Rembrant

So the old '80 Flareside has been stripped... I've so far confirmed that the 300 transplant is from 1984-1986, but now that I have it yanked out I see that it has the notorious 2G alternator in it? I guess this would more or less confirm the engine to be a 1986, assuming the whole thing was swapped out of another Bullnose complete (I assume that is what was done, and I honestly don't think that it was ever finished...I don't think the 300 even ran in this truck). The alternator was plugged into the harness, and I didn't notice any splices, but I wasn't looking for one either. The truck still had the fender mounted voltage regulator. I'll check the harness tomorrow as it is all wrapped up with the cab.

Dave, I bought the thing for something to do. It was cheap enough I can sell off the parts for more than I paid for it, so if it ends up being scrap, then so be it. I'm hoping to have the frame pretty much stripped by the end of the week, so I'll have a better idea once I get it cleaned up and have a good look at it. Thanks for the info on the 9". I'll get a better look at it tomorrow when I'm at work.

I cannot offer any technical expertise here, but I can offer you the words of encouragement. There are some really smart guys on here that know this stuff very well, and they WILL help you fix it. Have to go step by step. I haven't seen them not be able to fix something yet. I struggled with a bad vacuum leak and incorrect carb and ignition settings for a long time before finally getting it all sorted out.

You have the later (1987-up) EFI dual exhaust manifolds on there FYI. They are not original to the truck. Definitely a former Feedback carb application with all the wiring coming through the firewall. Finish that DS-II swap and you can remove a whole bunch of that other stuff and really clean up that engine bay!

That interior is gorgeous, and I love that console. Well done.

Ok, that's not a bad idea Gary, I'll try that. Out of curiosity, what did you do to straight yours if it was off?

Only if the truck has A/C...otherwise no vacuum required for the regular heater. It looks like it is a 4spd also, so no vacuum required for the trans. I'm guessing that this thing did have a feedback carb on it, and it was converted over. Lots of wiring hanging back there...

Gary, There is some really great info in that documentation, but I don't see the info that I'm looking for. Maybe it doesn't exist, but what I'm curious about is the location of the body mount holes, and the dimensions to check/measure the frame for straightness, particularly the front end of the frame, from the main engine cradle/crossmember forward. If it doesn't exist, then no big deal, I just figured I'd look around (and ask).

Gary, Do you have any drawings that show the measurements of the truck frames? (like the one Steve83 posted above for the Bronco)

Nice truck Josh. I love the short wheel base trucks and I love the pin stripes outlining the panels...very cool design. I am also curious what the barb is for (the one just below the air cleaner). Looks like maybe you're also missing the vacuum advance line as well?

Next up in my list of questions are these things... This is how I received them. They were kept indoors, but were not covered or protected in any way, so they're full of dust, dirt, and debris. If I go looking for bearing and seal kits for these things, can anybody give me any pointers? I know the front is a Dana 44 and the rear is a 9", but that's all that I know. Are there any year over year differences or changes that one needs to know about? Recommended parts or brands of kits? I don't need premium parts for this thing, but not junk either...middle of the road?...whatever. Also, as far as other special tools required, will I need a special hub socket for the 4x4 front hubs? Words of wisdom?

No sir, not really, I'm just curious what year truck it was pulled from. My 3spd is long gone now. I sold it not long after removing it. I do have a spare 5spd, but it is a 2wd 5spd. I could still use it to crank the engine over I suppose. I may try that. Stupid question, but what way does the crank rotate if I get under there and try to turn it? It is clockwise right, looking at the front end of the crank...or CCW looking at the back end. I will pull the plugs tomorrow and see if it will move. The truck still has the SBF engine mounts in there, so if the 300 is bad it might end up with a 302...lol. Well the 300/6 isn't seized by any means. I pulled the plugs today and sprayed some Kroil into the cylinders, and it rolled over (by hand) with ease. That's good news at least. I removed the carb and spacer and put it aside for inspection later on. I removed the cab and front clip today, and will pull the engine out of the frame tomorrow. The frame is pretty ripe in this thing. Too far gone to repair likely... But, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. I don't mind doing some welding, it's just that it might need too much.

That's a nice looking row of trucks Shaun. Well done. I like that nice shady (and level) back yard too. I'm jealous of nice flat property. My driveway and yard is all sloped, so I don't have a good spot outdoors to work on my stuff.

Ha! There are two bikes there that belong to the tech the works for me. One is a 1980 Suzuki...DR or RM or something...not sure, but it is a 2-stroke. The other is a Honda street and trail...newer...well, newer than the other one. I don't know much else about them. The crates are equipment of ours that is waiting to be shipped. It's handy to have the use of the shop at my work. I'll be using the forklift to pull the cab and engine, maybe today.

The motor is bolted down, but tilted backwards some as there is no transmission in the truck to support it. The 300 oil filter is almost touching the driver's side SBF engine mount.

A little Googling brought me back some results... According to this thread, the engine should be between 1984-1986. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1208011-300ci-i6-engine-identification.html Not that it matters much, but I was just curious what era/version the engine was, in case there were any changes.

No sir, not really, I'm just curious what year truck it was pulled from. My 3spd is long gone now. I sold it not long after removing it. I do have a spare 5spd, but it is a 2wd 5spd. I could still use it to crank the engine over I suppose. I may try that. Stupid question, but what way does the crank rotate if I get under there and try to turn it? It is clockwise right, looking at the front end of the crank...or CCW looking at the back end. I will pull the plugs tomorrow and see if it will move. The truck still has the SBF engine mounts in there, so if the 300 is bad it might end up with a 302...lol.

Where’s the like button?!

Now, just out of curiosity, do any of you know what year/generation this 300/6 would be, since it is not original to the truck?

The frame is "iffy"...lol. I'm stripping the truck anyway, so I'm not going to judge the frame until I get it stripped down with the body removed. All four rear leaf spring hangers need to come off, as do the upper shock mounts, etc. I won't be able to get a real good idea on the frame until those parts are removed. As it stands right now it needs some work for sure...but how much I don't know yet. It might be worth a bunch of welding, maybe not. Interior emptied of junk and cleaned out. It was gross in there, but this thing has been sitting for a long time. The truck was originally a 4spd, but somebody swapped in an auto column but didn't install the auto gear indicator. The hole for the 4spd has a patch welded over it. It's not awful...I've seen worse. Here's all the junk that was in the cab, along with a bunch of garbage, empty beer cases, and cigarette butts...lol. A complete spare dash pad, a couple blue grommet DSII boxes, a set of '85-'86 Burlwood bezels, a 300/6 air cleaner, etc. The dash pad seems to be in not bad condition...

The frame is "iffy"...lol. I'm stripping the truck anyway, so I'm not going to judge the frame until I get it stripped down with the body removed. All four rear leaf spring hangers need to come off, as do the upper shock mounts, etc. I won't be able to get a real good idea on the frame until those parts are removed. As it stands right now it needs some work for sure...but how much I don't know yet. It might be worth a bunch of welding, maybe not. Interior emptied of junk and cleaned out. It was gross in there, but this thing has been sitting for a long time. The truck was originally a 4spd, but somebody swapped in an auto column but didn't install the auto gear indicator. The hole for the 4spd has a patch welded over it. It's not awful...I've seen worse.

I finally got the cab of this junker cleaned out today, and while I can find no trace whatsoever of the certification label, I did find this little treasure underneath the edge of the rubber floor liner up behind the glove box. What clues are on this tag that might tell me what was on the certification label? I assume the 3B3D are the two paint codes for the two tone blue? The A8 is the DSO code, as I have other documentation that the truck was sold new in that region. Would the H2 be the axle(s) code? 3.50? (It came with 3.00 gears, but not installed) Would the F be for the transmission? T18? What about the D or the 3? Anyway, just thought I would share...some more pics coming soon.

Funny you mention that, I've had a couple people ask me where I got the seat-belt stickers or whatever they are on the driver and passenger door windows. I don't think I even really noticed them prior to them asking, and now I see them every time I get in the truck. I like little things like that. It's funny what some people notice. I like the original dealer decal as a conversation piece. People often want to know the 'story' on the truck...where did it come from, what did you do to it, etc.

Another little thing I have been wanting (and trying) to get done for the past year is to have somebody make me a new Ford dealer decal to replace the original one that was on my tailgate. The dealer where the truck was sold originally is long closed and gone (mid to late 90's I'm told), and I like the fact that the truck has a local history. Most 'nice' old trucks around here are from down south, so I feel the old Blue Mule can have some honor as a long time local east coast truck. The original dealer was on Cape Breton Island, almost 180 miles away from me. It's a small enough town that you'd be surprised that it even had a main brand dealer, but I suppose the days of the small town dealers are mostly gone now, I don't know. The old decal when I bought the truck: And the July 2020 replacement: It's a weird little thing, I know, but it makes for good conversation;).

Ya, I figured as much. The earlier Bullnoses are a bit foreign to me, so I need to get up to speed on all of the earlier options. Both. Cab floor will need some work for sure, and the frame might have a couple spots that need to be repaired. At a glance, everything looked fixable, but I won't know for sure until I get a real good look at it underneath. I didn't see anything that scared me...not yet at least. My good buddy Chris has running gear parts, so once I get a real good look at everything here and start taking it apart I'll be making a journey to his place to scavenge a transmission and some other parts. So this rats nest of a Bullnose finally arrived today...bit of a lean due to the right rear tire being flat (and the right rear spring mount being broken...lol). Thankfully, somebody undercoated the thing many years ago, and while it makes a slimy mess, the floor is surprisingly intact for a 40 year old east coast truck. It will need a couple small patches, but nothing too serious. Need cab corners for sure, and some other small holes patched (on the b-pillar and on the roof). Bottoms of the doors are in great condition, which is really rare around here...they're usually full of holes. The doors open and close really nice, and the cab floor seems to be nice and solid at the four mounting points (which is also rare around here). The cab is full of junk...I haven't even gone through it yet, but there's a good dash pad laying on top of everything else. I'll clean it out and vacuum it tomorrow. So far, at a glance, this thing appears to be fixable. Stay tuned for more cleaning, grinding, cutting, etc... This one is going to take a while.