My Ford Truck Project (And Other Projects)

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Nov 4, 2012
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I don't know if anyone here will remember me posting about this truck here a while back, but here's the story in case you don't.

This truck is a 1995 Ford F150 5.0L 5 Speed 4x4 Extended Cab Long Bed. It belonged to a neighbor of mine who bought it early in it's life and drove it until 2010, when the body got too rusted to pass inspection. When it got to that point, he brought it to a body shop that I had just recently started working at, and had us repair it to like-new condition. After doing so much work on this truck I really developed a fondness for it. I told my neighbor if he ever wanted to get rid of it, he could call me up and I'd buy it on the spot.

Fast forward 6 1/2 years (and 6 1/2 Pennsylvania winters) and the body started rusting out around the areas we repaired, as well as the frame had developed a few holes.

Around September 2016, I noticed my neighbor driving a different truck and I hadn't seen the old Ford around in a while. I asked him what happened to it and if he had gotten rid of it. This was when he informed me that the truck was really rusted out and he thought it was beyond repair. He told me it still ran and drove well, but the body and frame were in poor shape. He also told me it was sitting at his sons house about an hour away, and had been used as a hot tub on at least one occasion. I told him I'd still be interested in buying it from him and he thought I was about crazy at that point. He said he'd talk to his son and see if he would be willing to get rid of his 'hot tub'.

He called me a day later and said he'd sell it to me for $300. I knew I would be the only chance this truck was going to have if it was ever going to see the road again, so I agreed to buy it, having not even seen it in 6 or so months.

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After picking the truck up and driving it home, I began to really assess the rust. If the truck was to be fixed properly, it would need front floors, front cab mounts, a drivers rocker panel, partial passenger rocker panel, rear inner cab corners, a core support, one wheel arch, several bed floor patches, a tail gate, a few other odds and ends patches, and the frame would need 3 patch panels.

I drove the truck for a few months as it was until the inspection ran out to give myself some time to decide what to do. I even took it on several long trips!

Once the inspection ran out, I immediately missed driving the truck. I knew I had to fix it. I first had a local very reputable frame shop repair the frame.

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From there I began the body work. I removed the front clip and interior to give myself better access to the cab mounts and floors. I lifted the cab about a foot or two off of the frame for more access.

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I cut the rusted sections out. I bought pre stamped panels for the floors and the cab mounts. I tweaked and trimmed the to fit, and welded them in. I also replaced the cab mounts with new polyurethane ones from Energy Suspension while the cab was up.

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I had to make my own patch panels for the rear inner cab corners as no one makes them, and there was virtually nothing left other than a giant gaping hole. Some of the patches are a little ugly but I'm pretty proud of them, considering I had to make something out of nothing. It's not like anyone will ever see them once they are under the carpet.

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I just had a friend a professional body man fit the driver's side rocker panel yesterday.

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I am currently still making patch panels for the passenger side inner cab corner.
Once it is done, I am going to paint the floors with a new product similar to POR15 from SEM called 'Rust Trap'. The floor will then be topcoated with color matched U-Pol Raptor liner before the carpet goes in. Once the rocker is done, the front clip can go back on.

It's been a lot of work so far and there is still a lot more to go, but I know it'll be worth it in the end! I'll have some updates eventually! Enjoy photos!
 
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A few more of the floors-

Passenger Side Before-

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Drivers Side In Progress-

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Passenger Cab Corner-

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Clutch

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My stepfather has a very nice f-250 4x4 that won't pass PA inspection and he is up on year's so he can't do do it himself it's a shame what PA considers not drivable. It's in Northeast PA and he's trying to get 4000 for it the 5.3 and OD trans is probably worth that. And I think it's an XLT lariat dam shame
 

1evilregal

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Apr 23, 2009
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lookin good! those aren't my favorite years, but they are tough as nails!

glad you're still with us , I hadn't seen you in awhile, and thought maybe you'd joined the ranks of the bye-gones!

I have a few rust hole stories of my own, but you'll see a thread on the Chief soon enough...
 
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MrSony

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Nov 15, 2014
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Coolio. You never really see people repair trucks of this vintage. they normally just rot into the ground.

ps: any updates on the regal? :p
 
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pontiacgp

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you need to get a sticker for the back window "BUILT JOE TOUGH".....:)
 
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lookin good! those aren't my favorite years, but they are tough as nails!

glad you're still with us , I hadn't seen you in awhile, and thought maybe you'd joined the ranks of the bye-gones!

I have a few rust hole stories of my own, but you'll see a thread on the Chief soon enough...

These are the ones that were new on the lots when I was a kid, so maybe that's why I'm so fond of them. I really like these OBS trucks (92-96) and the Bullnose trucks (80-86). I like the dentside trucks too but they were a little before my time.

And I'm always around the forums, whether just lurking or logged in. Of all the forums I've been on for any vehicle, GBF by far has the best folks.

Coolio. You never really see people repair trucks of this vintage. they normally just rot into the ground.

ps: any updates on the regal? :p

Yeah they aren't often repaired, probably 99% of people would have junked this thing and not lost sleep over it. Most likely because they are usually cheaper to replace than repair. But where is the fun (read: blood, sweat, tears frustration, broken tools) in that? :mrgreen:

As for the Regal, I pushed it out of the garage last month to replace the garage door opener above it. Does that count as an update? All joking aside, no not really. Between work, this truck, and a few other projects I haven't had much time to play with it. It waits patiently under it's cover for an engine.

you need to get a sticker for the back window "BUILT JOE TOUGH".....:)

I like this idea... Will pursue further. :banana:
 
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ssn696

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Too bad I did not know about this project. My father-in-law let his old truck go due to mechanical problems. It had 150K on it and the transmission shop that rebuilt the R100 transmission had to do it four times to get it to work right. In the end he sold it as a transmission with a free truck to take it home in. For about $800. That would have been a great rust-free frame donor.
 
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Nov 4, 2012
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Too bad I did not know about this project. My father-in-law let his old truck go due to mechanical problems. It had 150K on it and the transmission shop that rebuilt the R100 transmission had to do it four times to get it to work right. In the end he sold it as a transmission with a free truck to take it home in. For about $800. That would have been a great rust-free frame donor.

I appreciated the offer, but probably wouldn't have taken it anyways. I considered buying a donor vehicle for a while and swapping the mechanicals over, but I think at that point I may as well just buy a whole different truck, since the bed, cab and frame all had rust on them. By the time I am done, this truck will have more patch panels than I have brain cells, but it will be properly repaired and at least I can say it's still the same truck I started out with.

I probably wouldn't have put the transmission to use either as the standard transmission is half the reason why I love the truck so much. It is the less-desirable M5OD Mazda trans, but it seems to work ok.
 
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ssn696

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I have an F350 row-boat. It's one of the reasons I bought Brand F instead of a GM truck. I heard the Duramax diesel kept breaking the bellhousings.
 
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