Rembrant

Thanks for the suggestions Jim! Great ideas...I'm open to anything. I know the 8.8 was in just about every Ford vehicle made for many years, but this one has disk brakes, so that probably limits my choices as it has a special end on the axle end of the cables. If I knew what other vehicles came with rear disks, maybe I could find a cable that fit. (I may convert the rears to drum at some point, but that's another story. I'm going to try the disks first). I currently have two left cables that are 41.18" long. The right side cables are 77.16" long. A 48-50" cable would be just about right I think. It's a bit hard to tell since I have to route it like an "S" and then measure how much more I need. I'm thinking an extra 6", but 8" would likely be better. Oh...by the way, Lokar makes an adjust cable kit to fit the 8.8 rear disks, but it's super spendy and would likely cost me $500, and there's no way I'm doing that lol.

Thanks for the suggestions Jim! Great ideas...I'm open to anything. I know the 8.8 was in just about every Ford vehicle made for many years, but this one has disk brakes, so that probably limits my choices as it has a special end on the axle end of the cables. If I knew what other vehicles came with rear disks, maybe I could find a cable that fit. (I may convert the rears to drum at some point, but that's another story. I'm going to try the disks first). I currently have two left cables that are 41.18" long. The right side cables are 77.16" long. A 48-50" cable would be just about right I think. It's a bit hard to tell since I have to route it like an "S" and then measure how much more I need. I'm thinking an extra 6", but 8" would likely be better.

I remember seeing this truck for sale previously in California or somewhere on the west coast. Somebody bought it to flip it I'd say. It's pretty clean and straight looking.

Curious if any of you have shortened park brake cables before, or modified them or added new end stops, etc? My '52 has a similar park brake setup as the Bullnose, except the front cable runs down the middle of the truck. The bracket where the two rear cables attach is on a crossmember instead of the driver's side frame like a Bullnose, but it is otherwise the same system. I'm running a Ford 8.8 rearend from a 2001 Explorer, and I ordered two left hand park brake cables, but they are too short. I can order two right side cables, but going by the measurements of them they will be way too long, so I want to shorten them. Cutting and shortening the outer tubing/sleeve is not problem and I can re-use the tubing ends, but I need to install new end stops on the cables...and not sure what to use. Anybody have any suggestions or ideas? Experience from past projects? Dorman has the ends...but I'm not sure how well they would work. Anybody use them before? Cable is 1/8" I guess. It measures 0.130" outside.

Cool. I have never heard of this place. Thanks for posting.

Gary, if that's not the definition of keeping it simple, nothing is eh? That looks as clean as anything could be, and for only a few bucks too. On to the next problem needing a solution huh?

I'm not a 300 inline 6 expert, but I can see in the picture that this engine has the electronic distributor (non-vacuum) with the ignition module mounted on the side of it. It has the "box style" ignition coil mounted on the block just forward of the distributor. You can also see the large wire bundle going through the firewall, so probably a feedback carburetor truck. The fan shroud looks like it's from a small block V8 truck. David may correct me here, but I believe that valve cover only showed up in 1985, or in 1986 as it has the lower center area (maybe 1984?).

Safe travels! I'm jealous...I used to do road trips all the time, but I haven't in ages now. I miss it...or at least I think I do lol. I have a 450 mile round trip today for work, so there's that I guess...lol.

Hey ODIE, welcome aboard. Another Canuck here...on the opposite coast. I've spent some time in BC. Sure is pretty out there. The guys can help with the front clip swap.

It's certainly possible, and it should be easy. I assume calipers and drum brakes were the same between manual and power brake trucks, but we'd need an expert like Gary to confirm. The vacuum booster should be a direct bolt on along with the correct master cylinder. You can even swap in the later 1987-1996 style master cylinder. I did this with two Bullnose trucks.

Not auto to manual, no, I just mean if all you're doing is swapping SBF pattern engines (300, 302, 351w), and using the same transmission, then the block plates are interchangeable, assuming you also use the correct size flywheel in the swap. You just need to make sure you buy a truck flywheel (164 tooth), which should be all that is available for the 300, but the 302 and 351 were also in cars, so they can have smaller flywheels. Here's a block/starter plate that will work with both size flywheels: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-700600/make/ford If you installed it in a Foxbody Mustang with a 5.0, you'd use the 157 tooth starter position. If you installed it in a truck with the larger 164 tooth flywheel, you'd use the outer starter position.

Not auto to manual, no, I just mean if all you're doing is swapping SBF pattern engines (300, 302, 351w), and using the same transmission, then the block plates are interchangeable, assuming you also use the correct size flywheel in the swap. You just need to make sure you buy a truck flywheel (164 tooth), which should be all that is available for the 300, but the 302 and 351 were also in cars, so they can have smaller flywheels.

That's a neat little device too. I used very similar controllers in an industrial application many years ago. Operators were abusing the production machines by rapidly reversing the rotation with a handheld corded switch. I installed these little delay-on timers without telling them lol, so every time they tried to change the rotation of the machine(s), there was a delay of several seconds. It worked perfectly, but the operators sure hated it lol. I also came across this little power controller a while back, and would like to try it sometime. It would be handy if one needed an external 12v supply that was only on when the engine was running, like electric choke power or similar. Not sure if it could be used for a fuel pump or not, but maybe. https://www.rostra.com/source-power-automatic-12-volt-power-supply.php

They may haver different part numbers, but they should all be interchangeable. I've had about a dozen of these block plates over the years from pulling engines apart and buying spare parts, and I have honestly never come across any two plates that were the same...but they were all still interchangeable. Some of them are solid, some have holes stamped in them, some of them have patterns stamped in them, but at the end of the day, the SBF pattern is same across those engines, and the starters are all in the same position when the flywheels are the same (as in all 164 tooth flywheels, not that they're all balanced the same). The only time the SBF starter changes position is between the 157 tooth flywheels and the 164 tooth flywheels, which I used to understand as a car vs truck application thing, but somebody told me a while back that this reference is not correct and that some cars do indeed have the 164 tooth flywheels. Every once in a while this issue pops up when somebody swaps a car engine into a truck, and they don't realize that the flywheel is incorrect until they hit the starter and it whirrs away not making contact with the flywheel LOL. That's gotta be a depressing sound.

I hear ya! I looked for a cheaper solution, but I kept coming back to this controller. It's really small, but it's quite heavy for what it is. I'll report back after I use it for a bit.

Has anybody ever tried one of these fuel pump controllers before? https://www.revolutionelectronics.com/Products/Fuel_Pump.html I ordered one on the weekend and just received it today (ordered from LMC Truck). This isn't a product review...not yet at least. I'm still a few months away from having my project truck wired up and running, but thought I'd post it up in case anybody else is looking for such a device. I was going to wire my pump through an oil pressure switch, but I prefer using a controller and I like the 3 second prime feature. Anyway, I just thought it was a neat device and thought I'd post it up. I know there are others out there running electric pumps with carbs. PS: I will be running a small Holley pump: https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/fuel_pumps_regulators_and_filters/fuel_pumps/carbureted_fuel_pumps/carbureted_electric_fuel_pumps/parts/12-426

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but I'd still use the front jack, but get a low profile right angle plug on one end, and tuck the wire in neatly behind the radio and run it through the dash down to the floor. You might have to cut a little nick into the radio bezel (not the truck bezel) for the wire to to fit, but it would be neater than a straight plug and wire hanging out front in the open. My 2 cents worth;). I'd prefer Bluetooth if it was an option...it sure makes communication easier. https://www.amazon.ca/UGREEN-Auxiliary-Smartphones-Tablets-Speakers/dp/B00LM0U8I6/ref=asc_df_B00LM0U8I6/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292968454485&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15187493089899618845&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000096&hvtargid=pla-351821156057&th=1

You have no idea how nice it is to have a block heater in a cold winter;). You hop in your car when the temps are sub-zero, and it fires up like a warm summer day and blows heat right away! It's a beautiful thing. I drove VW diesels for years, and if you don't have them plugged in, you'd freeze to death for the first 10-15 miles while the thing actually developed some heat in the cabin lol.

Is it the same on both sides? Or is one side worse than the other? Are the new springs just aftermarket replacements for stock height? Is there any movement in the kingpins when you grab the tire top and bottom? You can swap in a set of later front beams, but you'll need the whole works...radius arms, spindles, hubs, brakes, etc. Otherwise, try to find a shop that still has anybody old enough that remembers bending the stock beams....and worse yet, still has the equipment to do so. I talked to a guy at one of the local alignment shops that used to work on the old twin I-beam kingpin Ford trucks, and he told me that they usually came in with negative camber issues, and it was usually because of weak/worn out springs, but he bent a lot of beams regardless, because that's what they wanted. Positive camber I don't know...that's a whole other can of worms. I guess you'll either have to install shorter springs, or find somebody that can bend the beams, or swap in a later front end with ball joints.

I would add that a lot of camber issues have to do with worn out or weak springs (at least in the case of negative camber). Positive camber is a lot harder to fix....this issue usually shows up on lifted 4x4's. The twin I-beam suspension for all it's benefits can also be a pain lol. I just did the kingpins and bushings in my '52 pickup and had to replace the axle beam because one of the holes was worn. Solid front axle with leaf springs means no camber issues. The twin I-Beam on the other hand is prone to camber issues, or at least the perception of a camber issue.

Looks to be in decent condition too. 1987 is a unique one year wonder, but that only refers to the fiberglass fenders. The bed is otherwise identical to the 1980-1986 bed. Nice find David.

My Quick4 is still in the box, so I haven't even installed it yet let alone play with it at all. I have a completely stock AODE-W installed in the truck, so I'm hoping it shifts as smooth as stock, assuming the Quick4 comes with a stock map? I'm undecided if I will install an OD interrupt switch, but it is on my tentative to do list. My brother in law has a Quick4 installed in a 1930 Ford hotrod-ish car and he has had a tough time getting it to work properly, but it's not the Quick4's fault. He has a rather extreme mishmash of engine/trans/diff combo that was never designed to work well together, so he's spent a lot of hours tuning it to work the way he wants it to. Since mine is a stock drivetrain the way it came originally (sort of), I'm hoping for stock-ish performance and smoothness. I have a 5.0/AODE-W/3.55 diff. I don't even know where to install the Quick4 yet, but I guess it will go under the dash somewhere.

Same thing, it's for a Quick4 Transmission controller. https://www.usshift.com/usq4.shtml I installed an AODE-W from a 1996 F150. I hope you're going to tell me it works well? LOL. Mine won't be running for a few months yet. PS: Carb is a Summit 500CFM.

I got it. Thanks Gary. CCW was correct. In hindsight it was kind of a dumb question, but I was trying to get it all assembled correctly with the TPS and it works great now. New choke is on and I fixed the binding/rubbing linkage. Action is smooth now throughout throttle movement. I can move on to other things now!

Hi Guys, I had to order a new choke cap for my Summit carb (aka Holley 4010? Autolite 4100?). The one that came with it was broken (or I broke it, I'm not sure). Anyway, dumb question...when installing the cap, which way do you rotate it to get it into the adjustment range position? CW, or CCW? I assume CCW, but wanted to be certain so I don't screw it up. CCW opens the spring, and CW tightens it. I'm more of an EFI guy historically, and the few carbs I have had all worked pretty well, so I haven't had to work on them much.