The Ultimate Gift - Superblue400's 1979 Ford F-250 Supercab Restoration
Follow along as one talented Ford-Trucks Enthusiast forum member gives his business partner the ultimate gift!
1. 1979 F-250 Restoration
FTE member Superblue400 is a lucky guy, but his business partner Fred may be luckier still. Fred gave him the opportunity of a lifetime nearly 20 years ago, and it led to a life changing career in the engine parts business. When Fred began looking for someone to restore his beloved 1979 F-250, Mr. Blue400 was more than happy to assist, but in this case, he insisted on doing the restoration himself - for just the cost of the parts and any outside services.
2. The Ultimate Gift
The generous decision was a no-brainer for forum member Superblue400, who has restored a few vehicles over the years. A 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme he redid won Best in Class at a recent show, but his experience is limited to Olds cars from that era, so he went looking for people knowledgeable about old Ford trucks. That's why he posted this thread in our forums - both to document his progress and to utilize the smarts of our resident Ford truck experts.
3. The Truck
Fred is the original and only owner of this 1979 F-250 which he special ordered back in January of 1979. It's a long bed SuperCab with a mere 73,000 original miles, but she's certainly seen hard use and better days. The old Ford uses a 400 for power, with a manual transmission and Dana 60 axles with 3.54 gears. It also has air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo, and tinted glass, which makes it pretty swank for the 70s. It was originally painted dark blue metallic, but received a repaint back in the 90's. That's when the tailgate was replaced with an earlier one. Outside of that, the F-250 is in serious need of some bodywork but is mostly original and intact.
4. Sentimental Value
Many folks (no one on Ford-Trucks, obviously) might question the sanity of someone who wants to restore a truck like this, but for Fred, the old F-250 represents something very sentimental. It originally was used as his daily driver, but after three years it got transferred and served faithfully as a farm truck on his ranch outside Decatur, Texas. In the many years since, the Ford was used on and off, and even served to teach his grandchildren to drive. Back in 2007, the faithful F-250 was parked for good and hasn't run since.
5. The Progress
Progress on a project this major is slow but steady. To date, Superblue400 has completely disassembled the truck and ordered a slew of replacement parts. He's received a ton of helpful advice from our members, too. Anything that could be refurbished has been sandblasted and repainted - tedious but worthwhile work. The level of detail in the work itself is extremely impressive, as everything has been carefully organized and labeled. The motor is out for a rebuild, and the bodywork in progress is well on its way. There's still a ton of work to be done, of course. But you can (and should) follow along in the forums. You can bet we will be doing exactly that as this amazing restoration comes to life!
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