My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

[Rembrant]

I haven't posted in my project thread in ages so I thought I'd brush the cobwebs off it this evening while everybody else is out partying for New Years Eve.

Today's project was to rehab this old steering shaft that I bought from Steve83 a while back. The steering shaft on my Bullnose has a torn upper boot, which is starting to become more and more common on the old Bullnoses these days. This is another thing that I guess was improved in 1987 with the release of the Bricknose model. There is no rubber boot on the upper U-joint, and the rubber steering "coupler" (what we call the rag joint) is a molded/bonded piece of the lower assembly.

The upper U-joint:

The lower end steering 'coupler' (aka Rag joint):

This was a $15 part and I think worth the trouble to rehab it. I need to take my truck in this spring for a Mechanical Fitness Test, and if the mechanic spotted that torn rubber boot on the steering shaft, it would likely fail the test.

I did have one problem with the shaft that I had to repair. There is a small metal slider/spring inside the sliding tube, and the original one was shattered causing the sliding tube to be a little bit sloppy. I cut a new piece from a metal strap and it seemed to do the trick. I'll post pics of this if anybody is interested...I think the Bullnose steering shaft is the same (or similar) inside the sliding tube.

Cheers everybody, and Happy New Years from Mrs. Rembrant and myself. We'll be taking it easy tonight, relaxing and watching some TV, and will probably be in bed by 11pm.

Peace & Axle Grease!!

So, got some parts back from sand blasting this afternoon!

I am so happy to get these parts you have no idea. I was after the Bullnose swaybar mounting brackets, and ended up getting a set of really nice radius arms in the process. I have new radius arms in the truck now, but they're 1987-1991 radius arms, and with them I also have to run the 1987-1991 radius arm bushings. These Bullnose arms will allow me to swap it all back to correct 1984 stuff. It's not that it matters much...these parts don't need to be correct, but I'd rather have the right stuff whenever possible.

Part of the package also included a set of southern I-beams. They're in really nice condition too...you can even see the Ford markings on them. They're actually much nicer than the ones in my truck currently, but no way am I going through the trouble of swapping them in...my existing beams, as ugly as they are, have all new ball joints and pivot bushings.

In any case, I can't wait to get the new arms and sawybar brackets installed. I've had the powder coated swaybar and crossmember with mounts laying in my office for a year or more now.

[Gary Lewis]

So, got some parts back from sand blasting this afternoon!

I am so happy to get these parts you have no idea. I was after the Bullnose swaybar mounting brackets, and ended up getting a set of really nice radius arms in the process. I have new radius arms in the truck now, but they're 1987-1991 radius arms, and with them I also have to run the 1987-1991 radius arm bushings. These Bullnose arms will allow me to swap it all back to correct 1984 stuff. It's not that it matters much...these parts don't need to be correct, but I'd rather have the right stuff whenever possible.

Part of the package also included a set of southern I-beams. They're in really nice condition too...you can even see the Ford markings on them. They're actually much nicer than the ones in my truck currently, but no way am I going through the trouble of swapping them in...my existing beams, as ugly as they are, have all new ball joints and pivot bushings.

In any case, I can't wait to get the new arms and sawybar brackets installed. I've had the powder coated swaybar and crossmember with mounts laying in my office for a year or more now.

Pretty parts! I love parts fresh from the blast cabinet. So clean!

But, you had parts in your office at work? What do you do?

[ArdWrknTrk]

So, got some parts back from sand blasting this afternoon!

I am so happy to get these parts you have no idea. I was after the Bullnose swaybar mounting brackets, and ended up getting a set of really nice radius arms in the process. I have new radius arms in the truck now, but they're 1987-1991 radius arms, and with them I also have to run the 1987-1991 radius arm bushings. These Bullnose arms will allow me to swap it all back to correct 1984 stuff. It's not that it matters much...these parts don't need to be correct, but I'd rather have the right stuff whenever possible.

Part of the package also included a set of southern I-beams. They're in really nice condition too...you can even see the Ford markings on them. They're actually much nicer than the ones in my truck currently, but no way am I going through the trouble of swapping them in...my existing beams, as ugly as they are, have all new ball joints and pivot bushings.

In any case, I can't wait to get the new arms and sawybar brackets installed. I've had the powder coated swaybar and crossmember with mounts laying in my office for a year or more now.

Very nice! 😊

You say "Southern", just how far south do you mean???

After all, 99.9% of north america is south of you.

[Rembrant]

Very nice! 😊

You say "Southern", just how far south do you mean???

After all, 99.9% of north america is south of you.

Haha, tòuchè!!

Actually, if you follow the longitudal lines Jim, there are a few US states that are north of me...lol.

By southern parts I mean southern US...probably South Carolina or something like that. This guy I know bought a southern '84 F150 4X2 and then converted it to a 4x4, so the 4X2 front end parts were discarded.

The condition of the parts, compared to what you'd find around here, is amazing. There is quite a backyard industry here of guys that go down south and buy an old pickup, and then load it up with junkyard parts and then come back and sell some of it or all of it. Truck beds and gas tanks are the most common, but doors and fenders show up too.

I had to laugh when disassembling these parts. You just take a socket and a wrench and take them apart. Here it's a whole process...lol. You need torches, zip cut disks for your angle grinder, ball peen hammers and drifts, breaker bars and 4' lengths of pipe to put on the breaker bars, etc, etc.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Very nice! 😊

You say "Southern", just how far south do you mean???

After all, 99.9% of north america is south of you.

Haha, tòuchè!!

Actually, if you follow the longitudal lines Jim, there are a few US states that are north of me...lol.

By southern parts I mean southern US...probably South Carolina or something like that. This guy I know bought a southern '84 F150 4X2 and then converted it to a 4x4, so the 4X2 front end parts were discarded.

The condition of the parts, compared to what you'd find around here, is amazing. There is quite a backyard industry here of guys that go down south and buy an old pickup, and then load it up with junkyard parts and then come back and sell some of it or all of it. Truck beds and gas tanks are the most common, but doors and fenders show up too.

I had to laugh when disassembling these parts. You just take a socket and a wrench and take them apart. Here it's a whole process...lol. You need torches, zip cut disks for your angle grinder, ball peen hammers and drifts, breaker bars and 4' lengths of pipe to put on the breaker bars, etc, etc.

Yep, it's all the chloride spread on the roads that create that mess.

That's why I use anerobics religiously.

Keep that electrolyte out of the interface.

Alaska, U.P. Michigan and a bit of Minnesota?

In Detroit I can drive south into Windsor.

[salans7]

Yep, it's all the chloride spread on the roads that create that mess.

That's why I use anerobics religiously.

Keep that electrolyte out of the interface.

Alaska, U.P. Michigan and a bit of Minnesota?

In Detroit I can drive south into Windsor.

I can't recall a time that I worked on anything other than a southern truck. All of mine with exception to the one from California have been from the sunshine state.

[Rembrant]

Yep, it's all the chloride spread on the roads that create that mess.

That's why I use anerobics religiously.

Keep that electrolyte out of the interface.

Alaska, U.P. Michigan and a bit of Minnesota?

In Detroit I can drive south into Windsor.

Still the good old fashioned rock salt used here, ugh.

Yes Alaska for sure, but also Montana, North Dakota, and Washington are all north of me. Michigan UP (and the tip of the mitt), plus parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Oregon, etc...lol.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Yep, it's all the chloride spread on the roads that create that mess.

That's why I use anerobics religiously.

Keep that electrolyte out of the interface.

Alaska, U.P. Michigan and a bit of Minnesota?

In Detroit I can drive south into Windsor.

Still the good old fashioned rock salt used here, ugh.

Yes Alaska for sure, but also Montana, North Dakota, and Washington are all north of me. Michigan UP (and the tip of the mitt), plus parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Oregon, etc...lol.

Ummm, unless things have changed in Canada, 'good, old fashioned rock salt" is still Sodium Chloride.

[Rembrant]

Ummm, unless things have changed in Canada, 'good, old fashioned rock salt" is still Sodium Chloride.

LOL...yes, of course. Sorry, by calling it Sodium Chloride I thought you were referring to applying it in liquid form. I've seen where some places spray it from a tank truck. If they're still loading it into dump trucks there like gravel, then we are doing the same;)>

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ummm, unless things have changed in Canada, 'good, old fashioned rock salt" is still Sodium Chloride.

LOL...yes, of course. Sorry, by calling it Sodium Chloride I thought you were referring to applying it in liquid form. I've seen where some places spray it from a tank truck. If they're still loading it into dump trucks there like gravel, then we are doing the same;)>

We get lots of brine and Magnesium Chloride pre-treatment.

During and after the storm it's salt, sometimes mixed with grit.