Alright. Here goes. I see people with build pages. It makes me want to have one of my own.

I understand that many people will click this link hoping to find something amazing. I will tell you ahead of time, the only thing amazing about this thread is that I am posting it using a laptop that does not (er, cannot) ever close. And if I were to remove the scotch tape from the left side of the screen, it would fall flat backwards.

I drive an Oldsmobile Intrigue which has no heat in the winter (I live in Michigan). It refuses to start at least once per day, forcing me to use the "homemade" hotwire I've installed (I like to use the term "modded"). Anybody watching usually immediately calls the police while I'm sparking the battery.

Did I mention this used to be my wife's car? I volunteered to drive it and gave her my new car 4 years ago so she could be comfortable. All nice and peachy like.

Why do I have all of these thing decrepit things you ask? Why would I spend over 600 hours per year in a car that which I hate more than my cat throwing up in my living room?

Its because I have a truck now. And I'd rather enjoy my weekends with it than fixing the stupid window motor on the Olds for the third time.

Here she is.

 

The above photos and the ones following here are pictures of her the minute I got her home. This was about a month ago, somewhere around the time I became a member here. You need to remember where you started to understand what it takes to get to the end.

Just for the record, the 18 gallon fuel cell in back is used to power the attached 18 HP Briggs and Stratton. Not pictured of course. So don't even go there.

 

LMAO
A belated welcome to FTE.
Looks like a nice start to your project.
Be sure to keep us updated on your build and include lots of pictures......we all LOVE truck ****.

 

It appears you have a good starting point. I miss my '79. My '96 is going to be a nice truck when it's done, but doesn't have the soul the old dent side had...

 

Wow, your interior is the exact same as that cab on frame that had the mirrors. I put it back together after you left.
I'm guessing there will be significant progress in this very soon.

 

So, I'm going to be up front and honest. I bought the truck for $800. 1979 Ford F250 Ranger. Originally Ford Dark Jade Metallic with puke green for a secondary color (just kidding, but seriously). (just kidding though, I don't want to make members angry, but seriously, light jade had to go) Luckily, along the line someone fixed the paint job, making it green all the way.

A little bit about me, so you can understand this build:

I have never owned a truck. I owned an '88 Bronco II, but I'm not entirely sure that counts (more members are now filled with ire)

I will not pretend I know everything about trucks. I don't.

I will not pretend I know why my wife thinks me buying this truck is reason for her to go buy 16 new pairs of shoes. I always thought she wanted a truck. Evidently, I was dead wrong.

I want a truck I alone can enjoy. I value opinion, but none more than my own.

Some may wonder why I have bought a red seat to replace the green one that was housing a family of mice when I brought the truck home. My answer, it was cheap. And I can always cover it up. Maybe someday I will have earned the right to have a nice green ranger edition seat. Until then I will survive.

Here is the seat I salvaged, some may recognize it from earlier posts. I stole half of my wife's cleaning supplies. Therefore, she is doing her part on the truck without even knowing it.

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I understand some people are going to see all these posts in a row and wonder about my sanity.

I like to think that I am just trying to "bring you up to speed" on my build progress. One month of an hour here and an hour there of weekend work.

What are my plans you wonder. I wish nothing more than a truck that looks good and drives well. Is that too much to ask?

I have been on this earth at this point for over 27 years. I have always wanted a truck with a lift on it. Yes, I have set the bar that low (pun?). My mother always says, "If you set the bar low enough, you can't be disappointed."

I'm not proud of it, especially in this forum, but I have NEVER sat in a lifted vehicle of any sort. I've wanted to. I've ogled. But I've never reached up and got in.

The first lifted truck I get in will be the one I've built with my own hands.

That being said. About two weeks ago, I tore apart the front grille. Why? Because I could. And because the PO or PPO before that installed the dumbest clips ever to hold inserts in place. I have also learned that this same person had a fetish for self-tapping screws. I think this is close to my thoughts on this issue.

Under the tarp to the left is my spare 351m which claimed TWO ratchets of mine today. Maybe a pipe and low quality ratchet wasn't the best idea for breaking those bolts.

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We are up to today. I finished flushing the radiator system.

If you close your eyes and listen, she idles lovely. Then open your eyes and there she is shaking it for you. Country girl, shake it for me. Yeah, pretty sure engines aren't supposed to do that. And mine doesn't look all that great......



My 400 has a decent shake, not diagnosed it yet, won't start engine rebuild until next spring/summer. She also suffers from one low pressure valve, and ridiculously low oil pressure when warm. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see the gauge reading much less than 10 psi.

I also pulled off my headliner and probed my clearance lights to see why only 2 of 5 actually work. My results eventually concluded poor grounds with the cab. Replacement of the screws should fix this I hope.

I know people on this forum solve far more interesting problems on a day to day business, but dang it, this was important to me at this time.

(for those people who show newbie skills lesser than mine, removal of the headliner takes all of 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove chrome stripping around top of cab (should be 4 pieces total), and then remove headliner hardware. do not resecure with self-tapping screws).

My clearance lights are the chrome orange lens lights that are ordered out of LMCtruck. My initial review of them is that they look good. Their functionality is ok. There was some leakage into the cab, though minimal. The rubber seals on the lenses have shrunken and contorted like a mummy due to years of sunlight. Fabrication of new ones is easy with a thin sheet of rubber.

Here is what the wiring looks like on mine. Pretty simple really.

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I don't know why there is a chain on my truck. I've heard of truck ****, but bondage? Come on now.

Maybe somebody can tell me what it is.

I'm going to assume its some sort of plowing equipment leftovers. But you know what assuming makes me...........

 

Today was a great day. The truck was reunited with its rear end, or somebody else's rear for that matter.

The previous previous owner had installed a flatbed years ago, and the previous owner tore it off. This left me with a bunch of 4x4's attached to the frame with crude low grade bolts. Next week there will be pictures of these remnants versus my sawzall.

Grinnergetter hooked me up with a green truck box for an undisclosed price. He also hooked me up with views of his '73 truck, which everybody here has probably seen. I must admit, I am incredibly jealous. He's got a real slick ride going there, and I'll break one of the seven deadly sins to say it.

My wife says I break one every time I buy a part for my truck anyways. I'm screwed either way.

Grinnergetter, thanks for the parts, and thanks for supporting my new found habits.

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After 3 hours of driving, and 5-6 stops to check on the box, I finally got my long box home.

Below is a couple pictures of it near its final resting place. Next weekend I plan on removing the 4x4s from the frame. I also plan on cleaning up the truck box, and will begin body work on it.

I know how to calculate the required speed of a satellite in geostationary orbit. And have programmed a countdown timer using only transistors. But alas, I do not know how to cut metal, weld, or pound dents. Hilarity will most likely ensue. Please keep mockery to a minimum. Photos will follow next week.

Pay special attention to the photos below and you might notice there are three separate generations of Ford trucks in one. Find them all and you win absolutely nothing.

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Looks to be coming along great. Your sense of humor makes the posts a blast to read and all the pics are great too.

Keep up the good work.

Welcome to FTE.

 

I am enjoying this thread! Your style makes very good reading, I think you missed your calling. Wonder if they used the chain somehow to lock the hood down or maybe just to lock the hoodlatch?

 

I appreciate the comments. In return, I will continue to post what has been labeled as truck pornography. Please enjoy yourselves in the weeks/months to come. But please don't enjoy yourselves too much.

I will try my best to maintain a ratio of 2:1 for pictures to posts. This will keep most of you visual people motivated to visit and keep me motivated to document this journey I'm taking. Also, the ratio will help me keep my mouth shut.

 

Welcome to FTE. It looks like you have a pretty solid project here. I think I'll have to subscribe. Not many guys on here combine truck build info with references to scotch taped lap tops and cat puke. I like it! Keep it coming.