Reputable/good classic Ford Shop in Richmond, VA..?
 

Hi -- Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

I took my new (1979) F100, to Richmond Ford to get the oil changed and make an appt. to get the gas gauge and heater/defrost/blower fixed.

While in the lounge (funny word to use at a car dealership), the tech advisor comes in to ask how to open the driver's side door. I walk out, pull up on the handle and look at him. Guess a little more effort than he's used to. Then, he comes back a few minutes later and asks how to open the hood. Now, I'm beginning to get worried.

When I pay the bill, he tells me he may not have anyone on staff who can fix my gas gauge or heater/defroster, but he'd let me know on Monday when I come back for my appt. It's a Ford. Really?

Finally, I get in the truck and read the tag on the windshield that tells me when to come back for my next oil change: 122xxx miles. Given that the truck only has 17k miles on it, I find that humorous.

I need to find a shop that knows a thing or two about old trucks. Any thoughts/recommendations for the Richmond area? Thanks!

Give the guys at 4WD Specialty a call.
804-672-9026
http://fourwheeldrivespecialty.com/

They don't just work on 4wd's...they are pretty much the definition of real mechanics (dirt on their hands, not afraid of anything with internal combustion). The only problem is that they know they're good, and they charge accordingly. $96 per hour for shop labor, but in my opinion its worth every dime. They've treated me very well in the past and I will go back to them for anything outside what the dealer is supposed to cover on my new truck.

Awesome! Thanks for the info on 4WD Specialty! I drive by their shop all the time. Good to hear about them. My rig's at Richmond Ford at the moment. We'll see if they can handle a seemingly simple fix. If not, I'll give those guys a shout, as it's about 10 minutes from where I live. Thanks again!

Bruce

You're welcome. They're about the only trustworthy "good ole boys" around.
So the '79 is a recent acquisition? Saw it and the pics of the '90 in your gallery. Both look very cherry/mint.

Where abouts in the RVA area are ya? I'm in the County just West of the City limits.

Yes, I picked up the '79 a couple of weeks ago from a car collector up in the Manassas area. He collects mainly vintage Mustangs, Camaros, etc. He had taken this truck in on a trade for something but it was just taking up space in his garage for about 8-10 years. He has 85 cars in his collection. Crazy stuff like an all stock '68 red Mustang with 38 miles on the clock. Just sitting there. With the original tires.

But, anyway... when cars/trucks sit for long periods, even ones like mine w/ only 17k miles on them, things break -- like the float on the sending unit. Richmond Ford was able to replace it. They even had one in stock. So, all's good for now. They have only one mechanic on staff who can work on old trucks like this.

Other little things to do are to replace the cowling rubber. That's rotting off. That's being shipped and I can replace that -- as well as the rubber/plastic collars on the door strikers. They just fell off from rotting as well. But, you can't just buy the collar. You have to buy the entire striker bolt. Not a big expense, but still silly. Next up will be the door window sweeps. Those need replacing but it sounds like I'll need to drop the door panels to do so. Not looking forward to that.

But, the truck's all original and in nice shape. The interior is amazing. It came with a snap-on vinyl tonneau cover that must be vintage as it has wooden bows that fit across the bed to allow water to run off. Wooden. Ha! It has the Explorer package which comes with a pretty wild seat fabric: white/orange/brown plaid. Right out of the '70's.

All in all, a neat old truck. I'll stick some wider rubber on her once the tires need replacing. What's on there are the stock 15" wide tires. I want to keep it looking stock, but I want a little wider stance on her, I think.

We're in the west end, not far from parham/patterson...

Bruce

Sounds like a nice find Bruce! I've seen collections like the one you speak of...absolutely incredible stuff at times.

We're not far apart sir. I'm in the Three Chopt/Patterson/Forest corridor.

Yup. This guy also had a 2006 red Ford GT that he got my kids to sit in to take a picture. It had 48 miles on it. Not sure what the thing is worth today but, all I could think about was my kids doing something to it. He wasn't worried a bit. Gave my son (who's 11) the key so we could get the windows down for a better picture. I was cringing the entire time. My son was in heaven, though ;)

If you're ever tooling around Sleepy Hollow and see my truck parked in the driveway, feel free to stop on by!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. R'mond Ford was able to fix my fuel gauge yesterday. As I thought, the float needed replacing. In fact, the experience was a good one. Personable folks, given the volume of work they push through each day. They have one mechanic who still works on older trucks and he seemed pretty thorough.

I also replaced both door strikers yesterday afternoon as the nylon bushes had rotted and fallen off; bought new ones from LMC. Easy enough to do (Torx 50 socket) but made a huge difference not having the doors rattle when you drive down the road. Suggestion: take a sharpie and make some small marks to note where the current striker sits so when you remove it, you can line up the new one exactly where the old one was. if not, you may end up adjusting the striker to find its sweet spot where the door closes cleanly.

I also replaced the cowling weatherstripping. Again, easy enough to do. Only caution for anyone needing to do this is the clips holding the old strip in like to fall down in to the air vent if you're not careful. A long, thin screwdriver with sticky tape wrapped on the end was able to pick up the 3 clips I dropped in the vent. I didn't want those things rattling around in there forever.

Bruce

I live 10 miles east of the Richmond airport. I work in a shop in chester at 95 & hwy 10. Bermuda truck repair. If you or anyone evr need help and don't want to pay shop rates say so. If you come by the shop tell them I sent you. Rick