So I bought a 1976 F150 4x4 longbed in Montana. I knew next to nothing about it but I drove it to Denver one night and it made it just fine. It has a 460 and I got 11 mpg the entire way. I drove about 65 mph the whole time. I got home and started dreaming about the truck and what I would do with it. There was a ton of damage to both fenders and I couldn't live with them so at the junkyard I got 2 useable ones for 100 bucks and spent 3 hours sanding. I primered them up and threw em on and the difference is amazing.

I went out to work <truck driving> and came back, fired the truck up and no lights at all. No headlights, tail lights, nothing. Thinking about the truck has been therapy for me but I've noticed that I have neglected the most important thing. Reliability. I made a list for my truck.

1. Lights all must work, no cracked lenses, burned out bulbs, etc.

2. Valve cover gasket on one side, oil leaking from the corner onto the exhaust manifold. Annoying and smelly

3. Windshield is cracked, not bad but worth replacing.

So nothing major it seems. The lighting is the most worrysome for me. But who cares? A day in the garage and a 3g upgrade and maybe a new fuse panel and all will be well. I got carried away dreaming of giant tires and awesome bumpers, disc brakes and all sorts of other cool stuff and forgot I needed a truck to drive!

 

Reminds me of mine.
Good luck with it.

 

Whereabouts in MT?

 

You might start by checking the headlight switch and the power wire to it. I've had a couple of these trucks with lighting issues that I traced back to a small windshield seal leak dripping onto the headlight switch. A new switch and a little work resealing the windshield, and I was good to go!
Reliability is what these trucks are all about. I have never had a Ford truck strand me any farther from home than in front of the house next door. Stay away from huge tires and big lifts... It may look cool as a monster truck, but you'll be forever tearing up u-joints, and the big tires not only make the handling spooky, they wear out really fast on pavement - so you'll get to spend all that money on them again real soon. Keep the mods sensible and spend some of the savings on a good tow rope, you'll get a lot of enjoyment pulling the guys with the monster trucks out of whatever they broke their truck trying to get through. And it's a great way to get free beer!

 

It ain't the big tires and big lifts.

It's not putting the correct parts when you add big tires and big lifts.

If you spend some money and get the right u-joints- usually Spicer. They will last...BUT with everything..you got to maintain it. Grease it up when you get of the mud.

Get stronger axle shafts and upgrade axles if you want.

 

I got the truck in Billings from the mechanic at the trucking company I worked for. It sat in the yard there for 6 months or so before I bought it and then a few more months before I ever got around to taking it for a spin. I think I had 30 miles on it before taking it to Denver. I was worried about the truck making it but with the exception of the topper nearly blowing off it went really well. 550 miles and the heaviest workout the truck has had in awhile I bet.

I got the headlight switch off and will replace it in the next few days. Hopefully that cures some of the lighting issues

 

I'm assuming that you had good power to the switch? I always get nervous when people replace stuff I suggested they check when they don't say, "I checked it and it was bad.."

Manfred,
I'm not saying that lifting and big tires are bad, but a lot of guys take it way too far just for looks, without as you said, putting the correct parts in to make everything live. They put huge tires on without also putting in lower gears to make them go and bigger brakes to make them stop. Modifications have to take into consideration what other parts of the truck will be affected, and whether they are strong enough to stand up to the modified part...

 

yeah, i checked the switch and it's burned all up. I've got wires hanging everywhere from it and just twisted together. I'll get the thing figured out but I'll start with a new switch and wires.

 

Hopefully there's enough of the harness and connectors for you to splice back together. I always cringe when I climb under the dash and everything has been replaced with either red or yellow #10 gauge wire...

Best of Luck to you