I just bought a FORD!

It is a:

'77 Ford F150

4WD

4 Speed Manual

400 V-8 Motor

Not stock wood flatbed


The story behind the buy..... (long story)

We have been looking for a truck to buy that was cheap but still in fairly good condition. We used craigslist.org and found several trucks. The day we were going to go look at this truck we went to my wife's grandparents... and grandpa told us about another truck. We went and looked at this one and it was a newer GMC with a rebuilt motor and a wood box. We told the guy that we were on our way to go look at another truck and that we would get back to him.

We went out to meet the guy and look at the truck... when we pulled in the driveway we saw the guy and his buddy putting a door onto the truck... The truck was grey and the door was GREEN! That isn't what it looked like on the picture on craigslist so we were already a bit on edge... Althought i love the look of this truck i was upset that it didn't have the original door. (The original didn't have any trim and the green one did.) After they got the door on I took it for a test drive and it ran great! So I was already sold on it... My wife on the other hand took a bit of convincing...

After we bought the truck for $1,000 we headed home. We went to the gas station and filled up our car and the truck. We got about 2 or 3 miles down the road and the truck was bucking and sputtering and would just die out... I have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever so my wife and I thought that we had gotten ripped off. Well the guy we bought it from said it was just the fuel filter and that when we put fuel in it that we stirred up stuff in the tank. He said he would come out and fix it. We waited for a half hour and he hadn't showed up so I decided to try it again. It started and ran so we decided to head home again. When we got a ways down the road the guy pulled up and stopped us and ran up, threw some fuel filters in the cab and took off. So we are on our way home, we get about half way home and it does it again... so we wait a half hour again but this time it wont start. My 9 month old daughter was crying so I had my wife go home with her while i sat with the truck.

Couldn't get it started so I changed the inline fuel filter (which i've heard is an aftermarket add in) and that didn't help. I called up a friend and went home and tried calling the guy several times and he wouldn't answer. So we went back out to the truck sitting on the side of the road with the intentions of returning the truck because the guy said it ran great and I wouldn't have problems. Got another 3 or 4 miles down a back road and it died again and this time it wouldn't start at all and I couldn't even push it... seemed like the brakes where stuck on.... Also we had expired tabs on it and cops kept driving by so my wife was thinking that we were going to get a fine on top of it. Finally got ahold of the guy and he came out and changed the other fuel filter. This time it got all the way home! Now I carry a screwdriver, a crecent wrench, and a few fuel filters with me. Everytime I put fuel in the tank I have to change the filter going into the carberator.

We have changed the oil in it. Had two quarts extra and looked like it had just come out of the ground. Rewired the taillights because when the headlights were on you couldn't see the blinker or brake lights... It was wired backward. Went to get the radiator flushed and had to get a new one put in... it was plugged I guess. I never thought to get the old one from the shop.....

SO now begins the process of restoration.... First thing we have to do is get a new fuel tank. Then a dust boot for the clutch, blinker brackets, then start on body stuff like the door and eventually a paint job.

 

Congrats & Welcome to the site !

You've come to the right site for information

 

Also the truck has been sitting for about five years. The last owners cleaned the tank out but whenever you put fuel in it you need to change the filter.

I've been looking for stuff specific to 77's but have found very little... So does this mean that 70's model are very much alike and I can use the info from them?

I also have a chiltons manual for Ford Pickups and bronco: 76-86 Repair Manual. This will be the first vehicle that I will work on. My mechanical know how is limited to basic things such as changing oil and spark plugs so this will be an adventure for me, my wife and the truck!

Please Post anything that you may deem helpful. I will keep this thread updated on how our adventure is going.

 

For any tech related topics just create another thread.

That way everything stays organized.

 

Got Pictures In The Gallery!

 

I hurt my neck trying to view those as they are 90* off.

can you please rotate them and repost ?

 

picture have been rotated and updated. so have the descriptions.

 

Sounds like you need to drop the gas tank and get it boiled out at the radiator shop. They also will seal the inside of the gas tank to prevent future rust and sludge. With that done, also replace the rubber fuel hoses. Lastly, rebuild the carburetor.

Yes, you should keep the original radiator. It can be also boiled out to free up the debris. The radiator on there now may not be right for your application.

Do you have the original door? Be sure to check if the rating plate is on the original door.

 

yes i have the original door and I will check that... I dont know if i could get that old radiator back its been a few days but i suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. As for boiling and sealing the gas tank would that be cheaper than buying a new one?

 

It depends on how much the shop charges for that job. New tanks are about $125 plus shipping. Boiling and sealing the original one would be about $75-100 around here.

 

Congrats on the 77 and welcome to FTE man not bad lookin truck she has potential enjoy

 

I payed a 1000 for this... did i overpay?

 

I had a WAY worse 70 F250 for $900. I overpaid on that one, but it was my first rig. Didn't know any better. Cost on these trucks is dependent on where you are. I'm in SoCal, and these trucks in decent running condition run $1200-$4000. When I was in NorCal, I got my 4wd for free, and you could find these trucks abandoned or sitting on people's lawns all over in my area. Getting a running 4wd rig for that price (IMO) is really good. Mine was free initially, but I've dumped about $4K into it at this point (the motor was seized when I got it).

Oh, to answer the question in your gallery, there is a tube that runs between the air cleaner & that 'pipe' coming off of the exhaust manifold. You can get them for like $5 at a local auto parts store, and they're there to provide hot air to the carb to prevent carb icing. That's why the stock cleaners are better than the aftermarket chrome ones (thanks Torque1st!).

Welcome to FTE! I spend WAY too much time here, and have learned a ton. Ask all the questions you want, I (and everyone else) will help to the best of our abilities!

 

Well come to FTE I'm pretty new here to. The senior guys around here are great helps and will amaze you with thier knowledge, they are great! I have the same 77 only with a shortbox and auto and paid 1500 for it. Also lub the rod that come off your brake pedal are to the MC through the firewall, Mine stuck so that the brake lights would stay on and kill the battery. Also look along the side of the forum here and check out the sponsors. Great prices and they have catalogues that are free with all the parts you could need, if you can't find them localy.
Good Luck AL

 

well here are the numbers off the original door....( I couldn't read some of it because of the screw/bolt holding the plate on)

(I think F) 14HLY02062 below that
(something) 33 V F141 ND4 A 16 below that
06150 1977 58

So this is what i gather from the Chilton's Manual

Probably 133 Wheel base V Paint color Model 141 (does that mean its not a true f150?) Body ND4 has a New Process 435 4spd Tranny (no idea what that means) 16 is the rear axel code

does it mean it can carry 6,150 lbs or is that total with truck weight?