Thought I might as well make one, seeing as I'm getting farther and farther along with it. lol.


THE TRUCK:

1981 F-150 Custom 2WD, LWB
302 V8, 2bbl Motorcraft carb
C6 transmission
9 inch axle, 2.75, open diff





(Pics are pretty recent; tach cluster, seat, and turn signal lenses up front are recent additions)


THE STORY:

It started off as a rough and somewhat abused truck. My dad needed to get a family vehicle in a hurry, so he bought it in the rain, at night. If I recall, he paid $1200 for it. I don't know why, but when he brought it home, I was drawn to it. I just loved that truck for some reason, from the start.

It had its share of problems. PO didn't take care of ANYTHING. Oil was filthy, carb was too, PCV system wasn't working, timing was off, transmission leaked, etc....so my dad and I got to work on it (well, he did most of the work, I was like 14 or 15 and really just sat there and watched lol). One by one we started fixing things. Oil changes, cleaned up the carb, fixed the PCV system, set the timing...it started running good.

We drove it for a while, and it did well. Had some issues with the parking pawl in the transmission needing adjustment. For a long time we carried a wooden block with us to chock the tire so it didn't roll off while we were in Walmart or anything.

Things changed big-time when my dad got lung cancer in late 2003. He fought it hard but he passed away in 2004. After he got sick, he said that if anything were to happen to him, that he was leaving the truck to me. He said, "don't make it a hotrod, just make it a nice truck". He knew me, had he not said that, I'd have probably done just that. But those words stayed in my mind. When he passed away, it became mine.

For a good while after he passed away, the truck sat in the driveway parked. We had an '85 Cadillac DeVille that we were driving. My mom HATED that car, it was a major lemon...but I will say this, it was a fast lemon. I did go out and crank the truck now and then so it didn't sit up and gather cobwebs. We started having more problems with the Caddy, so we called one of my uncles down to get the truck to where we could drive it, and we gave him the Caddy so he could do whatever with it. We drove the truck for years and it always got us where we needed to go. I was young and it was our only vehicle, so I could only do little things here and there. Nothing big, since my mom didn't want to end up stuck cuz of my handiwork. lol.

Fast forward to 2010. I finally got my license and have been driving my truck pretty much every day since then. Just this year I discovered the joys of junkyard runs, and as a result, I've gotten quite a few nice things for my truck.


THE PLANS:

It's a work in progress. I've replaced several larger parts (steering box, transmission filter and pan gasket), and I'm part way done with changing the interior to red and black from the factory brown and tan. So far I've put in a black dash, black door panels with storage bins, and black kick panels. I have my eye on more black trim, and I'm looking for a red dash pad.

Later on I'll work on getting the truck painted red and black to match, rebuilding the engine, swapping out the C6 for a ZF5 5-speed manual, putting in headers and an all-new exhaust system, plus other goodies. Of course, that's in no particular order. If a ZF5 came along where I could get it, I'd install that right away instead of waiting til it's painted, engine rebuilt, etc.

I'll try and get some current pics today. I have some more recent pics showing how the truck looks now for the most part though.






I know, I'm long-winded, but the truck has a lot of history.

 

You are doing great. Keep making your dad proud. You sure have learned alot about your truck. As you get older, people will envy your knowledge of tinkering and repairing.

 

I like the pass window crank, does the drivers side match? Are those genuine vice grips or those chinese knock offs? I'm kidding of course... keep up the good work!

 

Nice looking truck. I'm glad to see someone else out there has the dog dish hubcaps; I was beginning to think my '80 F-150 was the only one.

 

That means alot to me. Thank you.

I hope I can be of help to people with what I'm learning. Alot of this stuff I'm doing for the first time and usually by myself. Like just recently I did my front wheel bearings, it was the first time I'd ever done it myself (my dad and I did it years ago, but he did the work and I just watched). I had alot of help from my uncle via phone though.

Lol, thanks! The driver's side has a proper crank, the passenger side shaft is stripped. That's why I put the off-brand vice grips on there. They're bent all out of whack and the ends don't line up right, but they've gotten me out of a few tight pinches.

Thanks! I had wanted a set for a good while because I love the look, and I was very fortunate to find the set I have. I only paid $4 for them at my local JY. Unfortunately, that yard has since closed down, it seems....fortunately I picked the good parts before they shut the doors

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do as far as wheels though. I could either paint the stock steel wheels and repaint the hubcaps, or I could get a set of wheels like what's on the truck in first today's sig. I'd hold onto the hubcaps though if I went with different wheels.


I had plans come up this evening so I wasn't able to get pics, but I have work tomorrow so I'll try and get pics after work. I really like how the black interior is looking, it almost reminds me of a 60s Mustang for some reason!

EDIT: I was looking around on Youtube and found a video of a truck with the kind of paint job I want. I wouldn't mind that power either:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XqQwnD51oQ

 

I like the look as well...but I guess that puts us in a minority, because until I saw your pictures I don't think I'd seen a single truck online with them. They're simple, they're tasteful, and they're work-oriented...which to me is what a truck like this is all about. I'm lucky in that I not only have the original set from my truck, but the set from my grandfather's previous truck as well...and I bet if I looked hard enough in my grandmother's barn, I could find the hubcaps from the truck before *that*.

 

There's one guy on here, I forget his name, but he has a truck with the same hubcaps we have. Looks real sharp, since his truck has a factory gray/silver paint job. It really sets it off.

I also like the look of a shiny center cap against a glossy black wheel. It's a really nice performance look.


Oh and here's a pic of where I'm at on the interior. Depending on how money looks next month, it might be a while before I can get the rest of the interior panels in black and the dash pad and whatnot in red. I got the biggest part out of the way though, so it'll keep me happy for a while. lol



And yes, that is the tan trim from the other dash right below the steering column. I didn't realize I didn't get it until I already had the black dash in my truck. It's a small piece that doesn't really see any wear and tear, so if I can't get a factory black one, I'll just paint it to match.

 

Very Cool !! I have been working on a 83 F100 that looks just like it but it was red...... Reg cab, long bed 2WD 302....cant wait to see how yours turns out !!

 

Cool story man!

The dash is looking great!

The other guy with the dog dish hubcaps is Greyf100.

I love his truck. Especially his interior. lol.

 

YouTube - 1981 Ford F-150 Walkaround

YouTube - 1981 Ford F-150 Short Drive

 

Kirby, my man! This is really cool. In my family (wifes side) there are 9 boys from the age of 15 to 19. None of them can add washer fluid!! All they do is gimme gimme. I'm glad to see you taking on this project with pride. I don't know what else to say except keep it up, your doing an awesome job bro.

 

Thanks!! And lol, it should be a requirement that if you're a man, you need to at least know how to add washer fluid and oil! :P It's a work in progress for sure, but it's always fun!

If anyone noticed, those are the new tires I got. 225/70/15 fronts, 275/60/15 rears. Also the tailgate is a recent acquisition, I got it off a friend for free. He has an '86 F150 that he put a big camper on, and didn't need the tailgate anymore.

 

Actually, I think it should mandatory for getting a drivers license, to prove you know how to check/add/change all fluids/lights/tires on a vehicle......
I see cars driving around with 1/2 the lights not working, low tires, and all kinds of other problems, and I think to myself "Doesn't anyone bother checking this stuff anymore?"
~30 years now I've been driving, and in all that time, I've performed underhood and walk-around checks of any vehicle I drive, at least once a week.
Washer fluid, I'll let go. Everything else gets immediate attention.

 

Kirby....sorry you lost your dad way too soon, but you're doing a great job keeping the faith....keep it up!

 

awesome truck mate