Rembrant

Good morning Jim, greetings from your Northeast! When I heard about this Hoonigan situation, my brain automatically switched to economics and demographics lol. Can you tell that I'm a Freakonomics and Econtalk fan and regular listener???...lol. I hate seeing companies fail, especially if they're involved in my beloved hobby;).

Funny, I thought Hoonigan was mainly into making windshield banners and decals lol. It's a catchy word in the drift era...and it sort of became a thing all on its own. They'll likely restructure, and likely drop or eliminate some of the brands. I'm a fan of the old brands...or brands that make wheels for old vehicles. American Racing, Pro-Comp, US Mags, etc. Any company that is still making wheels in the 5x5.5 pattern is supplying an "old" market...I hope they don't kill them off tbh. In fact, 5x5.5 aside, any company that is still making 15" wheels is supplying an old market lol. Didn't I read that they also owned 4WheelParts also? At the risk of getting into politics...and please don't...but with the increased costs of everything these days, from groceries to gas, the aftermarket companies must be taking a hit. We have been told repeatedly (in the industrial world I live and work in) that a recession was coming, but it still hasn't really shown up. But at the same time, anecdotally at least, people do seem to have less money for "mods" these days. Economy issues aside...what about demographics? Are the younger folks still as interested in cars & mods as we are (and were)? I wonder about that. Two very good friends of mine had old cars that they bought 30+ years ago (one a Corvette, and the other a Trans Am). Both guys held on to these cars for many many years hoping the sons would have interest in them. Unfortunately they did not, and the cars were eventually sold. Were they cheesy malaise era cars? Yes, sure...but they were still the hotrods of their day regardless. Anyway...I wonder about this stuff sometimes...maybe I think too much lol. The demographics are changing fast. We are swinging from a Boomer society to a Millennials dominated society almost overnight (Us Gen-X kids were kind of forgotten in the middle lol). There...time for my 2nd coffee;). Cheers gentlemen!

Completely understood. I wasn't aware of any issues with them, but I've never really looked either. I don't think there are many options with the stock beams. I lowered my 1984 F150 rear end with the DJM shackles, but I left the front end alone. I sold the truck a few years ago, but here she is. I installed all new bushings and joints in the front end, and swapped in a RedHead steering box, and a 1987-1991 steering shaft and it felt much better after that.

I just sent it again, and it looks like it worked?...I received the email also.

I do remember seeing that truck before, but I don't know the owner or anything. It more than likely has the kit below in it...it's very common: https://djmsuspension.com/product/1983-1986-ford-f150-3-inch-front-5-inch-rear-complete-lowering-kit/ The 1980-1982 2wd trucks with kingpin front ends can install them also, but they need to find a set of 1983-1986 knuckles...or a set of 1987-1996 (much easier to find).

Nice truck! Love the slot mags! I've had several of these "Stepsides" myself:nabble_smiley_whistling: Big fan!

Email sent...I think?...It keeps locking up when I hit "send"...

Hey Jon. The blank plugs may also be there on the IDI and 460 trucks...I'm not sure. I'm only familiar with the 300 and 302 trucks really, and the plugs were definitely present on them from 83 or 84 up to 86 (with regular carbs and DSII ignitions). The topic pops up every now and then as the plugs seem to be a bit hard to find for the guys doing swaps and removing that main ECM harness from the engine bay.

As far as I know, yes sir...but I haven't done it personally so don't take my word as 100% gospel. My trucks have all had regular factory carbs and DSII ignitions.

Hi Todd, Do you still have the 1981 F100 in your signature? I don't think this plug is needed unless you have an 84-86 truck. Gary correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this oval hole showed up in the firewall until 1983 or 1984?

Gary, These particular plugs seem to be way more common up here as I think the majority of our Bullnoses kept the DSII ignitions right up until the end in 1986. In any case, I grab them when I see them. I've had a few now that I mailed out to other Bullnosers.

Here was the thread I was thinking of with Frogger... https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Oval-rubber-plug-td148498.html#a148511

Gents, I was walking through the junkyard this morning and I happened to come across a Bullnose that still had the elusive oval rubber plug in the firewall. If anybody is looking for one of these, let me know. Most guys want them to plug the firewall hole when converting from the feedback system to Duraspark ignition, or when converting a later 1985.5-1986 EFI truck to carb. Anyway...people are looking for them from time to time...I believe Frogger2662 was searching for one a while back, although I can't remember if that was 2months or 2 years ago LOL. In any case, free to a good home, if you NEED it...I don't want to give it to someone who is going to throw it in a junk bin. If no one needs one currently, I'll mail it to Gary for the swap meet.

I used a 1pc gasket on the 300 I put together a few years ago. I think I just ordered one for a newer 300.

Some people buy a WHOLE Bullnose for $1200 lol.

Nice find! Boy, they're asking all the money for it too!

I can't think of anything Gary, but like mentioned above, "East Bound And Down" by Jerry Reed is always a crowd pleaser, as is the theme song for The Dukes of Hazard by Waylon Jennings. I dunno...there's a lot of car/roadtrip talk in this one:

Gary, you need to add in some 1980's music!! One of my favorites from the last year of the Bullnose:nabble_smiley_whistling:

Nice truck! The word "Flareside" always catches my eye;).

I call them "Cushion Clamps":nabble_smiley_happy:

I’m mildly familiar with them. The TOD would an aluminum trans from 1984-1986, and it has a top mounted shifter like the more modern M5OD and ZF5. As far as 4spd OD transmissions go, it’s the best f the bunch in my opinion. There were at least 3 different ones in the Bullnoses.

Back in about 1989, I rear ended a parked Bronco II while driving a 1984 Ranger (regular cab long bed 2wd with 4cyl 4spd.) It was after midnight on a pitch black road, and I was probably going 40mph-ish. I reached down to get a cassette off the floor and as soon as I lifted my head up it went through the windshield lol. I won't bore you with the gruesome details, but both vehicles were completely destroyed. The back of that Bronco was opened up like a soup can. As I was standing there in the dark, dazed and confused, listening to my antifreeze pouring out on the ground, I could hear somebody groaning. Turned out there was a guy sleeping in the back seat of this parked Bronco II. He was drunk and had pulled over to take a nap...unfortunately for me, about 3/4 of this little Bronco was still on the road (very small shoulder). I knew this road very well, and of course never expected a vehicle to be parked on it as nobody had ever parked on it lol. Anyway, lesson learned... I only bring it up since you mentioned safety. The back half of that Bronco was opened up like a soup can...it was quite amazing. The sleeping drunk didn't have a scratch on him, luckily lol.

Gary, I don't remember much that I can help with these days, but these Flareside beds are imprinted in my brain lol. This is a great thread and I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing the progress of Bronco Dave disassembling this bed. As with everything on these trucks, it's like an archaeological dig trying to understand what was, and what was done previously by other owners. That part is always fun, even as a viewer. Keep up the good work Bronco638. Peace & Axle Grease!

Here's a pic to show what the rear sill frame mounts look like. This is one I made and welded in place because the factory one was broken off and long gone. The wood block with a step in it slides in behind it. Here's the factory one on the other side...it was damaged so I welded a plate on the back side of it to strengthen it up. Judging by the cracks and welds in your rear sill, maybe your metal mounting plates are broken off and missing also?

PS: If you look at the long crossmember, where my arrows are pointing, you should see little holes in the sides. There was a screw through the metal into the wood blocks to keep them in place. They came that way from the factory.