HackJob F150

[Thumpin455]

I need a firewood hauler and a winter beater, it needs to be cheap, dependable, get ok mileage, have a good heater, decent tires, and the ability to haul firewood or pull something out of the ditch. I have limited cash right now because I have to get a new wood burner in the next couple months, and around 30 face cords of wood to heat through the winter.

The 89 Chevy will cost $500 minimum to get running, and that is just putting an engine in it, not including tires. The 84 F150 is rusted so damn bad the cab is falling off the frame and the rear of the cab needs to be pushed forward to close the door. It also needs a timing chain and a better carb, but otherwise is a relatively sound truck mechanically. But that cab is severely rusted and scary as hell. The 87 F150 has a better cab but the frame has rusted then cracked and now its almost ready to break in half right under the cab mounts. The engine is now in the 92 F150, it just doesnt run quite right, and I cant talk to the ECM for some reason, also its not a 4x4 so it is ill suited to what I need.

So what to do? Monster or JunkyardWars type build! Rip the rusted cab off the 84, repair anything wrong with the frame, replace the timing chain while I am in there, and put the body of the blue 87 on the 84 frame with a bit of body work to seal things up. Might do something nuts and paint it cammo, or put nose art shark mouth on it, radius the wheel wells since they are rusted anyway, and leave all the welds showing so its like a Mad Max reject. Two trucks into one, and build the Chevy next year, or over the winter and take this one to my dad to use as a plow truck.

Really the body isnt too bad on this thing. The mounts are in good shape and it only needs a bit of floor repair and a set of doors.







Yep that frame has a bit of a hole in it.





Things move around a tad when you yank it with a tow strap and there is no frame on one side...



So I started unbolting stuff about 5 PM after helping a guy who was stuck with his 65 LeMans near the lake.









So the plan is to have it running by Saturday so I can start getting firewood, and not to spend much of anything on it that I dont already have.

Still have to get the 70 GTO done, and the 65 has parts coming for it too, and I need to clean the yard plus the shop and start getting ready for snow.. Lots of stuff going to the chipper for scrap value this year! Dave should be happy I am thinning the herd a bit.

[Huskinhano]

Todd, I think you need to get a tetanus booster shot.

[Thumpin455]

We have a big green sign by the highway, been thinking of putting up "Rust Haven" on it but havent since it might encourage people to poke around. I wear gloves and my tetanus shot is up to date, thanks to the VA!

I dont know what I would do if I had a car or truck without rust. Probably just drive it.

[Mater]

wow my 90 F150 looked better then that and i scrapped the body..... i almost feel bad now almost

[tardis454]

Another project? damn, I haven't finished the 2 I started!!
For paint.. I'd camo it, or maybe Ted Nugent zebra stripes.

[HillbillySailor2]

I think taking the two trucks to make one is an outstanding idea. The roof of the 84 cab would be a great place to get the donor metal for the patches you need for the 87's floorboards. I especially like the idea of radiusing the wheel wells and the camo paint job. This truck should fit your needs nicely when you're done.

[Thumpin455]

The wife said no zebra stripes and gave me a weird look. It will have to be something where I dont have to buy paint, or much of it.

I have the roof from the 65 Tempest for floor patches, but I will cut most of the straight rust free metal out of the 84. I will get more pics of the 84 when I move it tomorrow or the next day. It really dont look too bad here but trust me its rusty like a yooper truck...

[Scott Liggett]

I think it would be hilarious to cut patch panels from one truck and weld them on to the other and just leave the mismatched paint on them. Then leave the welds unground so it looks total like Frankensteins 150. Maybe a bolt welded here and there to complete the look.

[1931s/x]

i had 2 4x4 f i50s, i loved them both. id do the patches and make it look sort of ok, and just bomb it with a gallon of rust oleum black. i really liked the 82 short bed it was my 2nd car. 300ci granny gear 4 spd and 9", it was one tuff truck especially for a 150. i picked up a rust free bed in the same color then did the cab corners. knocked out the cat and put a turbo muffler on it. it sounded like a ups truck. i put some free dunlop rover a/t on it and aluminum turbine/ vector looking wheels. i finally lost intrest when the bellhousing busted the ear off for the starter. i took it apart, welded up the bellhousing drileld and tapped it, wanted to put a new clutch in, my dad convinced me to just put a new disc. it lasted just a few weeks and something broke in the clutch or presure plate and the clutch wouldnt work, it was stuck in gear, couldnt start it. i sold it to a friend and bought the 86 longbed 2 tone red and tan, it was more of a loaded truck and had a 302 aod and 8.8, i liked the 82 much better.

[VTJUNK]

A buddy of mine does this on a routine basis with older F150 trucks. He had a pair of matching trucks in black and metallic orange except one was 4x4 and one was 2wd. They were sharp. He's always rebuilding one.

[Russell]

I would paint it with POR

[Bamfster]

Great plan Todd! I like Scott's idea, totally Frankenstein it out ....

[Thumpin455]

I dunno, when I get that far I will just do what sounds like fun. Its kinda tough keeping the part of my head in check that says "Sandblast that rust, replace that piece, paint it all up good, stop the rust." Its just a beater and I dont want to spend more time than I have to on it, I have GTOs and a Mustang to work on. Plus a $5000 go fast car that needs in the shop. Just need a truck to support everything and get me heat...

I like the idea of stripes, but I am thinking Tiger stripes. Perhaps put Tigger or Hobbes on it somewhere. Or just flat black or bed liner, or get freaky and do something like Yannick did with the Scout, but with paint instead of a wrap. I dont want it to have brown doors and blue cab, that is just too redneck/ghetto/uninspiring, so it will get something shot on it, or maybe just left in bare metal with the welds hanging out everywhere. Accelerate the rust instead of slow it down... There is something not right in my head.

The floor is in great shape!At least the rockers are solid(ish)




Got the box off the fun by yourself way. Ground the heads off the bolts since the nuts were too rusted for a socket to fit and not slip. Then got out a big hammer.




Salt does wonderful things. I have found spots of undercoating in some places, apparently the salt just didnt care about that. This frame is shot, it was very thin in a few places, part of me wants to weld it up and see if we can get it to break somewhere else jumping it over stuff. I know I was dropped repeatedly as a child, but I didnt think it did much damage, apparently it affected me vehicle wise.





I would have gotten the cab off, but dinner was a priority and I got a phone call that slowed me down and let the pain stop me. All it needs is the bolts removed, and the speedo cable pulled from the trans. I was concerned about having a VSS on this thing, but seeing that speedo cable lets me only have to worry about making the lights, blinkers, and wipers work. Of course, I dont know if the gear ratios are the same or even close between the two trucks, if it had more torque I would swap in whatever had taller gears, but with the wimpy 302, it would probably hurt things more than it helped.

Couple things were like YAY BONUS! The shocks are in good shape in the rear, and the fuel tank doesnt leak. Both are problems on the brown truck, and there is some good exhaust pipe too! So perhaps it will get the headers I have for it and some cobbled together straight pipe for ultimate deer repelling sound.

[langleylad]

Did this truck spend any time at the bottom of the ocean by any chance ? . Holy rust Batman ! . Was this the best you had to choose from ? .

[Thumpin455]

I bought it for $150 back in 06 and used the engine out of it in the 92. It had a near new set of tires on it, they went on the 84 since this one had a bad frame. The only reason I never scrapped it is I might have needed an axle or something, and the cab was in ok shape compared to the 84. Wait until you see that 84 come apart tomorrow or the next day, the frame isnt rusted quite as bad, but the body is much worse. I am also kicking around the idea of using the trans, transfer case, and axles from this one to build something 'interesting' for winter.