85lebaront2

What really got me is the reversal of the terminals. Completely unnecessary in my opinion, but Ford felt differently I guess. People mention the differences between stuff like doors and dash mounting when using a Bricknose cab, but those things are only the tip of the iceberg. I love to challenge myself and this Bricknose to Bullnose swap is just the kind of challenge I like. But it takes a special kind of person to be willing to do this kind of work and it is definitely not for everybody. I fully agree. I kept the Bullnose cab on Darth, but switched the damaged fenders and hood for a Coffin nose partially to make my EFI conversion easier. Interior is now (mostly) from a late (1996) Aeronose as I preferred the later dash and connection system to the front and rear harnesses. I also prefer the engine harness connection to the front harness and the PDC so I only have the paired fusible links in the main feed wire (safety as it crosses the truck in front of the radiator). Grounds everywhere on the later wiring.

So, perhaps a poor choice on my part. When I first considered replacing my 80457S Gary kinda sold me on Edelbrock, though I never had problems with any leaks and only had the pump diaphragm fail once on the 4180. I was talking about the Chrysler Holleys, I swapped Carter AVS on many of them and sold a ton to the local dealers.

Only two companies ever used an AVS as OEM, one was 1966 Chevrolet 327 300 HP, it was one of three different carburetors, one was a Holley R-2818 (don't even ask why that number just popped up) A Carter AFB and a Carter AVS. Most were 1968-72 Chrysler products (Gary has one, maybe the number from it would help). It was an alternative to a Holley that makes a 4180 look excellent, it was designed by Chrysler engineers to meet emission requirements and heat was not it's friend. Strange Chrysler only metering blocks, on some larger secondary throttles, secondary metering bodies that warped so bad you could see the gas boiling in the rear barrels. It ranked right up there with first gen electronic ignition, air cleaner studs that would warp the air horns on the Carter BBD and Stromberg WWC carbs and the electronic retard modules. Now throw in a 7 ft plug wire to a plug in an almost impossible location, what could possibly go wrong?

Huge improvement Edelbrock made when they bought the rights from Carter, NOT! plastic on a part that sees side loading is dumb as a rock! Why do you think Carter made them out of brass. Maybe a kit for an AFB might have a complete metal plunger.

Gary, without seeing the front of the 1995 frame I can't say, but, you do not have a stock bumper. Bullnose stock bumpers are attached with 4 chrome capped bolts and two side braces, the 4 bolts go directly into the rolled in end of the frame rails (look at Dad's) the side braces attach to the sides of the frame (dad's should have those also) 1987 up, the bumper is attached to the sides of the rails with four bolts and two nut plates, the holes are slotted vertically if I remember correctly and the Sky kit appears to use those holes as part of it's mounting. I don't have any good pictures of my bumper mounts, but can probably get some for you.

Looking at things I finally see what the extra slots in the crossmember are for, the access to the Diesel mount attachments, they sit further forward than the 460 mounts. I just went back and looked at my pictures again, rear side of my crossmember is welded to the side rails also. The bracket with rivet at the edge of the picture (a bit out of focus) is the right radius arm rear bracket.

Definitely sounding better! I am trying to remember which bolts had better shear strength, I believe Gr 8, but if the holes from the rivets end up being Metric, then maybe 12.9, minimum might be 10.9 for fasteners replacing the rivets. I would use flanged heads and prevailing torque flanged nuts if the room is there.

Jim, from what I've seen, only the lighter (under 8500 GVW) trucks seem to have the crumple zones (along with air bags from 1994 on). The heavier trucks didn't get them.

Gary, Jim, I have driven some stuff with low gears and transfer cases in low, that we used to say, it didn't move, it turned the earth. These were old (even in 1966) USMC trucks, gasoline powered 5 ton (which is deceptive, the rating is cross country, highway was 10 tons) these had a Continental RD602 in-line six of 602 ci and first gear low range at idle you could walk around the truck. The other was what we called a PC for personnel carrier, a Dodge M37B1, and one actual M37 that had a much lower number than the others and under the Marine Corps green was olive drab and a white star on the doors. Speculation was it was one of the trucks Chesty Puller brought out from the Chosin Reservoir when the army abandoned them and pulled out. Those had a 4 speed with a granny low and a detached transfer case with the noisiest gears I have ever heard. Low gear/low range, max speed was 4 mph at the Dodge flathead six's WOT governed rpm, max in 4th/high range was 62 mph and was a scary ride, steering wandered and the brakes, well, lets say in a panic stop, if someone pulled in front and hit their brakes, if it was a small vehicle they would be dead. It was not possible to lock any wheels on pavement. The trucks were the style you saw on MASH, with the spare outside the driver's door and they were essentially a 1950 Dodge Power Wagon with 24 volt electrics and full waterproofing (ours had fording kits for each).

I bought the same tires the counties here use on the school buses, they are Firestone Transforce 8 ply if I remember correctly and are capable of carrying more than Darth is rated for. Fronts are now 4 1/2 years old and still have excellent tread.

Gary, same thing on the engineering graphics, I still have the T-square and can still draw out a design plan. The reason I selected the WSI class, I already had Red Cross junior lifesaving (got it when I was 13), BSA Lifesaving Merit Badge, BSA Lifeguard, and BSA mile swim. The instructor was a Red Cross Chapter representative, and he was able to waive the Red Cross Senior Lifesaving as the BSA qualifications were equivalent.

I had a computer programming professor at, then, Old Dominion College, now Old Dominion University. Oscar Garcia, don't know where he was from, but his favorite line was "you do that you get a teelt". He taught us Fortran to program the school's IBM 1620 which was state of the art in 1964. I ended up washing out as ODC was spun off from William and Mary in 1963 and was still very much a Liberal Arts school at the time. The department of engineering was new for 1964 and they had hired the retired dean of engineering from NC State to establish it. Dean Lampe was working hard to eliminate a lot of the liberal arts influence and build up the technical side. ODU now, along with Virginia Tech partneres with my former employer, Newport News Shipbuilding, for continuing education for Apprentice School graduates and higher degrees (Masters, PHD) for engineers. What sank me was English Composition and Literature 101, 13 lengthy themes required along with lots of required reading. Engineering majors were "allowed" to carry more credit hours due to the technical classes, such as engineering graphics, calculus, chemistry, computer programming along with the electives such as PE (I elected swimming and earned my Red Cross Water Safety Instructors certificate).

I started to figure it out more completely and got lost too, so I had to go back to what my Statics TA back in college called "a fwee-ah ah-body ah-diagwam-ah" (or "free body diagram" for those of us to whom English is not our fourth language. And yes, I get that his English was MUCH better than my Chinese, so I'm really not putting him down). What we're talking about here is how stiff the springs are. Spring stiffness is measured as the compression rate, how much force it takes to deflect the spring a certain amount. But springs are linear, so it's also how much MORE force it takes to deflect the springs a certain amount MORE. Let's start with the F-350 suspension because it's so simple we don't need a free body diagram. Let's start with the assumptions that the front of the truck weighs 3000 lbs and we want a spring stiffness of 500 lbs/in (meaning it takes 500 lbs to compress the spring 1 inch). I just pulled that number out of the air, but it'll work for a comparison. With 3000 lbs on the front of an F-350, that's 1500 lbs on each of the front tires, and 1500 lbs supported by each of the front springs. Now if the springs have a rate of 500 lb/in, that would mean that if we put an additional 1000 lbs on the front of the truck we would be putting 500 lbs more on each spring and it will deflect 1" below wherever it is at ride height. And since this is a simple solid axle suspension, 1" more compression on each spring means each tire moves up (relative to the truck) the same 1". Now lets take the F-250 front suspension and figure out what the actual spring stiffness needs to be to give an apparent stiffness of 500 lb/in. By that I mean when we put an additional 1000 lbs on the front of the truck we want each front tire to move up 1", the same as we saw in the F-350. This is where a free body diagram becomes necessary for me. A free body diagram is a rough sketch of a "solid" piece (it doesn't have to actually be solid, or one piece, it just needs to not move with respect to itself). You show what forces are applied in what locations. Newtons law tells us that unless the piece is accelerating, the sum of all of the forces on it must be zero, and the sum of all of the moments on it must also be zero (in physics a "moment" is the torque exerted on an object by applying a force on a lever arm). Below is the free body diagram for one tire / axle beam assembly of an F-250 front suspension. Fp is the vertical force applied to the swing arm at the pivot. Fs is the force applied to the spring perch by the spring (it's also the force on the spring). And Ft is the force applied to the tire by the ground (or the amount of weight sitting on the front tire). The measurements of 26" from pivot to spring perch and 41" from the pivot to the contact patch are approximate measurements off my '97 F-250. And they are measured parallel to the ground, not in a straight line from the pivot to the contact patch or spring perch. Since the forces in the vertical direction need to add up to zero, the diagram tells us that Fs = Ft + Fp. Or solving for Fp (we might want to later...), Fp = Fs - Ft. And the sum of the moments must also equal zero. Moments need to be defined around a certain point. The physics don't care what point we use, but the math will be easier if we pick the "right" point. So we'll use the pivot point. The moment the spring exerts on the body around the pivot point is Fs x 26". The moment the ground exerts on it around the pivot point is Ft x 41. So that means that Fs x 26 = Ft x 41. Or solving for Fs, Fs = Ft x 41 / 26 Let's take the same 3000 lb front end, but we'll only look at one side. The weight on the tire is half the truck weight, so still 1500 lbs, just like the F-350. But now when we do the math, the force on the spring is Ft x 41 / 26, or 1,500 lbs x 41 / 26, or 2,365 lbs! (for what it's worth, Fp = Fs - Ft = 865 lbs). Now let's put an additional 1,000 lbs on the front of the truck to move the tire up 1", the same as we did for the F-350. Now the new Fs = 2,000 lbs x 41 / 26 = 3,154 lbs. So we've put an additional 3,154 - 2,365 = 788 lbs on the spring. But how much has it deflected? Since the tire at a 41" radius went up 1", the spring at a 26" radius went up 26 x 1/41 = 0.63". Spring rate is (additional) force per (additional) deflection, so 788 lbs / 0.63" = 1,243 lbs/in. Just a little stiffer than the 500 lb/in F-350 spring! This result was so much more than I expected that I didn't believe it. I've checked my equations and my math a couple of times though, so I'm pretty sure it's right. But if anyone wants to prove me wrong I won't be at all offended. Edit to add: A few posts later I described how the F-250 spring stiffness likely increases significantly as the TTB geometry pulls it sideways. My calculations above are for this overall spring rate. If you put an F-250 spring on a solid axle it would not get reefed on so badly, so the overall spring rate of the same spring in that case would be lower. I'm still sure that the F-250 spring is significantly stiffer than an F-350 spring, even if it were on a solid axle. But likely it isn't 2.5 times stiffer if the pulling sideways isn't taken into account. You just basically proved mathematically what I was referring to earlier in my reference to levers, specifically the three classes of levers and the calculations of force involved. It's been years since I took physics in high school, 55 to be exact, so my math is a little rusty. I was thinking if I were crazy enough to want to convert Darth to 4WD I would want to keep the front coil spring suspension but with a live axle rather than twin traction beams.

Gary, you need to remember your simple machines, levers in particular. The springs need to be stiffer on the TTB and Twin I-beam as they are not right at the wheels. On a live axle the effective lever length is from the opposite wheel as a pivot location. Essentially the spring is based directly for the load.

Grainger is fantastic, but the nearest one to me is roughly 70 miles including a $20 round trip toll. I do have an online account with them which helps.

You may be able to find a replacement bearing if you can find any numbers on it. Amazon has excellent prices on small bearings.

Does the OX need professional installation? For most people I'd answer this "If you need to ask, then you probably shouldn't do it yourself". But Gary, you aren't most people. You just need to ask. I get that! But seriously, it's not a job for the faint-of-heart, or the impatient. I installed an OX in the front Dana 44 of my Bronco last year. Here's a link to my project thread on another forum (the OX install starts at post #96). As I understand the Dana 60 goes about the same as a 44, except that the parts are bigger and heavier. "They say" you need a case spreader to pull the case open so the diff will drop in and out. If you have a diff spreader (and they can be made pretty easily if you're of a mind to) I'd certainly use it. But you can pry the diff out and tap it in with a mallet too. You need some slightly specialized tools (a magnetic base dial indicator and a torque wrench that reads in lb-in), as well as a way for the lb-in torque wrench to turn the pinion. And you need gear marking compound (I guess "Prussian Blue" used to be the go-to, but all I've ever seen in pictures is the yellow grease I used, which was hard to find). You need a way to press the bearings on (a hydraulic press makes it much easier). And while "they say" that set-up bearings make it possible to do without pulling and reinstalling bearings, I found that not to be true, so a bearing puller is probably needed. Nothing about installing a diff is rocket science, but it is putzy work, trying to get the shims in the right places to get everything right. Check out my thread (linked above) to see what I went through. And I wasn't changing the gearing, so I just left the pinion gear where it was. If you are changing gears when you install the diff you'll need to get the pinion depth adjusted too. That will be more of the same as getting the carrier shims correct. So should you do it yourself? Gary, for you I would NOT suggest that if the goal is to save money. Yes, doing it yourself will save money, but I think you are well enough off that you won't value the several hundred bucks enough to be worth the hassle. On the other hand, if you just want to do it because you like working on your truck, then go for it. I'm sure you are up to it, as long as you are committed to it. If you are doing it yourself, definitely do it out of the vehicle. It will be a lot easier to get in a comfortable position to work on it. If you are taking it in, as Shaun said, it's mostly a matter of whether you want to take the truck or just the axle to the shop. The cost likely won't be significantly different either way. I'll take this question to mean "Should I install a front locker for my use?" I'd answer that yes, you should, but you don't really need to. I've done almost all of my fourwheeling with a rear automatic locker and an open front, and that works out pretty well (your rear TrueTrac won't be quite as effective, but will still do pretty well paired with an open front). But after putting the OX in the front of my Bronco I've learned first-hand how beneficial it really is. When you stick a front tire against a rock that will test your articulation (probably more of an issue with my Bronco that your F-250 if you can believe that), the front locker lets the tire just walk over rather than needing to get the right combination of line and momentum with the open diff (and with a TrueTracs a rear locker that difference would be a little more important). You have a winch, which will almost always be a good tool to get you past a spot where you might need a front locker. With an open front you'll probably be able to go anywhere you want to / should go. But if you have the locker you won't need to "pull rope" as often and it'll be easier. Gary, when I was redoing Darth, one of the problems was a spun inner rear wheel bearing on the left side. I had hand filed the tube and fitted a new bearing, but I knew it wasn't right (generally had to put a seal in and wash the brake shoes yearly for inspection). I bought a used dually rear that had a 4.10 gear in it, but I had a Traction Loc 3.55 from and F250 (parts truck). I used the 3.55 Traction Loc gears in the housing that had the 4.10 set (small loss, they had water damage from sitting). I bought an install kit for the Sterling 10.25" and with help from an attractive 14 year old assistant ("granddaughter") I transferred the innards. I used a friend's press to change the pinion bearings since I didn't want to mix and match them and salvaging the cups would be risky. If I remember the pinion shims are between the pinion and inner bearing cone. I used the same thickness shim and new bearings. On the side bearings, since they appeared virtually undamaged, I reused them, keeping the sets together. The shim kit had multiple thickness shims for the preload, I did a setup for preload with no pinion so I could keep the combined thickness at the needed thickness for the preload. I assembled the pinion and crush sleeve to the proper preload with no seal. I then put the differential in with the previously determined shim packs. I used Prussian Blue (high spot) and rolled a pattern, I must have been living right as the drive side was centered on both the pinion and ring gears, coast was a little low, but in tolerance according to the patterns in the manual. Once I had that, I removed the yoke and installed the seal, my turning torque was right where it should be with reused side bearings. Since the old rear was still under the frame, I used the rear of the frame as a workstand., put it at just the right height and wasn't going to be damaged by the weight (I used my cherry picker to lift it up there).

No factory 4WD DRW pickups in 1986, only cab and chassis and they would have been Dana rears.

I did when I went to EFI from carbureted. The MAF systems Ford builds are all SEFI (Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection). One of the reasons I did, the 460s are bad about damaging #5 piston on the speed density systems. Ford went to MAF/SEFI in 1994 on the 302, 1995 on the 351 in the trucks. 460 engines, some went MAF/SEFI in California, but not all.

It is in the code for the tune if I remember, not an external mechanical one.

If I remember correctly "Dashpot" is related to the IAC control and primarily for automatics, but will effect emissions on a manual trans. It basically opens the IAC on a sudden throttle blip to prevent stalling, just like a mechanical dashpot does by delaying the throttle closing.

More like 865 lbs dressed and filled. I will have to measure my axle to stop distance on Darth for the records. Every time I think about, maybe converting Darth to 4WD two things stop me (a) turning circle, the crew cabs have different front ends and the inside front wheel goes nearly 90° to the frame and (b) the additional height and weight needed for the 4WD components.

Strange, my F350 rides pretty nicely unless you start hunting potholes with it. Must be the coil springs.

Sounds good to me! If you hook a distributor up you can get an rpm signal into it using an electric drill.

That is what I do, I have a 4 USB port I use, so I can have everything I need connected, Dongle, Mouse, Mongoose and Innovate.