1987 Ford F-250
 

Just thought I would share the progress of my 1987 F-250, 4.9L, 2wd, 4sp std.:-drink

From the beginning, I purchased the truck for $750. It was originally from New Mexico and had only been in Wisconsin for a few years...very little rust. I originally purchased the truck to help me move motorcycles (my other hobby).

This is the first day I had it:

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Few day later:

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The truck was.....decent. Engine sounded a couple rocks had been thrown into it...burnt a ton of oil....shifted alright-ish...engine leaked like a sieve, and the driver door was pretty caved in from a fender bender. I saw the potential tho! ;)

I then sourced an engine and the guy had a matching door and chrome grill/headlights. Decent score for $300. When installing the engine I stripped it of all emissions and AC stuff.

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Soon after swapping the engine I got an internship opportunity in Ohio (I'm studying engineering at UW-Madison). It was now time to road trip.

I decided I was taking my beloved 1987 Ninja 750 to keep me occupied in my down time.

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Truck drove great all the way to Ohio averaging 16.5 mpg.

While in Ohio I fixed a few things such as the high pressure power steering...

During a slow night I went to the shop and added a little character to the Ol' girl.

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Added a bug deflector:

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While in Ohio, I bought a dirt bike to have some fun with When it was time to go back to school in August I loaded both bikes up and started the journey home.

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Made it home (a little tail heavy):

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I have a bad habit of running out of gas....welded up a jerry can holder.

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since August I have been doing a few small things here and there to the truck (manifold gasket, oil pan gasket...) I had noticed the driver side door was becoming increasingly more difficult to open. Found this:

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Used a old lead iron as a heat sink so when I welded the cracks I didnt burn holes in the sheet metal.

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-11 degree weather and plastic don't mix:

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As of recent, I ordered a small 2.5" lift (spacers/blocks) to give it a little better stance. I plan on replacing the shocks (rear air assist maybe) as well as the tires in the near feature. I shall keep you all updated if there is any interest.

Hey man, everyone loves pictures. Keep 'em coming!! No need to ask permission! :-jammin

a pictorial is always nice.

don't need 11 degree weather to break one of those door handles though . they are very prone to failure after only 25 years or so.

Ya, realized this once the door card was off. Seems like a poor design having only a single mounting point on a door handle with the leverage it can create....On the other hand, it was a easy fix :-X22

Had some time to poke around the truck last night. My steering box seems to be leaking more then I remember. What are your guys' thoughts on JY steering boxes/seal kits/rebuilds from NAPA?

I would just replace the seals in the steering box you have. You just buy the seal kits, upper and lower, you may want to replace both beings the truck is about 27 years old. The seals kits aren't too expensive. Don't try to use up all the parts in the kit.

I wouldn't mess with a JY box, as the seals may start leaking soon, if not right away. Rebuilds, well everything seems to be done on the cheap now days, I would be leery.

Depends on how your JY sells steering boxes. If they're flat rate, then it's up to you. If they go by vehicle, you can get one from a smaller truck like a square body ranger. They're not classified as "heavy duty" like the f250 would be, but they're the same thing. Lot less wear and tear on a small truck, too.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to look into the seal kit they sell. I know I have seen a sticky for rebuilding one of these somewhere on the forum. If I can I'll try to photograph all my steps and post them on here for you all to enjoy :-drink

Looks like a good project so far! I found that you can still get the door handles from Ford for around $15. The texture and build quality is far better than the Autozone ones. Too freakin cold here to do anything the past few days!!

It appears that everything is working well with your steering box but the leak. I would just replace the seals and any nearby parts that are in the seal kits, but don't try to use up all the parts in the kits. I wouldn't try to go too far rebuilding the box. If it ain't broke, don't "try to break" fix it. Just my opinion. Of course how far you want to go would be your call.

FWIW I have replaced just the seals in the steering boxes on both the trucks in my signature, twice on the '88 but several years apart. They both have well over 200K miles on them, and I have no problems at all with the steering on either.

Wooo, the last time I used the EGR pipe as a engine hoist point, it broke the upper intake manifold off!! Engine came down and filpped the hoist over too. Nobody got hurt but we sure did some moving out from that hoist and engine dancing around.

At least that engine was a junker and no other dammage was done to the truck as it flipped the hoist away from the truck.

Lesson learned: NEVER USE the upper intake as a hoist point, it not designed for that purpose.


Other than that, GOOD work on a ole truck, I have a 89 F250 that has probly 5 trucks(parts of) in it now!

Also using that old solder iron as a welding heat sink on sheet metal is a good idea, now to find one(again)....

Thanks Eddie. Ya, using the EGR pipe wasnt the first choice but at the time I think it was one of our only options. I remember trying to figure out a rear lift point for quite a while and this is all we came up with. Besides, nothing like a little excitement ;)

changed the tranny fluid today in my t-18 BW. Much easier to do then my Jeep Cherokee! Used just under 3.5 Qts. of 80w90 gear oil.

drain plug
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fill hole
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found it much easier to fill the tranny using a long necked flexible funnel going in from the cab.
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Got some new tires this weekend. Treadwright 265/75/R16 Guarddogs. 10x better than the three mismatched random tires I had on there before!

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How are those tires in the snow, and what's your thoughts on the overall quality? I was thinking about a set for winter tires next season.

Nice job on the truck!

Keep up the good work. Also let us know how those tires do for you. A buddy of mine has them on his trail rig. Seems to do good but they never see road use.

Nice little truck pretty close to mine and we both have the same expensive other hobby (motorcycles).
Trav

Here is a little update on my trusty truck.

trying to boot out rust:


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lifted 2.5" front and rear

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Toyed with these......didn't make the cut

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3M undercoating:

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All thanks to:

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Hurculiner:

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glamour shot:

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replaced push rod seal cover gasket:

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thank god I have granny first ;]

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That's all the pictures I have now but if there is any interest I will make sure to get up more :-jammin

Looks good and come a long way. I saw there was some primer patches in a earlier pic. Do you plan on painting it? We have similar taste and I'm going to get some new tires for my truck as well. Check out the build in my signature

Hey Tye, thanks. Yes, I did some body work when i had time last month to prepare it for paint (hopefully before Christmas). I havent decided yet but more likely than not I will paint it the original color. :-jamminIma sucker for 80's truck style :-jammin

I have been lurking around your build for the past year or so. Love everything on your truck except the black trim/wheels.... it looks really good, just not my style. :-drink

Thanks man. Red and black is one of my favorite color combos. When it gets repainted next year it will be Tuxedo Black. When it's black, I'll be going back to chrome because black and silver/chrome is one of my other favorites. My biggest dilemma is deciding after I repaint it if I should go with a stock dually bed or the skirted flatbed. I love both but I can't seem to settle on which. Keep up the good work

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Why do I have a feeling that's not an OEM tailgate...?

I got to get a better wielder to replace sheet metal like that. Looks good!

I have always liked those light duty F-250's… they ride nice plus give you more load capacity than an F-150.

They doubled as great loading ramps for my bikes until I found a clean factory Ford tailgate. The aftermarket one I had on there is absolute junk. Rolling my 1989 Ninja 750r over it from a loading dock nearly creased in right in half. All is well now that I found a clean tailgate at the JY off a 92+ with a dent free aluminum pan.

It has been great. I started with a cheap hf wire feed and in December went and bought a hobart 140 set up with gas. My welding skill/ability has increased 10 fold since then.

They make great DD. With my set up im getting 14-17 mpg. I would love to get 4wd in this with a transfer case out of a 150 that will mate to my t-18.

Liking the thread. Truck looks great with that leveling kit. Keep the pictures coming!

Does anyone know what transfer cases would bolt up to the t-18? I'm assuming I would probably only find one in a f150 with a 4.9. I know a lot people suggest just buying another truck or at least just doing a body swap but I can't imagine that a 4x4 conversion on a 250 can be all the involved. A few days some beer and a welder should get the job done without too much effort. If anyone has any experience with a 250 or 350 4x4 conversion please educate me.

helped my roommates move to a new house this weekend.

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