Periwinkle Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Hello all, Just purchased my first Bullnose, a 1984 Ford F150, 2dr, 2wd, long bed with manual transmission and inline-six motor. I've been reading through this forum and others for a few months to try and best prepare myself for viewing and eventually purchasing a bullnose ford and the day has finally come. It's hard to find a bullnose up here in Ontario, Canada that isn't completely rotted through the cab and box for a reasonable price but I was able to pick this up earlier this week for a great price locally. It needs new floor pans for sure (holse and rot in the floors) but I think the rockers are ok in it. I was wondering if any of the Canadian members have any places to buy parts within Canada, as LMC Trucks shipping is over $300. I am ok with doing an order and picking up across the border, but was wondering if there is anything comparable for smaller stuff like gaskets, window foam, anything that isn't body panels. Although if there is a good body panel supplier in Canada I would welcome that suggestion too! Also struggling to decide what level of the rabbit hole to dive down into. The truck starts and runs and only needs a bit of tuning to seem happy; however, there are definitely oil leaks and I have no maintenance history. Thinking there would be value in doing some preventative maintenance outside of fluids change such as replacing all the gaskets and seals, but wasn't sure if that's a good idea right away or if I should drive it for a bit first. I don't have more than single car garage indoor space so I don't think I can really take the cab and bed off to refresh the frame. Might just need to put it up on jack stands and get under there with a wire brush then get some rust inhibitor on it. Below are some pictures of the engine (covered in leaking oil) and underbody. Fame and mounts all seem good! Thanks for reading! I will have quite a few questions as I go, this is just the beginning. A big part for me will be the bodywork. Although the body isn't too bad, I will need to figure out what is worth fixing today vs what is a future problem. There is some chipping paint/primer and I want to make sure those don;t turn into big rust spots. Thanks Again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Welcome! Glad you joined. We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member’s Map in the menu) and we can add you with a city. You may be close to others. Nice truck. Looks like a good project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Hey Periwinkle, welcome aboard! I'm one of a small handful of regular Canucks on here. I'm in Nova Scotia. I've travelled to Hamilton a few times with work to visit Dofasco, and my wife's niece lives just down the road in St. Catherines. I had a 1984 F150 myself, the same color as yours (I assume your color code is "3P" Medium Blue Metallic?). The Bullnose trucks got a little more predictable later on in their timeline. When I saw the 300 six and hydraulic clutch master, I said to myself this thing is gonna have an NP435 and an 8.8 with 3.08 gears, then I read your signature and was right! Truck was built in Ontario, I assume? Your truck looks to be very original under the hood. Looks like the old 1G alternator, probably a 40amp if it's the original. I don't see a thermal clutch on the rad fan which is a bit odd...I thought they all had clutch fans after about 1981 or 1982 (Gary?). The heat riser and flex pipe still intact on the exhaust manifold is impressive...they usually rotted away and fell off, and nobody ever replaced them. Of interest to the 300/6 fans is the lack of EGR system under the carb, and it appears to be a factory Duraspark ignition truck, which seems to be pretty common in Canada, while rare in the USA (at least by 1984). By the mid-80's, these trucks all had EGR and feedback carbs in the USA. In Canada, they seem to have left most of them with the 70's system, right up until they went to EFI in 1987. I see you have the High Output heater also...another fairly common option on Canadian trucks. I thought that teardrop air cleaner housing went away in the early 80's also, but I'm not 100% sure on that. One of the 300/6 guys here will know. If you're looking to buy Body panels IN Canada, your best bet is to find the local LKQ. They bought what used to be Keystone. They should have a location in Hamilton, and if they don't there will be lots of them in southern Ontario regardless. They have a pretty good catalog online if you Google it. They'll have floor pans and cab corners and all the usual stuff. Other than that, I still use RockAuto for a lot of the basic stuff, and also LMC and Summit. Summit now does free shipping to Canada if you spend $299 or more. I also order stuff and have it shipped to Maine and then pick it up when I'm on a work trip in the area...it's 550km away from me, so I'm quite a bit farther away from the border then you are in Hamilton;). In any case, happy wrenching. Great bunch on here and everybody is friendly and super helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Hey Periwinkle, welcome aboard! I'm one of a small handful of regular Canucks on here. I'm in Nova Scotia. I've travelled to Hamilton a few times with work to visit Dofasco, and my wife's niece lives just down the road in St. Catherines. I had a 1984 F150 myself, the same color as yours (I assume your color code is "3P" Medium Blue Metallic?). The Bullnose trucks got a little more predictable later on in their timeline. When I saw the 300 six and hydraulic clutch master, I said to myself this thing is gonna have an NP435 and an 8.8 with 3.08 gears, then I read your signature and was right! Truck was built in Ontario, I assume? Your truck looks to be very original under the hood. Looks like the old 1G alternator, probably a 40amp if it's the original. I don't see a thermal clutch on the rad fan which is a bit odd...I thought they all had clutch fans after about 1981 or 1982 (Gary?). The heat riser and flex pipe still intact on the exhaust manifold is impressive...they usually rotted away and fell off, and nobody ever replaced them. Of interest to the 300/6 fans is the lack of EGR system under the carb, and it appears to be a factory Duraspark ignition truck, which seems to be pretty common in Canada, while rare in the USA (at least by 1984). By the mid-80's, these trucks all had EGR and feedback carbs in the USA. In Canada, they seem to have left most of them with the 70's system, right up until they went to EFI in 1987. I see you have the High Output heater also...another fairly common option on Canadian trucks. I thought that teardrop air cleaner housing went away in the early 80's also, but I'm not 100% sure on that. One of the 300/6 guys here will know. If you're looking to buy Body panels IN Canada, your best bet is to find the local LKQ. They bought what used to be Keystone. They should have a location in Hamilton, and if they don't there will be lots of them in southern Ontario regardless. They have a pretty good catalog online if you Google it. They'll have floor pans and cab corners and all the usual stuff. Other than that, I still use RockAuto for a lot of the basic stuff, and also LMC and Summit. Summit now does free shipping to Canada if you spend $299 or more. I also order stuff and have it shipped to Maine and then pick it up when I'm on a work trip in the area...it's 550km away from me, so I'm quite a bit farther away from the border then you are in Hamilton;). In any case, happy wrenching. Great bunch on here and everybody is friendly and super helpful! Cory - I haven't been able to figure out from the documentation which trucks came or didn't come with a fan clutch. But I'm pretty sure that the base level trucks with the 300 six didn't get one if they had standard cooling. In fact, I don't think they even got a shroud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Cory - I haven't been able to figure out from the documentation which trucks came or didn't come with a fan clutch. But I'm pretty sure that the base level trucks with the 300 six didn't get one if they had standard cooling. In fact, I don't think they even got a shroud. Welcome to the forum. Gary, I think base I-6 trucks got just the plastic handguard at the top and A/C trucks got the bigger radiator and a shroud. Dave, David or Larry would probably be able to confirm that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Welcome to the forum. Gary, I think base I-6 trucks got just the plastic handguard at the top and A/C trucks got the bigger radiator and a shroud. Dave, David or Larry would probably be able to confirm that. I think you are right, Jim, but I can't seem to find anything that says that. I'd expect it to be in the dealer facts book, but it wasn't in the one I looked at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Periwinkle Posted September 1, 2022 Author Share Posted September 1, 2022 Hey Periwinkle, welcome aboard! I'm one of a small handful of regular Canucks on here. I'm in Nova Scotia. I've travelled to Hamilton a few times with work to visit Dofasco, and my wife's niece lives just down the road in St. Catherines. I had a 1984 F150 myself, the same color as yours (I assume your color code is "3P" Medium Blue Metallic?). The Bullnose trucks got a little more predictable later on in their timeline. When I saw the 300 six and hydraulic clutch master, I said to myself this thing is gonna have an NP435 and an 8.8 with 3.08 gears, then I read your signature and was right! Truck was built in Ontario, I assume? Your truck looks to be very original under the hood. Looks like the old 1G alternator, probably a 40amp if it's the original. I don't see a thermal clutch on the rad fan which is a bit odd...I thought they all had clutch fans after about 1981 or 1982 (Gary?). The heat riser and flex pipe still intact on the exhaust manifold is impressive...they usually rotted away and fell off, and nobody ever replaced them. Of interest to the 300/6 fans is the lack of EGR system under the carb, and it appears to be a factory Duraspark ignition truck, which seems to be pretty common in Canada, while rare in the USA (at least by 1984). By the mid-80's, these trucks all had EGR and feedback carbs in the USA. In Canada, they seem to have left most of them with the 70's system, right up until they went to EFI in 1987. I see you have the High Output heater also...another fairly common option on Canadian trucks. I thought that teardrop air cleaner housing went away in the early 80's also, but I'm not 100% sure on that. One of the 300/6 guys here will know. If you're looking to buy Body panels IN Canada, your best bet is to find the local LKQ. They bought what used to be Keystone. They should have a location in Hamilton, and if they don't there will be lots of them in southern Ontario regardless. They have a pretty good catalog online if you Google it. They'll have floor pans and cab corners and all the usual stuff. Other than that, I still use RockAuto for a lot of the basic stuff, and also LMC and Summit. Summit now does free shipping to Canada if you spend $299 or more. I also order stuff and have it shipped to Maine and then pick it up when I'm on a work trip in the area...it's 550km away from me, so I'm quite a bit farther away from the border then you are in Hamilton;). In any case, happy wrenching. Great bunch on here and everybody is friendly and super helpful! Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Gary, feel free to add me to the map! Rembrant, you're on the money with the Medium Metallic Blue colour. We love the colour and are hoping to preserve it as much as we can as we go. There are a few rust spots I'll need to repair, not sure how I'm going to colour-match or make those look half decent without a whole paint job. Truck was Made in Canada, which is pretty sweet as well! I actually read around on this forum before buying to make sure it had a standard Duraspark II ignition and not the EGR system as I wanted as simple of a system to work with as possible as I'll be learning on this truck. Thank you as well for the recommendation on potential local body panels, I'll check them out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Periwinkle Posted September 1, 2022 Author Share Posted September 1, 2022 Welcome! Glad you joined. We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member’s Map in the menu) and we can add you with a city. You may be close to others. Nice truck. Looks like a good project. Sorry Gary, replied to you in another post but not sure if you'll see it if I don't reply to you directly. Yep, feel free to add me to the map! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Sorry Gary, replied to you in another post but not sure if you'll see it if I don't reply to you directly. Yep, feel free to add me to the map! I saw it in the other post, but somehow I missed the city. I see "Ontario, Canada" in your first post but not the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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