I got my Dads 79 F150 Supercab when he died in 2000. I since parked it at the farm and it does run ok after a tune up lately. I was with him when he bought it new at the Ford Dealer in 79 and remember the day clearly( I was 11). It only has 73000 miles on it and is a custom 4x4 with 400 and a standard, when you put it in super low it really pulls. I bet it has not been in 4 wheel drive much at all my dad babied it. Anyway the bed is a little rusty around the wheel wells and tailgates rusty but the rest of the trucks pretty good. I am undecided what to do with it I bought all the panels needed to fix the bed last year but I have not started anything yet. Although I did replace the floor covering in the cab. The interior is very good now. It is pretty much the last thing left of his due to everything else was sold to pay bills. I guess I am wondering if I should sell it or restore it... I just finished my 67 Fairlane and the truck is in worse shape it will be alot of work and not sure if I can tackle it or not. Any input from anyone?? Pictures in Gallery..

 

Call me soft-hearted if you like, but I would keep the truck and restore it. It sounds like you and your Dad had a pretty good relationship and this may be the only that he left you that you still have.
I have a 78 supercab which my father owned before me. He wasn't going to get much for it as a trade in and I needed a truck so I gave him what he was going to get as a trade in. I have had this truck for about fifteen years. Presently it is desperate need of an overhaul and alot of cosmetic work. However, it has served my wife and I well. She loves the truck and stops me whenever I start to talk about getting rid of it. Hopefully, this fall/winter it will be it's time to get rebuilt and a face lift. I know it will be alot of work, but there are a whole lot of family memories in that truck. Mine, my wife, my fathers, my mothers, my sisters, their children, my children, everyone in the family has a story or two about when they were in that truck. So to have it restored will not only make me happy, but many others will also be glad to see it the way they remember it.

Take your time and enjoy the ride down memory lane.

 

What value a memory?
That's the real question.
I would keep it, and restore it.
Apparently, you live in salt country, so I would recommend you do the job right so that the rust doesn't merely get covered up just to come back.
I would do a frame-off restoration, if I were you.

 

I would definately restore it, even if it takes years to get done at least u will have the truck, and i would restore it to like it was the day u and your dad drove it off the lot. I woulda loved to have had the truck my grandpa baught new when he passed on, but my uncle got in and dropped a 350 chevy in it, painted it yellow and it wasnt even the truck i remember. woulda loved to had it too.

 

unless there's more than I can see, and you have said, i would go for the resto. I have had way worse trucks than that, and ran them for quite some time, no repairs. I would say that from what I can tell, it would be a relatively easy resto, but it would be best to go all the way and really restore it. If there is no rust on the undersides, you will have an easy time of it, as the box isn't that bad a deal to do, in comparison with floorboards and cab mounts.

 

I have my brother's '74 highboy he bought new when I was 8. Cab is rusted to heck - bed sides are not usable, front-clip is Texas no-rust, hood/doors brand-new from 15 years ago (Ford, too), etc. etc. I rebuilt it about 15 years ago, added a nice 390 in place of the stock 360, total, it's got over 300K miles on it... cab rusted right through again, floors have patches, you get the idea.

Anyway, I have to get rid of it, the village is on me (no storage of unregistered motor vehicles on residential property - can't blame them, really), etc. etc.

It's heartbreaking that I didn't do enough with it to keep it viable - $1100 per year in reg/inspection and insurance is out of reach right now, especially for something that is barely usable. Besides, I have my nice '01 SuperDuty V10 which is a "company car" ... I'm a computer consultant

Nostalgia is 9/10th's the reason to keep something, I can't bear to get rid of the '74, but I'm sure going to keep parts from it. I might make a generator out of the driveline, I'm sure there's a Cat 3 hurricane coming up the Eastern Seaboard sometime soon (Long Island).

My brother and I have become estranged through lack of taking the initiative to start a conversation, nothing more. In your case, keep the darn thing even if you park it behind the barn and let it rot into the ground... But I vote to lovingly restore it to it's former luster.

Now, if I lived in Upstate NY, they seem to use them as "lawn art" ...

 

If I were you, I'd keep the truck and restore it. Since your dad bought the truck new and you went with him when he bought it, it probably has a lot of sentimental value. Just take your time with the restoration and when it's done you will have a really nice 79 Ford, and it'll be a good way to remember your father. By the way, I really like the color! I have a restored 79 F100 Custom reg. cab shortbed that is dark brown metallic.

 

I want to thank all of you for the reply. I am now leaning towards keeping it but will let you know for sure later. I probably would be very sorry later if I sold it. The only real problem is the box sides. Thanks

 

For God's sake, KEEP IT! My Father passed away over 30 years ago, and I'd give my right arm to have his old pickup back again. Even if it was a Chevrolet. Mom had to sell it to help pay bills. Keep it and restore when you can. She's bought and paid for, right? So, it's not gonna hurt to let her sit for a while. Don't sell it.

 

take next years vacation to arizona or california, and get a new rust-free bed at a local pick-n-pull. get it home and paint it up, and rust-proof it.

a small investment for dad's truck/

my dad died in june, and I got his 1996 Club Wagon 15 passenger van. its an unlikely vehicle to fall in love with, (even for a youth pastor), but since it was my dad's. its extremely dear to me. I wish I still had any of his previous vehicles.

for your own sanity, keep it.

 

What are you going to get for it if you sell it? A few hundred bucks? In exchange for such an incredible living souvenir of your dad? Even if you can't restore it right now, life is long, wait. Store it properly, and know it's there for the day you have the means to restore it.

When I was 15, my dad gave me his 1967 Ford Custom 500 to fix-up, rather than send it to the wreckers. It got sold eventually, but today I'd almost kill to find a clean one identical to restore since he passed on. At least I have his, and my grandfather's, tools...

 

My father's still alive, but he let me have the first tractor he owned, a Massey Harris 44, needed plenty of help. Well I had moved it to a friend's shop, which happened to be his mom's property. Well, after my back went out, and that brought on financial trouble, then relocation, I had no finances or equipment to get back after it, so it ended up being sold. I'm still bummed out by it, and you can bet I am looking to repolace it someday.

 

[QUOTE=don_79f250]What are you going to get for it if you sell it? A few hundred bucks? In exchange for such an incredible living souvenir of your dad? ]

I had a cash offer of 2800 I told him I would think about it and let him know.. The truck is very good except the bed and low miles.

 

I'm so glad to read what others say about keeping family vehicles. My Dad died in May and I've got his old truck. Getting rid of it is not an option. Now, what to do with it? Being female, my brothers think I'm nuts to keep it, let alone try to improve it. It's a 1977 Ranger XLT, 2 WD, automatic, long bed, with a 460 engine. It's been in the garage for about 8 years, and rarely driven for about 10 years before that. I've re-done the carb, brakes and fixed the steering. It runs great and seems very dependable, and I really enjoy driving it. I don't want to end up with a show vehicle, or mud vehicle. I appreciate keeping old things, but also don't want to spend a fortune. There is a what I call a little bit of rust over the wheelwells. I know rust should be taken care of before I even consider a new paint job. I'm learning a lot from this site. My thanks to those that share info.

 

Good for you! yes the rust needs to be taken care of, but its not that terribly expensive. save up, and do it around his birthday, as a birthday present. it sounds sappy, but it will make you feel good.

my dad's van is about to get painted, due to peeling clearcoat. I wish I could have done it while he was still here, but its getting done.