I have a 79 F250 Explorer Custom handed down from my grandpa to me recently. It has set for 10 years now in the open. The last time my grandpa drove it I was six. I am still in high school and just beginning my diesel class at trade school so I don't know much about the rebuilding process. It has the 351 in it, I just drained the radiator last night and I'm gonna start on other fluids before I attempt to start it. The truck has started sinking into the grass so I most likely will have to slap it in neutral and pull it out to go any further. Can I get some guidance from some experienced guys on this?

 

First, welcome to FTE. You're in the right place, there are a lot of good, knowledgeable people here more than willing to help.
If possible, get your truck to an area where you can inspect/work on it.
Do a visual inspection, make note of anything that needs to be addressed.
Once you do that, I would get it running just to see what I'm dealing with.
Change the oil and filter, pull the spark plugs, pour a couple of teaspoons of oil down each cylinder then, using a ratchet and socket on the front crankshaft bolt, try to turn the engine by hand. If it turns okay I would then spin it for a few seconds with the starter motor.
Once that's done, put the plugs (or a fresh set, your choice) back in.
You can pretty much be sure that any gas that's still in the tank will be bad. I wouldn't try to start the truck on that. There's a good chance the fuel pump will be bad after sitting so long. I would rig up a temporary system to feed the carb, just to see if it will start/run.
Once you've got it running (or not ), you can decide how to proceed.
Going on the assumption that it starts, I would then change all the fluids, flush the cooling system, trans fluid, rearend.
The order to fix things is:
Get it running (flush fuel system and plan on replacing the rubber fuel lines and fuel pump) New belts and hoses, maybe complete tune up and carb rebuild.
Make it safe (brakes, steering, suspension)
make it reliable
make it comfortable
and last on the list, make it pretty.
Once it's running, figure on new tires, pull all four wheels and check the brakes. If they're okay, flush and change the fluid. Clean and pack the front wheel bearings, check the driveshaft U-joints and grease. Grease, check the steering linkage and front suspension.
After all that you can do things as time and money allow.
Most important, don't be intimidated by something just because you haven't done it before, just because you "haven't" doesn't mean you "can't". If you make a mistake, don't dwell on it. Back up, correct it, learn from it and move on.
Most of all, have fun with it. If you have a problem or question, post it here, we're more than happy to help any way we can.

 

Agree with everything Mike said.
To add to it:
Be realistic with what you want to do on the truck. Before you take anything apart take lots of pictures of it so you know where it goes back together. Look in these two links:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ease-read.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...mpilation.html
There are a lot of good part diagrams, tips, tricks and how to's in it.
When you figure out what you need to fix or want to fix write it all down. Tackle the safety things first. Cosmetics are just that. If it idles accelerates, stops and turns safe you're most of the way there.
Post some pictures of the truck for us to see, we all love pictures! Also share your mechanical experience. Telling someone to rebuild the starter who doesn't know where a starter goes does no good. Its a great truck to learn on. People here in their 40's have had almost zero mechanical experience and built these trucks from the ground up. They had an open mind, were willing to learn, screw up, fix it and screw up some more.
Lastly these trucks were engineered to work exactly the way they rolled off the factory. Any mild modifications affect most parts of the truck. If you stay close to stock it will be easier to get it road worthy.

 

Mike and Jon have given you lots to start with. I would just add ... let's see some pictures of the truck - body, engine compartment, suspension, interior. The guys hear have pretty sharp eyes and will pick up on things you might not see. That and we love pictures of dentside trucks!

Welcome to FTE.

 

Agreed! If it's a 2WD truck, PLEASE DON'T start thinking 4WD conversion!
It "can" be done, but for anybody but a master fabricator/welder it will usually end up sitting for another 10 years and end up rusting into the ground.
It's not just a simple matter of swapping in a front axle and transfer case, it's much more.

 

I usually hang out in the Bumpside section. Popped in here and saw this. So I'll say 2X Mike. All that he posted and especially the "can't" part. Notice the last line in my Sig.+
BTW, is Dieselweis a play on Edelweiss?

 

Thank you all for the help. It's been raining pretty bad here in WV for a bit and cold so I haven't gotten a chance to go back up to my old house to work on the truck, but when I do i will have pictures for all of you. Thanks again for the help and no my name isn't a play from anything lol it's just I'm real into diesel engines and such and my last name is Weis along with my football number 53. Pictures will be coming soon though guys thanks again.

 

 

 

 

 

You have a nice truck to start off with. 4x4 4 speed with a 351 Modified engine. Very nice truck to build.

 

Before you spend a penny on this truck, inspect for rust, especially since it been sitting out in the open for 10 years.

Rust repair can be far more expensive than any other type of repair.

You also need to find out why was it parked here in the first place. I would assume it had a major mechanical problem.

 

Been a rough few months since my last update on the form. For a good while I had no form of transportation to go even look at the truck. I wrecked my S10 on Christmas Eve and totaled it. That left me with a herniated disc in my back which I assume is bad considering I'm only 17. My girlfriend's father gifted me with an 2003 F150 4.6 though to drive, and I have been working on it lately, but before summer is over I will be doing some work to the 79 too!

 

Glad to see you're back and haven't given up! Take care of your back-it's the only one you've got and it has to last a long time.