((Again))
Hello again
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 1
From: Lynnwood, WA
Hello again
Howdy folks,
I haven't been here fer 12 years, so I thought I'd introduce mesef again. I'm and old hillbilly from Seattle Metro.
I got a wild hair and bought my second Glasply boat, (21 foot hard top, [I sold the first one]), n' I had to buy a tandem axel galvanized trailer to tow it, (I'm not leaving it moored in the salt water). N' then something to tow her with.
I sold my Dad's 1977 F250 a few years back, (sniff... sniff...), and so I found a good deal on an old 1987 F150 4x4, 300 cubic inch inline 6 (EFI), 4 speed.
She needs a little love, (her name is "Black Betty", [Ram Jam – Black Betty Lyrics | Genius Lyrics]), butt: is basically solid mechanically. She has center line aluminum wheels with 32 x 11.50 x 15R tires with fair tread. I did the brakes first, next is the front end, (gonna be all new). I am lucky as this old farm truck, (bought it in the tri cities), already has a receiver hitch and the correct light wiring for the trailer. She is only rated to tow 5,000 lbs and the boat and trailer will be 6,000 lbs give or take a wee bit. I have brakes on the front axel of the trailer that I fixed, and the tow is only about 15 miles give or take to where I launch. I will take it slow and easy and there aren't any steep hills 'tween the place I keep her and where I launch to get to the San Juans.
Anyhoo, I found this forum a great place 12 years ago, and I'm lookin' forward to lurkin' n' learnin' from all you folks again.
I haven't been here fer 12 years, so I thought I'd introduce mesef again. I'm and old hillbilly from Seattle Metro.
I got a wild hair and bought my second Glasply boat, (21 foot hard top, [I sold the first one]), n' I had to buy a tandem axel galvanized trailer to tow it, (I'm not leaving it moored in the salt water). N' then something to tow her with.
I sold my Dad's 1977 F250 a few years back, (sniff... sniff...), and so I found a good deal on an old 1987 F150 4x4, 300 cubic inch inline 6 (EFI), 4 speed.
She needs a little love, (her name is "Black Betty", [Ram Jam – Black Betty Lyrics | Genius Lyrics]), butt: is basically solid mechanically. She has center line aluminum wheels with 32 x 11.50 x 15R tires with fair tread. I did the brakes first, next is the front end, (gonna be all new). I am lucky as this old farm truck, (bought it in the tri cities), already has a receiver hitch and the correct light wiring for the trailer. She is only rated to tow 5,000 lbs and the boat and trailer will be 6,000 lbs give or take a wee bit. I have brakes on the front axel of the trailer that I fixed, and the tow is only about 15 miles give or take to where I launch. I will take it slow and easy and there aren't any steep hills 'tween the place I keep her and where I launch to get to the San Juans.
Anyhoo, I found this forum a great place 12 years ago, and I'm lookin' forward to lurkin' n' learnin' from all you folks again.
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From: Cranbury
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Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 1
From: Lynnwood, WA
Thank You, back in the day I had a 1972 F250 factory highboy. The neighbor kid worked on me for three years and I finally broke down and sold her, sniff... sniff... Sorry for the whinin' n' snivelin'...
I bought her in 1974 from my buddy who bought her new. She was a 360 FE with a 600 cfm Holly 4 barrel with vacuum secondaries, Micky Thompson headers, Anson Sprint mags with 12" wide traction tires, an 8,000 lb Warn winch. Her name was "Dixie", as she had coral and white paint, lights on the cab and looked like a dixie cup.
I do miss the old girl, as I owned her until 2003. She was straight and real purdy, and that was before everyone had 4x4's so she stood out in the crowd.
I once had water over the hood and she kept running due to an air pocket under said hood. Whew!!! I always left the Chevys and Dodges behind out in the woods as she could go through the mud and deep water like no other, (except my friend's highboys), who wheeled with me...
She had three gas tanks, custom tool boxes that I still have, and guzzled lots of fuel, (that part I don't miss), as Betty gets twice as far on the same fuel fill. Glad to have a Ford truck 4x4 once again!!!
My overpriced $0.02
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Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 1
From: Lynnwood, WA
Thanks, Dixie was my favorite vehicle back in the day.
Very dependable, would out wheel the Chevies and the Mopars, and outpull going over the pass heavily loaded; and with her 4.1 gears she would smoke all comers to 30 mph or so, (even though she was nearly 3 tons with the winch, Anson Sprints, huge tires, loaded tool boxes, and custom plates I built protecting her underbelly). I'd beat 'em bad outta the hole, then hit the brake lights once I saw them starting to gain on me. They never knew that the 3 ton girl lost her edge at 30 mph or so. She was still respectable at higher speeds butt: the weight and all the air she was pushing gave the edge to lighter vehicles.
As a college grad, I initially worked for a custom harvester in Eastern Oregon/Washington, (Walla Walla, Milton Freewater area). The farm boys gave me lots of crap initially, (had to tune one of them up). They eventually learned to respect the hillbilly from the big city they hated, as I was competitive, and a wee bit tougher then they were.
It was a great experience and Dixie kept me safe, and got me a date with the Bosses' daughter, (she was a good lookin' old girl). Very few pics sorry, (I never took pics).
My overpriced $0.02
Very dependable, would out wheel the Chevies and the Mopars, and outpull going over the pass heavily loaded; and with her 4.1 gears she would smoke all comers to 30 mph or so, (even though she was nearly 3 tons with the winch, Anson Sprints, huge tires, loaded tool boxes, and custom plates I built protecting her underbelly). I'd beat 'em bad outta the hole, then hit the brake lights once I saw them starting to gain on me. They never knew that the 3 ton girl lost her edge at 30 mph or so. She was still respectable at higher speeds butt: the weight and all the air she was pushing gave the edge to lighter vehicles.
As a college grad, I initially worked for a custom harvester in Eastern Oregon/Washington, (Walla Walla, Milton Freewater area). The farm boys gave me lots of crap initially, (had to tune one of them up). They eventually learned to respect the hillbilly from the big city they hated, as I was competitive, and a wee bit tougher then they were.
It was a great experience and Dixie kept me safe, and got me a date with the Bosses' daughter, (she was a good lookin' old girl). Very few pics sorry, (I never took pics).
My overpriced $0.02
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 1
From: Lynnwood, WA
I bought her, (Betty), mainly to pull and launch my Glasply hardtop. A truck is always handy and I will prolly buy a contractor's style rack for her, (Dixie never had a rack), and even though she hauled fire wood she was more of a play truck, for a young buck.
I doubt I will do a lot of four wheeling or other play in Betty, (as I did in Dixie); my son has a Jeep rock crawler so he likely won't four wheel in Betty either. I like loads of power for four wheeling and Betty has lots of torque, butt: a little shy on power for play out in the mud.
I will prolly hang some iron on her, (nowhere near what Dixie had though). I have an old school Warn 8,000 winch on a receiver that I plug into my Nissan/Datson 1983 4x4, (from time to time), I have out on my private island. (That truck stays on my island full time and pulls my boats out and launches them), it hasn't been on the road since 1999.
I can't find a bull bar for a 1987 F150 so I will prolly modify one from a later model truck or build one from scratch. I will put lights on said bar, and a receiver so I can use the same winch I just mentioned.
Back in the day I was a wee bit wild, I'm much mellower now. Thanks for engaging!
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