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I took pictures of both my '81 and '85 and don't see differences on a quick comparison. I was going to upload and will try again, but I've used Photobucket in the past and now they want an annual $399 fee to do it going forward.
I'm somewhat of a techno idiot, so bear with me, but if anyone has a work around, I'll be glad to hear it. Remember to phrase it in a way that someone that grew up with dial telephones will understand.............
I just switched to "Flickr". It's free and you can hot-link your photos to other sites/forums like Photobucket.
I grew up with dial telephones - I'm 70. So maybe I can explain it.
If the pictures are on the computer you are using to post with:
Click the yellow "postcard" icon
Depending in the computer/device you are on that gives you a window that has a few options that includes Browse Your Device, or something close. Click that one.
Now navigate the file system tree to the picture or pictures. If the pics are on a memory stick you'll probably need to click This PC and select the drive letter for that stick.
Click on the pic or pics you want and hit Use
That will upload them to FTE in a temporary window, and if you are on a real computer you can drag them around to change the order. When you are happy with the order hit Insert and it will put a set of code in your post wherever your cursor was.
I grew up with dial telephones - I'm 70. So maybe I can explain it.
I was on a tour of a historic home and they had a rotary dial phone from the 50s or 60s. The lady giving the tour said they bring school kids through the tour, and she asks the kids if "anyone knows how to make a call with this old style phone" and the kids have no idea. They don't grasp that you need to stick your finger in the dial "hole" for the digit you want and rotate the dial and release, and repeat ...
I was at some training thing for work a couple years ago and for an exercise we were supposed to brainstorm a list of features we would want in a camera. Some of the younger engineers said things like: "the ability to surf the web" "the ability to send texts" "the ability to load pictures directly to social media".
And, just the other day was the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone. So the "smart phone" hasn't been around too much longer than that, but it sure has transformed things.
Anyway, I got the spacers made today and put in place. I didn't have enough 1/2" material so I used two pieces of 1/4" on each side in the back, as shown below. But, tomorrow I'll tack them together so they can't move from each other. As for the front, I did have enough 1/2" material to make them. And everything fits nicely and there's as much support for the crossmember as there was before.
And this pic shows the spacing 'tween the crossmember and the receiver: ~ .1" But the crossmember is just touching the receiver at the rear, so 1/2" spacers are just right as nothing is being pushed out of its natural place by the other.
Tomorrow I hope to weld the angle to the crossmember, now that I know exactly where everything will go. And, before that I'll drill the holes in the angle and then pull the receiver and drill the holes in it. Once all of that is done it is time to clean, blast, and powder-coat everything - including those red sway bar brackets seen in the first pic. (Sorry, Vernon. Our tastes differ.)
Okay, this has taken a while, sorry about that. Flickr has some differences and I'm sure I took the long way around, but finally got there.
I've tried to group similar shots of the trucks together. To be honest, I don't really see any differences other than the top mount for the radiators. Remember Joe replaced the radiator in the '81 and it doesn't quite fit right as you can tell by the top mounts being on an incline. I was going to try and adjust/shim those, but they work and it doesn't bother me that bad. This thing is a driver and doesn't have the hood lifted in public except when I'm gassing up and checking the fluids.
If there is something in particular that you want to see or measure, let me know and I'll get it.
1985 - 1986 F150-F350
MUST RE-USE BRACKET FROM OLD SUPPORT
But I don't know what bracket, so I will call and see.
What does your lower radiator mount look like? I think that is what they are talking about. I've heard 85-96 are different than 80-84. I have pictures of my 84 rad support, and when I put 95 lower mounts on if you need them
Jim - Thanks, a bunch, for the pics. I do see the top radiator mount differences, but I think there is a difference at the bottom as well. I'll have to check Big Blue's mount vs that on Dad's truck in order to answer 1985 Bronco's question. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow.
Also, there is a difference in where the fresh air inlet is. On the 81 the spot for the cutout is high, and on the 85 it is low. For most people it might not make a difference, but as I'm plumbing fresh air to the air cleaner on both sides and have the auxiliary battery I think I need it to be low. But, I plan to check that tomorrow as well.
So, why tomorrow? What did I do today? Beside helping my brother find the right transfer pump for his toy hauler and working an issue at church, I ordered a radio bezel that both David and Jonathan found for me. Thanks, guys!
And then I worked on the front receiver, getting both it and the angle drilled to match, and the angle welded to the crossmember. Here's the receiver fitted to the crossmember:
Jim - Thanks, a bunch, for the pics. I do see the top radiator mount differences, but I think there is a difference at the bottom as well. I'll have to check Big Blue's mount vs that on Dad's truck in order to answer 1985 Bronco's question. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow.
Actually, after looking closer at Jim's photos with a brighter screen, I can see the difference. The 85 and up trucks use these little cups to hold the bottom of the rad in.
There are 3-4 spot welds holding them on to the support. I transferred them over from my 95 support to my 84 support when I did my swap
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