Hello new users!

[Gary Lewis]

Hello! I am new....and am shopping for a bullnose to use for work, play, hobby, and because they seem potentially light as far as pick-ups go, maybe a little 1/4 mile action. I have a roller 351 that may get some cleveland heads, and I am either going to use a bullnose truck or a fox body, non mustang car. I am leaning towards a truck because they are far more useful as a second vehicle than another car. Bullnose vs earlier trucks.....I hope to find one with a 9" rear, and disc brakes are standard, so a c-4, c-6, or AOD....and parts are easier to come by in self service yards than earlier stuff. Plus, I think I can find one that doesnt need alot of rust repair. 80-86 seems to still have simple engine management too. Plus, I like the looks!!! So here I am, spying on you all.

Stu - Welcome! Glad you joined.

Where's home? I ask for two reasons. First, maybe someone on here knows of a truck near you. Second, because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I can add you with a city/state or zip.

As for finding a truck with a 9", they were used the whole way through the Bullnose era. But the 8.8 was introduced in '83 and was used a lot, so if you had to choose between a 1980 - 82 truck or an '83 - 86 truck to look at go with the earlier one as it'll be more likely to have the 9".

Also, in 1980 and '81 the trucks had "Swiss cheese" frames. They are plenty strong and a guy I know on FTE has a truck he uses in pulling contests with one of those frames and he's had no problems. But that makes the truck ever so slightly lighter, so...

[grumpin]

Hello! I am new....and am shopping for a bullnose to use for work, play, hobby, and because they seem potentially light as far as pick-ups go, maybe a little 1/4 mile action. I have a roller 351 that may get some cleveland heads, and I am either going to use a bullnose truck or a fox body, non mustang car. I am leaning towards a truck because they are far more useful as a second vehicle than another car. Bullnose vs earlier trucks.....I hope to find one with a 9" rear, and disc brakes are standard, so a c-4, c-6, or AOD....and parts are easier to come by in self service yards than earlier stuff. Plus, I think I can find one that doesnt need alot of rust repair. 80-86 seems to still have simple engine management too. Plus, I like the looks!!! So here I am, spying on you all.

Welcome!

[Stu]

Stu - Welcome! Glad you joined.

Where's home? I ask for two reasons. First, maybe someone on here knows of a truck near you. Second, because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I can add you with a city/state or zip.

As for finding a truck with a 9", they were used the whole way through the Bullnose era. But the 8.8 was introduced in '83 and was used a lot, so if you had to choose between a 1980 - 82 truck or an '83 - 86 truck to look at go with the earlier one as it'll be more likely to have the 9".

Also, in 1980 and '81 the trucks had "Swiss cheese" frames. They are plenty strong and a guy I know on FTE has a truck he uses in pulling contests with one of those frames and he's had no problems. But that makes the truck ever so slightly lighter, so...

Thanks for the welcome. Zip is 97236. I live in Portland, OR. My wishlist is really just a rust free, 2wd, 1/2 ton truck within budget. Things that will sweeten the pot for me are short bed, automatic transmission, and v8. I plan on doing whatever work it needs to get it into acceptable condition. Nice driving will out weigh nice looking, but I might try a pain job someday.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks for the welcome. Zip is 97236. I live in Portland, OR. My wishlist is really just a rust free, 2wd, 1/2 ton truck within budget. Things that will sweeten the pot for me are short bed, automatic transmission, and v8. I plan on doing whatever work it needs to get it into acceptable condition. Nice driving will out weigh nice looking, but I might try a pain job someday.

You are now on the map. And you are in the ideal location to find a truck that fits your wants at a reasonable price since the PNW is the best location around.

The guys here frequently post links to trucks they see on CL or BAT or eBay that look nice. You might want to subscribe to the Marketplace folder to be notified when someone posts.

[Chuck77]

You are now on the map. And you are in the ideal location to find a truck that fits your wants at a reasonable price since the PNW is the best location around.

The guys here frequently post links to trucks they see on CL or BAT or eBay that look nice. You might want to subscribe to the Marketplace folder to be notified when someone posts.

Evening to all. Just joined the group this A.M. Recently acquired an '86 F150 4x4. She's a project, but has great potential. Pretty much all stock, with just 95K original miles. It's the 5th "Bullnose" I've owned over the years, plus an'89 F250 as well. Been researching YouTube, and other searches the past couple months, looking up various topics on her, and I kept coming across posts form this group. Am totally impressed with the knowledge and info base you've all brought together here, and the willingness to share. As I read in the post on this thread just before this reply, I'm from the "rust belt'. Live in central WI, about 50 miles north of Madison. I'm busying myself with searching through the Faq's and earlier posts on bringing my newest "toy" back to original as possible, but hope I may also bring some knowledge I've acquired over my years, (I'm definitely "Old School"), Chuck77...

[Gary Lewis]

Evening to all. Just joined the group this A.M. Recently acquired an '86 F150 4x4. She's a project, but has great potential. Pretty much all stock, with just 95K original miles. It's the 5th "Bullnose" I've owned over the years, plus an'89 F250 as well. Been researching YouTube, and other searches the past couple months, looking up various topics on her, and I kept coming across posts form this group. Am totally impressed with the knowledge and info base you've all brought together here, and the willingness to share. As I read in the post on this thread just before this reply, I'm from the "rust belt'. Live in central WI, about 50 miles north of Madison. I'm busying myself with searching through the Faq's and earlier posts on bringing my newest "toy" back to original as possible, but hope I may also bring some knowledge I've acquired over my years, (I'm definitely "Old School"), Chuck77...

Welcome, Chuck! Glad you joined.

As for "old school", is the "77" your age? If so, I'm not far behind at 75 and we have at least one that's 76.

Would you like to be on our map? You can see it at Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu, and we can add you if you give us a city.

How about starting a thread on your truck and posting some pics?

[grumpin]

Evening to all. Just joined the group this A.M. Recently acquired an '86 F150 4x4. She's a project, but has great potential. Pretty much all stock, with just 95K original miles. It's the 5th "Bullnose" I've owned over the years, plus an'89 F250 as well. Been researching YouTube, and other searches the past couple months, looking up various topics on her, and I kept coming across posts form this group. Am totally impressed with the knowledge and info base you've all brought together here, and the willingness to share. As I read in the post on this thread just before this reply, I'm from the "rust belt'. Live in central WI, about 50 miles north of Madison. I'm busying myself with searching through the Faq's and earlier posts on bringing my newest "toy" back to original as possible, but hope I may also bring some knowledge I've acquired over my years, (I'm definitely "Old School"), Chuck77...

Welcome!

[Chuck77]

Welcome, Chuck! Glad you joined.

As for "old school", is the "77" your age? If so, I'm not far behind at 75 and we have at least one that's 76.

Would you like to be on our map? You can see it at Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu, and we can add you if you give us a city.

How about starting a thread on your truck and posting some pics?

Thanks for welcoming me onboard. Ya got me by a few years. The "77" was the year I escaped high school. Moved to and live in a real small town named Packwaukee, WI, in the 53949 zip. The "new" truck I acquired is an '86 150 XL. Equipped with the venerable 4.9L, automatic, 4x4, with 3.50 limited slip gearing in 9" carriers. Pretty plain jane, with just PS, PB, factory AM/FM, and dealer installed cruise. About the only thing I can find on her not original are what I think are American Racing rims. 95K original miles. Down side is a previous owner started pulling emission components off, and when I got it a few months back, it BARELY ran. Been replacing missing parts and teach'in myself just how the EEC IV feedback system works, and just what all had been "tossed". Got it up and running now with 2 pumps of the accelerator. Choke pulling down normal, but still idling a bit high after warm up. Drivability is not quite there yet either, but it's gett'in close. The truck does drive, and it's great. Engine has great oil pressure, runs cool, shifts right on, steers and goes down the road straight, stops okay, and the 4x4 will pull stumps! Already found a TON of info here from past searches, and I just KNOW I'll find what I need to bring it the rest of the way back. She's not real pretty. The box is rusty above the wheel arches, and she's bruised here and there. She's got that currently popular "patina look" to her too. Frame is sound though. A little scaly, but solid all around. Have some pic's, and will put them up soon. Best part about the truck, I didn't pay a cent for it!!! Swapped a totaled '03 Explorer with 220K miles for it...

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks for welcoming me onboard. Ya got me by a few years. The "77" was the year I escaped high school. Moved to and live in a real small town named Packwaukee, WI, in the 53949 zip. The "new" truck I acquired is an '86 150 XL. Equipped with the venerable 4.9L, automatic, 4x4, with 3.50 limited slip gearing in 9" carriers. Pretty plain jane, with just PS, PB, factory AM/FM, and dealer installed cruise. About the only thing I can find on her not original are what I think are American Racing rims. 95K original miles. Down side is a previous owner started pulling emission components off, and when I got it a few months back, it BARELY ran. Been replacing missing parts and teach'in myself just how the EEC IV feedback system works, and just what all had been "tossed". Got it up and running now with 2 pumps of the accelerator. Choke pulling down normal, but still idling a bit high after warm up. Drivability is not quite there yet either, but it's gett'in close. The truck does drive, and it's great. Engine has great oil pressure, runs cool, shifts right on, steers and goes down the road straight, stops okay, and the 4x4 will pull stumps! Already found a TON of info here from past searches, and I just KNOW I'll find what I need to bring it the rest of the way back. She's not real pretty. The box is rusty above the wheel arches, and she's bruised here and there. She's got that currently popular "patina look" to her too. Frame is sound though. A little scaly, but solid all around. Have some pic's, and will put them up soon. Best part about the truck, I didn't pay a cent for it!!! Swapped a totaled '03 Explorer with 220K miles for it...

Ahh! If you graduated in '77 then that would put you about 12 years younger than me, or maybe 63. Yes, old school but not quite as old.

Sounds like you are getting there on the truck. And that's a real accomplishment given how complex the system is and how hard the parts are to find. Well done!

But the high idle may be due to a vacuum leak, and that can easily be due to a cracked vacuum hose.

Last, you are now on the map.

[85lebaront2]

Thanks for welcoming me onboard. Ya got me by a few years. The "77" was the year I escaped high school. Moved to and live in a real small town named Packwaukee, WI, in the 53949 zip. The "new" truck I acquired is an '86 150 XL. Equipped with the venerable 4.9L, automatic, 4x4, with 3.50 limited slip gearing in 9" carriers. Pretty plain jane, with just PS, PB, factory AM/FM, and dealer installed cruise. About the only thing I can find on her not original are what I think are American Racing rims. 95K original miles. Down side is a previous owner started pulling emission components off, and when I got it a few months back, it BARELY ran. Been replacing missing parts and teach'in myself just how the EEC IV feedback system works, and just what all had been "tossed". Got it up and running now with 2 pumps of the accelerator. Choke pulling down normal, but still idling a bit high after warm up. Drivability is not quite there yet either, but it's gett'in close. The truck does drive, and it's great. Engine has great oil pressure, runs cool, shifts right on, steers and goes down the road straight, stops okay, and the 4x4 will pull stumps! Already found a TON of info here from past searches, and I just KNOW I'll find what I need to bring it the rest of the way back. She's not real pretty. The box is rusty above the wheel arches, and she's bruised here and there. She's got that currently popular "patina look" to her too. Frame is sound though. A little scaly, but solid all around. Have some pic's, and will put them up soon. Best part about the truck, I didn't pay a cent for it!!! Swapped a totaled '03 Explorer with 220K miles for it...

Welcome, I am the 76 year old on the forum. If you need some help with the EEC-IV feedback carburetor system feel free to ask. It was not the best system, but as many vehicles in that era, the system was a step towards the complete control systems we have on newer vehicles.

Most parts store "code readers" are for the OBD-II systems, but the EEC-IV can be read with a test light and jumper, or if you have a "check engine" light or possibly "emission" light it can give you the codes.