Rembrant

Came across this while looking for other junk. That’s a wild price...mind you it is Canadian, usd would be more like $2400. Doing this from my iPhone not sure if the link will work... $https://www.kijiji.ca/v-engines-and-engine-parts/swift-current/weber-48ida-carburetors/1530018343?utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ios_social

According to the local shops here, it's $6000 to paint a car, and that is assuming that it needs little to no body repair work. That's Canadian mind you, so our pricing varies wildly from the US, but overall the general consensus these days is that $5000 gets you a backyard shop type of job (for a truck) and $6000-$8000 is a "good deal". Of course the quality of work varies wildly too. I spent around $8000 on mine, and that was with me doing a bunch of my own disassembly and assembly work. The shop that did mine only uses the water based base/clear paint, which I'm told is very expensive. Most of the bigger shops here do not use the single stage paints anymore. I must say though, this shop did a lovely job, and went the extra mile on a lot of it. Some pieces, like my steps for example, were painted inside and out, which goes a long way in preventing rust from reoccurring.

Great minds working together! Thanks Guys, I just checked and I do indeed have the later E1TE-6015 AA block, so that pretty much confirms that this engine is a 1986 then. I knew it was more than likely an 85-86 based on the valve cover and pushrod cover. Good to know. Perhaps a very late 1985, but for all intents and purposes I will call it a 1986 when ordering any parts for it. So the camshafts stayed the same, it's just that the front and rear camshaft bearings changed. Very interesting. Thanks Gents

Oh, here...posted previously by Mr. Jim, iirc. https://www.americanvan.com/pick-up-truck-backwall-storage-system.html

Gary, I believe the new ones you can by are only $99? Jim posted the link here a while ago...not sure if I can find it or not.

I shopped around a little bit, but ended up going with a shop just down the street from my work. They were close...and I mean, like a few hundred feet away, and as luck would have it, the shop manager had had a couple of Bullnose Flaresides back in the day, so he knew the trucks very well. I did as much work as I could on my own. I pulled the grill and headlights, bumpers, etc. If you are able to do any of this stuff in advance, it can save you some money. Windshield trim, emblems, mirrors, tailights, interior door panels, etc...anything you can do to save time for them means saving money. Other than that, get one shop to do all of the work. One issue I find with body shops and engine shops as that they can be brutally slow sometimes (if not all the time). Personally, I'd try to get some kind of commitment as to when they will start and when they will finish. They may say "Oh, we can do your truck in two weeks"....well, find out if that means an actual two weeks start to finish, or two weeks spread over 2 months...lol. Been there, done that, and know others that have as well. JMTCW. Good luck. A freshly painted truck is something that is very exciting.

Hmmmm...I wonder when exactly that was? I suppose I should go read up some more on the 300, and see if I can somehow ID the block.

Is that the sender for dealer installed cruise? I seem to recall looking at a dealer cruise kit on Ebay, and the sender that came with it attached to the back of the speedo in the cluster.

Jon, that is probably a really good idea! I may do that yet, it's just that I'm in a bit of a time (and space) crunch so I'm trying to get the the thing mostly assembled so that it can be moved around more or less in one piece. I can pull the engine relatively easy at a later date if need be. Where is a good place to order a rebuild kit from? RockAuto or other? Also, I believe the engine is an '85 or an '86...not 100% sure. I've seen some parts kits advertised as fitting 1968-1985? Is there something different about an '86 over an '85? Just curious if I am shopping for parts, etc. Thanks.

Jonathan used to post some pictures of the trucks and or Broncos that Chris Lott would buy and restore. Mostly Freewheelin’ stuff, but he also into some other cool stuff from that era. I’m a bit of a Podcast nut as that is all I listen to these days. I only downloaded Bronco Talk to heat this discussion but I’ll save it for when I’m driving.

Guys, For any of you that listen to Podcasts, the new episode of Bronco Talk just dropped and it’s a discussion with Chris Lott. If you know who he is you’ll know what it’s about:)

Well, it's almost kind of the opposite really...lol. I had always planned on doing a compression test to see what the numbers were. It takes all of 10 minutes to do, so why not. However, I spotted the worn cam only because I was changing the oil pan gasket. In any case, I'm going to try it out as it is, and if it needs cam, lifters, and valve work, then I might be pulling the whole thing out.

Yes sir, that is exactly what it is. You can see that so far I've only done the middle section of the frame. This was for two reasons...one, so I can place the cab on the frame and, two, so I could do some other work and take a break from the frame rehab. Grinding rust, drilling and chiseling rivets, and welding is thankless dirty work...lol. The rear section of the frame won't take all that long. I'm going to replace the leaf hangers, and sand blast the leafs themselves. Won't take much to get that end of the truck finished up. I'm going to pull the front spring towers off the frame soon, and then finish the front end of the frame. This engine has been sitting for a long time, and I had zero history on it, so I was fully prepared for it to need some work. I'll see how a compression test looks...that will be quick and dirty. I'll do a leakdown test after that possibly. If it needs a rebuild, then so be it...it's all part of the adventure...lol. This is supposed to be kind of a beater truck anyway:nabble_smiley_tongue:

Good call Gary! That is likely what it is. I think I did see that, but kinda cruised past it. With a sequence number of only 0649, this truck was probably built in the first week or so of 1980 MY production at the Canadian plant. That is of course if the sequence numbers are specific to the plants, which I assume they are? Good news and bad news on the crusty '80 Bullnose project. I got the engine mostly RE-sealed this weekend, buttoned it all up to the transmission, and dropped it all into the 1995 frame. Bad news is that when I had the oil pan off I could see the camshaft, and it is not good. Looks to be some pretty serious wear on the lobes. No big deal I suppose...I can replace the cam and lifters, but I'm going to wait and do a compression test (and oil pressure test) and see how it looks from there. Stay tuned for more. I checked RockAuto, and the 300 cam/lifter kits are all out of stock. Anyway... Plan is to install the cab next weekend, and modify the 1995 crumble frame horns to accept the donor '86 frame horns I scavenged from the junkyard. I spent some time this afternoon measuring everything on my ;84 to make sure I get it all right. I made some fitting/measuring blocks out of wood so everything should be (relatively) correct when welded together. Other than that, I've just been making a list of parts to get on order asap. Shipping is going to start seeing Christmas delays soon, and I want to make sure I have enough parts to keep me busy through the holidays (I have a week and a half off).

Good call Gary! That is likely what it is. I think I did see that, but kinda cruised past it. With a sequence number of only 0649, this truck was probably built in the first week or so of 1980 MY production at the Canadian plant. That is of course if the sequence numbers are specific to the plants, which I assume they are?

So I was finally able to confirm the paint codes on this old truck, and they DO match the pictures of that Bronco I posted earlier. I'm kind of excited, because the truck does not have a certification label...but I did find this below tag in the paperwork that came with the truck, and it shows the 3B3D which would be the two tone blue paint code. Interesting to note that this truck was an early build at the Canadian truck plant, with a sequence number of only 0649. One thing I do not have is a build date for the truck. The "In Service" date is shown as August 1980, but there is a receipt in the paperwork from where the original Ford/Merc dealer sent the truck out for a Permashine treatment in October of 1979. So they obviously had the truck pretty early, and it obviously sat on the lot for a long time...almost 10 months. Gary or anybody else want to take a stab at what the "3" on the data tag indicates? I've confirmed everything else on there, but the 3 has me puzzled. Anyway, the truck was originally a 302 with a Warner T-18 4spd and 3.50 limited slip diff. I might have to spring for a Marti report on this one to figure out some of the finer details...not that it matters much, but I am curious.

Ha...that's why I'm asking.

Ahh, OK, so there are stationary nuts then? Or nuts welded inside the beams?

I think I'd remove the hood.

While on the topic of this nut... Where the radius arm attaches to the TTB beams, there is a stud on the top and a bolt on the bottom. Do they both thread into the beam, or is there a loose hex nut on the inside?

Welcome back Jim! Good to see you again. We knew you couldn't stay away...lol!

I meant to follow up on this thread a few weeks ago. I talked to a body guy that has done a lot of work on old Ford trucks, and he said what he does with frustrating door seals is take a block of wood...piece of 2x4 or whatever, and with a hammer, beats (or taps, if you prefer lol) on the steel lip on the cab to push it inwards a little bit. He said it is usually one or two stubborn spots that cause the issue, not the entire perimeter of the door. I know in my case, with the driver's side at least, the tight area is along the cab below the A-pillar along where the door hinges are. All along the top of my door, the seal is barely touching, so that's not an issue. I might try bending that lip inwards a bit, see if it helps.

I don't know much about these big Bulls, but that's a lot of truck for $5500. The ad is a little light on details, but it sure looks good at a glance. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1667552186758857

Caps are polished stainless, and the bolts are regular old steel.

Interesting. I found one on Rockauto, but I had to keep searching backwards until I got to around 1978. I might just do the standard pipe fittings for now, but thanks for the info.