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Hey all, and welcome! New user here, wanted to start a thread to track my build/resto over the coming months.
A bit about me, located in Southern Ontario, I've driven Ford trucks for what seems like my entire life. I learned to drive in fields in my Grandpa's 70's F150 with a flat deck. When I started driving in high school, it was in my Grandpa's old 1997 F150, went to university, spent a small stint in my father's Focus, then got a job which included a company truck, a 2010 F150. But then we hired a fella who's 6'5" and wouldn't fit into the company Ranger, so now that's my daily driver. I had been flirting with the idea of a project truck for a while, and when this 1983 popped up, I knew I had to have it. Definitely a fixer upper, but nothing overly drastic that needs to happen. It currently runs and drives, just needs some work to pass the safety inspection for it's actual sticker.
Obligatory "as it sits" picture:
List from mechanic for what it needs for safety test:
-Rocker panel repair
-Frame seam repair
-Driver door hole repair
-Header leak (and probably more along the exhaust)
-Parking brake cables (right side broken, left side rusted)
-Box replaced (super rusted in bed)
-Front brakes not making contact on inside of rotors
-Power steering box rebuild or replace (ton of steering slop)
-Rear passenger brake cable tensioner
-Shocks all around
Other things that that need to get worked on:
-Vent windows are kinda rough
-Window weather stripping loose
-Headliner
-Some interior trim (Dash, door panels etc)
-Rear gas tank needs to get hooked back up
-Engine needs some timing/tune up
-Stereo? But my jobsite radio strapped into the back seat works just as well
Currently I'm not doing too much to it, as my dad's shop is full with farm equipment until after the fall. For now I'm just limping around as is for the odd trip to Dairy Queen with the wife. Real progress will start as soon as he tells me I'm able to get it in the shop on jacks. I've got my eyes open for a new bed, but they've proven tough to find around here, so I may go a different route and fab up a wood railed flat deck in homage to my Grandpa's old one.
Really excited for this to be the first vehicle I own, and glad to be able to share my progress with you fine folks
Anyone recognize these rims? They came with the truck, but one of the tires had a slow leak and since I am gonna buy new rims and rubber down the road, I havent bothered to put them on. Stamping on the inside is tough to make out, but looks like there's a Ford logo, 15x7.5 (width I'm assuming) as well as some kind of model/style number, like B040490.
That style rim was available on many Ford trucks and suv's.
So could actually be original rims? Cool! Fella I bought from had said he got them from somewhere else, couldn't remember where. But if they could be bought new on this truck, then maybe I will keep and just put new rubber on. Thanks fordman!
So could actually be original rims? Cool! Fella I bought from had said he got them from somewhere else, couldn't remember where. But if they could be bought new on this truck, then maybe I will keep and just put new rubber on. Thanks fordman!
I don't think they were available in 83. I'm thinking they came out in the late 80's and thru the 90's.
If you do want to run them make sure they fit your truck. The same style rims were available on the rangers and Bronco II's which had a smaller bolt pattern then the full size trucks.
I don't think they were available in 83. I'm thinking they came out in the late 80's and thru the 90's.
If you do want to run them make sure they fit your truck. The same style rims were available on the rangers and Bronco II's which had a smaller bolt pattern then the full size trucks.
Oh they for sure do, they were what he had on the truck when I bought it. I just wasn't going to deal with leaky rubber that doesn't have much tread left.
Got a little bored waiting for shop space to clear up at dad's, so spent some of Saturday disassembling some interior and just general exploration. Posting mostly to show some of the before pictures.
First order of business was the doors. It's obvious the previous owner wasn't very good at backing up a truck. Did a real number along both sides of the bed, but most notably on the driver's side door, pulled two of the mounting screws right out of the door. Passenger door also has a little rust around one of the feet which should probably get taken care of.
Also bummed I missed this cab seam that was rotted out when I originally went to look at the truck, but I had to get my entire head and torso underneath to see it, so trying not to blame myself too bad. On a scale of 0-100, my welding skills are about "potato", so I'm planning on having a body shop fix the doors, rocker panel and undercarriage
Pulled up the door jam for a better view from above
No more annoying buzzer
Figured out why the stereo didn't seem very good. Buddy had just laid the wires on top of each other (not even twisted together) and then electrical taped over top. A good solder job might have saved it, but it's not a great stereo and seeing this, I don't trust his wiring, so it all came out.
Only thing I saw I was a little unsure about was these plates welded on either side of the frame that had obviously been torched off at some point. Remnants from an old hitch maybe? They don't seem to be hurting anything so not a huge deal.
With the long weekend coming up, I may try and play a game of "Guess that wire" and unhook the side steps he claims light up but just need new bulbs (but I suspect more electrical tape is the actual culprit.
08-07-2016, 07:56 PM
