Just wanted to introduce myself and maybe ask a few question as I go along.

My name is Eyjólfur Sigurjónsson and I am the proud owner of a very rusty 1981 F250 with the 351m and stick shifted. I live in Iceland and the car has spent most of it's time as a service vehicle at a weather beaten airport on an island off the coast. Apparently, salt and steel don't mix so the body is toast and I basically have to change every piece of bodywork between the number plates.




I had to tape shut the top before the trip to it's destination because most of the roof is rusted away from the windscreen. The floor is also mostly non-existent and the back window frame has little integrity left. The bed is completely gone and the tailgate is missing.

The good news is that it has very few miles on it and the mechanics all work and the motor seems to be in pretty good shape.

This begs the question, is there any chance of finding a cab and bed with little rust near Virginia Beach, which is the harbor for shipping to Iceland? What is the going price for these things there?

I am not going to import a whole car since it would be taxed to the hilt compared to just importing spare parts.

Cheers,

Eyjólfur Bjarni Sigurjónsson

 

That truck is nicer than many found here in "The Rust Belt" in the U.S.
In fact, it looks like a State of Ohio Highway Service truck. lol

 

Nuts. Shipping a rustless cab and a bed halfway across country sounds pricey. This might end in some miles of welding wire being spent before the end...

Eyjólfur

 

Welcome,

You are quite the brave sole, buying a former commercial vehicle, and ex-airport one at that. I'm an airline mechanic and can vouch that our vehicles are maintained by an entirely different group of mechanics, living proof of evolution in many ways. Even after folding their arms so their knuckles don't drag on the ground, these guys make our baggage handlers look distinguished and refined.

There can't be too many full size Ford pickups in Iceland, are there? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you will find shipping good parts from the states will be cost-prohibitive. Besides the cost of international shipping, your best bet for decent parts would be in the western US, so you'd also have to factor shipping across the US, too. Road salt is heavily used in many of the eastern states (known as the "from" states, meaning places where nobody voluntarily moves there), so expect most used body parts from those areas to be not worth shipping.

Shipping individual body parts could also be tricky, as you'd have the expense of crating them. I don't know if a freight company would even accept bare fenders, etc. Even if they did, there is a very high chance of uncrated parts being damaged in shipping.

Our junkyards have a decent supply of fenders, hoods, etc., but finding a good bed is not always easy. They take a lot of abuse, so used ones are in high demand.

Sorry I don't have better news for you.

 

Welcome to FTE! I don't have much to add to what's been said, other than to support that parts should come from the west where salt isn't used. And damaged parts are par for the course in shipping.

But, I do have a resource for you - my web site. In fact, I probably have more 1981 info, including brochures and a dealer fact book, than any other year - probably because I own two 1981's. You can see the URL in my sig.

 

Well, it may be a sign of resolute ignorance and blind optimism that I am still thinking of finding a cab and bed in the States. You are right in thinking that there are not that many trucks of that age in Iceland, we have heaps of trucks but they are mostly younger or Japanese or both. I may be able to track down an f-350 bed and remove those wide fenders but the cab will be a headache. The hood and front fenders will probably be bought from LMC. The doors I will repair.

All of this will though be chump change in comparison with my 1982 Mercedes G-wagon. THAT thing kicks me in the plums and runs away with my wallet every time I close my eyes to sneeze.

Just to get a rough idea, how much would it cost to transport a cab from Arizona to Virginia?

Eyjólfur

 

If you remove the fenders on a dually bed you will need to get new bedsides. It's not like there's a normal single-wheel bed under there.

I've bought a few parts from LMC and have been happy with them. But the picky folk on here who have bought body parts from them have not been happy with the quality. If you're looking for something relatively cheap and easy to locate I'm sure LMC is a good choice. But if you're looking to really restore the truck you might want to do some research to see if they are the right source for you.

 

Thanks for the input everyone, Gary's page has been bookmarked for study...

The truck is not intended for car shows so originality is not really an issue. Using a wide bed and altering it, no matter how extensively, is always going to be easier than tackling the one I have. I do realize that there is more to it than just removing the fenders and welding in new sides but that really doesn't intimidate me, or my MIG for that matter. I did read somewhere that the bed didn't change between models so I should have from '80-'91 to choose from. Let's just hope I can find one.

I don't like poorly fitting parts so I will be plowing the forum before I choose what to use for the front end. Thanks for that Bob.

 

The fender lines changed between '86 and '87, and the tail lights changed at least once in the 17 years. But if original looks aren't that important you can fit any '80 - '96/97 bed on it ('96 for F-150 and standard F-250, '97 for F-250HD and F-350). And the looks aren't that different. Only die-hard Ford aficionados are likely to even notice the difference.

 

Thank you Bob, that was really helpful and I will widen the search.

 

I have a rust free body here in Texas that you are welcome to if you can handle the shipping. Give it to you for 100 bucks.

 

Oooooh, that is tempting but will require a bit more planning. Do you by any chance have a foto? Does anyone have an idea of the cost involved in getting the cab to Virginia?

If only I had too much money, I would be on the next plane over.

Eyjólfur

 

I don't have any pictures at the moment but the body is straight and clean. I think Stockdale Dave can vouch for me, he saw it when he stopped by to grab some parts.