During the winter months, when we are not always able to get out and play with what makes us tick, we tend to hibernate (trying to stay warm) and we log onto our favorite forums such as FTE....we tend to digress when it comes to our memories.
The purpose of this thread? Share some of those memories and how your memories influenced your drive. There is no doubt that the 80 to 86 trucks are a passion for numerous reasons....Share it !
(I have total confidence that Chris will put this thread in it's proper place if it has not been threaded properly) wink.

 

After Mom passed and we realized that Dad had Alzheimer's I used to drive the 100 miles each way to see him on a weekly basis. When I got there we'd climb in his truck and go for a ride in the country where he grew up. Windows down and enjoying the ride, he would point out the same things every time we went, and some times several times on the same trip.

After the truck came to me I drove it back and forth to see him many times, but by then he'd forgotten it was his truck. Still, it just seemed right.

 

There were two things that attracted me to my 1981:

1) It was cheap.
2) It's the year I graduated from high school.

Can kinda add a third - non-computer-controlled - but I've come to actually like the computer-controlled EFI engines so I'm not sure anymore how much of an advantage that is.

But... I spend my working hours in high tech and I wanted something mechanical in my life, no error messages or blinkenlights or colored cables (well, there are lots of colored WIRES so maybe that's not a good reason but you get the idea) . I started working on cars when I turned 16, and that was after having grown up watching my father and his friends build stock cars, so I guess this trait will never "go away."

I use my truck mainly as a utility vehicle to haul firewood from the mountains down to the city.

 

My 82 F100, which I sort of still have(All that remains from the 82 is the cab, right fender, and most of the interior) was a gift from my uncle shortly after my grandmother died.
He sure knew how to keep a mechanically inclined 12 year old out of trouble, give him a truck with a bad engine and tell him that there is a parts truck with a good engine at his neighbors that goes with it...

 

I graduated College in 1981, Saved and special ordered my 1986 Flareside 4x4. (my current Avatar)
This was my "victory over college" present to me. But went back for more education in 1988, and could not afford payments, reluctantly sold to a 21 year old who, a year later, it was repo-ed, and I traced to Vermont, where the current owner, blew the engine. I always wanted back, but not to be....
Got a second one in 2000, but sold it for economic, (and kids) reasons, Got a third now.

 

[QUOTE=Gary Lewis;15968108]After Mom passed and we realized that Dad had Alzheimer's I used to drive the 100 miles each way to see him on a weekly basis. When I got there we'd climb in his truck and go for a ride in the country where he grew up. Windows down and enjoying the ride, he would point out the same things every time we went, and some times several times on the same trip.

After the truck came to me I drove it back and forth to see him many times, but by then he'd forgotten it was his truck. Still, it just seemed right.[/QUOTE]


It was! You were honoring your father.

 

Thank you. Janey frequently told me that although Dad wouldn't know how often I went, I would. And, she was right. So, I even though he didn't know that it was his truck, I do know and am happy I did it.

 

My 1985 Lariat used to belong to my Father. This was the first vehicle he bought for himself (used) when my Mother left all of us. He LOVED this truck when it was newer and it got LOTS of compliments. When my Bronco II blew a head gasket, I drove this truck around about 4 months until it was finally repaired. Then, it was my Sister's first vehicle when she got her license. She drove it around 6 months or so before she got a Beretta. Then, it was my Brother's first vehicle when he got his license. He drove it around a year or so before he got a Thunderbird.

An old mechanic who knew nothing about modern engines rebuilt the engine well but ripped out most of the emissions (EEC-IV and feedback carburetor woes). Then, I put a nice BIG dent in the back quarter panel of the truck when I slammed on brakes and the rear end slung around and hit a tree in a ditch. When the AOD failed shortly after for the second time (culprit: incorrect carburetor replacement that lacked the proper AOD TV rod linkage, compliments from the previous rebuild), my Father lost interest and the truck sat under a barn for a while. Years later, after the tires went flat and the Fire Red paint oxidized and turned rusty pink, I asked my Father what his plans were for the old Ford and he said he was going to "junk it." I always liked this truck and I quickly decided I wanted it. Even though the engine was rough, I got the AOD rebuilt and was driving it again.

From there, my Uncle Larry was a HUGE help in helping me to get this truck running better than new. He lived right across the street from me. He was retired and he was an old-school mechanic who had TREMENDOUS patience and who could tune a vehicle with his ear what most people need a vacuum gauge for. I never knew carburetors could run so well until he took me under his wing and showed me how great they are when they are hooked up and functioning correctly. "Every carbureted vehicle NEEDS a choke", and "the distributor is the truck's computer" - I never forgot that. With his help, I did the Duraspark II conversion and he got the Autolite 4100 carburetor (he LOVED Autolite carburetors) tuned so well it runs just as smooth as any modern fuel-injected vehicle. This truck actually starts up FASTER than any modern fuel-injected vehicle; I am not kidding. He passed away a little over a year ago, and I don't think I could EVER part with this vehicle now.

In fact, I just spent over $4000 restoring the body and paint on this truck for all of the reasons above. My Father is VERY anxious to see the finished product, as am I. I just wish my Uncle was still alive to see it. Pictures will be coming very soon.

 

Wonderful story, Rick.

 

Thanks, Gary. I enjoyed reading your story very much as well.

ALL of these stories are interesting, and it's cool that these trucks are a big part of that.

 

I would love to hear some more of these stories.

Anyone else care to share?

 

Thanks for the thread bump Lariat ! It's been awhile and maybe there are a few new or longtime members who have some history that they might like to share.
There are many reasons why our trucks "chose their owners" and it's very cool to hear those stories.

 

I don't have a passion for my truck, I guess, it's just what I have... it entered my life when I installed a woodburning stove and then had to find a way to get firewood. Some guy across the street from where my brother lives had it in his yard with a For Sale sign on it, and it eventually became mine. Rusted-to-hell-but-"fixed" once, an allegedly-rebuilt engine, ugly POS but I re-rebuilt the engine (was done by an amateur who used RTV on the head gaskets), installed 6-way (a waste) power seats from a Jeep Commanche, and have a replacement body for it in my brother's back yard and our garages.

And it is the reason why I started reading FTE in the first place, this is my first truck and I needed to learn about it... and I at some point found that "hey, I can answer some of these questions, maybe I should join up."

And it was my first car-related project in close to 20 years, I used to work on cars as a teenager into my early 20s and then abandoned it for a while (went down the computer & electronics route), this truck was my mechanical relief from all the error messages & colored cables & blinkenlights that make up the hi-tech world.

But life got in the way of that and I've since become heavily involved in 2nd-gen Ford Taurus SHO cars and the truck is in my brother's back yard for, um, close to 5years now, waiting for it to become one of my projects again.