recently bought a 85 f150 - please read the following as it tells all thats' wrong with the truck ..

and check out the 1st response i got i got served . Shesh if no one wants to offer help in finding reliable decent truck then i guess i deserve what i bought in a sense . people always get pissy with me cause i say something bout a truck i buy that happens to end up being junk.

 

You got good advice about parting it out If your not in a position to redo it. You can recoup your money and look around for a better deal. Some of the members at that site are decent folk and would probably be more than willing to help you find a good piece. Occasionally someone here will have a decent piece for sale reasonable.

While your hanging around why don't you become a member of the chapter?

 

i'd Join - but its questionable that i will keep this / and or get another ford . I've owned a 83, 84 , (now a 85) , And a 92 f150 s/c . Problem is when money is tight and your looking ( alone) Its always asure bet that any thing under 3k is JUNK.


bought my 83 f150 for 1,200$ plus tax . ( Can't honestly remember the total i remember it was $1,200 for the truck tho ) i bought it at a used lot in oxford ,pa.. the guy was under standing and let me get it with payment even tho he don't do payments esp on that old of a vehicle . Just gave me the warning that if i didn' t pay my payment that his brother will be over to get it no ifs' ands' or butts. Well i paid it off and while drivin it doing what i had to do .. I was up in north jersey doing a haulin job and something went poof - Wouldn't start blah blah blah - ended up leaving it in n. jersey for 7 days (couldn't afford a tow from up there down .. some how i got money to gether and bought another truck $500 (84f250) and went ' up and got it - after doing some haulin with it - got money enough to rent a dolly and went up and towed it back (after getting it out of impound ) tha nite i towed it from n.jersey to chesapeake city ,md to my buddy's who had paid me300$ for the truck I Didn't get to my buddies til 4 am !!!! what a long long nite towing that home ( so many problems gettin it to stay strapped to the dolly ! UGH.) then i wrecked the front end badly on the 84 f250 in lancaster on a fogy morning . i put another radiator in it i had from my old truck an drove it back home - then called my uncle to tow it out b/c the mobile home park wouldn't let me keep it there cause it was wrecked in the front ( so i got no money out of that truck when i got rid of it ) Most of the vehicle's i've bought have been in the 500$ - 1,000 range (with exception of the83 that i got for1,200$ ) The 92 f150 i bought i bought from a used dealer and had a bank note on years ago ( 1997/98 ) i had it for a while but turned it into the bank cause i couldn't afford 2 car payments ( this was before i had these PRE'S ) At that time i had a97 caviler , i was letting my mom drive that cause her car took a dump and she had nothing fora while. ( NICE Wasn't i ?) so figured she'd help with the c-note on the cavy and i'll take the truck note ( truck note was 245 a month maybe less) that was dandy til she got a car - so what to do with two c-notes- ? i PUT The f150 up forsale owed between 10,995 - 13,995 on it - no one was interested so i had my moms' brother tow it to the bank and drop the keys . Somethng like 3-5 days later the bank calls me to come pick it up . I gave them a letter stating i'm turning it in can't afford it any more .. haha . they tried desperately for me to come get it .

Yea i know i have a messed up life lol .

 

Any used vehicle is going to need work regardless of what you pay for it. 500-1000 range is usually a real fixer upper, next time you pick something up do a better inspection of it and figure in the cost of repairs before you buy it. Personally I avoid used car lots, they get the stuff the dealers don't want or auction vehicles, most of my stuff I buy private. Like I stated in my earlier post, there are members on both sites that have reasonable priced vehicles that run well, if your a decent guy I'm sure you'll be treated right.

 

beleieve it or not - i do take into consideration the basics that may need attention. (BTW This was a private sale) i haven't bought from used lots sense 97/98 . When ever i buy something i always do oil change , filter , tune up (plugs ,wires , cap , rotor) sometimes a t-stat . Thats my usual i do when buy someone's vehicle. A close friend whos' been helping me with aplace to stay helped me buy this .. actualy we were looking up and down the scale of vehicles. i think the highest wa 18k . and lowest was this truck ..



what i really want is something that is capable of towing atleast a 33 ft camper with a unlaiden weight (empty weight) of 6k . i found out after the fact this isn't capable of towing the 33 ft camper. * i'm suposed to get one but might have to tell them i can't do it ) i'm suposed to get it free. Sucks no knowing anyone who's close and willin to do a favor to get it for me . Doesn't realy matter- my friend would have to lend me the money to title it anyway and she's not avail at the moment.

 

ya know it takes a big set of nads to call someone up to "see whats up " after you sell them something that shouldn't be on the road.. i REFUSE To drive this truck any more - it's pissed me off . i can't even change the light bulbs to gain my turnsignals and reverse lights . I put new bulbs in both and neither work ( yet the running/ stop light , 4 ways work ! ) NO turnsignals + no seatbelts + cops = tickets ! No not worth this truck to me . SHAME I can't change the title to this thread to FORSALE get it out of here!

PREV owner - " oh yea turnsignals and all the other lights work !" pffft YA Right. HALF the dash lights are out . ( including 1 turn signal light on dash) reverse lights don't work the clown who inspected this truck needs to be shot . I have enough on my plate and as per usual i had no one willing to come help me find a reliable truck ( meaning i do not have any good friends who know squat about trucks or friends for that matter) Whats next the brakes gona give and i wreck? NO no thanks. I'M PARANOID NOW .

 

Sounds like the Jeep I bought about 2 years ago...mechanicals weren't as bad but the floors were shot and a whole other crapload of stuff was wrong with it that I had a hard time getting inspected and all that. I got it thru but the engine gave out so it went straight to the junkyard.

Can you part it out at all to try and recoup some cash? I would guess no recourse with wherever you got it from....

 

What part of the state are you located in roadwreck(insert real name here)?

 

name's mike - I'm located in lancaster co. 30 mins from s. chester county (coatesville area) i'm in a town called Paradise.pa.

 

If you where closer I would look to see if there where any parts on it I could use on my 83.
Dinner time I have to sign off. Have you put your request in for chapter membership yet Mike? And, are you planning on meeting up with us in Carlisle at the All Truck Nationals? Both links are in my signature.

 

no Haven't put a request for pa chapter yet .Still unsure how long i will keep this f150 and if its replacement is gona be another ford. A.t.n AHHH used to go all the time used to have a bagged mini truck i took in as under construction class.. i haven't been to a.t.n in almost 3 years . Money is the major factor for me - i don't have a "income persay" right now . also - the prospect of me moving to any of the following states may be happening by sept if my friend gets a property she's looking for .

 

looks like i'm gona be forced to keep this heap for a while . ANY one close to lancaster that has electrical knowledge ? I need someone to help me get my reverse lights and turnsignals back . I switched out the turn signal /top light bulb and the stop and runing light part works. But turn signal doesn't . But 4 ways work !? i switched out the reverse light bulb and it was blown . so i put another in and nothin . I may have to check fuses again . i went thru all of em - only one blown was a 30amp fuse at the top of the panel . Being it don't have the fuse panel cover which tells what's what could some one please let me know what fuse is what?

 

Mike, go to the main forums list and scroll down to the Electrical Systems/Wiring thread I'm sure someone in there has dealt with the problem. I had a problem like that with my 84 and it turned out to be the actual connectors where the bulbs went in, it wasn't making proper contact. I replaced them and the lights all worked well.

 

Off hand, I think the 30 at the top might be the blower fan for the heater, my '85 burned them up left and right for a while, and I don't recall if it was a 30 or 20... I can check in the morning if no one els lets you know by then.

 

could i cut the plug that the light goes in and swap it with a replacement fom another f150 ? I found a f150 about 30 mins from here that has some parts i could use. DIDN'T someone say something bout a switch on the side of the trans that acknowledges when you put the truck in reverse so it switches the reverse lights on ?