Hey y’all, I have a 88 F150 I’m trying to restore to enter into antique car shows & parades. Any help hints, tidbits & advice would greatly be appreciated 😊

 

Moved to this forum.

 

LMC truck sells a parts catalog on a SD card. And a shop manual on a DVD. I think they’re like $25 each. I got those for my 88 they’re helpful. They’re a lot cheaper than the paper ones on eBay from the 80s and 90s.

 

Welcome to FTE
Can we see some pictures of the truck?
A few questions;
Who is doing the work, you or a shop?
How far do you need or want to take this apart before "restoring" it?
Cab / bed / etc. off the frame or just a clean up and maybe repaint the body?
Dose the motor, trans. rear axle need rebuilding?
What kind of a budget and time frame you working with?
Dave ----

 

These trucks really aren't antiques, and won't be for at least a few decades... they make great drivers though! Best wishes on your project.

 

The state of Tennessee disagrees with you

 

Best tidbit of advise I can give you is if you don't have the time or funds to do it all at once..... Do not tear it all apart. Doing a restoration in stages, setting small goals at a time keeps interest high and gives much needed periods of accomplishment. I worked in the Automobile restoration business for a decade in my younger years. The biggest killer of projects I saw was when to much was bitten off at one time (tearing the whole vehicle apart). For many of our customers this was their approach and the project became overwhelming. Lots of small projects equal a completed restoration as time and funds permit.

 

Bama is a little boneheaded about theirs,

 

My personal opinion is that classic cars start at 25-30 years old but they will never really be true antiques. To me there will be no more actual antique cars since those should really be only those from the beginning days of the automobile and probably end with pre-war cars or maybe post war cars in the 1940s.

Having said that, Back in the 80s and 90s 50s and 60s cars were considered classics. technically my 94 F150 is a classic vehicle and it has year of manufacture license plates. I just like older retro and nostalgic stuff. I have a vintage Mustang that I take to cruise nights and some shows. When I show up to spectate these things in my truck, people ask me why I'm just parking on the side and not parking in the show. I actually think that these trucks will be the last trucks that have anything close to feeling vintage or classic etc. Nothing built after around 2000 will ever be a classic car to me even in 2050.

There is nothing wrong with restoring or freshening up your old truck to use in things like parades or other car type functions. Check out NPD LMC Summit and Bronco Graveyard for parts. Also, Many parts are available from local stores or Rock Auto. You can also find some good hard to find stuff on Ebay. There are also some specialty places like OBS Solutions OBS Interiors and CPAddict that have some unique services and parts.

If this truck is already a nice truck that just needs some work, I would not completely disassemble it for a total frame off restoration. But before being able to make any suggestion there, knowing the truck's current condition is needed.

 

Be it 25 or 30 year old is not that big a deal unless you want that plate, but note Bama's rules on when & where you can drive it.
Most if not all states have this rule.

The other thing is insurance for older cars.
If you get normal insurance and have an accident it will most likely be a total based on book value.
You want agreed value so you can get a replacement or what ever but if book is $500 can you replace it for that?
Like above some insurance has limits on when & where and how much it can be driven and where it has to be stored like in a locked garage.

I did a 4 year cab off frame rebuild on my 81 F100 Flare Side, done as a nice clean driver.
Because I wanted to drive it when & where I wanted I got normal plates. The insurance is agreed value and can drive it any where & time I want, no limit on mileage. I dont take it out if raining other than to run the trash down the road to the dump (told too nice for trash runs) or get caught coming home from work, show or cruise.
BTW I am the only 80's truck 99% of the time at shows & cruises and the only 80's Ford truck that shows up.

Just some things to think about for plates & insurance on older cars & trucks.
Dave ----

 

________________________________
Those are "Word's of Wisdom". Today with DIY TV shows, YouTube and IPhones the average person is easily mislead on all projects, not just trucks.
We had a saying in the Heavy Industrial Construction world.
"How do you eat an Elephant" ?........ One bite at a time.

 

I’ll send pics of truck right away. Hopefully I can figure out how to upload pics.

 

There’s no rush, this is something that was planned with my husband. He passed away at 49 in 2021. I’m doing this to help me with processing grief.

 

Our FTE condolences & welcome. Trucks are great absorbers of grief & sources of support.

I take it y'all went of to some of F series shows in the Smokies?