Hello Guy & Girls, I just wanted to throw up a post after lurking for a while now. This is my 82 yr old dad's truck he bought secondhand in 88'. I know how it feels for most of us who have grown up working, camping, hunting, fishing or just riding down a dirt road on the tailgate of the old man's truck. This is a memory and something that shouldn't just be tossed away to the local crusher for the newest shiny overpriced model. Just my opinion, cause some of you may not feel the same as I do. Anyway, I'm very slowly in the process of fixing it up. It's a LB 2WD with Auto/OD, 302ci, EFI, V8. It needs almost everything, but is very dependable and an almost daily driver. I was wanting everyone's opinion on what it would cost to restore back to it's original condition? Granted the dash is cracked, interior is otherwise in good condition. I know it needs bodywork & paint,emblems and tailgate trim/bezel. The underside is very rusty, but it does have a new muffler, from the Cat to the end. I know this is a long & rambling post but Thanks for looking and all advice is appreciated.

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Looks like a real nice truck to me.
The cost to restore it back to new can't be given without seeing the truck in person and going over every inch. I would say $5,000 isn't too hard to spend on any old car/truck.
However I would not get too caught up in fixing everything - I'd just make it reliable and keep it looking nice.

 

Welcome to FTE! As CB said, we can't give you a good # on what it will cost because we don't know what you want to do. Nor do we know the condition of the truck. Let me speak to both of those:

• Do: Are you doing a true restoration, meaning exactly as new? That usually means it is a trailer queen and never driven. Or, do you want to put it back into a driveable state but maybe upgrade some things? I'd recommend this approach as our trucks weren't perfect when new and things like the electrical system can certainly use upgrading. But, you could just have it painted and cleaned up. That'll cost a lot less.
• Condition: These trucks frequently have rust in several places, like the rear wheel arches as yours does, the cab corners, and the floors. Then there are things like the core support mounts and windshield opening, plus many others, that sometimes have rust. And no one can say what it is going to cost to repair a truck until they get it apart.

I"m in the midst of restomod'ing Dad's truck and I've learned a LOT. One thing is not to be in a hurry or it is going to both frustrating and expensive. That's because there are 3 types of shops. The fastest, and most expensive, are those that do true restorations. They can schedule the work and, unless unforeseen problems occur they will get it done to the schedule - and at a significant cost. Then there are those who do collision work to pay the bills and work custom or restoration work in as time allows. They are much less expensive but you cannot expect things to get done on schedule. Last are people who do one vehicle at a time in their spare time, which is usually from doing body or paint work as a professional. They may be a bit less expensive but will probably take even longer to get it done.

So, you need to tell us what you want to do as well as show/tell us about the issues that need to be corrected. THEN we might be able to suggest a price range. But, more likely we'll just ask more questions.

 

Thanks CB & Gary for the insight. I"m thinking more along the lines of your second option Gary. Restoring it to a reliable daily driver with some upgrades. I guess what I should have asked is, What are the best upgrades for this model? Is there any way to improve gas mileage? I currently get a solid 11 MPG & like 15 HWY. I've been told that you can only do so much, which equates to about 3 to 4 MPG. You can't run true duals because of the back pressure issue. There's also part of me that wants to hop it up. It seems like it couldn't pull itself out of a paper bag for the most part. I think it may be geared wrong. More apt for freeway driving, hence the Overdrive. Not that this helps the mileage much. Are there any advantages to improving the ignition, swapping the EFI for a carb, aftermarket suspension improvements? I'm not made of money & i totally get the take your time thing. I did just put new brakes & shocks all the way around, makes a big difference too. Money well spent IMO. as always Thanks for your advice.

 

A little suggestion for you. The 302 is a bit more rev happy than the rest of the V8's Ford offered. It is more happy giving you horsepower than torque. The AOD trans was not the best for towing and heavy torque applications. A good camshaft and some free breathing, both intake and exhaust will help out.

Also, a manual transmission and gear swap in the 9" rear end will help with your feeling of lacking power. The AOD is trying to save you gas, but still operates on a preset power range. I think that manual transmissions give you nearly absolute control of the RPM of your engine, and thus control of your fuel economy.

 

Depending on what you want to use it for, the 302 and AOD may be able to do it and still give good MPG. As Critter said, the AOD isn't the best for towing, but it is good for mileage. However, Ford seemed to always use it with very tall rear gears, which gives the poor performance you mentioned. So different gears may really help.

However, with a properly-tuned 302, AOD, and a reasonable driving style you should be getting around 15 or better on the highway at 65. Tell us more about your MPG and driving style as there may be a problem with the engine.

 

I, too, have a 1986 F150 5.0 EFI XLT Lariat. It has been, hands down, the most reliable vehicle I have owned, period.

By no means are the 5.0's fast in these trucks in stock form, but I don't think yours should feel as bad as you are describing. Try bumping the timing up? You could also try pulling codes and see if that brings anything up, that is, if the battery has been good for at least the last 25-50 miles.

I agree with the comment about the 5.0's liking to rev more than making that low RPM torque. I have a 4-speed bull dog transmission and a 9" with 3.50:1 gearing. If it wasn't for that, I don't think I'd be as happy with my truck. In bulldog high, let alone low, but just in high, you can move mountains if you have traction. 2nd gear is more than enough for me to pull out from a stop with a load behind me. 3rd gear, also, has lots of grunt and nothing slows me down if I'm in third... but then I hit 4th... which feels ok unloaded or just a load in the bed. But below 45 mph/1800RPM, 4th gear isn't exceptional lol. At the same time, I've had my truck up to 115mph in 4th gear at, I believe it was around 4100RPM...

So, what exactly is your truck doing that you think it has a problem? Try bumping the timing up. I may get chewed out a little for not saying to use a timing light, but right now, it'd be a good starting point and could cause the problem if someone put a timing chain in and set the timing to 0 degrees. Should be around 12 degrees if I'm not mistaken.