Got Bored

[AshG]

So got a sports car, got a motorbike and they are both great fun but it turns out i don't just need something to go fast! I need something to tinker with.

I would like to introduce my new toy! It's a 1984 Ford F-150 4X4 Pickup Truck. Yes it has a V8 a glorious 5L 302 small block Windsor!

Its not a kit car but I'm basically gonna pull it to bits fix everything then put it back together again. To add a little twist I'm gonna do away with all the 80's tech like carbs and switches and convert it to EFI with full canbus, to control all the systems.

Keeping with the SKCC motto no pictures didn't happen!

well here are the pictures.



drive home was fun the stupid thing kept overheating! turned out to be a blown head gasket!


got it home and immediatly started stripping it down


found a little bit of crusty rust! sign of things to come!


little poke whoops! now its a hole! turns out the seal round the drivers door had gone and years of damp in the carpet rotted out the drivers side door sill and a bit of the floor

[AshG]

bit more rust!



turns out my AMERICAN truck was made in CANADA oh the shame!



front grill off. not to bad just a bit of light surface rust.


bit more poking on the floor with marks favorite tool ANGLE GRINDER.


pretty crusty! all because someone was too lazy to replace a $20 door seal grrr!


decided there was only one way to fix it properly! go cut a whole section out of another truck in the breakers yard! believe it or not i got this out with a cordless 4 1/2 inch makita angle grinder and a cordless makita reciprocating saw! took me 40 mins in 38degC weather and only one injury!


yep thats a blister from the reciprocating saw! note to self, wear gloves next time.

[AshG]

on with the deconstruction front end almost off. wings, bonnet and wheel arches come off easy the front cross member put up one hell of a fight the bolts were seized solid!


left a small path of destruction....


down to the heart of the beast! all 5L of it!


wings and most of the body panels are in really good shape for 32 years old. they just need sand blasting to get the paint off then a nice fresh coat of paint.


the front bumper was a real sod to get off. after several hours of messing about i gave up and cut the bolts from behind.



with the bumper out the way it was easy to remove the engine.


nice little surprise the previous owner had managed to crack the bell housing when he refreshed the engine last year and didnt care to mention it in the sale grrrrrrr!!! question is now, do i try and weld it up and take the chance that it will hold and not have to come out again, or bite the bullet and just get a new box/casing?

[AshG]

looks a little sparse now!



thought i would have a try at cleaning up the chassis rails. started with a wire brush on the grinder to get the loose stuff off, then went for the chemical solution, then another hit it with the grinder. didn't come out too bad, there is plenty of good steel left . The big bonus of the day is that there is no major rust issues other than the drivers side cab floor and sill. so just surface rust to deal with YAY.







so the plan for the rest of the week is to get the dash out and strip the rest of the truck.

once that is done i can lift the cab and bed off the frame. sand blast and repaint everything. oh and while im at that i also need to rebuild the axles brakes and suspension.

the real big decision is do i try and save the old blown head gasket engine and cracked gearbox or just go buy a brand new crate engine and gearbox. wallet says fix the old but sensible head says drop some cash and do it right first time!

[scotty]

Save engine and tune.new box 4inch lift big tyres but dont go mad locker in the back and sort the brakes....its a yank it wont stop

[greenwoo]

better than an episode of wheeler dealers.....nice one Ash, have to say that one of the things o my bucket list is to have an old yank pick up. Although bit older than yours
Keep the updates rolling when you get time.
Say Hi to Ana...

[SteveRST]

Excellent thread Ash! Love the first pic - beaten up old pickup with American flag on the tailgate.
Can I ask what you paid for the truck? That cracked bell-housing is a real bummer.

Looking forward to seeing the updates as this project matures. Keep loads of pics coming.

[DJ.]

Great thread, keep it coming

How the hell do you crack a bell housing?

[ChrisL]

Love it

[Tony B]

nice one Ash, id love to do something like this - keep us all posted..