Hello all,

I picked up a 1983 Ford F350 Crew Cab dually for $700 recently. The truck's butt ugly but it ran and drove. It did have a few electrical issues so I bought it and thought, "How bad could it be?". Famous last words. Here are a few pics from when I brought it home:











Literally every body panel on the left is toast. I barely coaxed it home due to a dying fuel pump (or so I thought). My wife and I pulled the entire interior out and found all kinds of cut and spliced wiring (badly) along with a bad heater core and bad turn signal switch. And I discovered the cab's bent right below the driver side A-pillar. Lovely. But the truck was cheap and I'm good with the tools so I figure if I can fix everything for a grand or less I'll have me a great truck. More pics of the horror to follow.

Did I mention the cooling system looks like it sat next to the Titanic for a few years?

 

Thanks for sharing the photos and the story. Keep us informed of your progress and have fun!

 

More pics of the carnage. Wrong air cleaner (from a Chevy!) was on the truck with the wrong filter in it. Rusty cooling system.

If you look closely you'll see a pile of rust by the hoses. That's what came out of the hoses when I flexed them. And they sounded crunchy inside...








Looks like the heater core was leaking for a while from all the gunk under it.


Bent cab.

 

Not sure what to do about the cab damage except to let a body shop straighten it. The windshield has a small gap between it and the body at the lower left corner from the hit.

 

On the plus side, the starter and battery are fairly new. The truck runs well and shifts good. No noise from the diff either. And it stops. The left rear wheel cylinder needs replaced though.

 

Looks like you got your hands full with this one! Can't wait to see the progress.

 

I'm thinking it was rolled.

 

Or at least laid on its side.

 

The one mistake people make when they buy a beat up old rolling pile of misery like this is...they grossly underestimate what it will cost to fix 'em.

IMO, by the time you have a great truck, the money you've poured into it (5-7 grand EZ) plus the labor spent, could have bought a great truck to begin with that needed little or nothing in the way of money spent on it.

 

I didn't want to say anything.

 

^^^^^ This

Good god man, you'd have to pay ME $700 to take it, and I wouldn't! You have dedication!

 

Although alot of what is being said is true, we also jest on the forum, so please, do not be discouraged. Have fun and make it happen. Come back with questions and you will receive assistance!

 

Yes but think of the memories I'm making...

I've already set a limit for myself of $2k total on this heap. If I can't get it reliable by then I can part it out and get some of my money back. The 460/C6 combo and rear end are the best parts so far.

I just want a truck for hauling stuff in, doesn't have to be pretty, just reliable.

 

I am looking for a good wiring diagram for this truck. If anyone can point me to a good source or share one with me it would be much appreciated.

 

The shop manual for your truck is always pretty much a necessity. Reprints aren't usually too expensive? Or if you have a printer you can zap off .pdf from the web sites for specific areas that are being worked on. Hard copy is important/handy too.

Agree, if you want reliable transportation this is one way to do it, disregarding cosmetics. Don't see how to limit to a dollar figure on repairs though, wish you better luck than I've had.