Just purchased my first Bullnose. 85 F150 Base Model. 2wd 4.9L 300. 3speed w/OD TOD.

Got this bad boy from a older guy in town who had to have some money or the judge was gonna put him in jail. ($400) He even threw in all the tools in the back. Just walked away from it as it sat. It runs and drives perfectly. There are times when i think it runs smoother than my 2007. Shifts a little rough at times, but im pretty sure it just needs to have the clutch system bled and or a new slave cylinder.

THE BAD:
#1 When I first got the truck the key switch was fouled. So the old gent pulled the shroud off the steering column so he could access the ignition rod. Add in a wall light switch to the dash and run wires from the starter solenoid and you’re back in business. (wires ran outside the hood and around the door. Not through the firewall)
#2 “He liked dem Switches” At some point the brake lights stopped working. So along with the starter wires, he rain separate wires with toggle switches to the brake lights and tail lights. That’s right. When you came to a stop you had to flip a switch that was mounted just in front of the steering wheel. The saddest part is he wasn’t even smart enough to use the existing wire. He ran separate wires (Speaker wires) to the tail lights and cut the factory wiring.
#3 The Small fixes that never happened. Speakers are gone. The radio of course gone. Interior dome lights don’t work. Brake lights are now rewired correctly… But still not working. Tail lights work perfectly though. I have narrowed down the brake light issue to somewhere in between the brake pedal switch and the plug just past the firewall. Like most old engines it leaks oil around the valve and tappet covers. Also needs new rubber for the doors and windows (Any advice on a good place to order these things for cheap would be great) Carpet is a piece of outdoor carpet someone screwed into the floor. (Anyone out there re-carpeted one on their own with success? I don’t want to spend $150 on new carpet in a $400 ride) All the rest is pretty much cosmetic. IT was originally painted the ford Metallic grey from the factory….. Then an ugly baby blue that was looked to be spray canned on…. The final coat was of a grey latex wall paint that someone had left over from painting the inside of their house….. And yes if you were wondering it was paint brushed on! But they decided there was no need to paint the top of the cab… So it’s still baby blue.

The first big question I have for you experts out there………. As far as the interior goes… I would really like to have the interior from say an early 90s model. I recently saw a truck on craigslist with an 85 body…. 92 Dash and 93 door/door panel. (Yes the whole door was off a 92) Are these parts easy interchangeable from the early 80s to the early 90s body style… Or did those boys on craigslist do some heavy modifications. Any and all help is much appreciated

 

Changing dashes and stuff like that around is a lot of work. They changed some things around(like pedal bracket mounting), even though the later cabs are somewhat the same as yours.

You think you have wiring problems now, just put a later model dash with the different wiring into your truck. And then you have A/C, non A/C differences. Around 93 or so they started using a electronic speedo, yours is mechanical, so that's another can of worms.

There is nothing wrong with using some of the interior pieces in your truck from a later model, like the seat. Someone tried to use a carpet/mat from a later truck and found the floor shifter location was different, so if you try that it might be a problem. If you want something cheap for the floor, go to Walmart and buy that cheap black automotive carpet they sell, and get a can of spray adhesive. It's thin enough to where you can glue it in place and it works better than nothing.

 

Welcome to the forum, Vanlan!

 

Welcome to FTE! You'll find lots of help here.

That's a good way to spend $400. Once you work through some of the issues I'll bet you'll get getting 20 MPG - like David is. Good buy!

 

Sorry to hear of the Old Gent's misfortune and having to part with his truck.
Welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks to all for the replies and the welcomes... I have already learned a lot just from the couple days since i joined. Definitely a wealth of knowledge here!

I really doubt the fellar i bought this rig from was being honest with his reasoning in needing money... Judging by his disparity and lack of teeth he might have needed the $$ to make a score.

 

I wanted to post pics but for some reason it wont let me. Anyone have any tips on this? i took them with my iphone and im pretty sure they are to large to be added.

 

I read your first post and thought "Meth, it's a hell of a drug..."

These old trucks are simple to work on and -as you now know- can put up with abuse and keep on going.

Weicome to the forum.
I hope you find all the help you need here!

 

This.....I thought something similar. lol. I'm actually in the process of buying back the 83 that I sold last year. I'm excited to be getting it back.

Good luck on the rehabing. Wiring is always a fun one, but once you figure out what they did, its usually pretty straight forward from there. Completley doable.

Once again, welcome!

 

Thank you sir. I just gotta find the time to do the work now... Really need to get my garage situated like i want it so i have room to work... About par for the course. Gotta work on something so you can have room to work on something.

 

Sounds about right, on all counts. Lol. Seems like I'm always doing something to something, so I have room to work on something else. lol. Keep us apprised on your progress.

You may need to post some more before it will let you post pictures. Otherwise you can up load them to a photo service such as photobucket or flickr, or somthing like that, and link them back to here.

 

Have a look here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1317203-new-photo-uploader-a-picture-guide.html

 

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