Rembrant

Yes, that one. Thank you. I have the seal here, but not my truck, so I couldn't even test fit it to see where it goes.

Yessir, that was me. You have to be careful where and when you use the term "Stepside" online as it causes some people's blood pressure to rise...lol. Where are you located? There was a guy on Facebook yesterday in I believe South Carolina that was selling a complete step side....err...I mean Flareside bed for $100 bucks. It looked to be in pretty good condition too, although the wood was all gone out of it.

Ray, I went looking for a picture of you truck and the one I posted was the first one I found...lol. Great lookin' truck man! Seeing yours (and others) makes me feel like my paint color is correct. I keep looking at my truck and think it's the wrong color since I was so used to looking at the old faded and multi-shaded blue that was on it before.

There are a lot of parts that can be purchased new. The 3" rear spring hangers and shackles are all available new and not that expensive. 3" rear leaf springs are available...you can buy those no problem. 4x4 radius arms are available new, also not expensive. You can buy a lot of parts of the front differential, but it would be FAR easier to buy a donor. Sometimes it's a sin we're all so far apart. I junked an '85 4x4 not all that long ago, and ended up scrapping a bunch of parts needed for a 4x4 swap. Heck, I would have given you almost everything you needed for the swap for free.

It's Ford code "3P", aka Medium Blue Metallic, used on the trucks between 1982-1984. I guess should say it's a revised code 3P, as the original I believe was a single stage, and it is now base/clear. We have another member on here (RayCecil) with an '82 that is the same 3P color code. I'm sure Ford pumped a zillion of these trucks out in this color, but I haven't found a lot of them to compare to. I spent some time Googling for trucks with the 3P paint code one time and all I found was the truck below, and I know nothing about it.

Thanks Shaun That would be it. I guess I’ll just dry fit it and see how it sits on there. It has a little lip on it that I assume goes around the edge of the door.

Would one of you guys be kind enough to show me the exact location to install the outer door seals? I don't know what else to call them?...I believe they stick just inside the edge of the door running up the A-pillars? A pair of these seals came with my full cab kit, and if my truck originally had these seals they were long gone when I bought it, so I don't know where they go or how they install. They have kind of a triangular cross section and are a couple feet long, maybe a little more.

Did you install yours doors yet? I have the exact same door on my '84, and from what I've seen so far it seems to fit pretty well.

OK, I am getting my truck back in a few days and I need to rectify this fuel gauge issue before I reinstall the bed, so I need to come up with a plan. Dave, you mention that yours is reading empty with 5 gallons in it, and that's cool, but I believe my original tank was reading empty with more like 2-2.5 gallons in it. The few times I drove it any distance, I drove it until it was empty (on "E", or below) and to fill it took 14 gallons. I guess to start I'm going to drain as much gas out of it as I can, and then put 2-3 gallons in it and then bend the sender float arm until it reads "E" on the gauge. Would this be a reasonable or unreasonable thing to do? Anybody? My issue is that I really won't have much time to play with this before putting the bed back on. I'm also going to check and adjust the plastic vent tube if required. I know this thing will work, I just need to hold my tongue right.

Welcome aboard Frank. Just about everybody on here is in the middle of a rusty project, so you'll be in good company.

Well, I'm running out of time here, and fast. The truck has barely moved at all this season, and by the time she's all back together and cleaned up inside and out, I'll basically just have October and a little time in November. It's hit or miss really. November can be really nice here, albeit a little cool. Problem is, we often get a dump of snow sometime in November...or freezing rain, whatever, and out come the salt trucks. Once that happens, the season is over for the Blue Mule. It doesn't stay that early, but it's enough to make a mess of the roads.

Hey Gary, make sure you pass the word on to David that the Garagemahal Marketplace "Ebay Finds" has been a little quiet the past couple days...lol.

Sitting at $7200 bucks with 18 hours to go. Sure is a pretty truck. Anxious to see what it sells for.

Dave, if I do, it's only because I'm cheating by paying a shop to do the body work...lol. They're telling me I should have it back by the end of Tuesday. The truck was in the oven, but they still want it to sit over the weekend for the paint to harden up some more. I don't have a whole lot to do to it when I get it back. 1. Install mirrors and wiper arms. 2. Install grill and front bumper. 3. Install rear bumper and license plate bracket. 4. Install new speakers in doors, run speaker wires, etc. 5. Install new driver's door switch (The one for the dome light). 6. Install interior door panels. 7. Install door gaskets/seals. 8. Fix issue with fuel sending unit in tank. 9. Install bed back on frame. 10. Install gasoline in the tank and drive!

lol. It's a slippery slope Ray, be careful...lol. Once you start tearing into that stuff, it's difficult to stop.

Lookin' good Dave! That red sure is pretty.

Thanks Scott! It's supposed to be the original factory color, although I'm having a hard time getting used it compared to the old chalky flat blue that it was...lol. I'm not sure if the new color is 100% correct, but it's close enough for me.

I get that. I actually like the weathered, dented, rusty and patina look. I could have easily lived with that if I still had original paint, etc. My problem was with the lumpy body fill that had been stuffed into the front fenders and cab corners, bed, etc...it did not look good. My default is for everything to look "nice", and it's difficult to ignore that mindset... If I bought the truck below, I'd leave it just as it is. I quite like that weathered and original look. https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/d/mcalester-1985-ford-f150-she-runs-as/6959271901.html Paint is ON! A month late, but better late than never! The pictures are not mine...I haven't even seen it in the flesh yet, but I'll be dropping by after work! Back on the road next week, just in time to get some fall driving in.

Dave, The Flareside bed is enough of a pain to assemble even the way the factory did it, so don't feel bad! Everything was held together with bolts and nuts (either hex heads or carriage bolts), and they were all metric, at least on my '84 they were. The only exceptions would be the top bolts on the front/head panel...they have a welded threaded insert, and then the taillight brackets and tailgate hinges. They had a large 1/4" thick hex nut welded inside the stake pockets. When I made my new stake pockets, I just used 1/4" steel squares welded inside the stake pockets, and then drilled and tapped them (M6). The originals were a hex shape, but they didn't need to be since they were stationary. Can you tack a little plate in the end of the floor crossmember and then drill and tap it?

Is this a parts truck or a fixer upper?

The diagram is not working for me on the fenders/aprons page, but when I click on the headlights page I see the picture you have posted here in this thread Gary...first a small one, then a large one. Cheap HP laptop using Chrome.

Yes! Even the original has been 'revised' a couple times over the years to change the soundtrack. The original soundtrack music was all done by a guy named Phil Katachurian or something like that. I've seen re-releases of it that were updated somewhat and had different music. I'm quite fond of the original. I believe that Mustang is still sitting on display somewhere in southern California isn't it? I always meant to go see it, but never did. It may be long gone now, I'm not sure.

Ha! I was going to post it up myself! I'm tellin' ya, Smokey & The Bandit was a BIG part of my youth! I am happy to say that I did actually see it in the theater when it was new, although I was very young (went with my father). I always used to joke that there were two kinds of kids in 1977...those that went to see Smokey & The Bandit, and those that went to see Star Wars! What a great time to have been a kid though...Smokey, the Dukes, The Fall Guy, etc.

West bound and down, huh? Are you going to swing by Texarkana to pick up some Coors? Safe travels. I wish I could have made it this year myself;).

Actually, there are four different masters if you include the bolt pattern change in 1988 when the 5spd came out. The masters are hydraulically the same between between 1983 and 1991, but the studs changed to the diagonal pattern in 1988. So technically version #1 is 1983-1987, and version #2 is 1988-1991. Side on they look exactly the same, but the mounting is different. I'm running a 1991 Mazda 5spd from a Light Duty F250, a hydraulic line ordered to fit the 1988-1991 Master cylinder, and then I used a 1983-1987 Master cylinder so that it fit the factory mounting holes in my cab. It all fits together perfectly.