Phil's 1979 Ford F250 Build
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,701
Likes: 6
I gotta say, I really like your style. I too can appreciate your comments about lifted trucks. I always wanted one, and don't have a really good reason why. I took my 2wd, converted it to 4wd and lifted it-thereby making all my own, much like you are doing.
Keep up the good work, and most of all, enjoy it. That's what old cars and trucks are really about.
Keep up the good work, and most of all, enjoy it. That's what old cars and trucks are really about.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Today marks the day that I have invested just over $1500 total into my truck. I understand that this is not the first milestone I will hit. I wanted to celebrate it with the only people who might understand...that would be anybody on this forum.
To celebrate this occasion, I have renamed the excel file containing my meticulous record keeping of investments and purchases. It is now called, "1979_ford_f250_owners_manual.xls" I figure, with a title like that, my wife would NEVER think about looking at it.
To celebrate this occasion, I have renamed the excel file containing my meticulous record keeping of investments and purchases. It is now called, "1979_ford_f250_owners_manual.xls" I figure, with a title like that, my wife would NEVER think about looking at it.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Today was quite uneventful. I feel like I accomplished next to nothing. I know I did some work on my truck, but I didn't leave feeling great about it.
I started prepping for some body work on the "new" box. Power washed years of dirt and mud off the bottom of the box. I only wanted to remove 4 bolts so I could get the mud flaps off to give me better access to the wheel wells. Four bolts isn't a lot to ask. None came off. I ended up grinding the heads off, in the process grinding my box twice. Good thing I'm repainting it eventually.
Before
After
After working on the box a bit, I flushed my radiator again. Tore into the 351m spare motor that came with the truck. Looked like crap. Seriously. A barn fell on it while in the previous owner's possession. Nevermind the rust.
I just got a shipment of thermite in, and highly contemplated lighting it over the engine to see if it'd burn all the way through the block.
Alas, I opened her up and she actually looked really good. I guess it really IS whats on the inside that counts. I was able to turn the motor. Some water and a little rust underneath the 2-barrel. Not bad at all really. I will use it for parts, and eventually put it up for sale.
I thought I'd get to kill the remnants of the wooden flatbed this week, but unfortunately my brother stole the Sawzall for his Chevy. I understand how this makes you all feel, so please close your eyes and count to 10 before you react.
I started prepping for some body work on the "new" box. Power washed years of dirt and mud off the bottom of the box. I only wanted to remove 4 bolts so I could get the mud flaps off to give me better access to the wheel wells. Four bolts isn't a lot to ask. None came off. I ended up grinding the heads off, in the process grinding my box twice. Good thing I'm repainting it eventually.
Before
After
After working on the box a bit, I flushed my radiator again. Tore into the 351m spare motor that came with the truck. Looked like crap. Seriously. A barn fell on it while in the previous owner's possession. Nevermind the rust.
I just got a shipment of thermite in, and highly contemplated lighting it over the engine to see if it'd burn all the way through the block.
Alas, I opened her up and she actually looked really good. I guess it really IS whats on the inside that counts. I was able to turn the motor. Some water and a little rust underneath the 2-barrel. Not bad at all really. I will use it for parts, and eventually put it up for sale.
I thought I'd get to kill the remnants of the wooden flatbed this week, but unfortunately my brother stole the Sawzall for his Chevy. I understand how this makes you all feel, so please close your eyes and count to 10 before you react.
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 12
From: NW Indiana
I'm surprised about the frozen bolts. That truck was a pleasure to dismantle compared to the frozen up bolts I usually deal with.
It's amazing how much dirt was under that truck, huh. Must have been a long gravel driveway.
My new accountant is in Grand Rapids. If you ever need anything i'm sure I'll be up there now and then. Just let me know.
It's amazing how much dirt was under that truck, huh. Must have been a long gravel driveway.
My new accountant is in Grand Rapids. If you ever need anything i'm sure I'll be up there now and then. Just let me know.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Found this side pic of my truck. Just locked down a full set of dent trim for under $50. Excited to see how it looks before closing the deal.
Grinnergetter, the support posts were pretty dirty and rusted. For the record though, I was not disappointed with the bed! I am currently looking for a body specialist to help me with the work (I want to learn with the guy I find), I just don't have a lot of experience in body work and want it to look good.
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_5292.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_5292.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Grinnergetter, the support posts were pretty dirty and rusted. For the record though, I was not disappointed with the bed! I am currently looking for a body specialist to help me with the work (I want to learn with the guy I find), I just don't have a lot of experience in body work and want it to look good.
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_5292.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_5292.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Today, I was able to talk the wife into allowing me to steal away for the day to work on my truck. Arrived at where the truck is, and just my luck, a perfect day turned into a thunderstorm. I didn't get to start my work on the bottom side of the truck box.
I did however remove the remnants of the previous owner's flatbed. That felt good. Every bolt needed to be cut. Amazing to think this truck has not been complete for over a decade or more!
I am placing my order for some Ospho rust remover, POR 15 and a couple pieces of sheet metal to begin my repairs to the truck box. I already purchased all of the grinding, sanding, and cutting wheels I need to remove rust from the bottom of the box, and will start this process in a week or so. Hopefully all will go well with that.
You guys see all the pictures here, any helpful advice is appreciated! You can post or message it to me!
I will detail all the equipment I use for anybody's future projects next time.
I did however remove the remnants of the previous owner's flatbed. That felt good. Every bolt needed to be cut. Amazing to think this truck has not been complete for over a decade or more!
I am placing my order for some Ospho rust remover, POR 15 and a couple pieces of sheet metal to begin my repairs to the truck box. I already purchased all of the grinding, sanding, and cutting wheels I need to remove rust from the bottom of the box, and will start this process in a week or so. Hopefully all will go well with that.
You guys see all the pictures here, any helpful advice is appreciated! You can post or message it to me!
I will detail all the equipment I use for anybody's future projects next time.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,287
Likes: 16
From: San Carlos, CA
I love your storytelling and the photos. Keep up the good work!
I read some of your posts to my wife and she said that your lucky it was only 16 pairs of shoes, it should have been more.
I read some of your posts to my wife and she said that your lucky it was only 16 pairs of shoes, it should have been more.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Started the bottom of the truck box today. I've never done any of this kind of crap before and needless to say I was excited to do this until my grinding wheel started hurling stones at me at speeds faster than the truck is capable of going.
As grinnergetter said, this box was dirty. Real dirty. Not so much rusty. I power washed the whole thing a while back. It still wasn't clean. Even after grinding it and air blasting everything away, it still wasn't clean. The only plus side of this, I could easily tell what I had hit and hadn't hit.
Well anyways, I learned an hour or so of grinding wheel action leaves your hands numb for an equivalent amount of time. I also learned why you need to where a mask while doing a job like this. If I hadn't, I just might have come down with a black lung in one day.
After cleaning and grinding, I degreased the bottom of the box, and proceeded to treat the entire thing with Ospho rust treatment. I understand that this was the equivalent of using an entire can of Raid on a single bee. Alas, I hate bees, and hate rust just as much. Luckily I'm not afraid of rust though.
Ospho is some great stuff. You can see it work right in front of you. As you coat the metal in it, it bubbles and you feel like you are killing it. I relate it to the joy I felt when I laid ant traps in my kitchen last year and watched as the unsuspecting creatures carried poison back to their nest. Sweet success never felt so awesome.
The carrying force behind Ospho is phosphoric acid. Metal oxides tend to act as bases, while nonmetal oxides act as acids. Because of this, iron (III) oxide (base) is easily treated with an acid, causing a neutralization reaction to occur. Ironically, one of the byproducts is water. That is the chemistry teacher in me, though the processes are a bit more complicated than just that.
Below you will see photos of my progress. I have included a few before and after shots of the work. Also, a quick look into our man dungeon. There are three people who work out of this garage (I get stuck outside). There is only one seat, and no refrigerator (for water of course). I think we need to assess this situation ASAP.
My father's Ford alongside mine. His is near done.
Before shot of underside of box
Halfway done grinding underside of box
Done grinding, ready for degreasing and Ospho
This is why you wear a mask. Also, my hand makes a appearance in this post. I know you guys are here for the trucks, and don't give a dang about who's behind it. Besides, the truck looks much better than I do.
Truck Box and some other pieces after treating with Ospho. I ground the rust off my bumper and the heat shields that sit above the exhaust and obviously treated these.
Note the development of the white solid as the Ospho does it magic.
Our garage
The last remnants of my first car, an '88 Bronco II.
As grinnergetter said, this box was dirty. Real dirty. Not so much rusty. I power washed the whole thing a while back. It still wasn't clean. Even after grinding it and air blasting everything away, it still wasn't clean. The only plus side of this, I could easily tell what I had hit and hadn't hit.
Well anyways, I learned an hour or so of grinding wheel action leaves your hands numb for an equivalent amount of time. I also learned why you need to where a mask while doing a job like this. If I hadn't, I just might have come down with a black lung in one day.
After cleaning and grinding, I degreased the bottom of the box, and proceeded to treat the entire thing with Ospho rust treatment. I understand that this was the equivalent of using an entire can of Raid on a single bee. Alas, I hate bees, and hate rust just as much. Luckily I'm not afraid of rust though.
Ospho is some great stuff. You can see it work right in front of you. As you coat the metal in it, it bubbles and you feel like you are killing it. I relate it to the joy I felt when I laid ant traps in my kitchen last year and watched as the unsuspecting creatures carried poison back to their nest. Sweet success never felt so awesome.
The carrying force behind Ospho is phosphoric acid. Metal oxides tend to act as bases, while nonmetal oxides act as acids. Because of this, iron (III) oxide (base) is easily treated with an acid, causing a neutralization reaction to occur. Ironically, one of the byproducts is water. That is the chemistry teacher in me, though the processes are a bit more complicated than just that.
Below you will see photos of my progress. I have included a few before and after shots of the work. Also, a quick look into our man dungeon. There are three people who work out of this garage (I get stuck outside). There is only one seat, and no refrigerator (for water of course). I think we need to assess this situation ASAP.
My father's Ford alongside mine. His is near done.
Before shot of underside of box
Halfway done grinding underside of box
Done grinding, ready for degreasing and Ospho
This is why you wear a mask. Also, my hand makes a appearance in this post. I know you guys are here for the trucks, and don't give a dang about who's behind it. Besides, the truck looks much better than I do.
Truck Box and some other pieces after treating with Ospho. I ground the rust off my bumper and the heat shields that sit above the exhaust and obviously treated these.
Note the development of the white solid as the Ospho does it magic.
Our garage
The last remnants of my first car, an '88 Bronco II.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
I realize some might wonder what I was using for this work. Some might not care at all. But either way, here are the things I used, not included in the picture is Purple Power concentrated degreaser and wife repellant.
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7442.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7442.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7441.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7441.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7440.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7440.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7442.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7442.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7441.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7441.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/?action=view&current=IMG_7440.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n507/manthony222/IMG_7440.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Rockford, MI
Oh yes, and I was going to try to be lazy and restore this without removing the cab. The bad news though, when I checked my cab mounts, I really only checked one, on the front passenger side. It looked great, so that day I didn't bother checking the others like I should have. Turns out, my truck only chose to rust on one side. I have no idea how this happens. (unless one was replaced). It looks like I will be taking the cab off.
I am posting this picture because I can.
I am posting this picture because I can.
