Hi, I'm new to the site and new to Ford for that matter... and the country... and importantly to mechanics! I've always loved trucks, especially old ones and particularly Fords. In SA we mostly have Toyota Hiluxes(Tacomas) and all the other new mid-size pick-ups, very few old Fords still running. I've spent the last 9 years in the UK, where trucks are as rare as sunny days! So I started looking for a full size pick-up as soon as I got here and bought an '84 F150 300 I6 4x4 Reg Cab a few weeks ago. Apparently it has 76000 original miles, unable to verify due to the 5 figure odo... The cab is in very good condition and the body is too considering the age. The paint is flaking and it has one or two small rust spots, but otherwise it 'looks' good. The chassis has got serious rust, and most of the gaskets are leaking, not badly though. The transmission is leaking too...

It had a leaking rear brake line which I made my first project. It took a few trips to Autozone and Pepboys, both to get all the tools required and to end up with the correct length of line! The installing part was actually quite easy as I'm sure most of you know.

I then change the brake master cylinder which had a leaking gasket. That was a bit harder as the nuts were seriously seized on. Of course I ended up stripping one and then having to file it smaller! Managed it in the end with only a few expletives uttered! Bleeding the brakes were easy enough too with a 'one man kit'.

Getting the wheels off to check the brakes was another matter! The original tire iron is completely rusted and only useful for taking the hubcaps off. I broke a socket when I tried to use it with a breaker bar. Needless to say I needed a proper 'cross' wheel wrench and even then it took at least an hour per wheel with about two cans of Freeze Off!!

I've also changed the rear shocks which were in a shocking condition!

Cleaning the cab out was hard but gratifying work. As I said it's in pretty good condition and only needed a bit of a scrub and vac. I took the dash off and cut out the breaking speaker hole, still need to fill/cover it. Having trouble finding a speaker covers/grill. Any advice?

Anyway, I'm waffling on and way off track. Can anyone help me decoding the VIN and other plate info? It would be much appreciated as I have no idea what diff, axle and transmission I have.



Thank you for looking and reading.

Rob

 

Here is some resources that may help you out. Go to the link and view the charts
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzI...it?usp=sharing


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzI...it?usp=sharing



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzI...it?usp=sharing

 

Thanks, appreciate that. I'm sure I can probably google search the rest too.

 

Welcome to the forum, Sac79. My brother-in-law was born and raised in South Africa. I had the pleasure of spending two weeks there in 1998. Beautiful country!

 

Thanks for the welcome. Yeah I sometimes miss home, but this is way closer to home than what I've been used to. Currently live in SC, great place so far. Is your truck(86F150six) carb or EFI, assuming you still have that? I'm done working on mine until I'm gainfully employed, but I'm going to have plenty of questions when I start back up again. Some of the threads I've look at have given me a lot of ideas and motivation!

 

OK, this is how I read it, tell me if I mis-read anything.

1FT E F14 Y 9 E L A40321

1FT = WORLD MFR. IDENTIFIER = Ford Motor Company, USA, Truck, Complete Vehicle
E = BRAKES/GVWR CODE = CLASS E = 6,001-7,000 LBS.
F14 = SERIES CODE = F150 4WD PICKUP
Y= ENGINE CODE = 4.9L/300 cid 6-CYL GASOLINE-POWERED, FEEDBACK CARB OR EFI
9 = CHECK DIGIT (IGNORE, FOR FOMOCO USE ONLY)
E = MODEL YEAR CODE = 1984
L = ASSEMBLY PLANT CODE = MICHIGAN TRUCK
A91132 = NUMERICAL SEQUENCE OF ASSEMBLY




EXTERIOR PAINT COLORS = 3F = LIGHT MEDIUM BLUE ACRYLIC ENAMEL
DSO 47 = DISTRICT OF ORIGINAL-PURCHASING DEALER = CINCINNATI
F0211 = 211 lbs. of accessory equipment (e.g. plow) can be placed on the front axle without requiring recertification
T0581 = 581 lbs. total weight of accessory equipment (front + back) w/o requiring recertification
WB 133 = 133" WHEELBASE
TYPE-GVW F142 = PICKUP, 133" WB, 6,250 LBS. GVWR
BODY DB4 =TRANS A = NEW PROCESS 435 4-SPEED MANUAL
AXLE H8 = 3.08:1 RATIO, 3,750 LBS. CAPACITY, FORD, LIMITED SLIP
TAPE = OPTIONAL TAPE STRIPES TYPE
SPRING*** = C GL =***Your label is confusing, there is no "G" or "GL" listed in the book (this field contains front & rear spring codes, separated by a space), assuming L for rear The parts book has no real information on springs other than replacement part numbers, you might do some more investigation based on ID Codes found on the actual springs if you're interested

Source: FoMoCo 1980/89 Light Truck Master Parts Catalog (available on CD from hipoparts.com)

 

Thanks a bunch mister moderator. I've managed to decode the VIN with the links from other users and google etc. I got the axle info from another post by you. Still needed to confirm body and interior colors, trans and diff. Thanks for clarifying the former, I'm pretty sure the front is Dana 44 TTB, rear is either 8"(or is it 8.8?) or 9"... I'm just trying to clarify if the truck is original as claimed or not. Everything so far points in that direction. I am a bit worried about the panel alignments around the front, it's probably been in a fender bender and been fixed well/badly depending how you look at it. I'll put pics up soon and ask for opinions. Thanks again for taking the time to look up that info. Might be an idea to just have scanned pages of the manual up on the site somewhere... Although that would require time and effort too!

 

F150s had the D44 TTB up front, some F250s and all (older) F350s had the D50.

I don't know about the rear axle, the book doesn't describe them in consumer-oriented terms such as by-inch-size like that. Others here are better at that stuff than I am....

Not only would it take time and effort to scan & upload the parts catalog (over 5,000 pages) that thing is copyrighted, so I only uploads bits & pieces of it here & there....

 

Fair point, thanks again though. Will start a new thread with my improvements and many queries...

 

It is carbureted. Originally, it had the feedback system, but has been converted/retrofitted to Duraspark.

Regarding your mention of prior body damage having been repaired... that reminded me of when I was in South Africa, I saw an old automotive body shop and it was referred to as "Panel Beaters". Very descriptive!

 

To ID rear axle: look at it from rear, if it has a bolt-on cover, it is most likely a ford 8.8" but a Dana 44 was used at one point in the rear, not sure if an '86 would have one...
If there isn't a bolt-on cover it is a 9". Both work fine.
As previously mentioned front is a Dana 44 Twin Traction Beam (TTB).

 

Thanks, yes it's a bolt-on cover.

That's all the unknowns identified, thank you for everyone's input.