Grandpa’s Ford F-250 Super Cab Lovingly Restored by FTE Member

Years after his grandfather passed away, a grandson gets his chance to return his F-250 to its former glory.

Of the many builds we come across here in the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums, our favorites are lifelong family-owned trucks. There’s just something special about fixing up your father or grandfather’s old pickup, after all. So it’s no surprise that a large percentage of the builds we see are family heirlooms. And that includes this awesome 1975 Ford F-250 Super Cab Ranger Camper Special purchased new by FTE member Redrokin09’s grandfather.

“This is my first Ford. My grandpa bought it off the lot on May 5, 1975. I grew up in this truck, many many hunting and fishing trips. Grandpa passed away a few years ago at 98. He was an amazing man and he’s sadly missed. He gave this truck to my cousin while he was still alive. My cousin never did anything with it, it sat for 10 years. 

One day I got a call from my aunt. She said I know you’ve always wanted grandpa’s truck, and your cousin wants to sell it. He wanted to know if you wanted it first. I’m going to get it back on the road and start using it as our farm truck. My wife is really happy, she’s been wanting a truck. I’m going to replace and rebuild what I need to get this to where it’s reliable. Not painting it or doing any body work. I’m leaving it the way my grandpa left it.”

As cool as this F-250 looks as is, we don’t blame him for leaving it untouched. But the pickup obviously needed a little work to make it a reliable driver. So the OP began his journey by ordering up a ton of parts from LMC Truck.

“Sent the carburetor to my dad’s mechanic to get rebuilt. Found a factory air cleaner assembly, distributor parts, batteries, etc. Basically anything and everything that can wear out by sitting for years and years.”

Thankfully, it didn’t take much to get this old F-250 running again.

“I replaced both starter solenoids, the battery, battery cables, ground, and so on. I don’t have the distributor, wires, plugs, or carburetor done yet. But I wanted to see if it would crank. I changed the oil and oil filter, turned the key, and nothing, Turned it about 4-5 more times. I switched the key off, feeling somewhat defeated. Then all of a sudden the truck starts cranking and it wouldn’t stop while the key was off. I jumped out and disconnected the battery.”

Once all the new/rebuilt parts were in place, the F-250 was running great. The OP also redid the brakes and started working on cleaning up the interior. He’s also repainted/refurbished a few worn parts while he continues to work towards making this pickup a reliable runner. As of now, this process is ongoing. So be sure and keep up with future progress by heading over here!

Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.