I’m partial to the mid 90’s F150 with the almost indestructible 300 straight 6! I’m currently repairing my 95 lifted shortbox which has 378000 kms on the original engine and drive train.
Big Red has been the backbone of our vehicles for 9 years, we have threatened to retire her numerous times but she has been resurrected and continues to serve me well. However I may have done a major disservice to her by running her too far with the cooling system malfunctioning. I was 78 kms from home when she showed H on the gauge, I had checked the fluid levels and both the engine oil and the coolant were at the appropriate amount. I pulled over to see if she would level out after resting (no I didn’t shut her off & yes I had the heat on full) as she did sometimes get warm when driving up a long hill. The 1st rest resulted in the gauge returning to the N zone but I wasn’t getting any heat in the cab. I was quite a distance from any assistance and out of cell service area on a mission to rescue my husband so I crossed my fingers and pushed ahead.
Now not only was she heating up but afraid to turn off the heat & fan she was turning me into a popsicle. Stuck between a rock and a hard place I prayed to the Ford gods and begged her to just get me home. Each stop I rechecked the coolant level in the reservoir but never opened the radiator cap. It seemed to me that the coolant wasn’t circulating properly as the last check,15 minutes from home, the antifreeze was bubbling in the overflow tank.