85lebaront2

The original pumps Ford used for the high pressure 1985-89 are Bosch ones, probably the same ones Mercedes used on their EFI vehicles in the 70s. My son had a 1986 F150 302 EFI truck, it had an aftermarket high pressure pump that worked but sounded like it was going to pieces. He scored a used one from a neighbor's totaled 1986 F150. When he sold the truck it was still going. I would bite the bullet and try to find a Bosch pump.

That is what I have done both on Darth and T2K-CAR. Strip the insulation off where I need to add a circuit take off by using a razor blade. If it is an inside circuit, I generally just wrap it with friction tape, external, like underhood, I have used RTV + friction tape which is pretty much what Ford and Chrysler did.

Yes, but the LeBarons and the Dodge 400/600 models along withe New Yorker had a lot of extras. The left door wiring has an extra 10 pin connector for the extras, sedans had power remote mirrors, which I managed to adapt to the convertible as they are also a bit bigger. Power locks and windows along with a 6 way power seat were options on the premium models. What I am doing is the same sort of things you are doing with BB and Dad's truck, adding improvements (like rear disc brakes on the LeBaron), a more efficient engine fan system, eliminating the fusible links by using a later PDC

It is not a 1986 system, it came from a 1992 Imperial (which still used a K car HVAC case). The 1986 systems still used vacuum for all functions except blend and blower speed. I wanted to get away from the vacuum controls as under boost you don't have any vacuum for the HVAC controls. Speed control vacuum is available as there are two ejectors in the vacuum harness that use the boost pressure to create vacuum for that application.

It is digital, set with a rocker switch up or down. Blower speed, blend door and mode are then controlled by the processor in the control head. All are actuated by small DC motors with reduction gear trains (one worm on the motor then 4 additional stages). Other than the temp, only the mode has any feedback and that is for it's mid position (floor). At face or defrost it stalls against the travel limit for the door and the current spike tells the processor to unpower it. System can only do one task at a time as there is one common for all three and one actuate circuit for each function (blend, fresh/recirc, Face/floor/defrost). Control head is the bottom unit under the vacuum/boost gauge and warning lights in the set of pictures further up. I have another unit that is vacuum actuated except the blend. On either, blower speed is also controlled. probably PWM control.

Finally got my in car sensor for the ATC system mounted so it will allow my panel dimmer/courtesy light switch to fit. It is located where the 1989 dash is made for it to go so the aspirator fan draws air in through the grille in the lower dash cover. I attached the flasher and the relay I had to add to switch the flasher power from accessory to battery when the hazards are turned on. I was able to glue the flasher and relay to the end of the fuse box so they can be accessed for service. Here is the sensor with the aspirator in behind the area: Here is the fuse box with the relay in front, flasher behind: Lower cover installed, sorry it is a little blurry, I had to take it somewhat blind: Here you can see the sensor behind the intake grille:

Rusty, the one who posted about not having the pivot bolt hole for the power steering. You may be correct in the thought he has an earlier pump mount. Ford had some interesting accesory brackets in the 80s. Each head had a "universal" bracket, oval shaped on the passenger side and similar with no AC on the driver side. With AC the compressor mount had two threaded holes for the power steering pump as it wasn't a direct match to the holes. The upper hole was used on 302s, lower on 351s, on the passenger side, oval bracket went threaded hole up on a 302, down on a 351. This way the accesories were in the same location relative to the crank and water pump so the stamped plates for alternator and power steering pump were the same along with the drive belts. An FYI, any stamped brackets are steel, cast ones are grey iron unless aluminum. Thankfully the front dress on the EFI 460s all the cast brackets are aluminum, not iron. The alternator/air pump mount on Darth was a huge chunk of cast iron.

I also welcome you. Your boys helping will be great. I bought my son a 1965 Corvair Corsa 140 HP (4 carbs) he fell in love with after seeing it in a friends impound lot. It had some interesting issues, like heads on backwards, cam gear not on straight. He drove it from the time he hit 16 until around 23 when he bought a year old Mustang convertible that was a former rental model, had GT brakes on a V6 automatic. He still does a lot of his own work, not to save money, but to get it done right.

They might work with some modifications. The older crew cabs have the dummy vent window so the actual roll up window is not much different in size than the front windows. Difference is the down curve on top of the front ones. I know how hard they are to find.

I am going to throw my $.02 in on this one (FWIW). I found in running a tune up and carburetor shop a lot of interesting facts. First "gimmick" plugs, they may help, but usually just the fact that they are new is most of the improvement. Second, anti seize, I use the nickel base one on aluminum heads, generally not on iron heads. For those of us who have other than just Ford trucks, plug sourcing can get interesting. OEM for US manufacturers were AC - GM (they own them), Autolite - Ford until they were sold, Champion, Chrysler and AMC. Ford now calls for Motorcraft. Plug numbering systems can be a real can of worms, for years they were alpha-numeric, the alpha portion identifying the basic geometry and the numeric the heat range, lower = colder, higher = hotter. Examples - BF42, Autolite plug for most Ford V8s from the Y-block through the early 429/460 engines. BF32 was colder (My Shelby used them) BF82, much hotter, most 6 cyl Fords for years. Champion N - Nash, long reach (3/4") J - GM mostly, short reach (3/8") H - Hudson, plug used in many Onan built engines also. AC plugs use a reverse sequence with the number first then the reach letters, 44F, fairly hot, 3/8" reach, 42F a bit colder. 42FF Corvair .472" reach, same plug as a VW Beetle air cooled engine. AC stopped making the FF plugs in the late 90s, saying to use the F plugs, problems caused are the inner end of the plug is slightly recessed into the threads. Plug reach, and tip design (projected vs flush) can make a huge difference in engine running, Two personal examples (not mine, but friends vehicles) Bosch platinum plugs in EFI Fords = poor running, erratic misfire etc. Don't ask my why, it was on several 302 EFI engines. AC plugs, correct heat range and reach by the catalog, 1994 F150 5.0L, abysmal fuel economy, owner had inherited the truck as a payment for administering his neighbors will. He pulled the plugs and found the ACs, put Motorcraft ones in, damn near doubled his gas mileage. He called me on his cell from I64 on his way to his retirement home he was building and started singing "I'm a believer" to me. He was already beyond Richmond from Newport News with a load of material and hadn't even used 1/2 of the first tank where before he would have been switching tanks by then.

Rusty, the O2 sensor location on the later OBDI trucks is back behind the Y, just before the cat. I am using that location on Darth for my wideband sensor. I have the control sensors in each downpipe from my manifolds as my OBDII system uses one for each bank allowing it to tweak the injectors more precisely.

Now do some of you understand why I am never putting headers on Darth. My first run-in with headers was on my 1964 Falcon with a 260 V8, the left side was an amazing bundle of snakes at 1.5" primaries. 7 & 8 went down, turned out under the frame and then back in to the collector, 5 & 6 ran reasonably straight down and back to the collector. the right side was cramped, but I don't remember any strange contortions on that side. These were Hedman I believe as they were the only Falcon/Comet ones available. The Shelby wasn't bad, left side you still had to remove the clutch cross shaft, right side, pull the plug wires and for safety, the plugs and the header would come out from the top, either the original Shelby-American Tri-Y or the Hookers I replaced them with.

The reason it is done so the EEC controls it is safety, If the pumps run continuously and there is any problem they can empty the tank onto the ground, all over a hot engine or any of a number of scenarios. FWIW, Ford and Chrysler both use the computer to turn on the fuel pump, both do the short "burst" at key on by grounding the relay coil. Chrysler's is called an Automatic Shut Down relay and it is wired into the EFI feed like the Ford Power Relay so it powers fuel pump, coil and injectors along with the O2 sensor heater. GM uses (at least the ones I have worked on) an oil pressure switch to control the fuel pump relay. I would find out why it isn't working correctly, could be a sign the EEC is on it's way out.

The way Ford set the system up, pin 22 is grounded upon initial key on, this is what gives you the short pump run when the key is turned on. When the EEC receives a crank signal (ignition pulse) it will turn the pump on to feed fuel to the cylinders. Question, is the EEC power relay energizing? Without that none of it will work, circuit 361, red wire, is the feed from the EEC power relay to the system, pump control, ignition, injectors and all the solenoids. A very common problem on these is the system ground connector, C101, it is a 1/4" spade connector near the battery negative post and is very prone to corrosion. A bad ground will kill the system as far as running.

Welcome to the forums! Glad to have you and yes, as Gary put it, it is like peeling an onion, one layer at a time.

That is the alignment bushing (there may be two, one inside the other). As to getting it loose, I would have to look it up, Darth is a F350 and has king pins.

Did some close to final fit up on the console yesterday after returning from Virginia Beach. Console from the driver's side: From the driver's seat, the view looking down, notice that the switch labels are positioned to be read from above: The Traveler, a fairly simple fuel mileage at elapsed time computer and the vacuum/boost gauge and warning lights:

I hope so.

Thanks Dane!

Exhaust system needs to be installed, seat upholstery needs to be done, remainder of the dash installed, top attached and ultimately replaced. SBEC (engine computer) needs to come back after being socketed for a flash module that will allow me to tune it like I do with Darth.

Painted, but the kick panels have carpet sections on them.

It does, the interior is coming together, there are still two lower sections on the dash under the column covering the fuse box area and the glove box on the right side.

Did some more, got the carpet pretty well fitted and have the console figured out to use the 1986 shifter with the 1989 console and indicator. The power seat switch I relocated to the left door switch plate as the window switches for the 1989 are in the front of the console storage bin. I need to find a lid for the storage bin (1987-1989 J body LeBaron convertible only). The seats need upholstering (driver's cushion is from the 1985).

Engine looks fantastic! Hopefully it will run as good as it looks.

I notice (don't recall seeing it before) https://www preceding garysgaragemahal now. Does this mean there is a security certificate for the site?