I need y’alls input on what I should start working on first.
I finally was able to clean my parents yard and garage up by renting a shop with outdoor storage so now I have an open garage at the house. That means I can finally work on stuff during the fall and winter without wanting to set myself on fire to feel some warmth.
The white F-150 is a fully loaded ‘91 XLT lariat 4x4 with 93k on the 302 and AOD. It is immaculate but it has a debilitatingly blown head gasket. Warped head, slow crank, the whole 9 yards. I was thinking of throwing a junkyard engine in it to save myself some time but I can’t find an equivalently low mileage engine around me that wouldn’t require a full rebuild. So I think I’m just going to find some new heads for it.
The tan ‘86 F150 is a base model 300 straight six and a C6 auto. It has a bunch of stuff that needs to be replaced or repaired from when I was just learning how to work on stuff. I deleted the emissions but did a half assed job of it and caused a bunch of issues. I did intake and exhaust manifold gaskets but I didn’t tighten them down enough so it leaks real bad, I used the original YFA carb without the emissions stuff so it runs like crap, I hobbled together an exhaust out of scrap and exhaust clamps and it’s had a leaky head gasket since I bought it but it’s getting worse and worse. I did re-seal the engine at the beginning of the summer but it’s just one hay bale removed from the stack that is covering the needle.
The green ‘85 W150 is an old forest service truck that is spec’d with a 225 slant six and a 4 speed with a mopar 9 and a 1/4 rear end with a LSD in it. It is an absolute hoss in the mud and snow even with street tires on it. It had a section of the frame that was completely rotten out, I cut that section out and patched it but the tank straps are completely rotten and the plastic tank itself is cracked, and if you want to know anything about these old dodge trucks it’s that finding a fuel tank and tank straps are harder than finding a two headed cow. It also needs some miscellaneous brake work because all of the fittings and lines are just as rotten as the frame was.
The tan ‘77 D100 was a factory 318, 3 on the tree truck but the 318 had 300,000 some odd miles on it and was just tired. So I yanked it out and found an immaculate low mileage 440 in Ohio for the same price as a comparable 318 in my area so I went and picked it up thinking I’ll just find a 4 speed and we’ll be set. But the fly wheel is different and the bell housing is different so I am stuck with a really cool idea that’s gonna end up costing a pretty penny.
The blue ‘71 F350 was named “Skeeter” by the real honest to god Ricky Chilton, of circle K fame, when he came and visited the buddy of mine I bought it off of. It has a a little bit of rot behind the cab and the bedsides need to go but the main issue is it’s got a half dead hole. I suspect a burnt valve or something of the sort, it comes back at higher rpm. I have a new set of heads for it but I would like to turn this truck into an even better towing rig. Electric fan, new radiator, nicer cam, some headers, a 4 barrel intake, HEI distributor, heavier duty clutch, add power steering, etc.
The gray ‘89 F350 is a 460 C6 truck that has 45,xxx miles on it. It was an old Bell Atlantic truck that leaks oil like a sieve and needs both tank pumps rebuilt as well as a new high pressure pump. I also am ripping that bucket off because it’s a hydraulic mess and I’m a surveyor, not a hydraulic mechanic 😂
I’m not made of money so I can really only afford to get one or maybe two going this winter and the rest are going to have to wait till next winter. What do y’all think?