Matthew DeLuca's 80 F150 Custom

My grandfather bought this truck new from Don Thornton Ford in Tulsa in April 1980, just before he retired – it was the last truck he owned until he passed away in 2000.  My grandmother kept it for sentimental reasons, but she never drove it and in 2010 agreed to sell it to me for $600 and promises that for as long as she was alive I would (a) not sell it, and (b) keep it in running order.  Grandma is 95 now and living here in Georgia, so I try to make a point of driving the truck down when I visit her.  She smiles, asks me where I got that beat-up old truck (she knows of course), and we laugh.
 
My goal has been to keep the truck as close to original condition as possible.  The engine hasn’t been rebuilt, emissions gear is in place and operational, and it has 215/75R15 tires on the original steel wheels.  The interior has been refreshed somewhat – the seat was redone with original-pattern vinyl and a new floor mat installed.  The door panels are probably the least original interior bit, they’re repops I installed a few years ago.  I hope to get the truck repainted as soon as finances permit, with the same Candy Apple Red as it came with.