Wow! You are a glutton for punishment. I've been digging through all of the various Dad's threads to find the nuggets of info, so am well aware of how many pages there are.

Anyway, you may be right on the mirrors. But, I spent a lot of time bracing the head so it couldn't possibly move, and still didn't get it stable. Hopefully the new mirrors with larger bases will be more solid. Guess we will see.

 

Gary, mine don't vibrate at all on Darth and my 77 F-150 had the same mirrors on it and they never gave me a problem. Both trucks have/had the Ford trailer towing mirrors.

 

Gary, it seems like you're going for a mostly original look to the truck. I noticed that the tailgate panel that Kyle sent you has the small black "line" at the bottom. Technically, that was only an option on the Ranger Lariat trucks. What I'm wondering, is that black paint, or a thin piece of vinyl or rubber like the body side moldings?

 

Bill - Glad to hear yours don't vibe. Hopefully mine won't, although I may still brace the door some.

Shaun - It is a thin piece of plastic, and it isn't quite right for Dad's truck - but only you and I will know.

Seriously though, there was some staining or discoloration on the panel, so I used polishing compound and took most of it out. Unfortunately it isn't even, especially around the lettering. So, I may have to pull the letters, polish the whole thing evenly, put a coat of clear on it, and then put the letters back on. And, if I do that I'll have an opportunity to pull the piece of plastic and paint that strip black.

(By the way, I'm disappointed that you didn't point out that the letters are also different. The early letters were about 1/2 the the thickness of the later ones, although I kinda like the thicker ones.)

 

I'm a little bit.....rusty.

 

We need to get that rust off you! You are one of our experts, so need your help.

 

No worries, I still have all of my dealer materials.

The problem is finding the time to log on here.

 

When you get a chance I'd like you to take a look at my new web site. Here's a link to the 80 - 86 area: 1980 - 86 Ford Trucks - Gary's Garagemahal. Info with which to update it, ideas for content, suggestions for upgrades, or corrections would be appreciated. I bet you know lots of details for the year-by-year bit.

 

I have Gary's 1980 - 86 Ford Trucks - Gary's Garagemahal on my bookmarks bar...
stellar stuff !

 

Thanks! Lots more to come as the web site appears to be the place to document things. The nuggets of info are buried in them there threads, but are sure hard to tease out when you need them.

 

Gary, it's been awhile since I poked around. Truck is looking amazing! Great work!

 

Thanks! I need to find out the status so's I can update y'all.

 

Went up to see the truck yesterday. John had found something on the bed he didn't like, so had repainted and cleared it again. It has now cured so he can start sanding and buffing next year. (Next week actually, but it sounds more dramatic that way.) Anyway, it sure looks good!

EDIT: Forgot to say that he expects to have it to me in January. We worked through the process I'll use to put it together, and since I'm going to start with the wiring he's going to install the fenders on the cab when he delivers it. They won't be on permanently as they'll be removed for the engine installation, but they'll be on well enough that I can install the fender liners and stand in the engine compartment to do the wiring, which is necessary since I'm going to be making several changes.

One of the changes is that I'm going to splice two engine compartment harnesses together to give me enough length on the wires to make it neat. The original harness cuts the right rear corner, meaning the passenger side corner, and runs at an angle across the fender liner. I want to run the wiring along the firewall and then along the inside of the fender, and make a tight corner. Another change will be to remove the fusible links and graft in the power distribution box. So, being able to work from within the engine compartment will be essential. And that's the plan, Stan.

 

Wow, that is one sharp looking paint job. Very nice

 

Thanks! I'd driven my 2015 F150, Big Blue, up and from where we were standing we could see down the bed sides on both trucks. There are ripples in the 2015 and none in the 1981. Not sure whether to or .