My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

[Rembrant]

So, just get longer bolts - which probably are G5's.

I went to the fastener shop yesterday to get a bunch of stuff on my list, and I grabbed 4 new 7/16" X 2.25" bolts to replace the long ones in my bellhousing, only to find out my existing bolts were 2.25", lol. (I thought I had measured them previously to be 2" long). Oh well, this is how I roll. Buy once, then measure, and then buy again!

I took a look at them again, and maybe they're not quite as bad as I thought, but I think I'll get longer bolts just for peace of mind;).

I got everything done on my list yesterday except wire in the M5OD reverse switch. A wire in the harness was broken, and it was too close to the plug to do anything with, so that's another plug that is getting deleted. It's a 4 wire plug, but the two red wires have a factory jumper in the plug, so there's only the two purple wires for the reverse switch to actually worry about. I have some 16ga 2-wire Belden cable here, so that will work perfectly. I'm pretty sure that factory wire is only 18ga?

Now, something I was mildly worried about was bleeding the new clutch master, line, and internal slave. That turned out to be a non-issue. I filled the master, and pumped the pedal by hand a dozen times, and then repeated that two more times. After that, it was gravity filling fast enough that it would drain the master reservoir in approximately one minute. Once fully filled, I ran another 8-10 oz through it, and then closed the bleeder. It seems to be working fine...I think...I can't really tell until I get the thing running.

 

[Gary Lewis]

So, just get longer bolts - which probably are G5's.

I went to the fastener shop yesterday to get a bunch of stuff on my list, and I grabbed 4 new 7/16" X 2.25" bolts to replace the long ones in my bellhousing, only to find out my existing bolts were 2.25", lol. (I thought I had measured them previously to be 2" long). Oh well, this is how I roll. Buy once, then measure, and then buy again!

I took a look at them again, and maybe they're not quite as bad as I thought, but I think I'll get longer bolts just for peace of mind;).

I got everything done on my list yesterday except wire in the M5OD reverse switch. A wire in the harness was broken, and it was too close to the plug to do anything with, so that's another plug that is getting deleted. It's a 4 wire plug, but the two red wires have a factory jumper in the plug, so there's only the two purple wires for the reverse switch to actually worry about. I have some 16ga 2-wire Belden cable here, so that will work perfectly. I'm pretty sure that factory wire is only 18ga?

Now, something I was mildly worried about was bleeding the new clutch master, line, and internal slave. That turned out to be a non-issue. I filled the master, and pumped the pedal by hand a dozen times, and then repeated that two more times. After that, it was gravity filling fast enough that it would drain the master reservoir in approximately one minute. Once fully filled, I ran another 8-10 oz through it, and then closed the bleeder. It seems to be working fine...I think...I can't really tell until I get the thing running.

On the clutch bleeding. even after doing what you did Big Blue's system wouldn't fully release the clutch. But everyone told me that driving it would finally get the air out, and it did. After perhaps 2 miles of lots of shifting, and double-clutching to do the shifting, things got better. And after maybe 5 miles it got good enough that it was shifting fine. So don't give up on it if it doesn't fully release the clutch at first.

As for the wiring, I had that connector in my hand yesterday and would have to agree that the wire is no larger than 18 ga - if that. I gather you are going to cut in above that connector, loop the red/light blue wire back to the starter, and extend the black/pink to the backup light switch with the Belden cable. Should work fine.

And on the fasteners, I made a pledge years ago to buy 1.5x however many I needed for a project, and put the extras in a drawer so I'd have what I needed later. That has worked marvelously and I now usually have what I need. However, the "drawer" is now a series of plastic trays with lids that let me take all the bolts of the needed size to the job and do the selecting there, plus a cabinet of smaller drawers for the smaller fasteners. Works a treat.

I say all of that to say keep the short bolts when you go get longer ones, and start accumulating.

[Rembrant]

On the clutch bleeding. even after doing what you did Big Blue's system wouldn't fully release the clutch. But everyone told me that driving it would finally get the air out, and it did. After perhaps 2 miles of lots of shifting, and double-clutching to do the shifting, things got better. And after maybe 5 miles it got good enough that it was shifting fine. So don't give up on it if it doesn't fully release the clutch at first.

As for the wiring, I had that connector in my hand yesterday and would have to agree that the wire is no larger than 18 ga - if that. I gather you are going to cut in above that connector, loop the red/light blue wire back to the starter, and extend the black/pink to the backup light switch with the Belden cable. Should work fine.

And on the fasteners, I made a pledge years ago to buy 1.5x however many I needed for a project, and put the extras in a drawer so I'd have what I needed later. That has worked marvelously and I now usually have what I need. However, the "drawer" is now a series of plastic trays with lids that let me take all the bolts of the needed size to the job and do the selecting there, plus a cabinet of smaller drawers for the smaller fasteners. Works a treat.

I say all of that to say keep the short bolts when you go get longer ones, and start accumulating.

Can I pull fuel through my mechanical fuel pump?

I guess what I'm asking is, can I prime my fuel system by putting a vacuum on the fuel line just before it enters the carb?

[Gary Lewis]

Can I pull fuel through my mechanical fuel pump?

I guess what I'm asking is, can I prime my fuel system by putting a vacuum on the fuel line just before it enters the carb?

Dunno. Never tried. But you can prime it by applying pressure to the gas filler. I wrapped a spray gun/nozzle with a towel, turned the regulator down to 10 psi, and stuck it in. I think I had to turn the pressure up a bit to compensate for the vent line being open, but it didn't take much and I had gas at the carb.

[Rembrant]

Dunno. Never tried. But you can prime it by applying pressure to the gas filler. I wrapped a spray gun/nozzle with a towel, turned the regulator down to 10 psi, and stuck it in. I think I had to turn the pressure up a bit to compensate for the vent line being open, but it didn't take much and I had gas at the carb.

Interesting. I hadn't though of doing that, but that sounds easy enough. Thanks Gary.

[1986F150Six]

And on the fasteners, I made a pledge years ago to buy 1.5x however many I needed for a project, and put the extras in a drawer so I'd have what I needed later. That has worked marvelously and I now usually have what I need. However, the "drawer" is now a series of plastic trays with lids that let me take all the bolts of the needed size to the job and do the selecting there, plus a cabinet of smaller drawers for the smaller fasteners. Works a treat.

I say all of that to say keep the short bolts when you go get longer ones, and start accumulating.

And, for those who have never visited the Garagemahal, everyone of those drawers/trays is clearly labeled!!!

 

[Gary Lewis]

And on the fasteners, I made a pledge years ago to buy 1.5x however many I needed for a project, and put the extras in a drawer so I'd have what I needed later. That has worked marvelously and I now usually have what I need. However, the "drawer" is now a series of plastic trays with lids that let me take all the bolts of the needed size to the job and do the selecting there, plus a cabinet of smaller drawers for the smaller fasteners. Works a treat.

I say all of that to say keep the short bolts when you go get longer ones, and start accumulating.

And, for those who have never visited the Garagemahal, everyone of those drawers/trays is clearly labeled!!!

Dad would have said "If that's a complement then I thank you."

Coming from David I do believe it was a compliment. But there's another member, who probably won't see this due to being AWOL, that doesn't mean it as a compliment.

[Rembrant]

Dad would have said "If that's a complement then I thank you."

Coming from David I do believe it was a compliment. But there's another member, who probably won't see this due to being AWOL, that doesn't mean it as a compliment.

Stupid question....

Does it matter where the hoses go on the heater core?

[Gary Lewis]

Stupid question....

Does it matter where the hoses go on the heater core?

No stupid questions. Anyway, I don't think it matters. (If you plumb it backwards does it work like an air conditioner? ) But, I put the factory illustration up here: Cooling Systems/Heater Hoses.

[Rembrant]

No stupid questions. Anyway, I don't think it matters. (If you plumb it backwards does it work like an air conditioner? ) But, I put the factory illustration up here: Cooling Systems/Heater Hoses.

Another thing I need to tend to is the loose knob on my 5spd stick.

It's been glued before, and somebody wrapped saran wrap around the stick as well...lol.

If I clean it all up, what would be best to adhere that bugger back on?

Black silicone? or something more like a JB WEld?

Any suggestions from the BTDT crowd?