kramttocs

Pretty much. There is a screw to the left of the radio opening that is a bit hidden. It holds the wiring harness in a vertical run right there. With the metal frame attached, the dash is kept fairly ridged but still something to take your time with when removing. If you drop the steering column down you may be able to unbolt the bottom of the dash (side bolts, parking brake, the two lower dash support rods, hood release), unscrew the radio speaker bracket, loosen the top side bolts for the dash, and maybe you could pivot the dash out enough to get in there. I haven't tried this so may not work or be much gain over just removing it completely.

Smart move!Glad to hear the only truck issues aren't anything the stops forward motion. Looking forward to more updates.

You're right. I should have looked at it closer. I'll do the same with mine and add it to the image.

That's great news Bruce! I'd much rather go that route and be ahead on shipping. Will them tomorrow first thing.

Bruce - I appreciate that. It was actually the flange thickness I wanted to confirm and looks like Jim addressed that. If anything else comes up, I'll shoot you a text Thanks Jim. So just the bottom needs adjusted. Good to know. I don't think it was 1/4 but I had to shim that J arm out so I might be able to remove the shim and be halfway there. Just for reference, here is the PowerMaster Ford Upgrade dimensions:

Today I took the 1 wire to O'Reilly's and Autozone. Neither could test it off the truck but what was more concerning is that neither had the Taurus 3G in stock. Just wanted to do some visual comparisons. Local availability in a pinch was a big reason I was going to move from the 1 wire to the 3G. Maybe I am looking for the wrong model... Going to go ahead and send my 1 wire to Powermaster tomorrow. If they can fix it for a reasonable price, I'll go that route but will still make up a 3G harness to have on hand now that I have the excite wire for it with a mp280 plug.

On the rear cross member, drivers side there is a (likely dirt fused together) plug that connects the rear light harness to the harness that runs along the frame to the front. This goes between those two plug halves. Depending upon what you will be towing (electrical wise) determines the option I'd choose.

Hey Dan - what 200 amp 3G do you have and what is your belt setup?

Yeah, unbolt it and then just drop it and move it to the back of the door out of the way. Pete - you're right. You could leave the main window in there and move it out of the way but would risk damage.

Haven't done a lot on the 86 over the past couple of months but I did get the vacuum advance switch mounted to the carb plate using some stand offs. Since this is activated off the A/C Selector Switch circuit (wire that goes to the pressure switch) I converted that LG/P wire to be a relay trigger and am now feeding the pressure switch and the vacuum advance switch off one of the relays in the passenger side ssVEC. They don't pull enough to warrant a relay but I needed to tie in anyways and the relay box was right there. So now the 30A factory heater/ac circuit is now doing nothing but triggering two relays Also finally hooked the heater core back up with new hoses and the new stainless spring clamps. That only took 6 months to do.... Then some bad news. Hadn't driven the truck since I got back into town from the Big Brutus event but took it out Saturday morning to drop off recycling. Got about a mile down the road an my radio rebooted (android touchscreen). Glanced at the gauges and noticed my voltmeter was pegged out. Pulled over, killed it, restarted and same thing. It was almost maxed out at idle and went off the charts with a little throttle. Pulled the midi fuse for the alt, dropped off recycling and headed to O'Reilly's to get the alt tested. When I put the fuse back in and started it up for the test, it didn't register anything at all now. Test showed bad diodes. Grab a new one off the shelf while I was there you say? If only. Well, I knew the Powermaster 1 wire was going to get me someday but I didn't expect it to happen with under 4000 miles on the truck. Removed the fuse and drove it back home. As frustrating as it is, especially after warnings of the like , fortunately it happened so close to home. Everything is already setup for the 3g upgrade with the exception of the excite wire. So last night I did some quick terminal swaps in the ssVEC so the LG/R wire that was only going to a fuse connecting it to the R/O wire for the voltmeter is now going to a relay. This relay output now splits - one leg going to the R/O voltmeter fuse and the other into a connector that will hook to the 3G harness. So things are now setup according to the recommended practice Looks like DB is OOS on the afd0028 right now so may have to look around. Gary - is this the one you are running along with Jim? I was thinking you have a stock 130A but couldn't recall which model (maybe it's in stock if different). Jim - with us running the same L&L brackets, nothing changes with having to deal with the thicker ear correct? I will still have to modify the bracket?

Everything looks great! Really liking the documentation around the fuse panel and custom wiring diagrams. Console and mic look good as well

Nice sleuthing! Will echo Dane and Gary. Trailer wiring often falls victim to "do whatever it takes to get it on the road now" when working on the side of the road or last minute trip preparations.

Napa sells one (not cork) that might be worth trying. ATM 059103487 Found a breather gasket for Ford tractors that may work. Could buy a small square of gasket material and make your own. Tire tube is another option. I found some NOS one for my 460 (orange silicone) on ebay so you might find something there as well.

I've seen the door glass replaced without pulling the vent window so I would assume it possible. However, pulling the glass is really easy, so I'd just pull it. I just recently replaced all my door glass seals, this to include the vent window seals. I also put in New glass......very easy job. I agree on removing the main window. http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/vent-windows.html

That's great!

Nope, no issues and no gotchas to pulling them. Main thing on reinstalling is to not overtighten them and make sure the holes are flat on the covers. Jim has me sold on Real Gaskets (Tennessee) but a bit pricey and have to wait on shipping. Prior to them I used Felpro obtained locally and didn't have any issues.

Sounds like you have a knack My talent is breaking drill bits off when trying to address something like this and then being worse off... In general, I've had better luck with dremel-cutting a slot in the bolt for a flathead screwdriver and then using localized heat with a handheld impact. Skipping the heat in this location (at least without more work), maybe some pbblaster and the impact? The thing I like about the slot is that you don't limit later options.

I have the same issue as Randy. At times it won't stop. Not troubleshooting but something to consider: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1457308-grief-b-gone-for-a-wiper-motor-change.html

Oh man . Wish I had some excuse... When I saw the listing I could only think of the thicker black pressure sensitive style in regards to the upper molding. Can guarantee I will notice it in September now Thanks!

That's what is confusing me - has anyone ever seen this type of trim on a truck? I like it but haven't ever seen it before.

Another one for sale. This for a Bronco II? https://www.ebay.com/itm/164893372744

That's one that the day 2 classes being inside had the real advantage. He has a few GAIA videos on his channel: https://youtube.com/c/OzarkOverlandAdventures

Subscribed and looking forward to hearing about it and seeing some photos. Great way to spend a birthday wish!

Great stuff Johnathan