Convert headlights to sealed beam

[Chapap]

call me weird but what I would like to do is scale down a full size front end (grille/headlights) from a ‘76-‘77. Ive pretty much made my 94 look like a ‘70’s truck except for the very front of it.
For better lighting at night I have a 6” light bar on the grille guard, not very retro but not very noticeable. for those that havent seen my ‘70’s styled ranger heres some thumbnails:
View attachment 69135View attachment 69136View attachment 69138View attachment 69139View attachment 69140View attachment 69141View attachment 69142View attachment 69143View attachment 69144

I’ve seen you talking about this truck on another thread. I was very close to getting a 1995 f350 until the seller pulled out. Probably a good thing with gas going how it’s going. I wanted 4 doors, which was only an f350 option. I think the 90s f series are good looking trucks. They’re kinda the beginning of the transformation of pickups from work vehicles to luxury vehicles. This is my favorite look with all the extra bodywork.

 

[superj]

i looked at those a few times also /\

i would love one but i barely need a full size truck and for sure don't need a one ton

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I’ve seen you talking about this truck on another thread. I was very close to getting a 1995 f350 until the seller pulled out. Probably a good thing with gas going how it’s going. I wanted 4 doors, which was only an f350 option. I think the 90s f series are good looking trucks. They’re kinda the beginning of the transformation of pickups from work vehicles to luxury vehicles. This is my favorite look with all the extra bodywork.
View attachment 69157

92-96/7 F series are great trucks. Comfy and civilized but still have enough truck DNA to function as a truck.

Not quite as perfect as a 73-79 but much better then whats came after.

 

[fastpakr]

I wish the '92 I bought years ago wasn't such a miserable POS. There was a lot to like about it.

 

[Shran]

I’ve seen you talking about this truck on another thread. I was very close to getting a 1995 f350 until the seller pulled out. Probably a good thing with gas going how it’s going. I wanted 4 doors, which was only an f350 option. I think the 90s f series are good looking trucks. They’re kinda the beginning of the transformation of pickups from work vehicles to luxury vehicles. This is my favorite look with all the extra bodywork.
View attachment 69157

All that extra body work equal rust city up here!

92-97 were great looking trucks, I've seen a bunch of them with 3, 400k+ miles. 351w and 7.3 (1 ton) trucks were about as good as it gets. Super Duty platform is still a significant upgrade though...IMO.

Back to the original topic, not sure why you would want sealed beam headlights. The newer style headlights will light up much more of the road...sealed beams are kind of just a spot light, major downgrade. If you want more light, add more lights. I put two little LED flood lights in the grille of my Explorer and it made a huge difference, really lights up the sides of the road where deer like to hang out.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I wish the '92 I bought years ago wasn't such a miserable POS. There was a lot to like about it.

What was wrong with it? My 97 has been a problem child but i blame the PO as im pretty sure its was massivly overheated at one point.

 

[fastpakr]

It's been several years, but from memory...

I didn't realize it at the time I bought it, but it was a factory manual transmission truck that someone had swapped a small block C6 into. Badly.

Vibrations. Coming from everywhere. I never found the sources of most of them, but it was unpleasant enough that for all practical purposes my ex wife wanted nothing do do with the truck.
Rust. Lots of it. Most covered by the fender flares I eventually bought for it, but still visible in spots.
Wandering steering. It needed a thorough overhaul of every bushing front to back.

Also, if I remember correctly, it was a dual tank truck that only worked properly through one tank.

Pretty sure there was a lot more to it, but that's what springs to mind years later.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

It's been several years, but from memory...

I didn't realize it at the time I bought it, but it was a factory manual transmission truck that someone had swapped a small block C6 into. Badly.

Vibrations. Coming from everywhere. I never found the sources of most of them, but it was unpleasant enough that for all practical purposes my ex wife wanted nothing do do with the truck.
Rust. Lots of it. Most covered by the fender flares I eventually bought for it, but still visible in spots.
Wandering steering. It needed a thorough overhaul of every bushing front to back.

Also, if I remember correctly, it was a dual tank truck that only worked properly through one tank.

Pretty sure there was a lot more to it, but that's what springs to mind years later.

That sounds alot like the 89 i had. But my 97 is still pretty "tight" overall and honestly it drives just as good as anything. The 92-96/7's (in decent condition) are really a good comprimise between modern reliabilty/driveability and the old school tough as nails durability.

All that extra body work equal rust city up here!

92-97 were great looking trucks, I've seen a bunch of them with 3, 400k+ miles. 351w and 7.3 (1 ton) trucks were about as good as it gets. Super Duty platform is still a significant upgrade though...IMO.

The super duty is a nice platform...but if we are talking about buying one from the earlier days vs buying the last of the OBS's, i think its really wise to go with an OBS. Yes the super duty has it perks but capability wise they are pretty equal, and the 351/460 seem to be as reliable then the 5.4/6.8 (more reliable then the 3 valves) and eaiser/cheaper to fix. Plus it seems super duties rot much much worse then the 92-96's did structurally.

 

[Shran]

The super duty is a nice platform...but if we are talking about buying one from the earlier days vs buying the last of the OBS's, i think its really wise to go with an OBS. Yes the super duty has it perks but capability wise they are pretty equal, and the 351/460 seem to be as reliable then the 5.4/6.8 (more reliable then the 3 valves) and eaiser/cheaper to fix. Plus it seems super duties rot much much worse then the 92-96's did structurally.

My biggest complaints with the OBS trucks are the 460 and the TTB front end. Neither are really "bad" per se but the 460 is really limited with emissions equipment, and I don't feel that the TTB axle has any business being under a 3/4 ton truck for the same why I am not a fan of IFS front suspension in other brands. It's fine in a 1/2 ton.

I have no issues with the 2v 5.4 or either of the V10s. They were really pretty durable. I would never, ever buy a 3v 5.4 truck, or one with a 6.0/6.4... actually I take that back, I would if I ran across a nice one with a bum motor and then I'd LS or Cummins swap it. The new 6.2 gas and 6.7 diesel trucks seem to be very reliable so far.

I can't speak to rust. I think they are about equal in that aspect. Regardless, I've seen many more 07+ GM and Dodge trucks with horrendous rust issues...I think we have it pretty good.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

My biggest complaints with the OBS trucks are the 460 and the TTB front end. Neither are really "bad" per se but the 460 is really limited with emissions equipment, and I don't feel that the TTB axle has any business being under a 3/4 ton truck for the same why I am not a fan of IFS front suspension in other brands. It's fine in a 1/2 ton.

I have no issues with the 2v 5.4 or either of the V10s. They were really pretty durable. I would never, ever buy a 3v 5.4 truck, or one with a 6.0/6.4... actually I take that back, I would if I ran across a nice one with a bum motor and then I'd LS or Cummins swap it. The new 6.2 gas and 6.7 diesel trucks seem to be very reliable so far.

I can't speak to rust. I think they are about equal in that aspect. Regardless, I've seen many more 07+ GM and Dodge trucks with horrendous rust issues...I think we have it pretty good.

You know how many earlier superduties i see driving around leaning from rotted shackles, beds flopping from rotted cross members...etc etc? The joys of living in michigan.

Truth be told im not a *huge* fan of the 460. I wish ford would of stuck with the 400 thru the years. But eh. They are cheaper to fix then a PSD.

The leaf sprung TTB was a funky setup....i never had an real issue with it though.

Didnt the 3V V10s have the same issues as the 3V 5.4's? And yes the mopar/gm stuff rots like crazy.

 

[Chapap]

My biggest complaints with the OBS trucks are the 460 and the TTB front end. Neither are really "bad" per se but the 460 is really limited with emissions equipment, and I don't feel that the TTB axle has any business being under a 3/4 ton truck for the same why I am not a fan of IFS front suspension in other brands. It's fine in a 1/2 ton.

I have no issues with the 2v 5.4 or either of the V10s. They were really pretty durable. I would never, ever buy a 3v 5.4 truck, or one with a 6.0/6.4... actually I take that back, I would if I ran across a nice one with a bum motor and then I'd LS or Cummins swap it. The new 6.2 gas and 6.7 diesel trucks seem to be very reliable so far.

I can't speak to rust. I think they are about equal in that aspect. Regardless, I've seen many more 07+ GM and Dodge trucks with horrendous rust issues...I think we have it pretty good.

I’ve read a little about engines in this era- 351, 360, 390. I can’t yet justify 9mpg for a pretty toy. The amazing part is that they don’t have anything close to reasonable power output for the size and mpg. That’s probably why they last so long. Was tempted by a beautiful 70s f150 with similar red paint with white stripes as the Camaro. Dude worked hard on it. I couldn’t get behind the 360 3 speed as a daily driver tho.

 

[racsan]

I thought the ttb with leaf front springs was dumb, youre twisting the leafs as the suspension cycles, leaf springs ain’t supposed to move that way. Really soft too, put a plow on and instant negative camber when you raise the plow.

 

[Shran]

Didnt the 3V V10s have the same issues as the 3V 5.4's? And yes the mopar/gm stuff rots like crazy.

Nope, totally different animal. The only major issues they had were exhaust manifolds cracking and spark plugs breaking off inside the head when you try to remove them...as opposed to spitting them out on the 2v engines..lol

Yeah, floppy rusted out beds are pretty common here too.

I’ve read a little about engines in this era- 351, 360, 390. I can’t yet justify 9mpg for a pretty toy. The amazing part is that they don’t have anything close to reasonable power output for the size and mpg. That’s probably why they last so long. Was tempted by a beautiful 70s f150 with similar red paint with white stripes as the Camaro. Dude worked hard on it. I couldn’t get behind the 360 3 speed as a daily driver tho.

A 351 Windsor (or 5.8 as they were known more recently) is a totally different engine than a 351M or 351C from back in the day........... or the 352 that was very similar to the 360 and 390. I am referring to trucks from the mid 80's up. Mid teens for mileage in a 351W/5.8 truck from that era is doable. I did have a '76 F250 with a 390 in it and it did get a solid 8mpg all day long. My current F250 also will get 8mpg...fully loaded, pulling 10,000lbs. I can average 10-11 empty...maybe 12 downhill.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I’ve read a little about engines in this era- 351, 360, 390. I can’t yet justify 9mpg for a pretty toy. The amazing part is that they don’t have anything close to reasonable power output for the size and mpg. That’s probably why they last so long. Was tempted by a beautiful 70s f150 with similar red paint with white stripes as the Camaro. Dude worked hard on it. I couldn’t get behind the 360 3 speed as a daily driver tho.

The 400 was killed off because it was so well adapted to early emission controls it was to expensive to work with the 2nd gen controls coming in the 80s.

 

[racsan]

the 400 was a great V8, same bore & stroke as the 300-I6. 9mpg with a C6 & 4.10’s