Gary Lewis

WooHoo!!! Here we go boys. Gary, what is your son's name again? ........and I am making offers on bikes right now. Hope to have one in the coming weeks. I think I am aiming at the DR650. I know them, I like their simplicity, reputation, and feel comfortable fixing anything that may come up with it. Bret. But I don't think you met him. I think you met my SiL TJ. I sent him a link to this thread as well as to the TAT, so he may comment. But, he's extremely busy at work so my guess he'll just do some reading.

Well that something big followed me home today.... The accessory brackets alone are worth what I paid for this thing. Cool! A carbed 460. Non-cat. Are you going through it?

Rob - The pic below is from our page on Documentation/Emissions/Thermactor Systems. And I think the part you are talking about 9A487. Do you need to meet emission testing? If not, and I don't think you do since you are running the Edelbrock intake, you can remove the manifold that goes across the back of the engine and plug the holes in the head. If I remember correctly the holes are tapped 5/8-11 and you can get really short bolts, like 1/2" long, in there to plug the holes.

Yes, it would be cool to have one of them now. And it might be fun to ride it on a trip like that. But, I think taking Big Blue will make me quite happy. Just spoke with my son, and he would like to go, although that's not a commitment. However, he will help me deck out BB to make the trip.

I put Monroe Sensatracs on Dad's and really liked them. Running Bilsteins on Big Blue.

That shows your age Gary...when did they stop making those? Before I was born I believe. lol Anyway, I have drummed up some interest in the motorcycle portion of this trip. Cliff seemed interested before he decided to smash a Land Rover...he's okay by the way. Minor rear-ender. Sheww that was close. Also, I have a bud that I used to work with at Remington Arms, Chod (not Chad, Chod), who has expressed interest in a short trip this year, and maybe a longer one next year. I think if I can get out with Chod this year on a new to me bike, I can do some shake down tests for gear and comfort mods. He is up in Ohio, so not sure what our plans are yet, if they ever will fruit, but maybe him and I could do Jellico, or maybe West Virginia...I think he said he is up near Dayton or Columbus....maybe I can get Chod on this forum to join in the planning. And I have another bud, Matt, who said "I'll look into it." We work together, and I have been eggin him on for awhile now to go do something epic with me. Maybe I can get him along. Chod has a few bikes, Matt doesn't have one currently. Last I checked, Chod had a XR650L, and a V-Strom...I think he said he had a cruiser too, but its been a little while since we talked about it. Wikipedia says the XL350 was made from '74 to '87. Mine was the '74, all of which looked like this:

I guess that must have answered the question?

Sounds good!

https://www.rearcounter.com/E0TZ-17A091-B-parts194923.html I emailed them and the response was "Hi Gary, this is a mistake, what we actually have is E0TZ-17091-A This item is priced $30.00 plus shipping." Fyi, that's the jack retainer, not the jack handle retainer.

Welcome, Jim. This one was borne out of the realization that I have a book that answers HBF84's question re the handling package but that the easiest way to answer it was to put the book on line. And, I discovered along the way that the book answers the wheel offset question. And Vaughn's question of springs. And, and, and...... As for being "the best place on the web for Bullnose documentation", is there another? At one point years ago someone on FTE said they were going to create another page for Bullnose documentation. But I don't think it ever materialized. Sometimes I tell people we have the best and the worst site since there is no other. But if there is another, maybe we have the best?

We now have a teeny bit of definitive info on the 1984 trucks - to the tune of 220 pages. Go to Documentation/Literature/1984 Literature/1984 Light Truck Data Book and then: Bronco: Details about the 1984 Bronco including passenger capacity, dimensions, weights, standard equipment, options & trim levels, engines/transmission/axle ratio combinations, trailer towing specifications, paint options, etc. F-Series: Details about the 1984 F-Series trucks including passenger capacity, dimensions, weights, standard equipment, options & trim levels, engines/transmission/axle ratio combinations, trailer towing specifications, paint options, etc. Axles: Specifications on the front and rear axles used on Ford's 1984 light trucks, including Broncos (U-Series), F-Series, E-Series, Bronco-II's, & little Ranger pickups. Brakes: Specifications on the brakes used on Ford's 1984 light trucks, including Broncos (U-Series), F-Series, E-Series, Bronco-II's, & little Ranger pickups. Cab & Bodies: Provides exterior paint codes, seat trim, instrument panel illustrations, and dimensional drawings for Ford's 1984 light trucks. Clutch - Driveline - Transmission: Provides specifications on the clutches, drivelines, u-joints, transfer cases, and transmissions used in Ford's 1984 light trucks. Electrical: Provides descriptions and specifications for the electrical components used in Ford's 1984 light trucks, including the ignition system, alternators, & starters. Engines - Diesel: Provides specifications, including horsepower and torque, for the diesel engines used in Ford's 1984 light trucks. Engines - Gas: Provides specifications, including horsepower and torque, for the gasoline engines used in Ford's 1984 light trucks. Frames - Suspension - Steering: Provides the dimensions, section modulus, and yield strength for the frames, spring rates, shock absorber specifications, steering box ratios, & turning diameters for Ford's 1984 light trucks. Noise Regulations: Sets out the noise regulations which were in effect in 1984 and to which Ford's 1984 light trucks were in compliance. Safety Standards: Sets out what safety standards were in effect in 1984 in both Canada and the US, to which the 1984 Ford light trucks complied. Wheels - Rims - Tires: Provides specifications on the wheels that were standard or optional on Ford's 1984 light trucks, including their size, offset, and load carrying capacity.

Yeah...maybe not the best thing to watch round the youngin's. But those guys sure enjoyed themselves, heavy GS bikes or not, they sure had the time of their lives getting them out of some deep mud and sand... I think the power those bikes have can compensate for some aspects of some of the technical type riding. Its just the price tag on them is too rich for my blood. If I paid $15,000+ for a motorcycle, I couldn't take it off road. My choice is a $2500-$5000 dual sport that I can throw away when done...lol. I learned something several years ago after starting to ride. Someone said it somewhere, maybe on ADVrider.net, "Id rather ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow." I honestly can say that I agree with that statement. Low HP high torque single cylinder motorcycles share an attitude with the 300 I6. That slow yet strong, enjoy the ride, minimalistic type attitude is what I like. One of my favorite bikes was an XL350. It wasn't fast, but the torque was like a tractor. Loved it, despite the vibes the single gave.

Ok, I figured it out. But, in order to convey it to you I scanned in 220 pages and added them to the website. To answer your question go here: Documentation/Literature/1984 Literature/1984 Light Truck Data Book and then: Page 32 gives the option code for the Trailer Towing/Camper Package Page 34 gives the details on the Trailer Towing/Camper Package as well as Handling Package But, to make it easy for you, here's Page 34:

If you have carpet now, can you please let us know what ACC sample matches up the best? My truck is an '84 with the Dark Harbor Blue interior, but NO carpet, so I'd also love to know what color to order. PS: How did you like using the Preval kit? I honestly hadn't heard of this until a couple weeks ago when I was talking to the SEM paint guy up here. Your pictures make it obvious for me that I really need to order the Harbor Blue paint. Nothing else matches it. Thanks for sharing. Cory - I shared a link to this thread with Robin at Vinyl Pro and she said if you want to give her your postal code info she can give you a good idea what shipping would cost. In fact, she said "For example a three pound package shipped to Burlington, Ontario L7L7B3 would be approximately $30.00. A quart of Color Coat weighs about three pounds."

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n62607/82812052_10101010760285200_5314849564388229120_o.jpg Did these guys ride those bikes in the tough stuff? My lord...a KLR is cumbersome enough. Those GS bikes are BEASTS to pick up. Go read about Andrew's round-the-world trip. By himself. Yes, they took those bikes in some pretty rough places.

I'm going to enlist the help of Janey's cousin, Andrew Hitchings, who made it essentially around the world on his bike. Here he is, on the left, with his brother. His father probably took the pic. I'm guessing he, and they, would be invaluable in planning such a trip. And his caption on the pic on Facebook is:

Ray just asked me in the background to share this - as apparently Androids can't do what iPhones can. Note that at 1:33 there's an error in the statement as they apparently don't realize that a "proper vehicle" is a Bullnose.

Ray - I'm not committing to the whole coast-to-coast thing, but I can do part of it here in the middle of the US. Maybe Arkansas to Utah? What I'd like to do is to get my son to sign on to go with me/us, but I have no idea if he will. Nor when he could. And, I obviously need to get Big Blue whipped into shape, which isn't going to happen too soon. But, I would like to see some maps, and I'm not willing to start buying them. Nor do I have a Garmin device on which to load them. I'm just looking for free maps to peruse so I can get my head around what we'd be in for.

Not me! I don't do those kinds of things to a Bullnose.

Sign me up - for the Bullnose portion! And maybe as the chase truck for the motorcyle portion. I think that sounds like a wonderful adventure. And I'm serious. Count me in. One of the plans for Big Blue is a rooftop tent, so I'd have a place to sleep. And with on-board air and plenty of carrying capacity I can bring the tools and parts. But I haven't yet found a detailed on-line map for the OK portion. Have you found one? Can you post some links on here? I know they can be purchased, and that's probably what I'd want to do for the trip, but for just looking things over I'd like to see the details.

Looks great, Joe! Well done!

Perry - I can understand the confusion. Basically the deal is that when you post in a thread on this forum you get "subscribed" to that thread and will get email notification when someone posts in it. In addition, you can post by replying to the email, but that brings with it a lot of baggage of previous posts unless you clear them out. So the best way to post is to log onto the forum. As for Jonathan, he is Ford F834. Sorry that I didn't explain that. Anyway, he is the guy with the majority of the XLS/brushed aluminum trim. And he, like you, is really busy with family and job issues. Plus, he lives in the hinterlands of Arizona so probably doesn't have access to someone that does printing or vinyl wrapping And while I have one piece of XLS trim, my daughter and family will be moving in with us for a few weeks as of Saturday. Plus, I'm trying to add content to the website, progress my project on Big Blue, and get ready for some kind of truck show in September. Basically, the three of us are busy with other things at the moment. So what I suggest is that we let this one sit for a bit. Perhaps by Octoberish we will have time to address it. Does that work for you?

Well, if they are still installed in the instrument cluster, installing LED's instead of the original bulbs won't improve things much. I don't have pictures of them myself, but somebody on here might. Vaughn - I don't have pics of the filters, but can get them in a bit if you'd like. They snap into the instrument housing and are domed. As for LED lighting, I really like the LED's from HiPo Parts. I did a test of them and posted it here: http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Instrument-Lighting-Paint-Testing-tp52526p52839.html.

It was a good movie. Janey isn't sure she had seen it, but I think I had. And, from what I've read, it was reasonably accurate. Luckily 11 of the 13 crew members lived, but 2 died when PT109 was cut in half by the Japanese destroyer.

Dan - You are now on the map. But we aren't wanting to get too precise with the pins, so I just put you at Middleboro. Check it out and see if that's ok.