Greetings From North Carolina!!

[Lila_the81Custom]

Greetings Everyone!
I am the proud owner of a 81' F100 Custom.  This is Lila, formerly known as Pearl! She has aptly had her name changed as she is now a gorgeous purple!   She is in full blown restomod overhaul at the moment. A little backstory-- When my grandfather passed nearly 15 years ago, the only thing I wanted was his 1994 F150, that unfortunately did not happen. Last year we came across "Pearl" and I fell in love instantly as it smelled like my grandfathers truck! My husband, a diesel mechanic, promised me years ago that he would get me my truck.....so hear we are! Lila has proven to be the red-headed step child of the bullnose family, as she is a Frankenstein truck! She has an 81' body, a 91' 302, and a 92' M5OD transmission (I think). Never in my life did I ever think that I would be turning wrenches in my spare time, but Covid hit and I needed something to do! It has now turned into my restoration project with the aid of my very patient husband!
I have a lot of questions I am sure may seem simple to many, but Lila is a difficult breed to find information on! I am looking forward sharing my project with all of you...she is going to be one of a kind!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Welcome Jaci!  

We have a few members in North Carolina, as you can see on the members map. ( Bullnose Forum at the top left of the page, Members Map in the drop-down)
Gary will be along to ask you if you want to give a zip code to be included.

Lila looks a little forlorn (as Pearl)
We'd all like to share her adventure in your and your husband's care.
Perhaps you could open a new topic in the 'projects' section?

Seems a good way to occupy yourself with the current state of affairs.
And in the end you'll have a cool ride that you can be proud of!  

So let us know how we might help.
Feel free to join, or start a new thread in the main section if you need some advice or have some input.
Is there anything in particular you're addressing right now?

You've come to the right place!

[Lila_the81Custom]

Thank you Jim!

I am working on a project thread right now! I do have many questions, especially in the swapping territory!

I would be happy to share my zip code with Gary!

[ArdWrknTrk]

It's his forum, he'll be along after dinner I imagine.

You've got a new engine and gearbox, what else are you thinking of?

[kramttocs]

Welcome aboard!

[Lila_the81Custom]

Oh...she has a new everything! Engine and heads spent a few months with the machinist. The only things still "original" on that engine are the valve covers and the oil pan! Upgraded carb and intake, converting drums to discs on rear, replaced AOD for the M5OD, went to true dual exhaust....and I am sure much more I am not thinking of right at this moment!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Sounds interesting!

I was asking more about what you meant by "swapping territory"
Generally we (here) think a lot about "upgrades"
Power steering and brakes where there were none, high output alternators if you are installing lights or a winch, Hydroboost systems, EFI, that sort of thing.

"Part swapping" is what the brake tech at the dealer does.  

So, do you have a hard and fast plan?
A vision of exactly what you want and expect.
Or is it more organic than that?

[grumpin]

Welcome!

[Lila_the81Custom]

Swapping right now is on brakes lol. Bought a drum to disc conversion kit that was absolutely wrong. So we were just going to do a rear axle swap but are struggling to find a compatible mate.  I have been told that early 90's trucks were disc from factory?
We also swapped the automatic transmission for a manual. It came out of a 94 f150 but is stamped as a 92 ranger M5OD. I am having trouble finding the slip yoke for it.

[Gary Lewis]

Welcome!  Yes, I paused for dinner and a movie with my wife.  Anyway, glad you joined!  

We can put you in the map if you give us the zip or a city.  We don't want addresses as we don't want to get that precise and have people show up unexpectedly.

As Jim said, hope you'll start a thread on the whole restomod.  I have a "small" one, or two, of those somewhere on here as I like to document everything.  GO FOR IT!

[ArdWrknTrk]

One thing about swapping axles that you or your husband might already know, lug bolt patterns changed on trucks to a metric standard sometime in the '90's.
So you need to be very careful you don't end up with hubs in the back that won't fit the same wheels as the front.

Also note that the vans went disc but retained the imperial lug pattern for longer than trucks.
And you're going to need an 8.8" rear from an X-150.. whether E for van or F for truck.
250/350 vehicles will have eight lug hubs that don't fit.

The slip yoke is no problem, but see my manifesto about "part" v/s "engineering" numbers in your other thread.

 

[Rembrant]

Welcome aboard Jaci,

Do you have any pictures of your M5OD? There is a white tag with black text I believe on the left hand side. That will tell us quite a bit about this transmission. I have two trucks with this 5spd transmission.

[Rembrant]

Oh, and speaking of brakes I see in your other pictures that this truck had manual brakes? You’ll be upgrading that I assume if you are into disk swaps? I also don’t see a power steering pump was this truck both manual brakes and manual steering? She’d be a brute to drive like that.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm pretty sure Jaci is looking for E8TZ-4841-F
This slip yoke has a damper ring (collar) and is 28 spline, 1 1/2" (38mm) OD, 6 3/4 from center of U-joint to end of spline shaft.

That would be correct for an '92-'96 M5R2 (F2KA, A5344803)


Another question is hydraulic clutch (with the attendant firewall brace) and which steering column to go with?
A manual colour will do away with the gear selector lever.
So, she will have to change the pedal box, and drill a hole in the firewall.

Assuming that going with power steering is going to necessitate a new sector box, it might be wise to eliminate the sloppy rag joint and fit a shaft with a U-joint, like I did.
Maybe best to go with a Saginaw pump and brackets from a van?
Lots of us have done that to get better pressure and eliminate the noise of the C2 pump.

ETA: if installing a booster and master cylinder consider one from an '87 or later 150 series truck.
These have the right ratio, but a more modern plastic reservoir.
The front and rear ports are swapped front to back, and they take a metric residual pressure valve, but they are light years ahead of the all metal ones with the clamp down lid that always leaks and rusts.

[Lila_the81Custom]

Wow! I apparently have so much to learn! I am so excited!
Rembrant- I do not have a picture at this moment of the transmission, I will later today. I do how ever have
                the number off of that sticker it is F2TA KA B263907
               -We are putting power steering into her and have already purchased both the gearbox and the
                pump, that I am now worried will not be accurate.
               -Power brakes have been discussed and put on back burner until will get a little further along with
                 the conversion. I would like to add this modern convenience, as you are
                correct and she will be a brute!
Jim- The transmission is definitely hydraulic! I was planning on  utilizing the original steering column, is that
       not a possibility? And I was pretty sure we were going to have to change out the pedal box!

Yikes! Lila will be an 81' outside and 2020 underneath before we are done!!

[ArdWrknTrk]

The steering box was the same across many, many years.
So it's unlikely there is a fitment problem.

One thing to be mindful of is that power steering boxes can twist and crack the frame (usually between the two rear bolts) if they do not sit flat and the bolts are not properly tight.

Yes, I know. Any manual truck after 1984 had hydraulic clutch.
You can use the auto column, but in that case you'll probably want to remove the shift lever and fit a blank plate to where the gear indicator is.

The firewalls of hydraulic clutch trucks were prone to popping spot welds and actually tearing around the master cylinder in the long term.
There were two different reinforcing plates put out by Ford for this issue.
Since you have never had the hydraulics you won't have any damage now.
So, prophylactically I would find and install the small (triangular) brace that ties the firewall to the transmission tunnel and pinch weld.

These were under $15 from Ford back in the day and they come with all the bolts and longer studs for the cylinder to make up for the plate thickness.
(I can dig up the number, or just search for it)

An adjustable pushrod is recommended.
Be mindful of how you connect the clutch actuator to the pushrod with a little four-fingered plastic clip.
That clip can wear through or crack on installation and cause all kinds of clutch engagement problems.

The thing with the pedal box is that later cabs ('83->) did away with the hole in the floor and had a slightly different way of attaching it. So someone who is better versed in what tabs you need (like Shaun) can advise you here.

The bigger plate covers most all of the firewall and is only indicated if there is already significant damage.

You're going to need power brakes if you want rear discs, so... yeah, you have lots of parts swapping to do.
Poke around salvage yards for ones with '80' & '90's Ford pickups.
I don't know where you are in NC, but there's a nice truck salvage between Pittsboro and Siler City that might help.

[kramttocs]

From what I heard Terrapin is no longer making them (the big one) and JBG is now the only source (aside from used/nos that may surface). That may have changed.

https://shop.broncograveyard.com/83-91-Ford-Bronco-Ford-Truck-Firewall-Clutch-Repair-Bracket/productinfo/34010/?gclid=CjwKCAiAq8f-BRBtEiwAGr3DgTWCyEj0W8l1pNwvsZhT9BhY3ACWcqY4nfTWin1-m_uinWqZdc7EBRoCdlgQAvD_BwE

I see the small one in the jy periodically. If possible, I'd go with the big one even if no existing damage but Jim is correct in that functionally the small one is all that would truly be needed.

[Rembrant]

Lila_the81Custom wrote

Wow! I apparently have so much to learn! I am so excited!
Rembrant- I do not have a picture at this moment of the transmission, I will later today. I do how ever have
                the number off of that sticker it is F2TA KA B263907

Well that number confirms that it is an M5OD-R2 removed from a 1992-1996 4x2 F150. I’ve done this swap myself and have the same trans in my 1984 and I’m currently rebuilding a 1980 also with this same trans. There is one downside to using the 1992-1996 trans in a Bullnose truck. Starting in 1992, the speedometers were electronic and got their signal from the rear end, so there is no provision for a cable driven speedometer. If you are doing a full restomod perhaps you’ll be doing something different with the instruments anyway?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Maybe, but my truck has over 450,000 hard miles on it and my firewall isn't torn or popping, so I wouldn't strip the cab on both sides to install the huge plate of I didn't have to.   💡

[Lila_the81Custom]

She was originally manual. 3 on the tree, only later was it converted to an automatic. This also means that the driveshaft was shortened to accommodate the larger size of auto transmission. Does this make a difference?