Hello All,

I finally joined the forum after lurking for the past few months. I joined the Dentside family back in March with my purchase of a 1976 F150 4x4. I was told it has a 390, but of course, after de-coding the VIN, it may actually have a 360. I was told the engine was rebuilt, so it could have been rebuilt to a 390, but I haven't confirmed it by pulling the plugs and measuring the distance between TDC and BDC. I do plan to do so at some point to satisfy my curiosity. It has the usual Dana 44 front, NP205 T case, 4 speed manual, and 9" rear. It's pretty basic, no frills truck. There is a satisfaction in its simplicity among today's high tech vehicles. Although, I do wish it had A/C, especially here in Texas during the summer. It's in decent shape with only minor rust in a couple spots. I'd call it good driver quality. It's nice enough to appreciate, but not too nice to be afraid to drive it.

I've enjoyed tinkering with it at my leisure. I replaced the missing rear bumper and some other minor interior bits such as the steering wheel, missing cigarette lighter, rearview mirror, and so on. As much aftermarket support as there is for these trucks, I may never run out of parts to consider replacing/upgrading.

I'm considering an Accel electronic ignition. The PO replaced the original Duraspark unit with a standard points/condenser style distributor. I'm guessing he had issues with the Duraspark unit as it was still attached in the engine bay; however, the fender had a large stream of melted guts coming from it. The standard dist is not a huge deal right now. I'm enjoying learning how to maintain it and don't currently put a lot of miles on it to give me a lot of incentive to upgrade. I think prior to that I would like to address a few minor, but irritating leaks from the oil pan, T case, and rear diff. Those could be either rewarding jobs worth tackling myself or a pandora's box of frustration.

Regardless, I've been enjoying cruising around in the old girl. I've gotten more compliments on it than any other vehicle I've ever owned. I've also enjoyed tinkering on it at my own pace in my own time. Vehicle maintenance on a hobby/project is always therapeutic compared to maintenance on a vehicle of necessity.

I've gotten many great tips and information from the forum. I appreciate all the contributors who have shared their knowledge and also those who pose great questions that produce great answers. I look forward to more and will hope to continue to use this resource and potentially contribute.

I don't think I can attach any pics and I don't have a link to offer. However, I have put a few in my gallery.

Best Regards,
RJK

 

Welcome aboard alot of knoledge here and great guy's.

Dale

 

Welcome aboard.

Cool avatar... "The Trooper"! I too am a diehard Iron Maiden fan.

..."We get so close near enough to fight
When a Russian gets me in his sights.
He pulls the trigger and I feel the blow
A burst of rounds takes my horse below.
And as I lay there gazing at the sky
My body's numb and my throat is dry.
And as I lay forgotten and alone
Without a tear I draw my parting groan"

 

Thank you. I use it for all the forums I'm a member of. I too am a huge Maiden fan. They're coming to my town in August. I'd love to go, but not sure it will happen.

 

Welcome to the forum !!! Sounds like you do have a nice cruiser.