I Just bought my first Ford truck a few weeks ago (4.9 liter) and am
trying to address all sorts of issues in fixing her up. Only 2
questions for now though.
1. Ive got a broken fuel gauge and plan on dropping the gas tank
tomorrow to make repairs. It has the standard 19 gal. tank(mechanical
fuel pump on motor) Im assuming that I need to replace either the
sending unit and/or float, as when I supply "outside" power to the wire
that runs from the tank to the gauge, the fuel gauge does work. The guy
at the Ford dealership parts counter said that it's most likely the
brass float. Ive bought the float and can get the whole sending unit if
needed from usedpartslive.com for $36. I thought maybe someone could
provide some input as to just exactly what the problem is. This appears
to be a very common problem on these models.

2. I also have a master cylinder that leaks/pushes brake fluid past the
gasket. So I went to check out another '85 F150 on a used car lot here
in town to do some comparison work and noticed it has the same issue.
Can anyone say if this is a sign of just needing a new gasket, or the
need for a new master cylinder...or something else? Ive cleaned up the
rim surface and gasket and it definitley leaks less...but leaks all the
same. All of the brakes at each wheel are fine, but pedal response is
felt to be much nearer to the floor than seems normal. I also hear a
one-time click coming from either the front left  brakes or from the
master cylinder(not sure) almost, but not every time I depress the
brake pedal. Any input would be appreciated.
thanks in advance
Steve