Thought I would start my own build page here so I would have something to look back on later. Several have heard the story on this truck but I'll give a short overview here as well. The truck was my grandfather's, I happened to be with him (5 yrs old) when he drove it home off the showroom floor. Just this month he surprised me by handing me the title. After replacing the oil pump and shaft, putting some gas and a battery in her I drove it home. Went straight to the DMV grabbed an antique plate for it and just started driving her around. The truck has 79K original miles but was in the garage for about 5 yrs prior to me getting her. as you can see the only thing I have done is remove the bed rails and mirrors to buff the paint out, replaced the steering wheel, put new dual exhaust with flow masters, and installed an old school Sun tach. The other day I took her out for a drive and when I pulled into the driveway the radiator let loose. yep, nice stream of water shooting about 6' straight out of the grill. Took it to the repair shop only to find out it was beyond repair. So, should be getting my new one in tomorrow. Have a few small issues that I'm sorting out little by little but Ill tackle one thing at a time. Want to make sure the drive train is 100% before I start anything else.

 

 

That's a nice looking orange truck you've got there. Good for you getting a family member. Take good care of it and you will always think of your grandfather when you drive or work on it.

 

Motor/ Tranny is a 390/C6, as you can see the radiator is not in the photo...lol
I have an issue with this motor though, she actually runs well but I'm noticing a miss at low rpm after the motor is warm. Popped the valve cover off on the bank that it seems to be coming from and noticed one rocker doesn't seem to be getting oil through the pushrod.... Collapsed lifter????? Just a thought

 

Thanks Grubb, yea was pretty neat handing in the title knowing I was only the second name on it ever. I plan on handing this down to my sons when it's time... That will be when I can't drive it any more lol!!!

 

Congratulations. Thanks for starting your build thread, it'll definitely give you something to look back on.
Your truck looks like it's in pretty decent shape.
The orange color was an exclusive color to the "Explorer" option along with the stripes. The bed rails were also part of the Explorer package but were optional on just about any 8' styleside.
Be sure to keep us updated.

 

You bet I will Mike, you have the same rig don't ya? I ordered new bed bolt kit and insulators from LMC today thinking I may get the bed off to start cleaning the frame up and such but mother nature says not today. I plan on keeping the exterior as much to stock as possible (color, stripes, and options) but want to lower it just a touch and put some pep in the drive train to put my touch on it.

 

Nice! I'm in the process of renewing the 74 F100 390/C6 dad bought new when I was 9. Got a few more miles on it than yours, by about 400K.
The slight miss at idle could be from a collapsed lifter, though it would normally be occompanied by a ticking noise. These old FE engines are known for having a tendancy to burn exhaust valves, so a compression test would be a good idea.

 

Yeah, it's pretty close to yours. Mine had 435,000+ miles on it when I retired it. Now, when it gets back on the road the odometer will start at 1.0 miles (thanks to a NOS speedo) but the rest of the truck will be "0" miles too.

 

Rogue, it's great knowing it's been in the family since birth for sure. Oh I got the slight ticking thing going on. Although not real bad, I'm running 10/30 oil right now. After searching around it sounds as though the 390 could have some oil pressure issues although mine doesn't seem to run low. thinking about moving up to a 10/40 oil though. Mike, do you have a build page? Would love to see some pics of your progress as well.

 

My planned work day on the truck has been stalled by mother nature.....

 

Yes, keeping one of these in the family for nearly 4 decades is great.

Since it has been sitting for a while, the lifter could just be sticking internally. I'd be willing to give the "ATF Trick" a try, where you add 1/2 to full qt of ATF and drive it for a bit, then change the oil. Much cheaper/easier than pulling the intake to replace 1 (or all 16) lifters.

 

I'm just a bit south of you (Oklahoma) so I know what you mean......

 

Rogue, now that I will try... Always easiest attempt first ... lol

 

LOL, almost anything is easier than lifting off a stock cast iron FE intake......