in 1995 Grandpa passed away. Grandma parked his 1976 F150 in the shed and it hasnt moved or been started sence. It ran great at the timehas less than 100K miles. The body has some rust not bad except for the box its sheet. my question is it worth going throu and getting it running again? Where would be the best place to start, and what can i expect to run into after it sat so long? thankyou

 

This is what I would do:

1) Drain all fluids (gas, oil, coolant) and replace with fresh stuff.
2) Throw in a new set of plugs and wires as well as new distributor parts.
3) Replace fuel filter and any sections of rubber fuel hose.
4) Buy a kit and rebuild the carb.
5) Replace the battery
6) Check vac lines for cracks and splits, replace as necessary
7) Fresh radiator hoses.

When you have the plugs out drop in some Marvel Mystery oil or a little penetrating lube in the cylinders and let in penetrate for a few hours, then crank the motor by hand. This will help break the pistons loose in case they have formed a liitle rust around the cylinder wall and provide a little top end lube during those first cranking cycles.

That will probably cost a couple hundred bucks and a day of your time. I bet the ol' gal fires up on the first shot.

After that if you want to drive it I would drain and flush the tranny and maybe put fresh oil in the rear end, plus the brakes probably need new fluid and to be bled.

 

I would replace the rubber brake lines too, they crack, swell, and eventually blow. Flush the entire system with DOT 5 brake fluid (silicone fluid). For the sake of doing it, I would replace the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, axle seals, and differential fluid as well. The brakes might feel good right now, but I have revived my share of dead trucks, and had brakes fail within the first 10 miles of driving.

 

Better get the belts too.

 

Before you do anything Make sure the motor is not froze up. Two ways to check

1. Put charged Battery in it and try to turn it over. Don't try to jump it with a 12 year old dead battery in it. If it does roll over, only do one or two revolutions. Don't crank on it. That will just disturb old nasty fuel in the carb and who know what else.

2. Get a 15/16? socket and put it on the harmonic balancer bolt to try to roll the motor over by hand. This method is harder physically but safer and quicker. (than changing a battery)

If the motor is froze then it's a tougher ball game.

If it's not froze, then you need Fuel, Compression & Fire, and it'll run.

Check the oil and coolant levels Change them later after you know its worth doing

1. Drain all old fuel out of tank. Put 5 Gallons of fresh w a bottle of IPA (Water remover) I assume by now the carb is dry. If you remove air cleaner look down carb and pump the accerator a few times if gas doesn't squirt out, then it is dry. If it does squirt gas in the carb then you may want to remove the top of the carb to get inside the float bowl area to remove the fuel in the carb. Not really needed , but is better.
2. Pull the plugs do the Mystry Oil thing SRT77 says ( Boosts compression).
3. Check spark the the old plugs, Put 'em back in. ( don't spend too much Yet)
4. Put a fresh Battery in it and Start it up.

If it looks like it gonna run ok Check the Brake and then the Transmission. If Auto, just put in drive to see if it wants to move and then check reverse. If manual push the clutch a few times, try to put it in gear.

If it runs and looks like it wants to move, then its worth bringing back the rest of the way. Start with SRT77's List. Also get the brakes checked out (safety). Wheel cylinders and calipers like to freeze up. Should have the brake fluid changed too.

 

Thanks for all the info. will be getting started later this week and who knows if it turns out good. I might just keep it for my DD, bet its mpg will be my 89 F250

 

Heh, I just thought I would say that my 3 year old started making "meep" noises when she read your screen name.

 

i'd fix it. i bought my 77 f350 off ebay. it had been sitting for a while( time unknown). i did as most these guys said and did the brakes and drained fluids. i bought it pulled it in the garage and did a safety check. it has been running good. i have and you may get oil leaks as the seals dry out from sitting. it is a hell of alot cheaper to fix one up than to buy new. my truck is a dump, soon to be working, but is probably 50,000 if new. i don't like the new trucks, i like the old style. fix it up and drive the tires off her.

 

DO NOT use DOT 5 in any on road vehicle and especially any vehicle made before the mid 90s the stuff is not compatable with rubber used in the brake lines and is NOT a good on road use brake fluid, it needs a brake system specifically designed for it. should be used in race only applications where it will be changed on a yearly (max) basis.
DOT 3 is still the best and only fluid that is approved and should be used in these trucks. to reiterate ONLY use DOT 5 in brake systems designed specifically for it.

 

Depends on what your intentions are.

Contrary to what we like to believe when looking at these things, this truck will never be worth the dollars you put into it if you're thinking it'll be some valuable collector's item.

Unless you do a complete frame-off restoration at the outset, every few months, something else will have rusted out, or worn out, or broken, or something, and you will be back underneath it to keep it running.

So, if what you want is a classic truck with character that you can afford, and don't mind, to repair semi-regularly, these can be treasures. If what you need is a reliable work vehicle or daily driver and aren't in the mood for an extensive resto or regular repairs, this might not be the vehicle for you.

 

Dooh! I figured if it was good enough for the military, and does not absorb water like regular brake fluid does, it would be good enough for me. :P

 

Twenty-five years ago, I used to work at a TV station where we ran two episodes of the Muppets every afternoon, the old ones that had Professor Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker in them. Back then, I was tall and thin and had red hair, and my nickname quickly became "Beaker". Former coworkers that I run into today still call me "Beaker" (even though I no longer have hair and am not as Beaker-shaped as I was then).