FuzzFace2

My 81 F100 was made 11/80 so early 81 and has the slider locks. You can see the big hold where the slider should be below the wooden arm rest. I wonder if the handle gaskets were changed with the lock type? You can see mine has (whats left) the studs. Because no one makes the slider parts and the door panels that have the hole I am thinking of going with the later panels and drilling the door for the pin type lock. Now if I understand right not all panels use the gaskets like i have? So I would need to come up with something then and also deal with if the pin rod will work with my latch assy.? Dave ----

That picture of the blue door panel looks to be a late 81 or early 82 as it dose not have the slider locks. Dave. ----

I don't remember the size IIRC I took the intake I to the parts store for the right size. On the idle speed it sounded good guess a good cleaning and rebuild can't hurt. Dave ----

On the carb rebuild before you got it you dont know if anyone messed with the needle / rod for the high speed do you? Someone messed with mine before I get the truck, carb was a mess with wrong screws used and others missing. I have to find where I found the starting point is on it, it is not in the rebuilt kits paper, it may be a day or 2 before I can look for it. You may not know if it is out of adjustment with out looking at the plugs and a AFR meter. I have a AFR meter to dial in my carb. Dave ----

Dave is in the house! Ok from what I can see he is running EFI exh. manifolds and has a hot water heating plate bolted to the bottom of the intake where the log exh. manifold was bolted to. If that is the case I was afraid of that happening or the gasket not sealing and the intake sucking coolant in and think a head gasket went bad. If you were to look over the intake and where the plate is bolted to, coolant will make it up to that point. My fix for that and now happy I did this, was to install a freeze plug with a little sealer on it. I have had may carb off a time or 2 and had no coolant leak so guess it is holding. As for the idle mix screw not doing much what was the idle speed set to? If it was to high the mixture screw would not do much. I dont know if the accel pump could cause a rich idle on the Carter carb? It sits in the bottom of the float bowl and there is a plastic tube that goes from the pump body to the carb body and the passage for the discharge into the carb. If the pump is bad the rebuild should fix it. Dave ----

True Gary but LMC wants that number in order to get the right shroud for the truck. IIRC I think its because of the 2 different ways Ford mounted the radiators but could be all wrong also? My radiator has rubber cups at the bottom the side tanks fit in and 2 2 part brackets that fit over the tanks at the top. The the shroud slips into 2 clips at the bottom that are also clipped to the radiator and the top uses 2 bolts to the top of the radiator. That shroud is for a newer truck with a 300 (94?) and I needed to trim 1/4" off each side for it to sit flush to the radiator. I see in 1 of my pictures a box from NPD? I wounder what I got from them, radiator or shroud as it is about that same size? If you need me to look I might be able to find out. Dave ----

Would you believe, after 35 years, have to say I don't remember the bulge, but yes, there is one there. Not much, but enough that, if there isn't one, installing the fill tube can't be done. Or, maybe, time to talk about options? You have your surprises and I've got mine (just discovered), so off to write about "it's time to rethink this project". Funny I dont remember that bulge when I was cutting up the style side parts bed for the floor I just checked my pictures and what you know a bulge! If I knew you needed that I would have cut it in a way that it could be saved and used but did not know of it sorry I cant remember if I saved the bed side with the door or just the door, the "box" and filler pipe? Next time out in the garage when not to hot I will dig through my left over parts to see what I have. I am sure I have the door, I cant remember what box I have if style side or flare side at this point but I will try and dig out what I have and let you know. Oh I can tell you the style side & flare side doors are different in size and shape. Going through my pictures I may not have the sheet metal bed side but should have the other parts. I also seen the mounting hole spacing for the door and box are different for the 2 different bed sides. Dave ----

If you have what is left of the old shroud, LMC posts you need a number off it to get the right one. I would have to check but I think I got my shroud from Dennis Carpenter and was a really good price and picked up 2 so I could make 1 to fit my truck as I did not have one to get numbers off of. I only used 1 and had to trim a 1/4" off each side so it would sit flush to the radiator, other wise it was a bolt up. Dave ---- edit: I think I got my new radiator from Rock Auto

WOW all I can say is WOW! When I'd seen "I'm Flaresideless" I thought the worst and could only hope you and the truck were not hurt to bad, truck could be replaced but not you. Then to read you sold it was a little re-leaf but still hard to think of such a thing. Good to hear you are looking at other trucks of the older years and of the north of the boarder ones is just cool. As said you have to keep us up to date on your new "project" and pop in to help us after building 2 trucks from the ground up. Good luck Dave ----

The AC fire wall has 3 large holes where the non-AC has 2. They say you can make a pattern off the AC firewall to make a non-AC firewall a AC one. There are a few other little holes but it all looks doable. They also say if you find a working / charged system that you can unbolt it as a whole keeping the charge and bolt it into your truck. I did not do either as I was missing a lot of the AC parts from my parts truck other than the firewall that I grafted into mine. I do have pictures of the firewall graft on my web site in my sig link. Dave ----

CJ welcome to the forum. On the AC swap all I can say is look into this deeply as it is not a simple unbolt parts and bolt them back in. The firewalls are different between the AC & non-AC trucks. I am one of the crazy ones that swapped half the firewall so I could have AC as we need it here in NC. Been mid 90's all week and humidity in the mid 90's also, no rain and if it does it just feels worst Dave ----

John, What you doing with the slider part of the lock on your door panel? Were they in working shape? You leaving them in place to fill the hole or what? I went looking the other day for new door panels with slider locks & the sliders and I did not find any one that sells either. My panels need more work to be what I would like to have on my truck. I also need both slider locks. With that I figured I would get the later panels with the push / pull pin lock and use my latches would this be able to work with my slider latches? From what I am reading I can use my slider latches with push/pull pin but work backwards? But you were trying to use the push/pull pin latches with the slider lock and this would not work right? Back to my question about the slider lock if you left them in place and drilled the hole for the pin I guess that would look ok but I was thinking if you went with the later panels you would be able to use it to drill the hole in the door frame is what I was thinking. I will be watching the outcome Dave ----

I am sure you can get that information from any style side even a long bed as the difference between LB & SB was at the front. So if you can find a truck in a parking lot you can measure it. I know the difference is at the front of the bed as I used a style side LB ribbed floor to replace the SB wood floor on my flare side. If you plan on driving the truck and unless you are going bigger that a 19 gallon rear tank is to keep the 16 gallon front tank and make it a true dual tank truck. I added a 19 gallon rear tank to my flare side along with the factory 16 gallon front making my truck a true dual tank flare side. I used all factory parts so it looks like a factory dual tank truck. BTW dual tank flare sides were never an option! Dave ----

The right side door & fender hitting each other is from the radiator support being pushed over to that side from the hit on the left side and most likely pushed back a little too. You can look at the fender mounting bolts up by the hinge and see if it has moved back but till you get a good support on it that fender cant really be set where it needs to be. Yes save the moldings as you may not be able to find them with out a good hunt. On the door dent when was the last time you look at that side? I dont see how that could be from the deer kill even if you drove over it. I also hate body work but replacing the parts like you need to do I dont call body work. Its the sanding of body filler and mostly the dust from it I hate. The dust gets every where, ears, nose / moth & eyes and it does make it pass a mask! Little by little and before you know it it will be on the road again. Dave ----

Man that hurts Being you have it at home you can let it sit a bit and for you to get your wits back together. It may take a week or 3 but when ready then dig into to it. From the looks of it it was hit high, frame not bent so it's all sheet metal work. That all unbolts and bolts back on. Maybe some one has the parts and will bring them to the show? Good luck Dave ----

I can tell you with just carpet with its backing made the cab a lot quitter inside over not having anything but 2 coats top & bottom of the floor with roll on bed liner. The only "sound deadner" I used on my truck was the roofing sealer, Peel & Stick. I put 2 strips inside the doors on the outside door skin to stop the drum noise. The fire wall has the factory insulation, back wall nothing. It's a truck and I am happy with the sound level, I can hear the radio & talk to someone and that is all thats needed LOL Dave ----

I think any gear ratio of 5.xx will be to low even with over drive & 30" tires. What is the ratio of the over drive and what rear gear ratio do you have now. What are the peak TQ & HP numbers for your motor as you need this to figure what you need. Run the number with 4.xx gear and do you really drive 55 MPH? I had a GM diesel that had over drive auto and went with 4.11 gear and ran 30 x 10.5 x 15 tires and was a good combo and even better when I installed a turbo kit. Dave ----

That might be in a Ford box but that is an travel trailer temp add on mirror set up. When I was a kid we had that type we used when pulling the trailer as the trailer was wider than the wagons door mounted mirrors. The 2 Z brackets with the foam on them fit over the fender to hood lip and the hook fits in the wheel opening. You then tighten the turn buckle to make it solid to the fender. I may still have them on a shelf as I use a different type that fit on my doors. It also has a Z bracket that fits the lip of the glass and door sweep. It has a "rubber band" with a hook that fits under the bottom of the door lip and has a way to tighten this band. I cant use the Ford box type on my Dodge and the hood lip is on the side of the truck and not the top so no way to mount the Z bracket. Dave ----

I also just flushed the evap coil and everything else was new. You guys that cant keep psi in the system how long did you pull a vacuum and how long did it hold after you turned the pump off? I also had growing pains with my AC system. It held a vacuum for and hour before I started filling it. First pain was a bad new O-ring that lost the psi in a week IIRC. A little bit after replacing O-ring I must have for got to tighten the fitting and lost everything again. The other day OAT was 97* heat index was 107* to 110* It does cool the truck off but I think it could be better. I took the temp prob out of the truck months ago so dont know what it was blowing temp wise. If I came to a light and the RPM dropped to an idle it would start to blow warm but still cooler than the OAT LOL. I can not run MAX AC as every little hill I come to it would go to defrost till I let off the gas. On normal AC it only did it if I was really on the gas or climbing a good size hill. When it gets a little cooler I need to look into this as it is a PITA! Good luck on fixing your AC's Dave ----

Welcome to the Bullnose Forum. Yes would like to know where in NC you are as I am on the Benson / Angier line in NC. There is a few of us in the Raleigh area but they hang out on the "other" Ford truck forum. We like to hear what you have planed for the truck and we need a lot of pictures! Dave ----

Oh I hear you on just want to drive it again. I was in the same place after 4 years of working on my truck. On the air dam there is one across the top between the radiator and condenser so air would be pulled through the condenser. I have the top one and I should check to see if I have gaps like you have on mine after spacing the bottom out. Dave ----

Honestly Ive always just flushed the old oil out and run PAG oil. Never had a problem doing that before. Many claim it poses a problem but Ive never seen a problem in 20 years of doing it this way. The question how ever is which PAG to get you have many grades and I typically run PAG 46 but Ive seen PAG 120 before. In the case of my '82 truck, thats a york compressor for a dealer AC installed unit, when I get around to flushing the system out I will run PAG 46 just the same as most of the oil will remain in the compressor`s sump to lubricate the compressor. With a rotary compressor Ive heard some compressors will make noise with thinner PAG oil and call specifically for a heavier PAG oil. Besides what type of PAG oil to use is how much total? Then a break down how much in each part: Condenser Compressor Dryer, Evap coil and if any for hoses? When I was rebuilding my system I had a vary hard time finding anything on how much per part, all mine other than the evap coil was new. Yes the coil was flushed out and think I used PAG 46, would need to find the bottle to make sure. Dave ----

What my 81 F100 with a 300 six has a Y pipe Then again I am running EFI exh manifolds On it the cat is a slip on. I used the exh system off my parts truck as it was in pretty good shape and being for a long bed, mine is a short bed, the Y pipe and the mid pipe came up short by like 4 inches The Y pipe & mid pipe were different sizes so between the adapters I was able to get they hooked together. I am not using the cat. Dave ----

The padded dash and some of the plastic I have still looks good with no discoloring. Wonder if SEM makes a UV clear coat that can be used. And in a mat finish? Would really like to protect what hasn't been damaged yet. [Edit, Update: Sent SEM Tech Support an email and asked if they have a UV Clear Coat that would help in our application] [Edit Aug 11, Update #2; Nice reply from SEM Tech Support, for info: "Thanks for contacting us about our products. The clears in our COLOR COAT line have good UV resistance and you could use them over the dash (after proper prep) but you could just as easily recolor the dash with COLOR COAT and restore the color as well as protect the dash for many years. COLRO COAT will not harden plastic but will help keep the UV from doing any more harm to it. Thanks again" Thought: Before buying new door panels, since the can of "matching color spray paint" will be needed anyway, maybe just getting the paint and spraying the existing door panels (after removing all the trim and padded arm rest), and the pillar trim, might be a good way to go and just see how much protection to the soft and faded plastic the paint provides. Maybe more than one coat in those areas if it doesn't sheen up?] I was going to say the clear dose have UV protection as thats what I was told years ago when I was re-doing the inside of my 70 Javelin, I did not know the paint also had it good to know. As for sheen be careful for glare back. I used the color coat on the dash cover and on bright days the glare is pretty bad to the point I am thinking of getting one of them cover rugs for when driving and pull it off at shows. I did not have to paint the new dash pad on the Javelin and have not had it out driving so dont know how it will be on a bright day. So watch the sheen Dave ----

From what I seen posted there are 3 different supports, 2 for gas, 1 for diesel. The gas ones are small & large openings. Small for non-AC trucks Large for AC trucks and I pretty sure HD cooling. Now you can go for the larger if yours is small and get a larger radiator and a shroud. The non-AC radiators did not have a shroud but a little fan cover at the top. Now I think it was on the older trucks they all had a large opening and if the truck had a small radiator they used an bolt in filler panel. I guess you could do something like that if you wanted to. Dave ----