Okay, so I'm new here....however, I've had a 1985 F150; 302; Injected; Long Bed; automatic transmission; 2-wheel drive for a few years now. I bought it off of a friend that was on his way to the junk yard with it about four years ago. It has no body damage, no rust, and I've not had to do any major work to the engine or drive-train so far.

Here is were you guys come in: I want to start working on it and making it more trust-worthy. I am a maintenance electrician by profession and this truck is not a primary vehicle. I mention this for two reasons, the obvious one being I've got plenty of down-time on it, but the second is that I have to budget anything for it. Take a look at what I have done and what I think should be done and maybe someone could advise what I should be looking towards first. When I ask my maintenance friends they always seem to think that I need to drop a larger motor with headers and the whole-nine-yards in it tomorrow morning. What do you guys/ladies say?

Here is a list of what I have done thus far:
New Brake lines
New brake actuators
new brake master and reservoir
new u-joints
water-pump, thermostat, radiator, hoses
heater core (I was cold last winter )
all new straight-pipes with glass packs and long headers safety-wired in (no cat anymore)
all the "low-hanging-fruit" Transmission fluid, filters, tire, etc....

Here are the items that I know need to be addressed:
The distributor cap is held down by its own weight alone and is original equipment
The coil pack looks.......tired
All of the drag-line steering system, tie ends, etc. look rough.
The headlights are not bright enough for my nighttime eyes...lol

Things that I would like to do...one day:
Change the bench seat to bucket seats
light bar with front end ram
new-er interior panels

 

I recommend doing one thing at a time, and driving it at the same time. You will have to fix the obvious stuff first before driving it, but once you get it on the road, it will be obvious what needs to be done next. Do it and drive it again. What you just did may not work out and you need to do it again.

We are in the same line of work. You know it's easier to break a large problem down into little pieces and tackle it that way(it is for me anyway). Right now you have this big list and it can be intimidating. But just do it a little bit at the time, and it will go better, and since you are driving it your interest will stay with it. I like doing something and then taking it out and seeing the results right after.

You don't have inspections in North Carolina? That exhaust system would not pass up here in Va and it would be a cop caller to boot.

 

You're an electrician, and haven't replaced the ground cables? Hm.. The cobbler's son has no shoes, right? Ha ha. New headlights will often help too, they get pretty dim over time.

 

Well, I had the exhaust done around two years ago. In NC, if the vehicle is above a certain age, the vehicle does not have to have the exhaust inspected. It past inspection with one bolt holding one header on before I had the exhaust done 😊 I'm lucky that I'm still alive...lol about the ground cables. What at you talking about? Just because I can wire your house or design a transformer does not mean that I know everything about my truck's electrical system. Instead of judging me, guide me. Teach a man to fish and all that jaz bro.

 

Well one thing you can do for your headlights is to try getting new bulbs for it and see if that meets you're requirements. Another is to do a headlight relay conversion like I and many others have done which puts more voltage to the headlights and makes them slightly brighter. Another route is to go all the way and do the relay upgrade as well as install composite bulbs and convert to H4/9003 bulbs like modern cars use. I personally have done this as my '82 sports Hella ECE bulbs outfitted with Silverstar Ultras.


As far as making it reliable, that all comes down to maintence. Vehicles will break down and these might be more prone to it but my '82 has never left me stranded but then again the engine was rebuilt back in '93 or so and only has something like 20,000 miles on it at the most. Downside is it uses oil has since its been built as the shop cheaped out and just knurled the valve guides instead of replacing them. But hasn't effected reliability.


Now as far as dropping a big engine in it, that's what everyone says. I am looking at getting a short block 302 to replace this motor and I was going to build up a pretty stout torque engine myself. The corner stone of this project though is I am looking at using a 0.030" overbore 302 roller block and using a modern roller cam but affixing all the OEM style parts to such as balancer, accessory drive mounts, flexplate, etc. Only thing I wont be using stock would be the internals, the heads, and the induction.


Lots of people though tend to go over kill and I have been known to do this as well. Just take your time and think about it and make a decision on what will work best for you but not what others think you should do.

 

Welcome to the forum transformertester

Cap and rotor seem like part of any normal tune up.
If you mean that the clips on the distributor are broken or missing, I would complete the ignition maintenance with a re-manufactured distributor and a new coil.
Budget $100 and work on getting the distributor loose before the day comes.

I wholeheartedly support the idea of a headlamp relay harness.
It not only takes the load off your already taxed dash harness, resistive headlamp switch socket and foot dimmer wiring.
It provides new grounds for the headlamps AWA heavier wiring directly from the positive battery cable.
Mine was around $40 and took a couple of hours for a clean install.
removing the battery, opening the convolute harness across the top of the radiator support, cleaning everything up with zip ties and friction tape, etc...

HUGE difference in the amount of light.
Of course, my later truck does not use sealed beams.
E-code housings and H4 bulbs would help you a lot, I think.

If you're concerned about the steering don't neglect radius arm bushings and the like.
This can be costly, but if you keep it aligned and greased shouldn't ever be a concern again.

Have fun with your new truck!

 

Thanks guys! I'll look into doing the relay setup. That feels the most comfortable as I have the knowledge to build it myself if need be.

I agree with the part by part approach. If you notice, most of the work that I've done so far has been safety related. I just don't want this thing to kill me or my family. I'll start researching the drag line bearing thingys mentioned and types of distributor assemblies (any part numbers that can help me, or to stay away from?)

 

JUST funnin' ya.. ! Oh, Welcome to FTE btw.

Now, before a relay or anything like that I would fix the underlying because dim lights (and thick smoke) are a symptom, not a feature.

If they are dim now then other systems are likely being "starved" as well, things like ignition. High resistance is our enemy in electrical paths with trucks because so much steel and iron and RUST is used for return path in lieu of copper wire, and what wire is used have connectors that also become oxidized. THEN, if you don't like the headlights start looking for mods.

 

If you're concerned about safety you should probably work on the steering first.
Nothing is more dangerous than a unguided truck.
(even brakes IMHO)

A couple of amps in a ground cable intended for a starter that draws hundreds is like saying "I can't pee in the Erie canal because it will overflow"

Deoxit paste is great for grounds that aren't made well, like where the fender solenoid mounting bolts make the ground path for the relay itself onto a painted fender.

You can make your own headlamp relay kit -but for those who don't have a proper ratcheting crimper and all the fittings- by the time they buy two relays, two headlamp female sockets and the male side, a couple spools of primary wire gauges, and some wire loom they are way beyond the cost.

As for specific parts to stay away from?
There are a few brands to stay away from, and my opinions are not shared by everyone here.

Hard to go wrong with Motorcraft brand (OEM) parts, but they can be pricey.
Check a battery ground cable for your truck!

If you have time to order parts I've found Amazon has algorithms that keep cost below market and Prime always gets them there in a couple of days for free.
RockAuto has great prices on Motorcraft and other brand name parts but watch the shipping charges and delivery times.

 

Thanks. I like rockauto. I typically use them for anything that I have a few days to wait for. In my opinion, the only time that it is okay to pay the local parts guys prices is if I cannot get to work...lol

Good points about the iron body as the ground. In any transformer's design that situation would equal inefficiency, I've not given it much thought but grounds/return paths would equal wonders for me.

I think that I'll tackle the steering first. Time for me to research. I'll be around. Thanks guys. I'll try to post some pictures of big blue in the following days.

 

Personally I took and gave my horns and headlights a good ground and then I haven't done it yet but I have some 10ga black primary wire I will be attaching to the same bolt that holds the ground cable to the block. This will then provide a good ground directly to the battery for my headlights and horn via a dual stud junction block that I installed for 12V power and ground for accessories.