My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

[Gary Lewis]

I'd be happy with the gauge reading that way.  Big Blue's gauge frequently sticks on Full+.  And Rusty's gauge had a big gap in the middle of the range where it didn't work until it got close to empty.

Having said that, I'm told that you can bend the arm on the float to adjust it.  But, you risk making it worse or damaging the sending unit.  I'd suggest living with it.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

I'd suggest living with it.

Fair enough, that's all I needed to know. I will live with it. It really doesn't matter all that much, but I figured I'd ask.

[Rembrant]

So I now have an assortment of spare Ford shifter sticks. I absolutely love my 5spd swap, but I've had a mild interest in swapping in a Bullnose correct shifter.

The curvy stick pictured below I believe is from a 1986 F150 with NP435 trans. It was laying on the ground next to the trans which I assume was pulled from this truck.

The long straight one is an M5OD-R2 stick from a 1996 F150, and the short straight one is from an M5OD-R1 (Ford Ranger). The Ranger stick is of zero use to me (it was free anyway) but the attachment socket on the bottom end will work on the "R2" F150/250 transmission. So, I may cut the attachment socket off of the Ranger stick so that it could be welded to the bottom of the NP435 stick.

That's all well and good, and is cheap and easy to do for a test. Problem will now be finding an NP435 rubber shifter boot. Is there an aftermarket source for these? Or a similar boot that looks the same?
Any comments good or bad?

[Rembrant]

I don't want to clog up the forum with non-Bullnose posts, so I won't bother starting a new thread on this topic (it's actually a dead topic anyway), but I stopped to have a look at a Bronco for sale yesterday (with full intentions of swapping in a Bullnose front clip...lol). It is a 1987, with 300/6 and 4spd manual trans (3spd + OD). This seems like an odd combo to me for a Bronco....most of them I ever come across have a SBF and auto trans. It's cheap, and finding one in stock condition around here is extremely rare. Unfortunately the thing is really rusty underneath...far too much of a project for me. It has original paint as far as I know, and the interior was absolutely mint. Has about 100k miles on it.

What a sin to see them decay so badly from the inside out due to rust. It breaks my heart;(

[Gary Lewis]

I like the idea of grafting an NP435 shifter on to be period correct.  As for a boot, they are listed here: Interior/Boots.  You might get lucky and find a NOS one.  In my experience the aftermarket boots haven't been very acceptable, but you may find better ones than I have.

As for the Bronco, that is a shame.  Sometimes you just have to walk away and let someone else deal with all of the ills.  

[1986F150Six]

Rembrant wrote

That's all well and good, and is cheap and easy to do for a test. Problem will now be finding an NP435 rubber shifter boot. Is there an aftermarket source for these? Or a similar boot that looks the same?
Any comments good or bad?

I had no luck finding one, but you did say "similar". Look at this one and see what you think:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/80-86-Ford-Truck-Bronco-80s-90s-F700-Manual-Transmission-shifter-boot/132777259536?hash=item1eea243210:g:nRkAAOSwo9VbEgYs

[Rembrant]

Interesting...

I wonder what exactly that boot was removed from?

Do you guys recognize it as being specific to a certain truck or trans?

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

I've never seen that style of tank.  In fact, unless it is a diesel unit, which I've also never seen, I don't see it in the catalog.

Hey Gary,

Do you remember me posting a picture of my coolant/washer fluid tank a while back? (I was trying to clean it at the time). I think we determined that it was not an original Bullnose tank.

Here's a picture of the one in the '86 F150 at the Pick N Pull. I originally thought that it was the same as mine...but the mounting tabs are different. Otherwise, it appears to be the same. The way this one mounts makes it look like a factory fit. Is this a correct tank?



As a reminder, below is a picture of the tank currently in my truck (with mounting tabs on top). It does mount kinda wonky, so I have no doubt that it doesn't belong.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, the one above from the salvage is a Bullnose unit, as you can see here: Cooling Systems/Coolant Recovery & Windshield Washer Reservoirs.  But it is an '85/86 unit, not the '80/84 unit that would have been in your truck.  However, I think it is better as it has the hose going in at the bottom of the reservoir instead of at the top.

Hopefully you got the mounting bracket as well?

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Hopefully you got the mounting bracket as well?

I didn't take the tank or the bracket because at the time I thought it was the same as what I had. Now that is see that it mounts differently (and that you've confirmed it is correct), I will go back and grab it. The one in my truck with the 2 top tabs doesn't mount quite right anyway. They want $6.50 for it, and for that I'll grab it and get it all cleaned up.

Thanks for confirming Gary!! You're a great help!

[Gary Lewis]

[1986F150Six]

The pictured tank [still at the yard] is the same as the factory one in my 1986. I had a 1984 [type] one at last weekend's show. It will be on its way to Australia.

[Steve83]

1986F150Six wrote

The pictured tank [still at the yard] is the same as the factory one in my 1986.

Does yours have a MotorCraft sticker?  That makes it look like a replacement - not a factory part.

Any original or "correct" replacement tank should not only fit the normal fender & bottom bracket, but also the aux.batt. tray & toolbox plate.

[Rembrant]

Steve83 wrote

1986F150Six wrote

The pictured tank [still at the yard] is the same as the factory one in my 1986.

Does yours have a MotorCraft sticker?  That makes it look like a replacement - not a factory part.

It did have a Motorcraft sticker, but it was half curled up so I peeled it all off when I cleaned the tank in the winter. It looks like it's an original Ford tank...its just not the correct one for the truck.

[Rembrant]

Steve83 wrote

1986F150Six wrote

The pictured tank [still at the yard] is the same as the factory one in my 1986.

Does yours have a MotorCraft sticker?  That makes it look like a replacement - not a factory part.

Somebody commented earlier in this thread that it looked like a Ranger tank, and comparing it to this one currently on Ebay, that is exactly what it appears to be.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272377407867

I'm going to grab the '86 F150 factory one tomorrow and see if I can get it cleaned up reasonably well.

[Rembrant]

This dirty old thing showed up with the courier this morning. Another to-do item on my long list of things. It needs some rehab work, but it was cheap enough I decided to grab it. As far as I know, it's a 1983 (Although the seller claimed that it was a 1982). According to my measurements, a 1982 air filter would be too small for it, and the only 5.0 carbed air cleaner with the black stripe after 1982 was 1983. I should be able to pretty it up and make it more presentable.

[1986F150Six]

Nice!

[Rembrant]

1986F150Six wrote

Nice!

I guess we'll see how well it cleans up. It's in pretty good condition, but there's one little dent in the cover that is going to be a show stopper if I can't somehow smooth it back out. Or...just buy another cover...lol.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, nice!  Gonna look good.  Have you seen my discovery that using the original cold-air plumbing upside down will work to the driver's side of the radiator support?  And, on the ones I've seen, there's a spot on there that can be cut out for cold air.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Yes, nice!  Gonna look good.  Have you seen my discovery that using the original cold-air plumbing upside down will work to the driver's side of the radiator support?  And, on the ones I've seen, there's a spot on there that can be cut out for cold air.

Gary, yes...I've done some (a lot actually...lol) reading on the topic before I got to this point. My core support has the air duct hole on the driver's side already. I'm just waiting for the other intake duct plastic end to get here to see how it will all fit together. My factory air duct looks like it would also work on the driver's side (right side up as well). If it won't fit in the channel of the core support, I have a lot of room to cut a new hole if need be. (Small rad...no A/C = extra core support space on driver's side).