LOL now that I have your attention - a little about myself!

I've been a lifelong Ford addict and I've owned a number of trucks including a new '96 F250 4WD w/5.8 & ZF, 4 Mustangs from '69 to '04, an Econoline, and some small cars like most recently a ZX2 that we bought new in '00, put almost 200K miles on and sold it cheap.

I do deviate sometimes and currently own an '05 Dodge Magnum R/T wagon (5.7 Hemi), and also a '69 AMC Rambler (American) with a '70 AMX 390 and SVO T5. Basically, no Chebies...

I'm a lifelong motorcyclist and current passion is LD - long distance riding. My LD friends are for the most part members of the IBA - Ironbutt association. I have modified an '09 Yamaha FJR1300 specifically for this purpose with 2 gps', an extra gas tank, several types of comm, and even a hula girl for good luck.

One more also is that I'm retired USN - reservist. I did 7+ yrs active on a sub tender and a SSBN type submarine, then did balance of almost 25 yrs in the reserves, serving on 2 frigates, the Seabees, and some other great units. I retired as a CPO.

I joined this forum because after several yrs without a pickup of any kind (last truck-ish vehicle was a Econoline cargo) I recently picked up a well worn '85 F150 4x4, 300 six, NP435, NP208, and unsure rear end ratios yet, but they are not super low. It's also got ice cold AC - a must down here in Central Florida!

Main effort so far is getting it to run smooth (really rough idle now), fix the oil leaks (mainly from the side covers), and a few other fixes.

I found a rebuilt Autozone head on craigslist cheap from a guy that put it on his '84 and his problem turned out to be a cracked block. My exhaust manifold is cracked so sourced one of those too. Need a few more parts but I'm going to change the head and do some maintenance + further inspection to try to get it running smooth again.

I wasn't originally going to replace the head, but @ $100 for this one I figured what the heck, the price was right and am sure the one on it is getting on wear-wise. Maybe I'll play around with the old one, do some experimental porting and bigger valves - you know, fun in the garage!

I could write a few more paragraphs on this but the main thing is I'm no ASE mechanic but a fair backyard guy, so getting an older truck like this will be easier for me to work on.

Of course, I'd also like to change the NP435 for a ZF, but that's not a concern now. I'll glean what I can from the good info here and ask pointed Q's when I need to. I know from my initial searches on the subject that it has been covered numerous times. Funding won't allow me to do this anyway for a little while, but would like to get a parts list going and start gathering them as I can affordably from craiglist, local junkyards, or ?; we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, looking forward to meeting some of you, learning more about my truck and yours, and bounce ideas I have on how to do it with the knowledgeable folks here.

 

Welcome fljab, I`m glad your kidding, that`s quite the intro!
I'm a lifelong Ford addict too as well as spending abit of time on a motorcyclist.
Post your intro in the local FL chapter and meet those folks too: Florida Chapter - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

Thanks Morris, I'll do that!

 

Good to have ya fljab. I lived in PSL FLA for a couple years, so yes A/C isn't n option down there. Good luck with your build. Sure you'll find the info and probably the parts you need right here @ FTE.

cheers

 

Thanks! I've done some reading already and think one thing I need to run down used parts-wise is a Duraspark II setup. That would allow for future mods I'm thinking about.

I tightened down the cam covers and got it to stop leaking some of the oil, but I'll replace all the gaskets there and clean everything when the head goes on - still got a few parts to get but almost there.

 

They are fun to work on when you want to. Not so much when you HAVE to. Keep us posted.

 

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