1986F150Six Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Good morning, David! This is your early morning, and you are up quite early. No, Big Blue hasn't been out in over a week and probably won't be for another week. That's because of two things. First, I decided that wanted to get the inverter wiring done before he goes out again, and that has proven to be time consuming due to the need to get several little parts, like the padded clamps, none of which have arrived yet, probably due to the weather. And, speaking of the weather, it seems like it has been a year but it really has only been a few days that we've had ice and snow. However, the forecast suggests that it is going to be another week or so before things clear up, and in the interim we may have more than a foot of snow. Not many years ago I'd have been chomping at the bit to get BB out in the snow. But I've become a bit more cautious in my old age. I'm sure he would be excellent in it given the tires and the rear diff. However, with snow everywhere on the underside I can't put him back in the shop w/o having a huge mess when it all melts, and I have so many more things to do on him, so would rather not. You and Janey can just sit in the sun room and look at the snow while enjoying heated floors and coffee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 You and Janey can just sit in the sun room and look at the snow while enjoying heated floors and coffee! YES! That's where I am at the moment, and I'm enjoying my cup of Verona as I watch the light come up slowly in the sky, revealing a lot of white. But the first, of many, rounds of snow isn't supposed to get here until tomorrow. Then Sunday night is the big one, followed by several more rounds next week. The temp hasn't been above mid-20's for many days, and it is 14F now, so the ground is COLD. The ice that coated everything several days ago is still there, and there's a dusting of snow on top of that. All of the roofs are completely white. The roads have been sanded and the main ones are pretty much clear, but we are just staying home and enjoying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 YES! That's where I am at the moment, and I'm enjoying my cup of Verona as I watch the light come up slowly in the sky, revealing a lot of white. French Roast to follow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 YES! That's where I am at the moment, and I'm enjoying my cup of Verona as I watch the light come up slowly in the sky, revealing a lot of white. French Roast to follow? Yep, just got it and a couple of Girl Scout cookies. Living the good life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Yep, just got it and a couple of Girl Scout cookies. Living the good life! I want to be like you when I grow up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Yep, just got it and a couple of Girl Scout cookies. Living the good life! I want to be like you when I grow up! Well, retirement is wonderful. Can't imagine how I had time to do ANYTHING when I was working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Well, retirement is wonderful. Can't imagine how I had time to do ANYTHING when I was working.Got the padded clamps in today, so I got the power and ground leads to the inverter finished. You've seen the rear of the wiring, and here's the front of that wiring going up the fender liner: And here's the ground. I tapped a hole in the frame 5/16-18 and cleaned the surfaces to shiny metal, and then painted them with aluminum anti-seize: And, here are the results of a test: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Got the padded clamps in today, so I got the power and ground leads to the inverter finished. You've seen the rear of the wiring, and here's the front of that wiring going up the fender liner: And here's the ground. I tapped a hole in the frame 5/16-18 and cleaned the surfaces to shiny metal, and then painted them with aluminum anti-seize: And, here are the results of a test: Very clean and out of the way. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Very clean and out of the way. Well done! Thanks, Scott. Now it is time to wire up Mission Control. That's going to require removing the dash pad as I need to run more wires through the firewall for the backup lights, and the best way to do that is along the same path that the other wires take. And having the dash pad off might make it possible to see behind the switches to determine how much room I actually have for the wires. In addition, I'm hoping to be able to see the back of the radio with the pad off. That is because I'd like to support it in the back, but it is difficult to see, much less get to, from the bottom. Heretofore the aftermarket radio has been supported via the tabs being bent over on the mounting sleeve, but that seems to be a poor way to do things on a truck that is supposed to see a lot of rugged roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Thanks, Scott. Now it is time to wire up Mission Control. That's going to require removing the dash pad as I need to run more wires through the firewall for the backup lights, and the best way to do that is along the same path that the other wires take. And having the dash pad off might make it possible to see behind the switches to determine how much room I actually have for the wires. In addition, I'm hoping to be able to see the back of the radio with the pad off. That is because I'd like to support it in the back, but it is difficult to see, much less get to, from the bottom. Heretofore the aftermarket radio has been supported via the tabs being bent over on the mounting sleeve, but that seems to be a poor way to do things on a truck that is supposed to see a lot of rugged roads. That a/c vent duct makes it tough or at least it did with the double din unit. Do you have one of the standoff/supports that screws to the back of the stereo and clips to the dash support at the hump? Some screw to the radio while some clamp over the back of it. If you ever do have to try and come in from the bottom, removing the floor duct helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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