First Bull-Nose
 

Hey everyone!

New to this section of the forum, picked up an 83 Bull Nose, 351W, C6, 4x4 all works, looks like a NP 208, is what the case says. Runs great, new carb, new master cylinder, its got a busted manifold bolt in the back, not quite sure what I'm going to do with that yet, it clacks pretty good. But anyways, here she is:

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I'm not expecting any hand outs here, are there any resourses where I can de code this vin sticker? I'm trying to find out some more on the truck, but it doesn't even have any badges, so I have no clue if its an XL, XLT or what it is. I'd like to know, and then try to find some badges. Thanks in advance!

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Congrats man, looks clean! Something that we rarely see up here in Canada lol.

There are others here who will be able to give you more information from the VIN than I can...........but the on-site decoder shows your truck as originally a 351 equipped, 155" wheelbase, F250. The decoder doesn't give the trim package.

Axle code '23' for 1983 is a 3.54 semi-float Dana 60, non limited-slip; 'K' trans is a C6.

Your truck looks clean & straight :) (it's a month older than my F250).

Good looking bullnose, whats your plans for it?

Thanks! Its got some rust, but for the year its in remarkable condition.

I would love to know more for sure. Hopefully someone will chime in. Thank you for what you posted there though! That definatly helps!

Thank you! Nothing really as of yet, just a driver fr now, I live in a small town and didnt want to keep short-tripping my Powerstroke, we will see.

5/83 = Assembled May 1983.

1FT = FoMoCo USA - Ford Truck - Complete Vehicle.

F = Class F - Hydraulic Brakes - 7,001-8,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating range.

X26 = F250 4WD Super Cab Pickup.

G = 5.8L 2V (351W).

1 = Check digit, FoMoCo use only.

D = 1983.

K = Kansas City MO Assembly Plant.

A39518 = 1983 Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

3J = Light Harbor Blue Metallic.

48 = Detroit MI Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling dealer ordered the truck from.

155" Wheelbase.

X261 = F250 4WD Super Cab Pickup, 7,600 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

CBM: CB = Blue Cloth & Vinyl / M = Super Cab Pickup.

K = C6.

23 = Dana 60 Rear Axle / 3.54-1 / No Limited Slip / 5,300 lbs. Rear Axle Capacity.

7 = E0TZ-5310-S .. 2 leaf Front Springs, 3,802 lbs. load rating.

7 = E0TZ-5560-C .. 5 leaf Rear Springs, 2,073 lbs. load rating.

Assuming the following were not removed: No side or wheel opening mouldings: XL

2) E2TZ-16720-G .. 1982/86 XL Front Fender Nameplate.

2) E2TZ-16720-D .. 1982/86 F250 Front Fender Nameplate.

2) E3TZ-9840282-A .. 1983/86 4 X 4 Front Fender Nameplate.

Thank you, Bill!!! :)

Is SWMBO back?

Yes and no. She's staying at Kellogg West (Cal-Poly Pomona-we drove past it when you were here) today and tomorrow while attending the Western States Corrosion Seminar.

Wednesday/Thursday, she'll be in San Diego to attend another confab. She's returning Thursday evening.

How badly are our Western States corroding?? Dangit.

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Depends...

Former Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary located in Long Beach. When the ship arrived in 1967, Cathodic Protection was applied to the hull to prevent corrosion, but...

Several years later, an official from the City of Long Beach decided to cut the hull open, so now with sea water flowing in/out of the engine room, the ship is rusting from the inside out!

The ship has been a huge white elephant, Long Beach would probably like to get rid of it, but...

Several years ago, a Japanese consortium wanted to buy the ship, then tow it to Japan for use as a floating hotel.

But, even if the hole in the hull had plates welded over it, the inside of the hull is so rusty, some people doubt it could make it to Catalina Island (26 miles across the sea) before sinking.

So, most likely because of this, Long Beach decided not to sell the ship and it remains in Long Beach, losing money and rusting away.

Ha!!!!!!!! That's funny! :)

For those unaware, SWMBO = She, who must be obeyed... she's a corrosion specialist of all tings, has a fancy education in it.

Along these lines - Bill, how'd that front lamp post and concrete come out?

That's a good one! If they aren't corroding they are falling off the map - either into the ocean or down the hill.

Yepper, I'm pretty partial to most of 'em, particular the big square ones, and this is the first I'd heard about it.

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It seems to be working ok, thanks for fixing it.
While Mr. Fixit aka Mr. Clean was here, a 5.2 earthquake occurred, it was located only a few miles away, so it really shook the house.

Mr. Fixit aka Mr. Clean never left the bedroom and this was his first earthquake.

The thing is, earthquakes arrived unannounced and leave within seconds. People living in Tornado Alley may have a warning, may not.

So, would y'all rather live in CA or risk having your residencias blown away?

Easy answer. I'll take my chances. Most of the time we get warnings and have more than enough time to make it to the shop, where the storm shelter is. A tornado may cut a 1/2 mile wide for a few miles. Earthquakes impact much larger areas.

Besides, I couldn't pay the taxes and housing costs in the land of fruits and nuts. And, worst of all, my truck would have to run a bog stock 400. Not a chance. ;)

After 28 years of hiatus after being voted out of office (If it's Brown, flush it!), Gov Moonbeam has returned.

But even with all the fruits and nuts, high taxes and liberal left wing do-gooders, I'd rather live here in CA...simply because there are so many attractions not found anywhere else.

For example, how many of y'all can go surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon?

How many of y'all have ever seen the ocean? Maybe it's time to whiz out to CA and get some sun on the beach!

The USS Iowa is out there in LA, would have preferred they docked it at McGregor but I guess too much draft for the Missisippi. Hm. Be handy too, if we wanted to put a hurt on Wisconsin or somethin'... you know how they are... :)

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I may not have been able to go skiing in the afternoon, but I'd rather live on the AZ side of the Colorado. You can see all the CA attractions without paying the taxes. Also, my 81 F150 was a local truck, so it had 0 rust, and better paint than half of these west Texas/New Mexico trucks that are half as hold have.

BTW, thanks to my volunteering, I have seen the Pacific from BOTH sides, and the Atlantic. I would rather be back in GA, or AZ. I'll take a sandstorm over a tornado or quake any day. You can always repaint.

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING

WARNING This beach allows exposure to ultraviolet radiation emitted by
the sun which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth
defects or other reproductive harm.

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You know the story, doncha? After the turret explosion, the USS Iowa (BB-61) was mothballed in Suisun Bay.

No one wanted it, as it had a stigmata attached to it...due to what the USN said...caused the explosion.

But after the USN changed their mind on what caused the explosion, the ship was desired.

Stockton wanted it, but the city is bankrupt, so couldn't raise the needed funds. Vallejo wanted it, planned to berth it at the former USN base on Mare Island. But funding was also wanting.

A well funded private investment group, headed by a fellow who is a relative of FDR, formed the Pacific Battleship Center, applied to the USN to get the ship.

It was granted, the ship was towed to Richmond to have years of bird poop removed, a new exterior paint job and Cathodic Protection applied. Then it was towed to San Pedro (Los Angeles Harbor), where it now resides as a museum ship.

All four Iowa Class Battleships are now museum ships. USS New Jersey (BB-62): Camden NJ - USS Missouri (BB-63): Pearl Harbor - USS Wisconsin (BB-64): Hampton Roads VA

And btw: I'm a volunteer on the USS Iowa. :) Signed up before the Pacific Battleship Center was awarded the ship, because I figured they would get it.

No kiddin'?

What was the deal with the teak wood deck, thought ships in mothballs were supposed to be maintained. Not sure that can be replaced, or it's gonna take a lot of little kids sending in their quarters to the foundation, teak is pricey stuff.

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The teak deck is rough as a cob, was not maintained. Parts of it were sanded and refinished when the ship was in Richmond, but most of it is covered with plywood.

When FTE's SoCal Chapter had a GTG on the Iowa, I did not conduct the tour, as policy had changed. Volunteers were no longer needed as tour guides, were only located here and there for info.

I'm pretty well informed, as I've been a USN history buff for over 50 years, specializing in BB's and the Pearl Harbor Attack.

Marv (SpringerPop) and I were the first aboard, were greeted by a volunteer. He said be careful of the plywood decking, it's loose in some areas.

I said the plywood covers the teak deck. Oh no, he said, the plywood is the original. What an idiot!

I reported this wheeze to Sue Schmidt, the volunteer coordinator, said give him something else to do, like mucking out heads!

Pics of the GTG are in the SoCal Chapter forum, I'm the guy wearing the USS Iowa hat and red shirt. SWMBO is also pictured.

The USS North Carolina (located in Wilmington NC) had most of her teak deck replaced recently, the cost of the teak alone was several hundred thousand dollars.

The USS Missouri had some of her teak deck replaced recently when she was dry docked in Pearl Harbor to have rusty holes in the bow repaired. Yes, the ship was leaking, the holes were located before the armor belt.

The USS Texas (located adjacent to San Jacinto battlefield, east of Houston), is the only battleship extant (afloat) to serve in both World Wars.

The Texas' hull is badly rusted, is leaking so badly, that pumps are working 24/7 to keep her afloat.

Several years prior, the Texas was dry docked at the Todd Shipyard in Houston to have some of hull plating replaced, but the costs prevented all of it from being replaced.

Thank-you for that! I appreciate that. Reps sent.

So what your saying is, its possible that this truck didn't have any emblems from the factory? There are no holes for them, but I thought they may have been filled, or new fenders, hard to say.

Its been neat reading the stories on the old ships, I'm more into airplanes myself. WWII ones especially, like the P-51, P-47, Corsair, Wildcat, Fw-190, Me 109, B-17, B-29, I could go on!

I did not say your truck did not come with emblems, quite the contrary.

Your truck would have come with the F250 & 4 X 4 emblems, not sure if it came with the XL emblems.

XL's did not come with side or wheel opening mouldings, but a prior owner could have removed them...which means if it had them originally, it's not an XL.

btw: Brewster Buffalo: Poster 'child' for an obsolete airplane. The Dutch & Brits flew them in Southeast Asia, but by March 1942, only 2 remained (in Rangoon) and soon they too were lost.

The USN had disposed of theirs long before. Some were placed on the USS Saratoga (CV-3), then dumped into the ocean off San Diego!

I'm with you Bill...lived in Cali for 46 years and have been in 2 Earthquakes that I actually felt...you can keep them Tornados, Hurricanes, bugs, humidity and all the other great things that come with a cheap living!

My bad, I misunderstood. If love to find some emblems for it. It looks too plain without them.

Then I recommend the Custom emblems and the F250 emblems. Custom was the 80-81 equivalent of the XL trim, and you can say you have a custom truck.

When I got this truck it was making a noise in the driveline. But I have figured out its the midship bearing growling. So I started on that tonight, but I found a cooked u joint. So I'm just going to save up and change the bearing and all the u joints. May as well since you have to take it all down anyways.

I also have to address the broken back shock. It's actually the mount that broke, but thankfully the truck came with new shocks and mounts. A little treatment with the blue wrench should get the old ones out.

Thank you everyone for all the information! I usually hang out on the powerstroke forum. This is a wonderful place with great people and a wealth of information.