Gary Lewis

Jim suggested the smoke test. But if the leak is from the valley in it might take a lot of smoke. If you put it into the carb, say through the PCV hose, you'd watch for it coming out through the PCV opening in the valve cover or the breather tube going up to the carb.

That's still a significant improvement over 8 MPG. Just think what you'd get if you put an AOD in.

Welcome, Jim. I hope you can now find them.

Thanks, Jim. Fitting it wasn't too hard. But I made SURE it was clean first and used brake cleaner to wipe it down. That meant I could lay a piece on lightly, make an impression where I needed to cut, and then get it off to cut and put it back. And then after a bit of pressure it was well and truly ON. But, as you can tell, originality isn't quite my thing. Let's see, it doesn't have the original engine, nor electrical system, nor transmission, nor front axle, nor front springs, nor A/C system. Nor will it have the original fuel system. In fact, this F250 is really an F350 save for the VIN and badging, and if you average out all the parts its probably closer to a 1990 than an '85.

That works for me. Or, do you have Google Drive, or Drop Box, or One Drive? If so you could put it on there and give me access to just that one file.

Jim - Thanks. I went to Home Depot and instead of the fiberglass/foil insulation I got this foam/foil insulation. And that roll of "Flexfix" tape. The insulation worked well, as I'll explain in a bit, but that tape didn't. So I went back to the local hardware store and got some good aluminum tape. And here's as far as I've gotten - the cover is almost done. I'm glad I went with the foam/foil combo as the 1/8" thickness made it easier to deal with than if it had been thicker. And since the foam has adhesive on it I went ahead and used that w/o adding the spray adhesive. Now I'm using the aluminum tape to tie it all together as well as secure the edges to the plenum to ensure it won't come loose. You can see that I didn't get quite done today with the cover, but should finish it in the morning and move on to the plenum itself. And since I have the insulation and tape, I might as well do it all.

Moved.

Jim - Go look again. (I just made "EVTM" unclickable, so now you should see the pages below.) Christian - We don't have the complete '84 EVTM on the site, but your truck should be wired the same as the '85 EVTM shows. Here's the first of two pages. Note the M and N triangles in the upper left corner and the "To/From Start Page 31". And here's Page 31 with the M & N.

Jim - I’ll work this in a bit.

Jim - Thanks for the pics. They will help. Bill - That was my initial understanding, but then I "over-thought it". All - Doing research on "insulation" to add to the HVAC plenum. Here's what I'm finding: Thermo-Tec 13575 Adhesive Backed Aluminized Heat Barrier: No insulation but good reflectivity. Heat to 2000 and direct contact to 300 degrees. $26.30 for 2 sq ft and is available tomorrow. Design Engineering 010462 Reflect-A-Cool Heat Reflective Adhesive Backed Sheets: Still reflective with no insulation. Heat to 2000 and direct contact to 400 degrees. $21.99 for 4 sq ft, and available tomorrow. Second Skin Thermal Block™ - Radiant Heat Shield: $24.99 for 1.5 sq ft. However, it is 1/8" thick and has "organic fibers" so should have some insulating properties as well as reflectivity. And it is good to 800 degrees. HOWEVER, I just called Second Skin and it isn't available. They can't get the materials due to the COVID-19 virus and it'll be several weeks, if then, before it is ready. Second Skin Mega Block™ - Foam + Reinforced Heat Shield. This is an insulation with reflective barrier, but the insulation is only R2 (R4/inch) so not a lot of insulating value. Normally $94.99 for 8 sq ft, but over the phone they'll sell me 4 sq ft for $47.50. However, it is 1/2" thick and while he really thinks it'll wrap tightly enough to go around the bend of the plenum, he said they'll take it back if it won't. And it would ship tomorrow. So, I'm still thinking and looking. I haven't found a true insulation with reflective cover that appears to be designed for underhood use save for the Second Skin products. I need to look at the plenum to see if I think the Mega Block will work. But I'm leaning towards the DEI Reflect-A-Cool. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Cory - You have the vents in the kick panels, right? That and the sliding rear window must make a good combo.

That's what I remembered, but it didn't make sense so I didn't say it. Shift at 10; 15; 35; 40; 72; and 78? Or, maybe shift between 10 & 15; 35 & 40; and 72 & 78? That seems much more reasonable save for shifting out of something at about 75. I've searched the '81 and '85 owner guides (we don't have an '84 on the site) and find that the '85 has some suggested shift points for various transmissions, but none of those shift points match up. And nothing is said about shift point indicators on the speedometer.

Yes, good find! I can't imagine it is either transmission, gearing, or alignment causing the low MPG. Instead I think it is a lot of little things, and the leaking EGR is one of them. However, let's be realistic on what to expect on MPG. The best I've seen with any engine and an automatic is 14 MPG at 60 - 65 MPH. That was a 351W I built with an RV cam, ported heads, and a 2150 2bbl carb. And the gearing was 3.50 with a C6. But you have a 300 six w/an AOD and 3.08 gearing. At first blush you'd think much better MPG. But if you are just tooling around town with stop and go driving probably not as the stopping and starting kills economy. And you aren't getting into the top gears with those speeds. So I'd fix the EGR and keep looking for little things. Like checking that the balancer hasn't slipped and you have it timed @ about 12 - 14 degrees BTDC. That the plugs and plug wires are good. No vacuum leaks to anything. And drive it on the open road for some distance to see what it'll do.

Jim - Yes, I thought "inner side" meant the side towards the engine. As for the temp for the poly, I've found several and the lowest of them is 180. With the foil facing I doubt it'll get to that. But, it is the "double bubble" type that is inexpensive, so I'm not sure I should use it and am looking for something better. Suggestions welcome. Yes, I could use the clutch slave cylinder boot. Thanks! And pics would be welcome.

Wait! By "inner side" you didn't mean inside the casing. Right? But, ........

This thing had insulation on the front as well as the the side you are talking about. You can see two of the staples with a bit of insulation under them here. So I'll pull the staples and coat as much of the plenum as I can with this insulation. The aluminum facing and bubble insulation should help a bunch compared to that black plastic. And, by the way, the vacuum reservoir doesn't leak.

My wife! She is a Brit so i cut her a little slack. More used to a 5 speed manual diesel compact ! Yes, nice score! As for the Brits driving manuals, was just watching a series called Loch Ness. The lead turned her car off and when she went back it wouldn't crank fast enough to start. I said "Push the clutch in, its down hill so let it roll, and pop the clutch 'cause all the cars in the UK are manual!" She didn't. Called her husband who said "I'll sort it." Sort a dead battery?

Cool! Glad you got it going. And a good plan to lube it and let it set. As for the anti-seize, I use it religiously on plugs - and lots of other things as well. That's a good question about the dashes. I think I've seen something about it, but can't remember what nor where.

Rooster - He's right. Want me to move it to the main section? But I find hits for two of those numbers: https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Eyes-FR345-B001R-Passenger-Assembly/dp/B003SZ4GTA https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Eyes-FR346-U000L-Driver-Signal/dp/B003SYX36S Hope that helps.

I think I got all of them out successfully on Big Blue. But I didn't take it off because of the upcoming changes as much as I was sure it wasn't working. I'd pulled my trailer w/o the brakes on it hooked up and it almost pushed me through an intersection with the front tires protesting and the rear tires making no noise at all. Given that and the plans for the air bags it seemed obvious it needed to come off. So I'm really glad to see that your truck stops correctly w/o it, Scott.

Note that there are two questions in the following, and to ensure you don't miss them I've put them in bold font. Did work on the HVAC system today. First, the Bricknose plenum was gross due to rodents having lived in it at one time. So I put it in the dish washer. That got rid of the grossness, but it was still dirty, so I cleaned it by hand. But, I can't figure out how to get the recirculate door out to replace the foam. Anyone know? While it was in the washer I worked on the vacuum lines. Remember the Bullnose plenum has the vacuum source to the whole HVAC system as well as the line to the recirculate motor going through it while the Bricknose plenum has those vacuum lines as well as all of the electrical connections going through it. I'm going to graft the Bricknose electrical connections onto the Bullnose wiring, as explained in a bit, so I just need to run the vacuum lines through the hole. However, the hole in the Bricknose plenum is way too big for the Bullnose grommet. So I pulled the vacuum lines and wiring out of the Bricknose grommet, starting with the vacuum lines as they were broken. Then I pulled one wire out of the in-cab connector and with the vacuum lines out had enough room to get that wire out. I put it back in the connector and then did the next one until they were all out of the grommet. Then I cut the Bullnose grommet off the vacuum lines and routed them through the Bricknose grommet. And to secure them in there as well as seal the hole I filled the grommet with The Right Stuff. (It is from a can I've used previously and hasn't set up yet, so I sure hope it does.) Along the way I cut my hands on several staples that are stuck in the plenum, so I know it had insulation on it as some of it is still under the staples. Here's a pic of the clean plenum with the grommet and vacuum lines as well as some insulation I'm thinking of using. It is 1/4" thick with an aluminum face and bubbles. I'm thinking of using 3M spray adhesive, but wonder if the heat will be too much for that insulation. Thoughts? And now for the wiring. There are three sets of connections involved in the HVAC system:The motor connection, which is the same from Bullnose to Bricknose; The A/C pressure switch connection, which is also the same from Bullnose to Bricknose; The resistor pack connections, which are different. As explained yesterday, the Bricknose uses a completely different connector than the Bullnose. But it still has four wires for the same functions, although the wire colors differ a bit. Here they are: EDIT: THE ABOVE IS WRONG BECAUSE THE 1996 EVTM IS WRONG! The following is correct, with the M1 and M2 wires swapped: So tomorrow I'll graft the Bricknose connector onto the Bullnose wiring. Then I'll be ready to put the insulation on - assuming y'all think it'll work. And after that I can reinstall the plenum, add the evaporator, motor, etc. But not all of that will get done tomorrow.

Nice truck, but I can't say "beautiful". I really don't like the wheel well opening trim as well as the other trim. But, the wheel well trim can be taken off easily. However, for the price I'd take it!

Scott - You are having too much fun! But up at 4 AM doing it? So, you rebuilt it but don't know if you are going to use it? How does your truck stop w/o it? You'll remember that I removed the one on Big Blue, so I'm curious.

Excellent! I look forward to meeting you. What do you do? Where will you work?