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- 1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum37/)

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Sunday, I checked all the fluids, tire pressure, put the camper shell on, washed the truck, and loaded most of my camping material. All in preparation for our camping/trout fishing trip this Memorial Day weekend.
Have a Happy Holiday Everyone.

Haven't done much to my 80 lately.
However, I think I just made a deal with the devil. Offered to swap my sister my nissan truck for possesion of dad's 74 F100 he bought new. She needs something that can be driven, and I don't want her to have dad's truck even though it cannot be driven due to a cracked frame rail.
Hopefully, I can swap the frame under it, and get it back on the road while dad is still around, so I can take him for a ride in it, like I did many saturdays between the age of 12 and 16....... Yes, I learned to drive in it, long before I was old enough to legally drive.

RW - I understand your concern regarding your father & his pickup. As you may remember, my 92 year old father has an '81 F150 4x4 that I want to restore when he's done with it. And, while he doesn't know it quite yet, we are going to insist when we go to see him this Saturday that he's coming to live w/us. So, I've been thinking of the same thing - restore it with his "help" in my shop and hope to get it done in time for him to ride with me in it.

Toward that end I've been accumulating parts. The latest was the '82 LWB that I pulled back from Kansas that will donate the bed and tailgate at the least. That leaves me with a few extra parts - like a frame. Any chance?

Gary, I'm not sure how much effort would be required to put a 74 body on an 82 frame, but it wouldn't be easy. Especially with the 390.....

Lets see, last week I did, new fuel pump, new fuel lines, new starter, new starter solenoid, new battery, new gas tank, new tank straps, and new cross member that supports the rearward end of the tank!

RW - You are probably right. Just a thought. Anyway, hope you can get it going for your dad. I'm sure he'd be pleased.

Yeah. I appreciate the thought. Between the 390 engine, non-matching boday mounts, and the 74 having the steering gearbox behind the front crossmember, an 82 frame would be a massive undertaking.

I'll get the crack welded enough to keep it from growing any further, and start hunting for a 73-79 frame. Even a 72 or older frame would be a difficult swap, from what I have discovered in the dentside forum......
Almost has to be a 73-79 2wd pickup frame. I'd accept a short bed frame/bed, but would rather have a long bed frame for originality sake.
The truck is a 74 F100 Ranger XLT, 390, C6 PS, PB, factory air, cloth seat, carpet, emerald green over wimbledon white 2 tone, dark green interior. I have never seen another quite like it.
The 3.25 pumpkin I have, is the orginal 3rd member from this truck. Guess where it will be going now.......

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctubutis (Post 10373191)

xjpilot, where did you find an oven big enough to hold a frame?

There's a few commercial powdercoating places here in dallas with ovens up to like 25 ft long. They all quoted me about $450 for the frame

And I'll get pics up here in a minute

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grubbworm (Post 10375429)

Hey Grubb, sounds like a great trip! Where are you going fishing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebodell (Post 10373678)

Tried to rub the paint out on the hood. My metallic dark brown paint is faded and chalky. Not sure that I made much of a difference. I hit with heavy duty 3M rubbing compound, followed that with swirl remover and finished with just plain ole Turtle Wax. I burned through the top coat in a couple of places. I have never tried to bring paint this far gone back before so it is a learning experience.
I did a little section of the tan and it came back much better (I think that it is non-metallic helps).
I am going to try a couple other things first on the hood before I tackle the balance of the truck.

Do you have a "before" pic of your truck? Mine was pretty oxidized until I used some Turtle Wax rubbing compound on it. I got the hood, some of the cab and the bed looking nice, but the brown areas on the fenders (truck is two-tone brown and tan) and on the doors are too far gone. :(

Didn't do anything to my truck today. The other day I fixed the crooked HVAC fan housing, cleaned it out and put everything back together (with no AC coil in the housing). Plugged up the holes left from removing said coil with folded-up bicycle inner tubes. No leaks AFAIK. That removed a fair amount of restriction from the HVAC system....on 3 (fan speed setting) it moves quite a bit of air...on high, it moves a ton.

Tomorrow (well, today) I'm going to be doing some work on a friend's truck in exchange for a big shop fan (so I'll be hauling that around), then after work I gotta pick up a fridge (more hauling).

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthorngate3 (Post 10378185)

Hey Grubb, sounds like a great trip! Where are you going fishing?

Bear Creek, in Ellijay, Georgia.
Bear Creek Trail - GeorgiaTrails.com
:-drink

Very nice! Looks like a good place. I am actually going to be backpacking around/near Bear Mountain up here in CT this summer sometime.

I finally got my truck back from the body shop today.
It looks brand new. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
The's the original color, Light Canyon Red.
Now I just need to finish the inside.
http://www.my64falcon.com/f150/painted5.jpg
http://www.my64falcon.com/f150/painted3.jpg