1985 F150 XL Explorer
 

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Hello,
This Ford pickup that's been my ride for 16 years was bought from a Ford sales rep that sold Ford manufactured automotive machine shop equipment like brake drum lathes and the like. I got it @ 87K miles for $4100 cash in 1988. It has a 302/5.0L fuel inj automatic with factory spec P215/75R15 tires that I have always run on it. (Uniroyal Laredos "nail guard" these days) Very tame tires make it ride better.
The ends of the fleetside fenders just ahead of the vertical tail lights have "Explorer" in molded plastic. The "F150" plate behind the front wheel wells have "XL" under the "F150".........."XL" appears on the dashboard just above the radio. There is a little plate at the top right tailgate panel that says "electronic fuel injection."
The engine has the "EEC IV/EFI" computer controlled fuel system which seems to have been not widely produced until the next year or two. The Ford F150 books and tables seem to have my engine listed for model years starting AFTER my 1985 model year. Maybe it was a advanced model made available for the Ford sales rep I bought it from?
It has automatic trans with overdrive, a transmission that says "METRIC" stamped on its oil pan.
It has "torsion bars" on both axles.
An 8' bed.
The colors are silver with red sides panels, the roof and
hood wearing and flaking down to the crimson primer. I rolled Red Devil "Platinum" oil based paint on these two surfaces twice now. The rest of the paint is better but I got big rust problems..............
There's the dual tanks and cruise control. I took out the air conditioning equipment. Those days are over.
My 20 year old truck was made in Norfolk, Va. It's a sedate gentleman's truck that turned heads for a long time. Now it still works and makes me think fondly about all those women that rode in it.