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...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!
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.
Thanks!
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. Thanks!
Once again, thanks!
![[confused]](/old/forum/images/smilies/confused0082.gif "Confused [confused]")
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. 
