Rembrant

I thought they were blind holes (don't go anywhere)? I remember seeing the same thing on my 302 (with the same heads) when I pulled my engine out. They were like that from the factory, with the gasket not fully covering those holes. Isn't it just a shallow blind hole?

Well, machining the relief so that it fits into the steel column is the easy part...you would just machine that portion smaller so that it slid inside and came up against a shoulder. Machined like that, the piece would work fine for trucks with a manual transmission. The problem as I see it, is machining the backside of that part so that it could be used with automatic trans trucks. I think that part would be more difficult. As for the square shaft in the round hole...you really just need a way to make sure the shaft is snug in the hole and actually turns the bearing (instead of the shaft turning inside the inner race). However...I'm not sure how you would make sure it fit snugly, but at the same time wasn't too difficult to get on over the shaft. Not sure yet how you would do that...

?? https://nh.craigslist.org/pts/d/new-boston-roll-bar/7087171997.html So many people have them for sale and don't know what truck they fit... https://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/d/conover-pick-up-truck-roll-bar-roll/7078893855.html

?? https://nh.craigslist.org/pts/d/new-boston-roll-bar/7087171997.html

Yipes! Don't be holding your coffee when you look! $575!?!?!?!?!? By the way, I've seen rebuilt Bullnose columns listed for some pretty crazy prices, but I have to admit they were looking like new. If you ever run across a manual trans tilt column, I guess these ones are somewhat rare? I've seen them on Ebay for $750.

Gary, I just found out that a friend of mine is having one made for a Bullnose. You may see something on the market soon. The guy making it is in the US.

Ahh cool. I have spent some time south of you in Radolfzel, near Konstanz. I sell and service some equipment that is manufactured there. Your truck is Gorgeous. I love it. It looks like it was a factory radio delete truck? Did you have to install the radio, or was that already in it when you bought it? The frame and underside are in amazing condition, and I like the idea of the composite bed floor. I wondered when somebody was going to do that. At least they will not rot and will not be bothered by rain and moisture.

That is exactly what they look like. There are two on each side. The plug wires originally went around the front of the heads and then down the side of the valve covers. There were a couple loose combs used between the distributor and the valve cover retainers. Here is mine now...it is pretty much how they were routed originally. These are aftermarket wires and are a little shorter than the originals, so they don't flow quite as nicely, but they are OK.

Gary, The screws in question are the forward two valve cover bolts on the 302. They are 1/4" hex head bolts, but the heads have a little post sticking out of them that the wire retainers fit on to. See mine below. They are like the wire "combs", but they have a hinged part that snaps in place. My original retainers were all broken and falling apart, but I installed Dorman 40286 retainers and they are very similar (and fit the factory valve cover screw posts).

You can buy the plastic retainers aftermarket from Dorman. I have them on my 302 now and they seem to work OK. Finding those factory bolts with the little post on top will be the hard part. You'll have to check the junkyard for those. I still have my originals. If you're not in a rush, I will be removing mine at some point...but I can't say exactly when. I have a set of 5.0 GT valve covers I will be installing, and my stock bolts will not longer work.

Ron, There were some whispers recently that I might have to make another trip to Sturbridge, MA this year, but there's been nothing confirmed. I have also been told that I may not be allowed in that factory again due to new security rules and me being a foreign national. And, on that roll bar...I believe that old rat infested '81 is gone now. I'm not 100% sure as it is quite a long drive away, but I saw a picture of it on FB recently. There is a local group that posts pictures of derelict vehicles, and it was on there. This is it...with the trees cut down, and garbage and rats removed...lol. Looks like the rollbar is gone too. Sorry man.

Beautiful truck Max! It is in amazing condition! Would love to hear more details and see more pictures.

Ron, The one little thing I can add is to do this test again with the meter in series. Do you have the alligator clips for the tips of the probes? I used a couple pieces of wire since the clips on my are fairly small, but whatever...so you can leave the meter in place hands free. Watch for your spikes, and then pull each fuse out of the fuse box one at a time and see if the spikes/draw goes away with any of them. That will at least narrow down the problem area.

A lot of stuff we do to our trucks we do solely for the pleasure, isn't it? I know I'm guilty. We buy things we don't need and upgrade things that don't need to be upgraded...lol. Hey, I'm still running the original 40amp 1G alternator, the original starter, and a stock replacement C2 power steering pump. They are all perfectly adequate for what I do. I will potentially upgrade them when the time comes that they need replacing. I am fully aware that some things I do are more for psychological peace of mind than mechanical benefit. What is it they say? It's not a feature, it's a bug? lol.

I'm sure the small one is fine if it was installed properly and in time. Mine was not. I like the stronger/larger brace. It's in there now and I never have to think about it again, ever. Now...as far as unnecessarily replacing or upgrading parts Jim....well, isn't that part of the whole hobby? What else would we do?...lol.

Ya. I still have one of those that I pulled out of my truck.

Well, I'm pretty sure the Terrapin made brace did, which is now NLA, but not sure on the KBG brace. Bronco Graveyard brace... Now discontinued Terrapin brace (This is the one I have in my truck) Different masters...I originally bought the wrong one by mistake. The braces have a slotted hole on the bottom, and two separate ones on the top. Pretty sure it fits both. By the way...regarding the steering column swap, it almost looks like the round hole in the Aeronose firewall lands right in the circular portion of the teardrop in the 1980-1991 cab. No idea if it actually does...but it looks that way at a glance. I know this swap has been done, but I don't know of all the fine details. There was a local guy here with a 1995 cab swapped on to a 1985 truck and he did a Bullnose interior swap too.

Well, I'm pretty sure the Terrapin made brace did, which is now NLA, but not sure on the KBG brace. Bronco Graveyard brace... Now discontinued Terrapin brace (This is the one I have in my truck) Different masters...I originally bought the wrong one by mistake. The braces have a slotted hole on the bottom, and two separate ones on the top. Pretty sure it fits both.

Flareside rear mounted tank? I saw this truck on Facebook a couple weeks ago...does it belong to somebody on here?

The clutch master cylinder stud locations wouldn't matter for the point I'm making. The firewall reinforcement brace has holes for both the straight up and down studs, and diagonal. I just meant that the firewall brace can be used as a location template. As long as you have one hole to register to...like the clutch master hole, it will automatically locate the steering column hole. Same in reverse...if you were converting an auto trans truck to manual, you could bolt the firewall brace to the teardrop steering column hole and perfectly locate the clutch master cylinder hole. The other thing is, while the firewall brace was meant to support the clutch master cylinder, it also adds quite a bit of support around the steering column hole. So...if you were trying to swap an 80-91 column into an Aeronose truck, the brace would probably help support the column. I was just thinking out loud is all... Now whether the brace fits the Aero truck at all, I have no idea, but I don't see why it wouldn't. In the case of doing a Bullnose interior swap, I'd make it fit...lol. Good point on the clutch master switch. I hadn't thought of that at all because I was thinking of swapping older stuff into the newer cab. I guess if you're using a pedal set from the aero cab, then yes you'll need the later master with the switch. However, if you're swapping in an older pedal set, then it would have a clutch switch already, and you could just use an 83-91 clutch master.

Hey Jon, I haven't paid close attention to the aeronose trucks before, but in looking at this firewall pic, it doesn't look like swapping in an older steering column would all that bad. I know it's easier said than done, but still. If you bought a firewall brace, and bolted it in place using the clutch master cylinder hole bolts pictured, it would locate the teardrop hole for you perfectly. You could install a piece from an older truck's firewall much like Dave did with his AC, but that's a lot of work. Personally I would install the brace on the inside and a sheet metal plate on the outside painted to match. Nobody would ever even notice it. That is if you're even leaning towards that swap... I've thought about this before because I've looked at trucks for sale with the full intention of converting to a Bullnose.

I just sent you an email with some pics. The manual trans block off is there too, and I have another as a spare so it's available if you want it.

It is a valid point, I get it. I've only seen a couple junkyard trucks up here with the idiot "Charge" indicator. I think they'd be fairly rare in the Bullnoses that are still on the road today. Gary can correct me if I'm wrong, but the instrument cluster with "idiot lights" seems to me like an earlier Bullnose thing that went away with manual brakes, manual steering, and kingpins. I'm sure they were around in the later Bullnose years, but not very often. Kinda like the three on the tree manual trans...somewhat common in 1980, and almost unheard of by 1986. I could be wrong, but that is my perception.

I may have secured the big AC components locally, but probably won't know until the weekend or after. However, even if I don't take the big plastic pieces, I'd still love to get my hands on the smaller components...control panel and vacuum operators, lines, etc. In any case, I should know by this weekend. There is a local guy parting out an '86 and he is just in the process of stripping the dash out now. I'll dig that US cluster out this week and see what the lens looks like and let you know. I don't really need the US speedo either, so if you needed a spare I could chuck that in there too. I'll be back.

The Bullnoses do not have a battery or charge light in that upper bank of indicators. They either have the "DC" analog gauge, or the "Charge" indicator in place of it in the cluster. I guess my point is, I don't think it is a light/bulb that anybody would (or could) change, but Gary can correct me if I'm wrong. Most change the 5 bulbs in the cluster for illumination, or the upper bank of indicators for turn signals, high beams, brake, 4x4, etc. But I get your point. If that bulb can be changed to an LED, one should not do it.