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My name is Travis, I’m 15 and after months of work, I’ve finally got my truck running the way it’s supposed to! I got it a little less than a year ago in the Mohave desert and it wasn’t running and was a insane project. I picked it up and completely cleaned up the engine and replaces many thing! It would overheat every 5 minutes and wouldn’t shift gears. I cleaned out the radiator fixed suction issues with the trans and replaces the gasket! As of now everything mechanically is done! My most recent replacement was my steering box which was a pain to put it but I got it in just wanted to show you how far it’s come. I’ve replaced the gas tank and many miscellaneous items everywhere and completely rebuilt the front end. I’m so glad this truck came into my life. It’s showed me patcience, taught me never to give up and even taught me some swear words I’m extremely proud of what I’ve done with so little knowledge in the beginning and a dad with no Ford experience and a little mechanics book!
Was it maybe a cast away from Rt 66? My first car had a powerglide, 1st gear was about destroyed, but it would go on in 2nd, or back up a hill. Eventually it got a 3 speed with a floor shift from a JY car.
Truck sounds great! You're making great progress and you should be proud of yourself! Keep the updates coming! What else do you have planned?
thank you! My plans for it were first off slap on some new headers and exhaust. LMC sells a performance exhaust kit that looks good. It has an exhaust leak on both manifolds so I might as well replace it while I’m in there. Other than that I want to start prepping for paint but the bed is rough. The guy that sold it to me did really crappy bindi over some big holes to cover them so I’m trying to find a new bed and some good rims cause the ones I have are ugly, and I might throw a brake booster on! Anything you think would be cool to add to the project?
Was it maybe a cast away from Rt 66? My first car had a powerglide, 1st gear was about destroyed, but it would go on in 2nd, or back up a hill. Eventually it got a 3 speed with a floor shift from a JY car.
cool story but I don’t think It is it was owned by the Ontario fire department down in so cal. It did struggle going into gear though but that’s it. It would be cool if it was the same though!
Find a wrecking yard and do some shopping on the cheap. Steering wheel and maybe some door panels shouldn’t set you back too much. Are you able to make any money or just saving when you can? The exhaust is a great next step, especially if you have a leak. That can be unsafe if fumes can make their way into the cab.
Find a wrecking yard and do some shopping on the cheap. Steering wheel and maybe some door panels shouldn’t set you back too much. Are you able to make any money or just saving when you can? The exhaust is a great next step, especially if you have a leak. That can be unsafe if fumes can make their way into the cab.
Yah, so I work at baskin robbins to help give me money for that truck. I live up in Northern California by San Francisco but a little more inland. Down in San Diego there’s a really big pick in pull that I think I’m going to swing by on and get some stuff. A friend sod ours said the late 90s rams had 5x5.5 rims so I might try hunting those down. Other than that I think the exhaust will look and sound great! I’m just trying to fine either someone cheap or find a cheap kit for that seat. It’s just crazy how expensive people can change for something pretty basic.
I re-did my seat. For just under $600 total. All new foam and upholstery. Here is my link, scroll down to post 15 for details and prices. I think it turned out very nice https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...yote-swap.html
You may be able to purchase a seat out of a 96 and older Ford truck in okay condition for less that will get you by.
If you just want functionality and not originality, a lot of the parts off F-series trucks up to 1997 are, usually, easily modified to work on these older trucks. Some of them are even a direct swap.
You can buy DIY seat cover kits that aren't too hard to install and they usually come with the tools needed, although spending a little extra on a better set of hog ring pliers might be a good idea if you can afford it, the ones in the kits are sometimes really cheap and flimsy. I recovered a bench seat for my fathers El Camino years ago in a lazy afternoon, and me and my parents did 2 bucket seats and a rear bench in a weekend when we did over their Chevelle interior. It just takes patience and attention to detail when you're stretching it and clamping it in position. I even bought some high density foam padding at the local arts and crafts place and lined the seat back and bottom before covering them for some added cushioning. I'll be adding heated pads when i get around to recovering the seats in my truck.
I'd be looking for some 90's 5 lug F150 rims or even some correct fit cheap aftermarket rims before Dodge rims. Craigslist and FB marketplace should have some locally to you, you could probably even find a set with decent mounted tires. Or try car-part.com to search your local junkyards for rims. The problem with the 94+ Dodge 1500 is it has the same axle width of the 94+ Dodge 2500/3500, which i know are 2 1/4 " wider in front and 4 1/4" wider in the rear than the 73-78 Ford trucks. I'm pretty sure any '94+ dodge is going to have a huge hub bore that'll fit over your hubs, but the offset/back spacing will be too much due to those wider axles. You'll need some spacers to get the track width back to stock. And once someone decides they're going to run spacers, I usually suggest looking at 5 to 6 lug adapters to run more modern wheels, if you're into that look.
I re-did my seat. For just under $600 total. All new foam and upholstery. Here is my link, scroll down to post 15 for details and prices. I think it turned out very nice https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...yote-swap.html
You may be able to purchase a seat out of a 96 and older Ford truck in okay condition for less that will get you by.
looks great, I’ll totally do something like that. Do you know of any retro looking radios that have aux that aren’t crazy expensive? There all 300 bucks and I just think that’s crazy! Also what speaker set do you have in your truck? I’m trying to figure out how much it’s going to cost
I am in the same boat as you for deciding a radio for my 77. The options I want look good and stockish, but are pretty expensive and don’t have the best quality reviews. There are several options for essentially a Bluetooth amplifier, that allows you to stream directly to it, and it power the speakers of your system. There is one option I’ve seen that’s about $60 but is just a **** that has Bluetooth capability, as well as line in, with RCA outputs to allow it to feed an amplifier of your choosing. I am thinking of doing this with my 68, as it was a base model truck and still has the factory radio delete plate, which I really dig. For my 77, I may end up buying a junk radio, and just wiring the illumination as a decoy, and running one of the systems previously mentioned. The RetroSounds just haven’t sold me for the price yet……
77&79F250 has info for a guy you can sent your stock radio to and he can repair the unit and or add an input to it for a reasonable price if I remember right
looks great, I’ll totally do something like that. Do you know of any retro looking radios that have aux that aren’t crazy expensive? There all 300 bucks and I just think that’s crazy! Also what speaker set do you have in your truck? I’m trying to figure out how much it’s going to cost
I didnt go the route of an original looking radio. Speaker/stereo scroll down to post numer 8
just wanted to show you how far it’s come. I’ve replaced the gas tank and many miscellaneous items everywhere and completely rebuilt the front end. I’m so glad this truck came into my life. It’s showed me patcience, taught me never to give up and even taught me some swear words 
I’m extremely proud of what I’ve done with so little knowledge in the beginning and a dad with no Ford experience and a little mechanics book!
it was owned by the Ontario fire department down in so cal. It did struggle going into gear though but that’s it. It would be cool if it was the same though!
