Another Truck
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2003
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Another Truck
Here's my latest find.
85 F150 Extended Cab with 351 HO /C6. After a quick "once over" the body is good - cab corners, rockers, fender, doors, tailgate.... just the box has the typical rust over the wheel well.
It has A/C, cruise, class III hitch and trailerbrake control.
I figure it's going to be a pig on gas, but the price was right and I don't have any trucks that would really handle a trailer. I'll probably look into upgrading the rear springs and maybe getting a rust free box for it. Of course, my dreams and plans change all the time depending on what I have bought lately : )
I guess this means I will be selling off parts to have cash on hand for the next deal!
85 F150 Extended Cab with 351 HO /C6. After a quick "once over" the body is good - cab corners, rockers, fender, doors, tailgate.... just the box has the typical rust over the wheel well.
It has A/C, cruise, class III hitch and trailerbrake control.
I figure it's going to be a pig on gas, but the price was right and I don't have any trucks that would really handle a trailer. I'll probably look into upgrading the rear springs and maybe getting a rust free box for it. Of course, my dreams and plans change all the time depending on what I have bought lately : )
I guess this means I will be selling off parts to have cash on hand for the next deal!
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I got the truck home lastnight and out in the open so I can look at it. Turns out it already has helper springs and sway bars. The shocks aren't even rusty, so I got on each bumper corner and this is one stiff pig. Should be able to haul a load or pull OK with that suspension and long body. 235 tires and matching spare are all good too. I still have new 16" tires on my bus that would work well too if I had 16" 5x5 rims.
I didn't see an aux tranny cooler tho... I wonder if the '85 factory tow package would have had a tranny cooler? Atleast the radiator is near new. Installed last year with a manufacturer sticker of '03.
Interior could use help - It's tan and the door panels would look a lot better if I painted them. If there somewhere in DM that sells color matched paint that'd work well? -thx
I didn't see an aux tranny cooler tho... I wonder if the '85 factory tow package would have had a tranny cooler? Atleast the radiator is near new. Installed last year with a manufacturer sticker of '03.
Interior could use help - It's tan and the door panels would look a lot better if I painted them. If there somewhere in DM that sells color matched paint that'd work well? -thx
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Marengo, Iowa
You could check with Eastwood, they have a lot of the special paints like that, www.eastwoodco.com, or maybe check with a local Ford dealer to see if they might have something, back when I was working for the dealers, the replacement parts all came in the same color, and we had to paint them to match.
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thx - will check Eastwood in a minute. I found the tranny cooler - just not where I expected it was high infront of the A.c cooler. I was cleaning it up and found the bed to be better thatn I thought. I was able to reach in and knock the biggest dents out pretty good. We'll see if the bed psses the testes!
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OWWW! I meant passes the "tests". I have a couple of family members that are pretty picky about what they will drive and not everyone appreciates all my "good trucks".
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Marengo, Iowa
Are you sure you didn't have it right the first time? 
I know what you mean about not everone in the household liking your wheels... I can put up with a lot less than perfect, while others are embarrassed to do so... I do have my limits though.
I know what you mean about not everone in the household liking your wheels... I can put up with a lot less than perfect, while others are embarrassed to do so... I do have my limits though.
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I knew it needed at least a timing chain, but when I got to the cover I could see it was torn up. I pulled the cover and discovered that the strong dbl roller chain had jump and whipped around, bent the end of the cam and popped the retainer and broke a chunk of the block out.
Yesterday I pulled the engine and found 2 nice holes in the oil pan... I didn't know it had thrown rods because they were hidden by the cross member. LOL. Had I seen the holes, I wouldn't have wasted time on the timing chain.
The tailgate is excellent, but the bed is junk. Typical wheel well and rear corner rot- not to mention they creased it a good one!
Yesterday I pulled the engine and found 2 nice holes in the oil pan... I didn't know it had thrown rods because they were hidden by the cross member. LOL. Had I seen the holes, I wouldn't have wasted time on the timing chain.
The tailgate is excellent, but the bed is junk. Typical wheel well and rear corner rot- not to mention they creased it a good one!
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
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From: Marengo, Iowa
as long as the price was good enough to not be a problem.. kind of like the 79 I had, they knew the engine had trouble, I pulled the timing cover on it, everything looked fine, but in tryin to turn it over, the front of the crank moved... I gradbbed hold, and realized it had a broken crank, the first I had seen in person. That was a 400... But I bought the truck right, and since I had my 86, didn't need it , so I sold it for more than I bought it for...
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I did get a good price. The cab and front clip are practically rust free - even underneath. The doors have a surface spots that could probably be fixed with rubbing compound and a tiny dab of touchup paint. The hood is pretty weathered, but no rust.
No problem to put in another engine and have a good (and cheap) truck.
No problem to put in another engine and have a good (and cheap) truck.