JimJam300

Bit the bullet on the Borgeson steering shaft w/ damper. For some reason I glossed over the part where it collapses in an accident and that's why I was thinking of doing the 12th gen F150 steering shaft mod. Anyway, installation was a breeze. Finally found the correct hole covers for the front body mounts. Pulled em from a 88 F250 and painted them, sealed with butyl rubber. I'm just genuinely confused because many trucks seem to have the 2.75" x 1.75" hole in the floor but this 88 and my 82 Bronco have the 3.75" x 2.75" hole. Could this be specific to the plant that manufactured each truck? Anyway, putting my transmission back together again. Finally. Encountered a problem with a mainshaft bearing I ordered and I will need to post it here later to get some pointers.

The more common B-Series "SUVs" appear to be the B100 which is a dentside body, also with no door behind the driver.

I believe this is a Ford B-150. It came in passenger and van configurations, which probably explains the weird door.

I agree it is frustrating that people will subtract 100s of thousands off the theoretical odometer just to make the ad appealing or just straight up lie. I bought my 82 Bronco that sat in a field for 25 years and the odo said 40 something which sounded possible. I had nothing really to gauge the mileage on because the whole truck was in disrepair from the elements and rodent damage but it was all original parts with nearly nothing missing. I find out later the inline 6 engine was bored .020 over with a 85/86 head which tells me it's at minimum 100k miles above the odometer. Doesn't mean a whole lot to me since I'm going through everything. I think this one was just a lemon and the original owners dumped it. I haven't been through as many vehicles as Alan has, but yeah floor wear on the driver side makes a lot of sense.

You pull a pin and slide the link off the pivot that's bolted to the spring perch. It's incredibly difficult to do probably because these were meant for a Jeep and the pivots are too long. I'm going to grind them down and after that they should be much better. Had to run out yesterday and get a bench grinder from Craigslist since my vintage Craftsman died. Gonna try it out tonight and see what I can achieve.

I did end up getting that Posi Lock kit for the CAD. Works good. Got some JKS sway bar disconnects for a Jeep XJ, they bolted right up but I need to grind down a couple parts so they're easier to take off. I got my adjustable control arms and I need to get a track bar and then I'm basically done with the "build" part unless I want to do a winch.

Bad on Fords - Ray Wylie Hubbard 8 Miles a Gallon - Scott Miller & The Commonwealth This one contains profanity just FYI. But at least give it a listen because it's maybe the only song written about the 460 V8.

E0TB-16B114-C I got these at a thrift shop ten bucks a piece for whoever needs them. I will not be posting them on EBay. They are decent condition but need a polish. Chrome is starting to chip on one of them but I'm sure it can be fixed. $30 shipped

The only turbo kit I know of is the Banks Sidewinder. https://bankspower.com/products/turbo-system-1983-1993-ford-f250-f350-6-9-7-3l?variant=42951290650821

That paint is really nice. I've always found getting a good finish out of rattle cans to be difficult but this was a breeze. Okay so the paint looks about right, I only compared it with a dirty trim piece though. These foot vents were grey And the dash is in! So I figured out you can reuse all those behind-the-dash vacuum fittings by applying heat and just pulling out the tubing. Then you can use your own tubing and put colored stripes on them with paint markers. Next on this list is putting the transmission back together, I had to take it apart again because the gears weren't meshing after I reassembled it to fix threads. Then restoring the cruise control module. Then getting that steering shaft together and bleeding the brakes. We'll see if my homemade lines are any good. After that it's time to build the bottom end of the engine. First thing I gotta do are some threaded inserts on the bellhousing bolt threads, good thing I already bought that TimeSert kit! I'm going to send my crankshaft to a machine shop and get it ground so there's no guesswork on the bearings I need. Gonna have a busy summer. Going to Guanajuato, Mexico for a couple weeks next month, then a work conference in Los Angeles right after that, then a family reunion camping trip right after that. Then more camping, backpacking. This is gonna put a dent in my already slow progress

I tested it on shallow mud and I had significantly less control in 2WD even though my rear tires were grabbing just fine. I just kept it in 4WD the entire access road I was driving and didn't notice any trouble with steering. I did hear some clunking noises that might have been tire engagement but it also might have been the CAD malfunctioning. As long as I didn't drive in someone else's ruts I could point the truck wherever I needed to. Still needs more test data until I can tell you for sure it's trouble-free. I need to find time to get under the truck and inspect the lines. I am just way too busy these days. What's your plan for the 10.25? I would caution you to use caution the first few times you drive it on snowy highways in 4WD. As I said above, I've heard that a TrueTrac in front is invisible, but I also know how dangerous it can be when one front tire pulls and tries to make you veer into the next lane. So just be careful until you know what it does. And then report back! I think there are aftermarket mechanical CADs. Or at least there were. They might have just been available for the thermally actuated GM units (can you imagine a worse idea than needing something under the truck to get hot so you can drive out of the deep snow you are stuck in ). But it might be worth looking into. Thank you for the advice. I'm not sure if I will encounter a snowy highway but I'll keep that knowledge in my arsenal. A manual mechanical or even electrical actuator for the CAD would be much better, I understand that vacuum might have been chosen due to manufacturing costs but there's got to be a better way. If I can't figure out the solution very easily I might try making it permanently engaged if that's possible without a delete kit. Though I'd rather not because I haven't even checked my fuel economy with all the upgrades yet and gas is $5.50+

So making a short story long, to my embarrassment I royally failed at swapping the ring and pinion in the rear and couldn't drive it and I wasn't going to attempt the front. Gary told me a while back this work is not for the faint of heart, I listened the first time when I bought a built Ford 9 third member instead of assembling it myself, but I didn't listen this time. I brought the truck to a shop that lives and breathes truck differentials and had them do all the work... With new 4.10 gears instead of the used ones. He also talked me into Eaton TrueTracs instead of the lunchbox locker, two of them actually, so front and rear. He also ended up repairing the u-joints in the front since they were missing most of their needle bearings... Anyway, I have the truck now. Since I got it back I threw on the lift. 3" Skyjacker coil springs up front, 1.5" Pro Comp leaf in the back, Rancho RS7MT monotube shocks all around. It rides....exactly the same as before which is great and a lot better off road since I'm not slamming against the bump stops. I'd imagine it will get softer once the suspension breaks in and I get some adjustable control arms. The wife and I took it to BLM land for some target shooting and I didn't even bother choosing my lines to get through the mud on the access road that would've stopped lesser trucks. It is nice having a vehicle that will get us through the hills confidently. Only issue is that I'm getting some pretty rude drivetrain noises in 4x4 and the "4x4 on" light illuminates during high throttle in 2WD, so I'm fairly certain there's an issue with the CAD actuator since it had to be removed for the repair and it is vacuum actuated. At some point soon I will also need to do all the wheel bearings and ball joints. Also in the works, my boss has a big front sway bar and quick disconnect links from a Jeep Wrangler that I'm gonna try to fit. Also have a relative who can source me a used Warn winch for free.

Getting ready to paint my dashboard (not the dash pad) with SEM Color Coat. All my supplies should come in by Monday. Just for anyone's future reference, the adhesion promoter for my dash is SEM 38363 Sand Free. Did Ford use the same plastic on the dash for every factory and year?

This is the part I have the fittings and they are fine. The vacuum lines are just damaged in several parts and I haven't figured out a way to remove them and use my own lines. I guess ideally I'll be looking for a replacement.

Cheers. Thanks Jim. Thanks man. Wasn't sure if the mesh was necessary but I figured it wouldn't hurt, I already had the material from when I wanted to make a "Satoshi grill" for my 4Runner. Amazon link It has been a while... I had the steel heater blend door so the process of repairing was about the same as the plastic, just more layers. I found 1/4" polyurethane foam on McMaster-Carr and that or 3/16" seems to be the ticket. Attached with Super 90 adhesive. Duct assembly is in the truck... A/C blend door actuator is missing the vacuum line pigtail, mine got chewed up by the rodents. Last time I had the part # on hand I couldn't find it for sale anywhere. Is there a way to make my own vacuum harnesses with the factory connectors?