Old Blue - 1984 XL Flareside

[kramttocs]

Does this image help?
Those wrappers screw to the metal frame that runs across the top over the gauge cluster.
Working with AC ducts while doing this is 'fun'. I believe what I did was leave the duct that goes behind the gauges out first and then once everything is in, unscrew the upper side screws of the dash (that go near the A pillar) and tilt the dash outward. It still required some 'squishing' of the duct from what I recall.

[kramttocs]

You may or may not have the retainer that holds the bundle to the parking brake. I've only ever seen it on manuals and not even all of those.

[Gary Lewis]

Does this help?  I have a few others but I think this is the best.

[ckuske]

Thanks to you both!  Yep, both have turned out to be very useful! I forgot about the EVTM as well.  Silly me. I will hopefully have some time to get this finished off this weekend between family activities (of which there are many)

[mat in tn]

I see a lot of wiring in that blue dashboard that was not installed at the factory. what's going on in there?

[Gary Lewis]

I assume you mean mine. Well, there is Mission Control with switches for the front locker, aux power, the inverter, fog lights, backup lights, and air compressor. And there’s a full-blown security system residing under there as well, with door lock controls, impact sensor, and ignition kill.  And the dash cam system, with front and rear camera has a wire or two as well in there.

[FuzzFace2]

I would say anyone wanting to pull the dash, AC or non-AC, is pull the wiring with it.

I had to swap the wiring & dash from my AC parts truck in to my non-AC truck, after a fire wall swap so I could have AC in the non-AC truck.
I took the wiring with the dash. It was easy just mark & disconnect everything from in the engine bay and as you are pulling the dash from the firewall push the wiring into the cab.
Here you can see how I pulled the wiring, ducts with the dash from the parts truck.
It went into my truck the same way after I restored it below.

Here you can see some of the wiring on the right side. That would be for everything going out the fire wall on the right side engine bay.

I dont think I would ever try and remove the dash with out taking the wiring & duct work with it.
Mine did have the "loop" that the fuse box wires went through and IIRC went up and over the pedal assy. to the top of the dash. Truck is a 81 F100 manual
Dave ----

[mat in tn]

absolutely. pull all wiring back through the firewall and then pull the dash loose. with the steering column out, you show the easiest (and the best way to do it without damaging old plastics) with getting it loose and laying it on the seat. two people is very helpful. the ductwork is mounted to the dash anyway and only butts up to the air handler with a foam gasket. anyone in this stage should be looking over all damper doors and vacuum motors while right there.

[FuzzFace2]

mat in tn wrote

absolutely. pull all wiring back through the firewall and then pull the dash loose. with the steering column out, you show the easiest (and the best way to do it without damaging old plastics) with getting it loose and laying it on the seat. two people is very helpful. the ductwork is mounted to the dash anyway and only butts up to the air handler with a foam gasket. anyone in this stage should be looking over all damper doors and vacuum motors while right there.

When I first started the dash & wire removal I was freaking out  AsI knew it was going to be a wile before it went into my truck but felt it was best doing the dash & harness as a whole. With everything marked on the wires before unhooked and any dash bolts & screws bagged & tagged going back together was real easy.
All the wires fell into place as they were going back to the same places.
It was really not as bad as I thought it would have been.
Yes pull dash & wiring as a whole unit is the only way to go

Now you tell me about the damper doors & vacuum motors
When I had my HVAC box off the fire wall I did not know it was something that needed looking into.
So far (knock on wood) the door hinge is good and the motors all work for the most part.

I have a bad vacuum check valve on the juice can and when under load the doors swing from AC vents to defrost till I am back to normal load.
I have bought new ones and they all did the same thing
Maybe a need a 2nd can for more capacity?
It really is not that big a deal but would be nice if it worked right when the AC is on.
Dave ----

[mat in tn]

one of the best tips is "use the cameras available " take pics of every ground point and plug combinations and where anchor loops are. the grommets through the firewall are very self-explanatory.  
vacuum lines are too but be careful with the hard plastic lines. very fragile! the vacuum motor on the ac under the hood is the one which will change the air from vent to recirculation. it is the one most vulnerable to broken vacuum lines due to underhood heat. another very distinct potential vacuum leak is the actual vacuum switch mounted to the side of the hvac control. it is made as two halves and are staked together with metal tabs. they are susceptible to heat warpage and that can allow vacuum loss within it. prove all other vacuum circuits first of course but don't assume that its good or bad.

[FuzzFace2]

My trucks did not have any of the plastic line left when I got them so no worry there.

After the truck was together I was trying to fix a vacuum check valve, still broken, so when on the throttle the damper doors dont move to defrost.
At one point I had no vacuum go to the HVAC controls?
Checking to make sure the supply was still hooked up, it was, and checking for broken vacuum line, it was not that I could find?

I had vacuum right up to the grommet at the fire wall but not inside?
This was the only place I still had a little of that plastic line.
Well it broke inside that grommet!
I had to make a hole in the grommet and push a rubber hose inside to hook to the HVAC control.
It was enouigh to make you start drinking LOL
Dave ----

[ckuske]

The dash is no fun. I am learning what I would do different. I like the suggestion about pulling the wiring through the firewall, as reconnecting everything has become a fun game of looking at pictures, using my memory, and the EVTM.

Thankfully my baggie of dash screws is getting smaller but I’m stumped on a few. I’ll post more later, but does anybody recognize where these would go?  Posting from my phone so the pic is rotated, sorry.

[kramttocs]

Those don't look familiar to me. Are they broke off?
I can think of anything that is a stand off like that. The B pillars have those white  spacers but those aren't them.
Aftermarket radio parts?
Could be wrong but the shine and sharp point on those screws doesn't strike me as factory either.

[ckuske]

It being from an aftermarket radio is a good guess. I completely forgot about that to be honest. I’ll try to keep the guessing game to a minimum but I appreciate the answer in this one. I’m guessing you are indeed correct!

[FuzzFace2]

What ever they are for they look like they broke off a part?
And as said they do not look like factory screwsand I have had 2 trucks completely pull apart down to every last screw

For others when I pulled something apart and "bag & taged" I also put how many screws / nuts / bolts, if they had long & short one where they went on the part.

That went for bolt trucks and come time to put 1 back together I looked at both bags and used the best from each baggie.
Dave ----

[ckuske]

Yep, I have things bagged as well but I had one bag for “dash screws”. If I knew how involved it ended up being, I hope I would have sub-divided it.  At least I though that much ahead when I started this, but I didn't evidently go far enough! Good idea on the long/short screws, I'll try that next time.  To be fair, when I took at this part I didn't think I'd get to it a couple years later.  Now I know better.  

[ckuske]

OK, I actually have a question I think someone can help with.  I have a radio I bought from eBay a few years back - the kind that would have come with the truck originally.  Cassette player, the buttons to set your favorite stations (blew the kids mind on that one)... I have I *think* all the dash wiring working.  Climate control works, courtesy lights, A/C illumination, ash tray illumination, headlight switch light, etc.

The radio wiring has been hacked several times as newer radios have been installed.  The original power connector has the yellow with black hash (on in ACC and RUN), and the blue with red stripe (illumination for radio).  I managed to salvage the existing wiring, I crimped the connector to the wires from the last radio install using the IWISS crimpers.  The connector seems secure (but I haven't applied heat to the tubing yet), and I'm getting a clean 12 V on the yellow wire.

The radio itself has those two wires on the connector, but also a orange I believe with blue dots.  I looked in the EVTM and couldn't see a reference to that but I may have missed it.

Anyway, the pins in the power connector (female side that plugs into the radio end of the plug) fell out.  So, I just put the female connector right onto the radio male pins to test the radio (see pictures)

Long story short, some odd behavior but it's possible I have a bad radio (which is ok I guess, I intend on updating to the Aurora Design guts inside the stock radio chassis, but I hope the cassette drive still works).  

When the key is in ACC, I turn the radio on but no orange light on the top right of the dial (I remember this lighting up from when I was a kid).  If I pull the headlight switch out to running light or headlights, the  illumination comes up.  

So far so good except no illumination on the top right of the dial, right?

After the female spade connectors fell out, I've tried to put them back in and they are a bear.  Any tricks there?

I doubt it, but is there a significance to the orange wire that seems to be missing from my power connector on the truck side but is there on the radio side?  Or could my issue be that I don't have the radio installed into the dash (grounding?)

[FuzzFace2]

That orange wire is on the radio side right?
If so I believe it is for a power ant.
If you turn on the radio and check that wire for power it should have power, turn radio off no power.

As for that yellow light in the upper right corner it comes on when you have a station turned in for stereo.
It sounds like you have the same radio I have in my truck and that light will come on & off depending on how well the station is tuned in. I dont worry about it as long as the radio plays.

The tape plays on mine but the volume is pretty low so need to crank it up and it is still a little low to hear it so I dont play tapes.
No the tapes are not on the dash or seat, they are in the glove box LOL
I should pull them out at shows and have one hanging out of the radio and 1 or 2 on the seat
Dave ----

[ckuske]

Yep, it is on the radio side. Ok, I won’t worry about that then!

I’ll try to scan the dial and see if I can get that light to come on with a good station.

I need to order some speakers, that would have made it more evident haha.

I’ve been getting a nice collection of 80s cassettes going for when I’m feeling extra nostalgic. :)

Thanks for the reply!

[ckuske]

Got the dash bolted in but not everything cinched tight yet as I am leaving the trim install until after I get carpet installed, which is a ways down the road.  

I have speakers on order from Crutchfield (https://www.crutchfield.com/product/item/default.aspx?i=20647KSC65), along with speaker wire to can check out the radio and tape player for that vintage mid-80's sound .

I think I'm going to run just plastic conduit between the door and the cab for the wires to run through.  Electrical tape was used previously.  Thoughts?  

Also, looking through the EVTM (see https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1501633-speaker-wire-color.html) it looks like the negative wire from each speaker runs back to the Black/White Hash wire on the speaker connector.  Is that correct?  Just twist the two negative wires together and crimp that onto the "287" wire on the harness???