81 F100 flare side custom with 300 six & T18

[Steve83]

Reflective vinyl for the letters is a great idea. ...but my truck is going to be white already, not sure how that would fly. I have considered painting or using a decal to make them black.

Why not use black reflective?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07893925Y

[FuzzFace2]

Reflective vinyl for the letters is a great idea. I may be able to get my wife to cut out some decals for me but my truck is going to be white already, not sure how that would fly. I have considered painting or using a decal to make them black.

What color is the inside? If it is red or blue I have seen them colors in reflective also.

Dave ----

[FuzzFace2]

Reflective vinyl for the letters is a great idea. I may be able to get my wife to cut out some decals for me but my truck is going to be white already, not sure how that would fly. I have considered painting or using a decal to make them black.

What color is the inside? If it is red or blue I have seen them colors in reflective also.

Dave ----

Put a full day in on the truck.

Wanted to get the trail lights working so that meant making a tail light harness for a flare side from the style side one.

Here is the style un-taped and plugged into the truck to make sure it worked before cutting it up.

At first it did not so pulled out the test light and checked fuses, I replaced them all a while ago, it was good then checked where the main harness plugs into the frame rail harness and had power there.

When walking to the rear it hit me this early harness has a ground at each (note each)light NOT in the harness. Used a jumper and got 1 side to work but not the other? Remember the EACH used jumper on that ground and we had tail & turn lights out back so could move forward.

I had to join the old light pig tails to the new lights and get them installed so I knew where I needed to cut the tail light harness to work. You can just make up the pig tails hanging and the trailer light Tee wires wrapped around the hitch in the above picture.

This is what was removed.

This is the harness made with the plugs that the plug into the tail lights on it but before putting split loom on it.

Here is the plate light harness. I used 1 of the style side plate light sockets.

I was able to use the harness loops on the frame to hold the harness in place. I still need to run 10 ga. wires for trailer brakes & power to charge a battery then add the 7 flat pin trailer light socket.

Then moved on to putting the doors together ..... OH JOY!

I must of had the latches in & out a 12 times or more.

When I took them out 4 years ago I tried to keep the rods on them and they were put in bags marked to the side they went to but it was 4 years ago and I remember they were a bear to get out.

I found 1 or 2 rods were on wrong and the slider lock rods needed to be bent a little to clear the door frames but latches are in.

I installed new door locks as I did not have a key for the ones I had and they were paint black. Had to reuse the old clips as I could not get the new ones to fit all the way in.

Next up were the door handles. The new gaskets needed work to fit right and I had to clean layers of paint off them too.

Only thing I could not find was a 2nd door latch pin. I should have 4 and can only find 1??? Going to have to dig thru my parts bins again.

I started to fit the door glass channels to the doors, pulled out the door glass, did a quick cleaning on them and pulled out the vent window assy.

I need to do the vent window seals before I can do more work on the doors.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Put a full day in on the truck.

Wanted to get the trail lights working so that meant making a tail light harness for a flare side from the style side one.

Here is the style un-taped and plugged into the truck to make sure it worked before cutting it up.

At first it did not so pulled out the test light and checked fuses, I replaced them all a while ago, it was good then checked where the main harness plugs into the frame rail harness and had power there.

When walking to the rear it hit me this early harness has a ground at each (note each)light NOT in the harness. Used a jumper and got 1 side to work but not the other? Remember the EACH used jumper on that ground and we had tail & turn lights out back so could move forward.

I had to join the old light pig tails to the new lights and get them installed so I knew where I needed to cut the tail light harness to work. You can just make up the pig tails hanging and the trailer light Tee wires wrapped around the hitch in the above picture.

This is what was removed.

This is the harness made with the plugs that the plug into the tail lights on it but before putting split loom on it.

Here is the plate light harness. I used 1 of the style side plate light sockets.

I was able to use the harness loops on the frame to hold the harness in place. I still need to run 10 ga. wires for trailer brakes & power to charge a battery then add the 7 flat pin trailer light socket.

Then moved on to putting the doors together ..... OH JOY!

I must of had the latches in & out a 12 times or more.

When I took them out 4 years ago I tried to keep the rods on them and they were put in bags marked to the side they went to but it was 4 years ago and I remember they were a bear to get out.

I found 1 or 2 rods were on wrong and the slider lock rods needed to be bent a little to clear the door frames but latches are in.

I installed new door locks as I did not have a key for the ones I had and they were paint black. Had to reuse the old clips as I could not get the new ones to fit all the way in.

Next up were the door handles. The new gaskets needed work to fit right and I had to clean layers of paint off them too.

Only thing I could not find was a 2nd door latch pin. I should have 4 and can only find 1??? Going to have to dig thru my parts bins again.

I started to fit the door glass channels to the doors, pulled out the door glass, did a quick cleaning on them and pulled out the vent window assy.

I need to do the vent window seals before I can do more work on the doors.

Dave ----

Progress!!!

Good job on the harnesses. As I was reading I was thinking "don't forget the grounds", but you didn't.

Those door locks are a pain! The rods are hard to tell apart, and the whole mechanism seems overly complicated. Glad you got it figured out.

Keep on truckin'!

 

[FuzzFace2]

Progress!!!

Good job on the harnesses. As I was reading I was thinking "don't forget the grounds", but you didn't.

Those door locks are a pain! The rods are hard to tell apart, and the whole mechanism seems overly complicated. Glad you got it figured out.

Keep on truckin'!

Yes progress cant wait to get to drive this truck!

Thanks on the harness.

The ground was only an issue when I tested the style side harness. I wanted to make sure I had power out back before I went cutting up the harness.

I know Cory ran grounds to each of his new lights, I did not and they are grounded.

Then again I have a metal floor not wood so maybe that's it?

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Progress!!!

Good job on the harnesses. As I was reading I was thinking "don't forget the grounds", but you didn't.

Those door locks are a pain! The rods are hard to tell apart, and the whole mechanism seems overly complicated. Glad you got it figured out.

Keep on truckin'!

Yes progress cant wait to get to drive this truck!

Thanks on the harness.

The ground was only an issue when I tested the style side harness. I wanted to make sure I had power out back before I went cutting up the harness.

I know Cory ran grounds to each of his new lights, I did not and they are grounded.

Then again I have a metal floor not wood so maybe that's it?

Dave ----

The metal floor should make a big difference as the bolts go through it to the frame, which is ground. But you might want to make 100% sure your bed is grounded well.

[FuzzFace2]

The metal floor should make a big difference as the bolts go through it to the frame, which is ground. But you might want to make 100% sure your bed is grounded well.

The floor is bolted right to the frame, no rubber between the bed rails & top of frame as that is how it was on the style side.

Now a normal flare side has the rails on wood blocks on top of the frame.

Then you have the wood planks or ply wood on top of the rails. Some of this wood the bed bolts go thru then thru the rails & wood blocks so no way for it to ground.

Then the bed sides sit on the wood planks or ply wood, the light brackets bolt to the bed sides so I can see why the lights need a ground like Cory did.

I cant see how it could ever get a ground?

I don't think I will have any problems with grounding the bed IIRC I have 6 or 8 bed bolts and my battery ground hits the frame first then to a starter bolt and a 10ga. wire from motor to firewall for the body ground. And yes I have the hood grounded to the firewall.

Think I am covered

Dave ----

 

[Gary Lewis]

The metal floor should make a big difference as the bolts go through it to the frame, which is ground. But you might want to make 100% sure your bed is grounded well.

The floor is bolted right to the frame, no rubber between the bed rails & top of frame as that is how it was on the style side.

Now a normal flare side has the rails on wood blocks on top of the frame.

Then you have the wood planks or ply wood on top of the rails. Some of this wood the bed bolts go thru then thru the rails & wood blocks so no way for it to ground.

Then the bed sides sit on the wood planks or ply wood, the light brackets bolt to the bed sides so I can see why the lights need a ground like Cory did.

I cant see how it could ever get a ground?

I don't think I will have any problems with grounding the bed IIRC I have 6 or 8 bed bolts and my battery ground hits the frame first then to a starter bolt and a 10ga. wire from motor to firewall for the body ground. And yes I have the hood grounded to the firewall.

Think I am covered

Dave ----

I was just wondering about the paint on the frame and the bed. Will the bolts make good contact?

[FuzzFace2]

I was just wondering about the paint on the frame and the bed. Will the bolts make good contact?

I did think about that when posting before but ......

With the 6 to 8 (I forget now) bed bolts thru the bed floor, countless bolts down each side for the bed sides to the metal floor, 2 bolts per light bracket to the bed side and 3 bolts per light to bracket it is good.

I forgot what I was doing when testing the lights on the brackets the nuts & lock washers were only finger tight and I had grounding sparks so had to take up on them a little more to get a good ground lights to brackets.

The termite bed guys have to work to get a good ground

Dave ----

 

[Steve83]

I was just wondering about the paint on the frame and the bed. Will the bolts make good contact?

I did think about that when posting before but ......

With the 6 to 8 (I forget now) bed bolts thru the bed floor, countless bolts down each side for the bed sides to the metal floor, 2 bolts per light bracket to the bed side and 3 bolts per light to bracket it is good.

I forgot what I was doing when testing the lights on the brackets the nuts & lock washers were only finger tight and I had grounding sparks so had to take up on them a little more to get a good ground lights to brackets.

The termite bed guys have to work to get a good ground

Dave ----

Everything will work better, longer, with fewer problems & less maintenance if you stop using "ground" and add (appropriately-sized) return wiring for every circuit all the way back to the battery. That's how modern vehicles are wired. They only use "ground" for RFI shielding, and as the ground plane for the radio antenna. You can still hit each body panel & the frame with serrated ring terminals, but the current flows better in Copper than in steel.