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I was looking for a cheap truck to use on my property to haul firewood. I found this for $500 for sale by a young man in the Army. He was trying to sell it in order to move his pregnant wife down to Texas where he is stationed. I am from a military family and have a soft spot for people in that situation. The F-150 is a rust bucket - in rough shape. It in early December 2014 due to a blown head gasket. Instead of just junking her, I decided to break her down to the bones and build her up again. My dream is to have a truck that my kids can drive when they get old enough (first one has another 10 years), and the oldest boys like to spend time working on it with me.
I have invested minimum up to this point - new tires, thermostat, and fluid changes. My plan was to keep her running and fix the body FULL of Michigan cancer. So, I began ordering body panels from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard (they are about an hour away from me). I have both Fenders, a new grill, and patch panels to fix the bedsides and wheel wells.
Up to this point, I have begun deconstruction - slowly taking off the battery, hood, header panel, grill, and front bumper. It has become bitter cold in Michigan as you would expect and I can only fit one vehicle in my garage right now because a second would be too close to my wood burning stove. Sadly, she is sitting outside with a tarp covering her front end.
I am open to suggestions, and quite frankly - I need them as I am very new to all of this. I am a web programmer and have never done a ton of mechanical work but I am eager to learn and help my boys learn to. Please feel free to post ideas and suggestions, as I will need them.
Since it is so bitter cold outside (-4 degrees F right now), during the next week, I plan on removing the interior and dash as thoroughly as possible. I need to be able to fire her up and get her down the driveway to store her in between work sessions. I will start with the dash, seats, carpet, etc. I have access to vehicle rotisserie so I can have 360 degree access to do repair work to the body and weld and less awkward angles. Should be an interesting experience!
The engine is the 5.8L V8 Windsor, would you guys swap it out for something different or have it rebuilt? I'm open to suggestions.
1. Take lots of digital pictures so you know how things were before you took it apart.
2. Buy plenty (maybe a case worth) of plastic baggies to put nuts and bolts in.
3. Label everything as to what it came off of.
4. Take your time doing this with your kids, it'll seem to go by waaaay too fast.
5. Look at YouTube videos if unsure how to prep for paint or remove anything.
These would be a start. I'm sure it'll take a few years stripping it down to the frame then building it back up, but it'll be great bonding time with the kids and a learning experience for all. It's how I got my start into cars/trucks when I was younger. I had my grandpa though.
Since it is so bitter cold outside (-4 degrees F right now), during the next week, I plan on removing the interior and dash as thoroughly as possible. I need to be able to fire her up and get her down the driveway to store her in between work sessions. I will start with the dash, seats, carpet, etc. I have access to vehicle rotisserie so I can have 360 degree access to do repair work to the body and weld and less awkward angles. Should be an interesting experience!
The engine is the 5.8L V8 Windsor, would you guys swap it out for something different or have it rebuilt? I'm open to suggestions.
The 5.8 is a great engine platform. While there aren't as many aftermarket options for it vs the 5.0, there are still enough to do what you want. By the way, rebuilding it would most likely be a lot cheaper than swapping in another powerplant and trying to make everything work correctly.
If you plan on reusing the interior, make sure you wrap it tight enough in plastic that nature can't get to it.
WOW - thanks for the great replies! I am definitely not in a hurry - but I want to do it right. No sense of wasting time and money if I'll just have to redo it!
I grew up in flint and my father was a welder repairman at GM when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the last thing he wanted to do was work on cars when he got home so we always took it to the local shop, LOL.
I appreciate the insight, and will definitely be following those tips!
One other thing is try to find an older repair manual. They tend to have stuff in there that some of the newer repair manuals don't. Plus some of them have fold out wiring diagrams for the truck with wire colors. That was always easier for me than looking at a computer.
Prepping for paint will probably be the most time consuming thing you'll do on the truck. That's if you are going for a quality look. Paint is one thing that preparation is everything when it comes down to it.
I would also recommend getting the frame blasted and powder coated or painted to help protect it from the elements. People have had good luck with POR15 too.
One other thing is try to find an older repair manual. They tend to have stuff in there that some of the newer repair manuals don't. Plus some of them have fold out wiring diagrams for the truck with wire colors. That was always easier for me than looking at a computer.
Prepping for paint will probably be the most time consuming thing you'll do on the truck. That's if you are going for a quality look. Paint is one thing that preparation is everything when it comes down to it.
I would also recommend getting the frame blasted and powder coated or painted to help protect it from the elements. People have had good luck with POR15 too.
I do intend on having the frame straightened (if necessary) and powder coated. I am a little worried because the bed is sagging about 1/2" to the drivers side. This could just be a rotted out support or leaf spring but it could be a tweaked frame. First things first I have to get everything off the frame and grind off the rust and patch anything that needs it, or replace it if need be. Guess we'll find out soon enough!
If the bed is sagging, it could be something as simple as the body mount being worn out. There should be 6 polymer bushings between the bed and frame. It's a common problem on some of the older trucks.
My dad and I just finished restoring our '78 Westy VW. Its something ill never forget and always appreciate! no one will pry that bus from me, and I hope your kids feel the same way.
I do have the Chilton repair manual - was published in 1996 so I think that's about the best I can do. Is there another manual publisher you would suggest it is that what you were referring to?
01-05-2015, 10:49 PM
1995 F-150 XLT Frame-off Resto-Mod
