors have all gone over to that style. And I do have the check valves. I think what I'm going to do is to pull out the FDM's I have and see if I think I need to replace the pumps. And, check the sending unit for continuity and smoothness. This may not be as simple as I'd hoped. However, I could change the wiring to the later style connector and make it easy for replacement later. In fact, IIRC one of my connectors isn't in good shape. So, when was the change made? '96?

But he has to get the old cylinder out of the column before installing the new cylinder. How do you do that w/o a key?

Yep, we are friends on FB as well. I used to know the name of the dog.

Sorry, I got lost in some of that. But let me see if I can answer some of the questions. First, it is highly unlikely Bill/Numberdummy is going to respond. He told me on the phone several months ago that he's done with forums. As for the pedals, the 1980 - 84 trucks didn't come with the E6TZ 9725-A pedal assembly. 1985's might have since Ford did use some parts in the year prior to when they were supposedly "born". But there had to have been an E0TZ 9725-? assembly and the catalog, which is a 1994 version, had that number and any subsequent numbers up to the E6 # removed. But, all trucks of a given year got the same pedal. The one for the 300 six was to fix a problem and was installed only on trucks that came into the dealership with that problem. On the cable length, while it doesn't change the amount of movement of the inner cable, it can cause problems with routing. Too long of a cable will cause routing problems. In the pic below you can see that the throttle cable is really slightly too long as it goes past the bracket and bends back. But that's the difference the length of cable makes. And here's the bracket I made. If the Sniper allows you to go across the mounting bolts like the Edelbrock does, with a bit of cutout to clear, you could do the same. And you want to get the linkage set up like this, meaning with the stud positioned at about the same height as the cable and with essentially no slack at idle. That way all of the movement of the pedal translates to movement of the throttle shaft. In other words, there is no slack.

At $15.5K that is a buy! I'm not into those trucks, but you couldn't make one like it for twice that.