I've haven't posted in a while as I have been busy restoring/modyfying my old 86 F-150. The forum has help out a lot so keep up the good works guys and gals.
This truck was in pretty bad shape when I started but the end result turned out great. All I have left is bodywork and paint.
I have posted just a few of the literally 100's of pics I took through the entire process. Check out the gallery. I did the entire project more or less alone so with the right tools this is something almost any can do.
If you would like to see more pics or have any questions about particlar aspects of the restoration please don't hesitate to chime in.
Thanks again for all the help.

 

Looks good. Does the truck have any rust? Im working on my 82 F100 and so far I've done nothing but fix rust. I have tons of pictures of my rust repair in my restoration gallery. That 302 sure looks good. Have fun and keep us posted on how it goes. Fred

 

Fortunately rust was one thing I don't have a lot of. The roof has a lot of surface rust but nothing that can't be corrected with a little elbow grease. I am actually amazed at just how little rust this old truck has. Guess I got lucky in that aspect.
I will be posting more pics soon and some things I learned along that way that may help others taking on similiar projects.

 

Checked out your gallery. Wow you have been busy. I think working on these old trucks is a great way to learn new skills (welding, painting, interior, etc...). I mean if you mess up a little here there it's no big deal. I also have a 1988 Corvette which is my future project but I want to use this truck as my learning tool before I go into the Vett too deep. Keep up the good work.

 

You probably already know this but checkout www.lmctruck.com they offer a free catalog with a lot of restoration parts.

 

WHat are your plans when doing the body work? I seem to have lost the cable I need to download the pictures from my camera to my PC so I still haven't put up new pictures of my 86 project.


I started simple with headers and 3" MagnaFlow exhaust. Then converted it from 2WD to 4x4 and then put a 4" lift on it with 33" tires.

I am on the body work now. Same here as you. No rust since it is a California truck but I will likely be moving to the midwest soon so rust prevention is a top concern for me. I have the whole thing stripped down to bare metal now except for the underside but should have that done in a few more weekends. I gutted teh interior and am going to rust prrof it as well and then do a custom interior to get rid of the plastic. ( I haven't decided if I will do naugahide or cloth yet. Cloth would match the rest of XLT Lariet interior but since it is a work truck, naugahide is more durable)

My plan right now is to wash the truck down in prep for paint then use "RustMort" to null out the flash rust I will get when I wash the bare metal. From there, I bought two gallons of some stuff called "RustBullet" and plan to shoot a few coats of that on it as a sealer, rust preventative and primer. It is like POR15 but needs less steps and works better supposively. Once I do that, I will just shoot on some regular Dupont Urethane Paint. I decided to go away from the stock paint job and am just going to do metal flake silver on the bottom and metal flake blue on everything above the trim.

I am a bit nervous about trusting this Rust Bullet stuff as I haven't been able to find anyone else that has used it for the same purpose I am using it for.

What kind of sealer are you planning on using. I am considering maybe putting something else on between the rustbullet and the regular paint though they claim you don't need to.

Good Luck,

Lee

 

Can't really offer much advice on the RustBullet as I like you have not used it before.
I should also throw in a disclaimer here as paint and body is not really my strong suit. I am more of an engine builder so I will be learning as I go. I wish I could offer some sound advice and suggestions but it looks like we will be both be learning as we go. I have purchased a couple of very good books on paint and body but we all know reading and doing are two very different things. I will offer this. If (and when) I make mistakes I will be sure to post "don't do this notices". Hopefully everyone can benefit from our projects. Good luck and I would love to see some pics and by all means any info on body work and paint preparation would be greatly appreciated.

 

Just looked at your pics and it looks as though you have a solid truck worth the restoration. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

You guys have some awesome looking projects. I wish I had the time to work on mine.

 

Yep, thanks for the tip, I have that catolog and 5 others: Jeff's bronco graveyard, Dennis Carpenter, Classic Auto parts, Paddock parts, and National Parts Depot. Check em out they all have free catologs and they are all for 80-86 ford trucks.

www.broncograveyard.com

www.dennis-carpenter.com

www.classicautoparts.com

www.paddockparts.com

www.npdlink.com

www.lmctruck.com

Copy and paste for it to go to correct website if needed.

Almost anything you can imagine for an 80-86 ford truck can be found in one of the 6. Fred

 

Yeah, all i've done for the last 10 monthes has been repair rust. It sucks, but this truck has been in the family since 1991. I could of found another one, but then its not the same. All that rust is from the salt on michigan roads from the winters. My 95 F150 is getting rust too. Thats only after 10 years and 138k miles. One thing is though if you drive them in the winter here, they are going to rust. Only other choice is to have another vehicle and keep the one parked in the garage for 6 monthes out of the year. Fred

 

Thanks for the tip. Will do