So my mom's 1997 F-350 with the 5.8 is in some dire need of some love and I helped her out by starting with her biggest problem...her radiator support, or lack there of I should say. Bought a cheap amazon replacement, was made out of a bit thinner metal then the stocker and not all the holes were 100% lined up but for the price was well worth it. After tearing my whole front clip off on my 1995 F-350 7.3 project truck I pretty much knew where all the snag ups were gonna be so got the whole thing done in probably about 12 hours. That included painting up the new rad support to match/last a bit longer and painting up the front part of the frame to help keep the frame mounts from rusting out as well and flushing her cooling system. This isn't a how to or anything but just thought I'd share the saving of another OBS from the junk yard as the shop she gets it inspected at told her it was "pretty much totaled" because of how bad it was rusted out and the labor/parts to fix it aren't what the trucks worth. Can you believe that? That's what motivated me to do it for her the most to be honest because the trucks actually in really good solid shape for it's age and given she doesn't take the best care of it and it's a northern truck. Can't wait to see the guy at the shops face when she brings it back for inspection with the new support. Here's a few pictures of the project. Painted the support to match the truck color and did all new mounting hardware. Up next is her brakes as one caliper is sticking and the truck steers hard right when braking.

 

yeah that would of been a shame to let a truck like that go.that's a real good solid northern truck for sure.it's despicable what kind of disposable society so many of us have become a part of.

nice job.long live the 9th gen.

 

No one has any desire to preserve or build anything anymore...I don't know wether it's sheer laziness or what but it's a shame how our country's getting taken over by whatever it is.

 

Well, the economy was at a point that it was cheaper to buy new than it was to repair, so over the years, fathers didn't pass down skills like auto repair to their kids and much of the kids now have a self entitlement attitude they they deserve more than they really do and they also should not have to get their hands dirty. Now that the economy is in the toilet over the last 10 years, I'm betting that there's going to be a whole new generation of people that are willing to give fixing it themselves a try. Here's an example, I blew the PS lines on my 03 F350 last week, Wife said, just take it to Ford and let them fix it, knowing it would be expensive, I called to get prices. One line was $175, the other was $225, they said 3.5hrs labor at $95 per hour, plus Misc charges for fluids rags, etc, etc. So without tax, and misc charges, we're talking $715, I showed the numbers to the wife, then I proceeded to fix the lines myself, it cost me about $27.00 and 1.5hr labor.

 

it really pays off in the long run being handy with a wrench but unfortunately I don't see the "fix it" mind set coming back. Kids now a days are like you described and just plain lazy....no one wants to work for nothing anymore. They're scared of work itself let alone hard dirty work like fixing something on an automobile. Also the technology involved with new cars today isn't helping bring it back as there's just so much junk and technology on cars now a days it's almost unbelievable.

 

That's not what I had in my mind when you said "northern" truck. I pictured something from the northeast after years of road salt.

Yea, that truck is a rusty piece of junk. I suggests that you ship it out to the east coast. I'll get "rid of it" for you.

 

Honestly, your old core support is in better condition than the one in my 95 F250

 

Unfortunately, the only part of that core support that is toast are the two points on the bottom where it connects to the frame. However, with some minor welding skills, and about an hours time, that core support could be easily saved.

 

I know what y'all are saying & agree, but its pretty much the same with everything since the start of the industrial revolution.

The things (obs, etc) that we elect to preserve & use past their expected useful life just take that effort to a whole new level.

OP:

Nice job, save the old for somebody who has less.

 

This reminds me of an interview I heard on the radio with NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski. He said when he was in his early teens helping his dad build race cars, his dad wanted him to make some brackets for some component on the car. He wanted Brad to make 10 of them so they had extra parts. Brad said it took him two days, and several scraped knuckles from the grinding wheel to make these brackets. When he was done, he saw in the catalog that the brackets were only $4 each - why not just buy new and save the time? His dad explained that if he simply bought the part, Brad wouldn't really know anything about the part - fitment, gauge of the steel, etc. He explained that you also gain a semblance of self-satisfaction that you made that part, and maybe next time, are less likely to throw it - or another part - away.
I just think that's an important lesson to teach our kids in this throw-away society we now live in.

 

All true statements above, it's the world we live in today unfortunately. Yeah the actual support isn't bad at all just the two spots where it mounted to the frame had no metal left, all rusted away, only bolts holding the support in were the bolts on fenders and the few to battery tray. Unfortunately I don't have a welder or else I probably could have just welded in new metal where it rusted out but it is what it is, truck will be on the road hopefully another 20 years now!!