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New here, kinda new to trucks but catchin on quickly...

...And fallin' in love with Ford Trucks! I am going to kinda introduce myself before I get to the technical aspect of things. The name is Cody, I am from South-Eastern Iowa, very big farming state and in particular the area that I am located at. Never really had a thing for trucks until I started hanging out with a buddy of mine that has a 1983 Ford F-150 4X4 with the original 4.9, 300 inline 6 that has been rebuilt, and has a 4 speed, and straight pipes. Man oh man, once he got that thing on the road and ever since I have been hanging out with him, it just made me want a truck very badly. For more than one reason. Not only did I love the look of that particular truck, I loved the strength, power, and durability of it. I can't ever recall a time where he even babied the thing, he is always "pedal to the metal" with it, and it's never failed to start and run. So after I got bit by the "Ford-Truck Bug", as I like to call it, I started looking around for something cheap, something that ran, and something I could fix up. Well, I found it, sitting in a local junkyard. Owner wanted 600 for it, tried talking him down but he would not take any less, and when I test drove it, I fell in love and just had to get it, even if 600 did seem kinda high for it, I figured I'd buy it, drive it, and fix it up, and hang on to it for a while and get my money's worth and some good use out of it. Well, as my luck would have it, a couple days after I bought it, I was cruising around with it, and I was going about 30-35 MPH, and I hit a bump and the truck started shimmyin and shaking so bad that I thought the thing had hydraulics on it!:hammer: Scared the living daylights outta me! So I took it home, and thought "Oh great...a serious suspension problem, just what I need..." Little did I know at that time that I wish that's all it was. Turns out, I took it to get inspected and it had been confirmed that the frame was cracked, near the steering box, and when you turn the steering wheel with the truck in park, sitting still, you can see that the steering shaft and box and everything is loose and moves around terribly, and it's not exactly safe. So I need to get it welded. Estimates around my town have ran anywhere from 200 to 250 bucks. A guy from Wisconsin on another forum I was at said he'd weld it for me for a case of beer, unfortunately, it'd almost be as expensive to pay him the gas money to come down and weld it for a case of beer as it would to just pay the 200 bucks locally to get it welded. And heck, i'd do it myself if I had the welder and the knowledge but I have neither...but I have plans for the truck, and getting rid of it is not an option as I see it. So getting it welded is the plan, hopefully by this upcoming Monday or Tuesday. After that I plan on doing some body work, getting a good paint job, maybe get the engine/trans. overhauled soon, and definetly plan on getting a lift kit and bigger tires/wheels and better suspension for it. Even though I know the truck will never sell for what I am planning on putting in to it, I will probably have gotten my money's worth by the time I do plan to sell it. As for now, I am going to enjoy this as a project and a daily driver. I can't wait to hang around this forum, it seems really great and very helpful to us Ford-Faithful.YelloThumbUp

Thanks!
 

surewhynot

Rep whores make me sick
13,843
821
Florida
Welcome aboard! You'll find alot of knowledge here and some plain good times. Stick around and post up.
 

O'Rattlecan

Redneck Prognosticator
26,687
797
Belton, MO
welcome! Glad to see a new face! Don't worry about some of the guys on here... They're going to rag on me and say I'm a bad guy, but it's out of jealousy I think...

Make sure and chime in anytime and come back often!

Ryan
 

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
So where about would you be? I'm also a welder, and also in SE Iowa, up near the Amanas, but I can haul my welders if you have a 220 plug. I make it to Keokuk once in a while too. I'd rather arc that, to be sure the weld penetrates good enough, then fishplate it as well. I have a truck sitting at my place that I can make a pattern from if needed. My 86 has also been through hell and back, started it's life as a truck at the Kalona coop, then they finally let it go a few years ago, with a fresh motor, and now I have it, not sure if it's life got any easier...
 
So where about would you be? I'm also a welder, and also in SE Iowa, up near the Amanas, but I can haul my welders if you have a 220 plug. I make it to Keokuk once in a while too. I'd rather arc that, to be sure the weld penetrates good enough, then fishplate it as well. I have a truck sitting at my place that I can make a pattern from if needed. My 86 has also been through hell and back, started it's life as a truck at the Kalona coop, then they finally let it go a few years ago, with a fresh motor, and now I have it, not sure if it's life got any easier...

And Keokuk is exactly the town I live in!!! I am not sure if I have a 220 plug or not, but i'd assume our garage has one somewhere, i'll have to check in to that today/or tonight when I get a chance. I really love the look of the '86's and the ones from previous years that share that body style. They look pretty mean with big tires/wheels and a lift. Nice to meet you all, and hope to get back to you all soon. I should have some time to myself tonight so i'll probably be around. Sooner or later I might be asking around here for some body parts/and especially a decent and solid bed for my truck, but for now, the frame getting welded is priority, and then I should get a decent set of tires for it, even though the ones on it are acceptable, I had one blow out on me not too long ago due to a hole in the sidewall(barely noticeable though), so that's next, then after that I can get started on fixing it up nicely. Thanks for the replies everyone, I really am loving this forum, and you all seem like very knowledgeable and nice people. I will be back on later, take care everyone!:wavey: Once again, thanks!:beer:
 

O'Rattlecan

Redneck Prognosticator
26,687
797
Belton, MO
Cody - What bed size are you looking for? There's an 80-86 F-150 out on Buckner-Tarsney road in Grain Valley Missouri that looks rustless from the road. If you're interested, I'll stop and get some details on the way to work. It's a bit of a drive, so if you don't want to go that far, just say so.

Ryan
 

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
If you have an electric dryer, I can run a cord from there. I did that over to Fairfield to fix the mower at the local animal shelter.I have about 30' of extension cord, and a 10' adapter cord.
 
Welcome to the site. These guys know a lot about these old ford trucks. Then again...yours is pretty new. Its 30 years newer than mine. :rolling laugh: :rolling laugh: :rolling laugh:

Fellro is talking about the right way to repair the frame. If you two can get together that would be the way to go. I would not trust just any old welding shop to weld a frame. Your life and everyone else on the highway is trusting that weld. It has to hold!!!

The lowest bidder is not the guy I want welding my frame (if it were mine).

I grew up in a steel fabrication shop is why I am saying all that. I have seen some amateur welders (and pros) do some horrible work on cars. It is a different ball game. Not just anyone knows the proper methods to weld a frame.

ProjectResponder: Where do you see a picture of his truck? I missed it somewhere. [confused]
 

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
My dad's favorite would be some wire...:rolleyes: These frames can take some welding, didn't do much for heat treat back then. Definitely a job for 7018 rods though. It's a dang good thing I didn't learn to weld from my dad, it might hold a couple days if I did.
I've seen some pretty hack jobs come out of so called pro shops as well. I get accused of overbuilding, but I just ask them if they ever see anything I build break, and that quiets them down pretty quick. I've even seen crap welding coming out of the shops I worked... not good on car crushers or industrial fans, or for that matter, when I ran robots making trans crossmembers and frame sections, some of the crap welds coming off there, that the operators didn't take care of. Of course, it ended up coming back, but I can absolutely tell you why Windstars and Countours had issues with rear suspension cross weld breaks...:rolleyes:
 
The shop I worked in for years used to "farm work" out to other shops when they would get burried. That shortly stopped because the "so called professionals" in those other shops sent us garbage welds that we had to cut out and re-do. It did not save us any time. In fact, it cost more time to fix the mess than to weld it ourselves.

I think Fellro saw the same type of issues with the professional welders.

I did learn from my dad though. He has worked (still does) in a steel fab shop for the last 35 years or so.

I can honestly say I have never welded on a vehicle frame though. Bodies I have, but not a frame. In theory I know how to do it properly, but...thats just a theory.
 

6L PWR

Kansas Chapter member
some 6lpwr might say all you really need is a fresh roll of duct tape and about 7 minutes before you can be back on the road...
GOOD GOD NO!! Not for a frame. You need Gorilla tape and 10 minutes for that!!
 
and you all bust me about MY beer.
 

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
Hey, I did some looking at an F150 I have sitting here, and I think I see where the frame would crack, and that is going to be a pretty involved project to do right, most of a day project at least. I can't imagine the weld shop would do it any too cheap if they are doing it right. Looks to me it would crack through the large holes right in front of the coil bucket. If so, the top and bottom of the frame rail need access, and the best way i can see to do so is to pull the inner fenderwell, and to get access to the sides of the frame rail, the steering box would have to come off as well. Otherwise, it would be a substandard job.
I need to get off my behind and get a load of scrap together to get down there and at minimum get a look at this for you, and maybe get a quick patch done until better can be done. I know you don't have a lot of cash, but this is a prime example of why I tend to at least have one additional old beater around so when one vehicle is needing work, another keeps me getting the paycheck to keep them all going...
 

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