Rembrant

I was aware of these but don't know of anybody that has installed one yet. I would imagine they'd be popular with the restomod crowd. I don't mind them at all and would consider one if I had to gut my dash/cluster/wiring for some reason. I also like the new offering from Dakota Digital...that would be a good option also if you had a nice instrument bezel to work with.

It is 8000 ppm (or, more specifically 8 pulses per revolution). I have one of these speed sensors that I plan to use for an input to an aftermarket cruise control system. I contacted Rostra at the time, and they confirmed that I could use it and that it was indeed 8000 ppm. I'll be installing mine sometime between now and the spring.

Ahh, OK...well that's good to know. I was thinking I'd replace the rotors in the spring of 2020 anyway, so when/if I do, I'll grab some new bearings while I'm at it, and I'll make sure they're Timkens as well. Thanks for the heads up Pete. I'll take whatever I can get in order to resolve this. I'm trying to get rid of all these little problems which will in turn make the truck much more enjoyable to drive.

Well, the bearings and seals were all new last year, but I did re-tighten them earlier this year. Would they cause a problem like this? Which brings to another point...the rotors on this truck are original...I suppose they could be warped?...although I don't notice any issues with pulsations while braking...at least I don't think so.

Welcome to the forum Grant!

Right. I couldn't remember what it was called. It is a definite requirement when installing the later master cylinder as you cannot bypass it. It seals to the master with an o-ring, and has a port to accept a standard flared brake line fitting. The good news is that they are easy to find in the junkyard, and very easy to remove. I cleaned mine up on the wire wheel and it looks like new. I even grabbed a spare, although I'll likely never need it.

I did remove it, yes. I ran all new brake lines on the truck, so it was a convenient time to swap to the later style master cylinder. I took the two wires from the old prop valve and ran them to the float in the new master cylinder, so I still have a functioning brake warning light for a leak (well, low fluid really, for whatever reason). It really is a very easy swap. Of course it is not period correct, but there are some benefits...mainly for me that it wouldn't rust, but it is also nice to be able to do a visual brake fluid level check when under the hood. I believe I re-used the old fittings (from the old master) as well. There was one of them that I was having trouble finding locally.

Is that what you're doing with your newly fabricated mounts? I read through there a little bit but didn't see exactly where you're headed with it.

That looks great! Nice job on that engine. When you have the engine all fixed up and freshly painted like that, you can easily just sit there and look at it and do nothing else.

OK...so the truck was originally equipped with the small 255 cubic inch V8, a C4 auto trans, and 2.75 rear end. Do you know if the truck is all still original? The "D" engine code is the 255 isn't Gary? That 255 V8 is fairly rare I think...only available for one year, maybe 2? I know nothing about this engine and have no idea how much support there is for it. However, if it's there and still runs OK, then you're all good. This should be a fun project.

Truth!

Hey Barry, LMC sells the glovebox in cardboard and plastic, see below...but the plastic ones are crazy expensive! They must be leftover Ford NOS parts for that price... https://www.lmctruck.com/1980-96-ford/dash-components/fd-1980-86-dashboard-components

Welcome aboard Hubcity, That's a great lookin' project. I started with one just like it a little over 2 years ago, but it was already running. If you get a chance, post up a picture of the certification label so that we can see what exactly you have there. It will be on door jamb on the cab, right next to the striker post where the driver's door latches when it closes. That label will have all of the information on the truck.

Haha...well, I don't know about butter face, but the best view of a Flareside is from the rear...lol. Otherwise, it just looks like any old 2wd from the front;). Just kiddin'...kind of. I actually love the front of the truck too, and I'm quite fond of the Bullnose lines overall. It's funny how so many of us have different tastes in vehicles and build them completely different from one another. Anyway, on to WHYDTYTT, with the help of a friend I got my new to me Ford sliding rear window installed. It popped in there pretty easily, and so far I'm pretty happy with it. For 35 bucks and a little elbow grease, I'd have to say it's my best Junkyard find yet (in the bang for buck category). Adding some creature comforts to this old truck is going to make it MUCH nicer to drive. Radio/stereo and speakers, delay wipers, sliding rear window, a cigarette lighter socket (for charging my iPhone, etc), etc. More things to come, but so far they are the major highlights. As for the Nova Scotia scenery, yes we do have some of that. You kind of forget about it when it's right there at arms length all the time. We have some great motorcycle roads, and the Cabot Trail is a real treat and is as nice an area as you will find all the way up or down the east coast imho. My plan is to start doing some trips with the old Bullnose. Having been away from motorcycling for a few years now, my wife and I have been getting the urge to do some more traveling again...even just locally, like we used to do. On a motorcycle, it's nothing to do 300-500 miles on a nice sunny Sunday just to see some scenery and have lunch somewhere different. I'll be traveling much slower in the old truck of course, but it would still be just as fun imho. I'd love to make it all the way to Oklahoma, but even if I only made it as far as New England it would still be a treat.

I think the fact that it is obviously rusty makes it stick out like a sore thumb, but with a fresh coat of black paint it might not look so bad...at least on a black truck.

Dave, All good points. I didn't see how the guys in the shop tightened the wheels, but they have been on and off the truck several times, and I personally have tightened them in the correct pattern. That didn't change anything. And, I actually did check the wheels with a dial indicator...just on a flat surface inside the from the outer lip of the wheel, and they seemed to be pretty good. Three of them only had about 0.010"-0.015" variance, and one on the rear I believe was more like 0.030"-0.035" out. Now those numbers seem to be pretty low, and from the little bit of reading I did on the topic, the outer limit seems to be 0.025" variance. I can't see any visible humps on the tires or anything, but there's definitely something wrong somewhere. I think I have one or more egg shaped tires...lol, I just need to narrow it down.

If switching to the later aluminum and plastic master cylinder, there are two important things to keep in mind. The little valve I'm pointing to in the picture below is not included with a new master cylinder. The new master cylinder does come with a new o-ring for it, but that's it. I went to the junkyard and grabbed two of them, one to install, and one for a spare. I think they were $5. The other important thing is that the front and rear brake ports are reversed from the old cast iron master cylinder. I'll have to apologize, because I do not know what that little valve is called. Maybe Jim knows? I get the period correctness part as that is something that is always on my mind when considering parts and/or modifications. I struggled with that as there are certain things I prefer to leave original if at all possible.

I can't help you with the leaking part, but the picture below shows what I did to get rid of my rusty master cylinder. I installed a new aftermarket MC for a 1987-1991 truck. I also did away with the prop valve on the frame, and ran those wires to the float in the new master, so my brake light will still illuminate if my fluid level drops. I stayed with the Bullnose booster, although I did replace it.

While looking through the Craigslist trucks this morning, I came across an F250 that appears to have one of these steps installed. That thing would rust apart and fall off a truck up here within a couple years...lol, so it's probably no surprise that this truck is in Washington where they stay well preserved. https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/d/centralia-1984-ford-250/7044353872.html

Gary, I ended up leaving it as it is for now. I don't have much room to work with at the moment, and even less storage space to keep all the individual pieces, so I decided to just throw it back together for now. I got the seal all cleaned up today and all reassembled the whole thing is in pretty nice condition for what it is. For $35 bucks, I'd say it was a good junkyard score. The semi-gloss black worked out perfect for the frames/bars. It took a while to scrape all of the crud out of the main seal, and I scrubbed the tracks and grooves all clean with a toothbrush and Spray-9. Made a bit of a mess in the process, but it all came out really clean. Ahh well, on to other things for now.

FoxFord, Thank you sir. I'm a little late getting back to this topic, but since I've now solved some engine issues I was having, I'm now putting a bullseye on my wheels and tires...well, as much as I can this time of year, which isn't much. I bought this truck in 2017, and very early on installed a set of 275/60R15 tires on 15X8 Cragar Soft-8 steel wheels. The wheels were nothing special, just black steelies. I had all 4 balanced with the hammer on weights inside and outside. This combination worked very well. They were smooth on the road, and wore nice an evenly. No complaints at all. Fast forward to winter (early) 2019. I bought a new set of wheels...15x8 again, steel/chrome. I had the same 275/60R15 tires installed, at a different shop. The young fella offered to balance them with weights only on the inside, and I said sure, why not. Now this combination has a definite shake, most noticeable at 70 km/hr or 45 MPH. They don't feel like an out of balance shimmy...it feels like the tires aren't round...or more specifically, it feels like tires have flat spots. So I took the truck back in to the same shop, and had them re-balance the tires and wheels again, with weights on the inside and outside like normal, and it made zero difference. The wheels balanced relatively easy too...no crazy amounts of weights. Still, the truck has a wheel shake in it at 45 MPH. It seems to settle down a bit over 45 MPH, but if I let off the gas and decel, it shows up again at 45 MPH even coasting, and then goes away again at 40 MPH or so slower. So I've been trying to come up with a plan to get this rectified, and if I can get some input from the experts, it might save me some time and trouble;). So, what are the most likely scenarios? My tires actually DO have flat spots? The truck does sit for months at a time... One of my wheels is not round...or several of my wheels are not round? I need to go to a different shop to try a different balancer, or try Road Force? Or I need to try a lug-centric balance? This probably makes it seem like I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but what I'm trying to avoid is replacing stuff that doesn't need to be replaced. I don't want to buy 4 new tires only to find out one or more of my wheels is not round. Also, I don't want to buy 4 new wheels only to find out my tires have flat spots, etc. I have no problem buying hub centering rings...or having custom ones made for that matter, but these aftermarket wheels all have those loose center caps...you know the ones that are almost falling out as soon as you pull the wheel away from the lugs? They just don't seem like they'd work well with centering rings, but if that IS the answer, I'll get on it right away!

That was a good idea Gary. I had to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit/receptacle for my Lincoln welder. You can never have too many outlets in a garage. They always get used. My garage is fairly well equipped with outlets, and I use all of them all the time. The other than that you cannot have too much of is lights.

Depending on the truck and it's condition, it's sometimes easier to just lift the bed off. Glad to hear that you're finally getting to drive the old girl Dave! I'd say a lot of Bullnose Flaresides have been saved from the crusher these past few years.

These tags are usually attached to the cab near the hinge...or at least that is where I've seen them. There is a matching/corresponding tag attached to the bed as well. Mine was on the lower front corner on the RH side. I have never seen anything that decodes them, but I bet if you compared with the build sheet you'd find out what each thing denotes.

I took the old Bull out for a short run today and I feel like a Junkie that just got his fix! Oh, and I had to wait for some ducks to cross the road a couple miles from the house. There were about 30 more of them sitting on the beach just out of site to the right!