Hello all -

Today I bought my long awaited first ever truck, a 1981 Ford F-150. Because I'll be moving to Washington state and starting a more self-reliant lifestyle there, I'll need a mechanically reliable truck, irreguardless of what it looks like. I didn't research trucks beforehand, I just knew that I wanted a V-8. (ducks thrown objects) Well, to make a long story short: yesterday, I went to look at her, and promptly fell in love with her, cancer spots and all. Now she's sitting in my parking space. (looks lovingly & proudly at truck & sighs)

I'm told it has a 302 V-8 that runs exceptionally well, and I don't think it has 4-wheel drive. The engine does seem sound, but the body & interior need work. I'm really looking forward to fixing her up & making her look *sweet*.

Now, I'm new to the world of trucks, and I know next to nothing aside from basic maintenance & repair of cars, so right now I'm pretty much just fishing for information. I'm like a sponge looking to absorb as much as I can. I've read the owners manual, and will soon be getting the mechanical books, but what I'm looking for is information: like the history of this model, what I can reasonably expect to be able to do with it, how far I can modify it, what I should not expect it to do, etc.

Some examples:
Will I be able to put power windows in?
Can I replace the bench seat with bucket seats?
Is she compatable with parts from other makes/models?
And so on, and so on.

I've Googled my heart out, but have basically come up with squat, except for this wonderful forum. If anyone has experience with this truck, or can point me in the right directions, I will be much obliged.

Thank you,
Sonja

 

you can do all that. you shouldn't have bought an '81 since they normally have swiss cheese frames.

never the less, you should start by doing basic maintence, ie, replace the fluids, belts, hoses, brakes etc.

You'll probably want to replace all the brake lines as well, after 20 some years, they will be all rusty.

Doing the power windows will be fun. it might be easier to buy an aftermarket kit- if your doors are rusty, you could get newer doors from a 92-96 with power windows & locks and wire it in.

 

Sonja,

Welcome to the board. And also, welcome to the world of trucks. Iknow how ya feel in regards to the affection you feel towards your truck. I have an 81 F-100 I dearly love, rust holes and all. Mine has the 300 inline 6, C-6 auto and 9" rear.

The 302 is a good engine, parts are easy to come by, and are plentiful. What you need to do is decide what is the end result you are after in terms of mods. Are you looking to go fast, or tow more efficiently, or just look and sound good? We can probably help more with info like that.

There are quite a few interchangeable parts, just ask, and someone on this forum will help.

 

Congratulations on the new 81 F150! As far as modifications, the 302 V8 is a popular engine to modify. They make lots of aftermarket performance parts for the 302. Power windows and door locks were an option in 81. Basically all body/interior parts are interchangeable on 80-86 Ford trucks. Maybe you can find an 80-86 model with power windows/door locks in a local salvage yard and you can swap those parts over to your truck. When adding these power options to your truck, you will also have to change the inner door panels because you will need the door panels that have the cutouts for the power window/door lock switches. Bucket seats were not an option in these trucks, but buckets out of a Ford Bronco from the same era may fit.