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Hey all. I purchased this 1983 F100 in the fall of 2017 after wanting one of the 7th gen trucks most of my adult life. This one is in ok shape. It has a great running 302 HO from an 86 Mustang, Edelbrock performer intake and 1406 carb. I recently replaced the fuel tanks with plastic ones due to rust. The plastic tanks had some issues with how the sender mounts to the tank and I had some leaks which are now fixed after I reworked the rear tank... I also replaced the fuel filler necks with the newer 87-96 style which work great and fit perfectly. I swapped in a seat from an 8th gen because they are more cushiony. Ill be slowly restoring it until it is showroom new, starting with the interior.
Last edited by lxer96; Mar 19, 2021 at 04:36 PM.
Reason: Fixed some spelling
Phase 1. Carpet. I ordered some saddle color carpet with mass backing and matching floor mats from ACC. Obviously, saddle is not the correct color. I believe they call the original color gold. I went with it anyway. To me, it doesn’t look to bad. The holes for the seat tracks, belts, high beam button were all premarked and easy to cut out from the back. The holes for the sill plate screws were not, but using a pick, i poked the holes through and got the sills mounted in. Old carpet New carpet
It’s not too bad. The door panels are powdery as are most of the interior panels and the seat needs new upholstery. The body needs a good amount of attention. There are some rust holes just beneath the rear window, a few dents here and there. New paint is in the future.
You can get the door panels if they are to bad. If you do a search some have tried to fix them by sanding off the powder to a good base then use SEM paint made of the panels to finish them off to look new.
Because I did not have the money at the time, still don't LOL, and just wanted them to look good that is what I did.
My door panels were painted blue then black that saved them from turning to powder but the paint had to be removed before any work could be done.
Any cracks I used Plastex to repair and fill in missing parts as I had it on the shelf, it would work good for the cracked map pocket I see (or buy new ones) then use SEM paint.
Kick panels did have powder and I did the sand & paint.
I also used SEM on the dash after I did some work to it too.
The outside
That was a 4 year cab off frame rebuild, been on the road a little over a year now.
Now you know why I said your truck looks pretty good
This should give you some hope it can be done LOL
Keep us posted we love pictures
Dave ----
I already got some new panels from Dennis Carpenter. I bought some saddle paint and map pockets from LMC that were promptly returned. Their color on the website is nothing like what you get in person. Its more of a pure brown where my interior has a yellowish tint to it. The color match sheet posted online also does not list the correct color and is too pinkish. So... rather than continue fighting the perfect color match battle, I decided to go with SEM Palomino. That work will be done in the coming weeks.
I also picked up some new door weatherstripping for the top of the doors and the body side of the door. I got the Fairchild brand off rock auto. Both body sides required trimming about 5” off. They seem to fit fine, but boy is the door hard to close now. Once closed, there is so much less wind noise and no water leaks like before.
Make sure you wash the panels a few times with warm water & soap and let dry good.
Also get SEM adhesion promoter to use before painting.
As for color matching that is why I painted everything, it all matches now LOL
I also has to trim some off the door seals and they do make the doors close a little harder.
As for noise I don't know as I never drove the truck before I installed them.
Dave ----
Sorry it took a while to get these pictures posted. I did the door panels, dash, and all of the interior panels. I swapped on the 87-91 door map pockets and sunvisors. Interior is looking pretty good. Need to get the seat done next.
The doors are still difficult to close after 8 months. Not sure if the weatherstripping will ever soften up or if it’s a problem with door alignment.
That looks pretty good
My door panels were not that good to put a lot of time into other than put paint on them to make them look a little better to match the rest.
Dave ----
Just an FYI. I solved the door being hard to close problem. The problem was the weatherstripping that I got from Bronco Graveyard. I picked up some from Dennis Carpenter and now they close like normal again. If you see below, the problem is pretty obvious. Carpenter on the left, BG on the right. The BG ones are larger enough that the doors won’t close easy. Also, the DC ones are noticeably softer and want to squish flat where the BG ones want to squish in a crescent shape where the edges won’t smoosh in.
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