Wouldn't surprise me; I had removed a cowl from a 1982 F250 in a junkyard and couldn't
see that it easily disconnected from the mast.

I'm wondering if he even needs to go that far, or if he can merely open the thing up
enough to get at the heater box nut he's after by merely unscrewing the cowl (which he's
apparently done) and supporting it up out of the way someplace, kinda like you do with a
brake caliper.

IIRC he had asked about shop manuals... My best advice is to purchase one or more
Ford Shop Manuals, those thing have WAY more information than Haynes or Chilton. A
place I've bought this stuff from before offers a new reprint for his 83 F150 but it's $100:
http://www.lloydsautolit.com/Items/1983 Fordtruck Shop Manual/11377.html

Those manuals, while great, don't have any info about the engine, that's a separate
book. I see an eBay store has a Ford Engine manual for $10:
eBay Motors: 1983 FORD F150 F250 BRONCO II RANGER SHOP MANUAL (item 130215051341 end time Dec-11-08 15:22:13 PST)

I don't have an Emissions book though I sometimes wish I did. The Wiring Diagrams
book is good to have, and I've heard good things about the Electrical & Vacuum
Troubleshooting book.

That first place I mentioned above has a variety, see:
Lloyds Auto Liturature available for 1983, Fordtruck, All Categories

There are other places, too, and they show up on eBay from time to time. And, I
understand the original publisher (www.helminc.com) will sell 'em if they have
'em in stock.

-chris

 

Here's a whole set of 'em (used) for $70:
eBay Motors: 1983 FORD TRUCK F150 BRONCO E150 Service Manual 4 VOL (item 330251156014 end time Dec-05-08 15:33:52 PST)

 

The factory manuals are the best but expensive. The Haynes manual is a good starting point and is geared more to the DIY and it is cheap. I used to use Chiltons years ago but have found the Haynes a bit more useful.
YMMV
regards
rikard

 

Thanks regarding the manuals.

Also, after I get the cowl off, then what? It's just more metal (or rust, in my case), but there doesn't appear to be any way to remove it. The only possible access I'd have at that nut looks like a hole as big around as my index finger, and I don't think there are pliers in the world that'd be long enough. I didn't take a really close look because of time, but please tell me that I'm wrong.

 

The first tool that comes to mind is a socket on an extension bar.

 

Alright, I think I have another plan of attack, but it's really not mechanical in nature or requiring of any special knowledge. Let's pretend I'm back at my heater case, instead of this cowl fiasco at the moment. To get the final bolt out, theoretically, if I pull on the head while trying to unscrew it, the nut on the other side should encounter friction against the inside of the firewall, and therefore spin very slightly less than the bolt with each rotation. Although it will take forever, at some point the bolt -should- come out. Does that sound about right? Keep in mind, when this is all done and over with, I'm not putting this bolt back in, so cutting it is not out of the question. Has anyone ever done anything like this before?

 

Heh

I half-heartedly tried the friction method you described without much luck; it loosened
some but I didn't spend a whole lot of time or effort on it before I gave up.

I also thought about a grinding wheel on an electric drill to do as you suggested - was
thinking of grinding the head off and never replacing that nut & bolt until I remove the cowl
again. But I never spent any actual time on it, I don't know if such an apparatus would
actually fit in there.

You might be able to use a hacksaw blade or a small, hand-held saw shaped like a
kitchen utility knife.

Back to the friction thing (and assuming you've got the bolt loosened to the point that
there's at least 1/4" or so space between the bolt head & housing) an idea comes to
mind, something like a crowbar that could be inserted in back of the head and used to
put outward pressure on it while you try to unscrew it some more. No idea if it'd
work but it's what comes to mind.

I'm guess you don't have a 1/4"-drive socket set? Harbor Freight would have 'em for
cheap as would Sears if you got the non-Craftsman variant (I think that brand is called
"Companion").

Ah, the joys of automobile maintenance Let us know how it comes along, 'k? Not
that you haven't been doing that already....

-ct

 

Fortunately, my dad has a lot of tools lying around including a Craftsman socket set . Unfortunately, it doesn't have that extension bar dealie you mentioned, so I wouldn't be able to get to the nut through the hole. Those other ideas mentioned sound pretty good, I should be able to give them a try over the next few days and I'll report back if they worked or not.

 

Caleb,
Just think...the next time someone asks for advice on any of the items you've been working on YOU will have plenty of first hand experience to pass on.

Don't let the age/inexperience thing bother you too much as nearly everyone on this site has worked on SOME part for the very first time and will need some advice.

After all this work, just imagine the grin that will be on your face the first time that hot air comes shooting out of the floor ducts!

 

Well, with the help of my grandpa, not only did that nut come off, but the heater core has been replaced in its entirety. Got everything back together, hooked all the wires and cables back up and it works, I just have yet to rehook the hoses. Thanks to everyone who helped on this thread, even though it dragged out to six pages, it helped me a lot and maybe even some other folks. At the time of the first post, I didn't even know what a heater core looked like , now I know how to replace one (among other things like the wiper arms, and cowl).


(Also, in case you're curious, the nut came out with some pulling while loosening it. My grandpa stuck it back in backwards and double nutted it, so if I ever need to do this again, it will be significantly easier)

Coming soon to forums near you: A seven page thread about brake boosters

 

I just got done with my heater core today too, and i had absolute hell trying to find the right one for my rig. I didn't realize that there were 3 different heater cores for these trucks, quite confusing actually.

Glad ya got it fixed, glad i got mine fixed, no more cold mornings without heat!

 

81-F150-Explorer

At some time in the past I saw you list these capacity details, but for the V8 engines (with the various cooling options, & row counts) - I lost them in a computer melt-down, & now can't find that thread.

Could you give them again please, or point me to the thread if you remember it?

Thank you.

 

That PITA nut everyone having problems with. Can be access by removing the blower motor.