OBS dash swap for your Brick nose 101

IDIoit

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today i did the complete dash swap.
i installed a 92-97 OBS dash in my 87 F350.
i pulled all of the sheet metal parts, support, and *****'d dash out of a 92 F150

i used a junk dash for mock up, because its gonna fall and get messed up during the install process.

if youre planning on doing a 92-97 wiring swap also, cut the firewall out for the thru firewall connectors
first. it will make removing the back support alot easier.

these are the 3 pieces you need to cut off the donar truck.
lower A pillar, back steering column support mount, and the pedal assembly mount.

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next strip your brick nose stuff.

the piece of galvanized cowl cover needs the 2 brackets cut off.(not pictured)
this is basically where the back support for the steering column support mounts.
also remove the 2 8mm sheet metal screws at the back.
(i will get into this a little later in the post)

also remove the existing steering column mount.

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first things first.
install your 92-97 pedals.
mine is a manual, but its the same process for an auto.
i bolted the pedal assembly to the firewall using the clutch slave bolts, and a bolt where your booster will go.
just to keep the pedals aligned. its the same for brick and OBS.
if auto, just use 2-3 bolts for the booster. or even install the booster.
you will have to bend and manipulate this bracket to fit. but if you cut it off right, it will work great.
this can also be fabbed in without this bracket if you choose to do so. just make sure the pedals mount to something.

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up next, test fitting the dash.

bolt the aluminum steering column support to the dash,
it uses 3 8 mm bolts. if the back is broken, use a different bolt and washers to make sure the support is bolted firmly to the dash.
then bolt your 2 supports on LOOSELY to see where you need to trim so it will fit nicely.

install the dash with the top screws, by the windsheild only.
dont tighten them all the way, you will want to lift the bottom of the dash to get the support mounts on and off to trim and adjust.

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i ended up trimming the bracket as such.
adding some 2 x 1/8" strap to it, long enough to reach the top and the bottom of the kick panel metal.
its hard to get to, and a little flimsy, so i added a piece of the same flat bar to the firewall
after this was done, i used 190 pound push and pull method to make sure it was solid.
you may want to find a cleaner way to install this, im no professional, and this is the hardest part of the swap.

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for the A pillar support,
you will want to make sure than your hood release still fits after you tach the new metal in place.
i ended up cutting this piece a little short, so i welded another piece on to give it more strength.
i thought about boxing the top, but if i want to run some wires through there, i still can.
im going to be putting some of that cheezie door lip molding on the top and bottom so that wires wont get cut.
here it is installed.

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install the dash, and then youre ready to install the 2 center lower supports.
i havnt done these yet, because i still have my HVAC system out.
the last swap i did used the 87-91 style stuff, which lined up perfectly with the 92-97 dash.
i will update this thread after i get that stuff on and explain how i did it.

the passenger side A pillar screw is the same for brick and OBS

after you get the steering colum, im sure you could use all of the OBS steering stuff,
but i opted for some flaming river u-joints and some DD shaft, which i need more of, i stole this column out of another truck.

it was actually pretty simple, just takes some time.
biggest PITA was trying to install the dash (5 or 6 times) by myself.

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Last edited:

IDIoit

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here it is for now
 

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FORDF250HDXLT

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looks like you've been busy! reminds me iv got work to do on chip truck with a rad support to replace.oh boy.

pic tip;
when uploading a single pic to a post,download some little random google image icon and also attach that and your main pic wont show up oversized.
example...............

(i dunno why this works,but it does.)

why did you want to change the dash from 8th gen to 9th gen? just for the styling changes?
 

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IDIoit

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my dash is sub par.
and now i have a super clean interior.
the donar truck is going powerstroke, so im using the dash out of the 460 truck.
since its not going to be used, i decided to update my truck.

thanks for the pic tip!
but i purposely deleted the text in the thread and left it as an attachment, so you can get a close up view of how it looks.
it should hide most of the metal parts with the trim installed.
 

goldsjos18

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could you just use the entire firewall from a donor truck? the old bull noses dont have a spot for the computer and i just wondering if i took the whole wire wall out with a spot weld cutter if it would fall right into place?
 

IDIoit

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that's a hell of a lot of work for not much gain.
I havnt messed with bull noses much, but im sure you can graph the computer slot in it.
but you don't need a computer spot with a c-6, only E4OD
 

IDIoit

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don't forget the IDM.
cut out the firewall for a OBS and graph it in.
 

goldsjos18

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i have a whole donor truck that im taking the wiring harness from so im going to try to route the wiring as close to original as possible. any thing i should be warned about when i pull the motor from the donor truck? any surprises?
 

IDIoit

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I prefer you start your own build thread, this thread is for OBS dash swap only,
lets keep it simple please.
 

IDIoit

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Do we have an update? I got a 91 that is getting a MAF update all because the donor is a 96
been 6 yearsa, and i forgot to update. too funny!
 

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