Just introducing myself to the forum. I'm a British guy based in London but I spend a lot of time in the USA as I am engaged to a Seattle girl. I have always wanted a classic truck and I recently acquired this 1984 F150 XLT.



It's a very original, one previous owner truck that has covered only 95,000 miles. It belonged to a neighbour of my fiancee and I heard that he was keen to have it removed from his yard so I took a chance and said that if it could be driven round to my fiancee's house I'd buy it even though I'd never seen it other than a photo. I knew the truck hadn't been driven for a while but it moved and so it became mine.

The truck was in a very dirty state but a couple of days of hard work on my next visit soon removed several years of grime and mould growth and what emerged from underneath all that was a solid, clean truck in much better condition than I had expected for its age. A review of the paperwork established that the truck hadn't been driven for about 7 years and so I decided to have it properly re-commissioned including:

• All new fluids and filters
• All new hoses
• All new belts
• Gas tanks drained
• New battery and cables
• New spark plugs, leads, distributor cap and rotor
• Brakes overhauled
• New rear shocks
• New rear sway bar links
• General check over everything

It's a 351W engine with 4-speed manual transmission and mechanically everything seems in pretty good shape as far as we can tell at this point. My plan is to keep the truck as original as possible and to concentrate on making sure everything is working great rather than the cosmetics for now. One cosmetic item that does need sorting now though is the cab roof lining which has totally disintegrated. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy a kit to replace this already cut to size?

The park brake doesn't hold as the control assembly is broken but after a lot of internet searching and calls today I've managed to order a new control assembly which should sort that out.

Does nyone know of a reference source for original supply details based on the VIN number?

The air conditioning isn't working and I'd be grateful if someone could give me an idea of what might be needed to get this working again in terms of regulations etc. I think there are some restrictions in terms of refrigerant? Is it possible / cost-effective to re-commission the existing system or will I need to replace the main components?

I am looking forward to my next trip over when I'll get chance to drive the truck properly. So far I've only had the opportunity to drive it down to the shop for the work to be carried out and it wasn't running very good! I plan to cover a lot of miles on plenty of adventures and I hope the truck will be a reliable keeper if properly looked after.

I look forward to getting to know you all as I'm sure I shall have plenty of questions as I get to know my truck.

Cheers

BritGuy

 

So, uh... yeah... where's this truck at? I mean, not like I'd have ANY use for a truck in that color scheme... ya know? Uh yeah, so if you could kindly forward me the address of where the truck is at I'll get a transpor... uh, I'll send you your, um, club card? Yeah, yeah...

Nice find and welcome to FTE!

 

Nice ride and welcome to FTE

 

Nice find! Welcome to FTE, where we all seem to be afflicted with the same disorder..... I wasn't aware it traveled across the pond.


BTW, if the truck has been parked for 7 years, I'd seriously consider replacing the tires, if not already done. Once they get beyond about 8 years old, they may look fine, but they are ticking time bombs, just waiting for a chance to go off. It's usually not pretty when it happens......

 

Nice! And welcome. Does that truck have a lift at all? Seems higher than normal...

 

Good job, BritGuy!

Look at LMC Truck and also probably National Parts Depot for the headliner stuff, or maybe a local automobile detailer or upholstery place could help in that area.

Looking up parts by VIN, man, that's a post-y2k capability.

As for the air conditioning, not real sure but I *think* the original R12 refrigerant is still available but it'll cost ya. But, so will converting to R134 (or whatever it is). You might start a brand-new thread on just that topic and see what kind of response you get. Or, better yet, search the archives here, I know I've seen it talked about.....

 

Welcome to FTE Britguy. Nice find on the truck. I think your going about it the right way to get it back on the road. I'm sure it will give you a few years of good service.

 

Well done and welcome to FTE! Getting a well taken care of vehicle saves loads of money in the long run. Do us a favour and post your vehicle's info in your signature. Do that via the User Control Panel (User CP) which is accessed by clicking on the link above and to the right.

By the way, what part of London? Used to live in Moor Park. Next-to-last stop on the Metropolitan. Worked on Orchard Street, which is the street on the west side of Selfridges.

 

That is a beautiful truck! I am absolutely in love with the color combination!

 

I think what you are looking for is the Build Sheet........all the original specs for your actual truck as ordered from the factory - interior, paint, all chosen options, motor, trans, axle etc., etc.

If you do a search in the 80-86 forum for 'build sheet' you'll find a thread - 'How To Request An Official Build Sheet'. That will get you where you want to go.
I had one sent out for my truck a few months ago. Very interesting.

BTW - looks a nice truck!

There are a handful of minor problems that these era trucks all seem to have in common - the search option will give you solutions for them.

 

Welcome to FTE BritGuy. Nice ride, hard to believe that a Brit would love it. No offence, I have nothing against the british. Heck, I have a british ex who lives in Dagenham who's trying to get back with me. But anywho, nice truck.

 

Very nice truck. Welcome to FTE.

 

Welcome from Arizona!

It's nice to see these stories of our trucks being found and put back on the road. It's a shame to see them parked in backyards & fields and not being enjoyed. I pulled mine out of a guys backyard, got it back on the road and enjoy running it out in the desert once in a while.

I agree with Rogue...don't trust those old tires....accident waiting to happen.

Nice truck! Welcome aboard!

 

Wish mine was that clean.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies and apologies for the delay in getting back on here for an update.

I haven't had chance to get back over since signing up so I haven't seen my truck for a couple of months now! I have been busy trying to get a few things sorted in the meantime though.

After a lot of searching and a few false starts I finally managed to track down a new parking brake control assembly from Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts. It's been fitted to the truck now so that's the last of the essential mechanical bits sorted for now.

Rogue_Wulff and custom 1106 - thanks for the tip-off about the tires. It's a shame because they're hardly worn but checking the records they're 11 years old and the truck hardly moved for the last 7 years. I'd rather not take the risk for a long trip and so I'll arrange for them to be changed asap. It seems that the Pathfinder ATR that are on there aren't available any more so I'll need to fit something else. A quick search points towards the BF Goodrich A/T as a good option to go for. Most of my driving will be on the road for the foreseeble future with a few adventures off-road but nothing too heavy. I do want a tire that will perform well in the winter though on snow and ice. Do you guys think the BFG is a good one to go for or have any other suggestions?

KrenzyRyan - I wondered if the truck had been lifted myself. There's nothing in the paperwork to suggest it has but that doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. Anyone know what the standard height is so I can take a check measure?

ctubutis - I'll have a detailed search to see about the aircon and if the info I need isn't there I will start a topic to see what my options are. Whatever proves to be the best route to getting the aircon going again, I have a feeling it will be rather costly! Still, the windows work fine for now!

Gary Lewis - I'm based right smack in the centre of London. I live in Soho, just off Oxford Street. I have tried to see how to edit my signature as you suggested but I can't find how to do it. I don't seem to have an edit signature option in the drop down list. Do you have to have a certain number of posts or have been a member for a certain period of time to get that?

Ken Blythen - thanks for the tips on getting hold of the build sheet. I looked into that and rang Ford who put me onto Shop Ford Gear. I ordered it but it hasn't arrived yet so I'm going to have to chase that one down to see what's happened to the order as the payment has been taken.

I'm hoping to make it over to Seattle in a couple of weeks for a few days and my fiancee and I are planning to take a trip down the Oregon coast in the truck. It will be a great opportunity to drive it properly for a few days and get to know it. One thing I do want to get sorted is a decent stereo system. I was looking at the replacement headliners with the speakers and slot for the unit but most reviews seem to say they're not very good. I don't really want to cut up the original dash so I'll look out for a vintage look replacement if that's possible. I only really need something that I can plug the ipod into and listen to the radio occasionally. The other option I suppose is to maybe install something behind the seat. Any tips guys? I'll do some searching or maybe that could be my next thread to start.

I also need to get hold of a decent truck box or tonneau cover for my trips, preferably a hard one that's reasonably secure and lockable. There seem to be hundreds to choose from and without being able to see them it's hard to choose which to go for. Again, any tips?

Thanks again for all the replies guys and for welcoming me to the forum. I'm glad everyone likes my truck and I'll be keeping you updated on progress as I gradually get everything sorted how I want. Cheers