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"Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

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taskswap

"Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Starting a thread on our project here. My wife and I are doing a partial restoration on a 1981 F250 Custom. This will be a "couples" truck for us to go camping/hunting/etc with as the kids get older and we don't need to haul around our beast of a camper all the time.

The bulk of our focus is on the interior, which fortunately is packed with "I can totally do that" goodies to replace with LMC / ebay / junkyard finds. We got lucky with this one - we got it for a song and it included a camper shell that we'll also be restoring. The interior is really rough, it looks like a pig had an argument with a gorilla, and won. But the frame and major body panels are sound with no-more-than-expected rust, the engine runs strong and it has a new exhaust.

This truck has an interesting past. The guy I bought it from is only a part-time dealer, it's his hobby (he's a CPA for his day job). His office is just across the street from an auction lot, and he just loves to putter around there for interesting vehicles. That's where he got this.

The funny part is, he had to take it to get the exhaust done (it would never have passed emissions with the old one, and Colorado requires an emissions test before a private party sale). Apparently when he walked into the shop, another guy there looked out the window and said "hey, that's my truck!" Apparently he had given it to his brother, who didn't keep up on the taxes/registration. It was towed, and then never paid up to get it out of impound so the towing company auctioned it. (The "dealer" actually gave me the bill of sale from that as a little fun souvenir to keep.)

So anyway because of all this I have one extra bit of history because that past owner shared this with the "dealer":

You have a jewel of a motor. The motor was built bore and polished and honed heads. Stage 3 cam. Bored .30 over. All Done by western engine supply. Came with a warranty. I added 4 barrel carb high rise intake. All need front end motor parts other than ac and smog pump. I built the motor when the truck had 94k. Bought it from an old lady it was her husband's fishing camping truck. The body only has 100k plus odometer reading so I am guessing 130-140k Miles on the body the motor has 35k roughly you can see what the odometer is and that will tell you exactly.

Fingers crossed for a successful restoration!

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Over the past few days, priority #1 has been gutting the interior. I just finished that today.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it was getting dark when I wrapped up. I wanted to strip the cabin completely but I couldn't remove the old A/C because it was one of those aftermarket units where the condenser is in the cabin and the hoses go through the firewall. There's no way to remove it that I know of without emptying the lines and I have reason to believe they're still holding a charge, so that seems like a waste. I just used a ratchet strap to hold it up out of the way.

No shocker, there's some floor-pan rust, but not as much as I expected. I got everything cleaned as much as I could and took off the loose rust with a grinder and a scotch brite wheel. I need to get the side channels around the doors cleaned out, then I'll give it a coat or two of a rust sealer/primer before re-carpeting it.

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

rcarlisle

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Looks like a great project. My interior was similar - we always say it looked like a serial killer's dump site. Smelled like someone left an armpit under the seat. We've refreshed the interior completely, done safety things - shocks, brakes, tires. Got AC working. They are great project vehicles that nothing is too hard to do.

Can't wait to see this one get improved.

Randy

Mt. Airy, NC 81 F-150 STYLESIDE regular cab 2wd. 302 Auto Zone crate. 5 spd M5od-R2

Pete Whitstone

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

In reply to this post by taskswap

Nice project, and great find on the auction truck.

Unless there's a bunch that's not visible in the photo, that rust problem is almost non-existant. Looks like surface stuff that will easily be removed with a flap wheel or Evaporust. My TX truck had a few through-holes on the drivers side, and the sheet metal "dam" that runs under the sill plate was eroded to nothing. So for a CO truck, I think you did very well.

Keep us up to date on the restoration!

81 F150 Flareside, Edelbrock Pro Flow4 FI, hydraulic roller 351W, E4OD, 4x4, BW1356
92 F150 RCLB 351W E40D BW1356 mostly stock

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

Yes, that rust is no problem at all. I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible. (I've been doing that on some things on Big Blue, and it is a major pain!) Plus, the stuff is thick enough that it will seal small pin holes, although you might want to put a piece of cardboard under the truck when you paint as any drips on the concrete are not coming off.

And the story about the truck and engine is cool. No wonder it runs so well. You'll have a great truck for what you are going to do.

Plus the topper/camper looks like it'll be great for weekends.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

Pete Whitstone

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Gary Lewis wrote

I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible.

Agree on the POR-15. However, it is not UV resistant, so it needs a topcoat. I'm not sure how important that is under a carpet, or on the bottom side of the truck, but I still topcoat it wherever I put it.

I used it on some sheet metal panels that form the roof of our outdoor fireplace. I leaned the panels against a table in my shop, without putting anything down on the concrete. I painted the panels and let them dry. However, because they were on a slant, some excess POR-15 ran down them and accumulated where it sat on the concrete. Not much just a few drops. No problem, I'm sure that will peel right off when I lift the panels... nope. Took a layer of concrete up with it when I picked them up. That's how sticky the stuff is.

Oh, and wear gloves, unless you want black paint spots on your hands for weeks to come.

81 F150 Flareside, Edelbrock Pro Flow4 FI, hydraulic roller 351W, E4OD, 4x4, BW1356
92 F150 RCLB 351W E40D BW1356 mostly stock

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

Yes, a topcoat is needed if it is going to see UV. But I didn’t topcoat the stuff on the floor, nor what dripped though. Haven’t seen the stuff on the floor again as it is covered with sound deadening and carpet, but the stuff under the truck is still black, and UV will turn it whiteish.

And if you are topcoating, I recommend using any exterior grade spray paint and spray it on while the POR is still tacky. I’m done with brushing the POR-specific topcoat on as it always leave brushstrokes.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

I should have explained that I painted several things in the shop with POR-15 over 10 years ago, and while they aren't in direct sun there is outside light coming in and they are still as black and hard as ever. However, my engine hoist is now sitting outside and getting some direct sun for the last several months and it is starting to get chalky. Still black, but....

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

In reply to this post by Pete Whitstone

Thanks for the tip on UV resistance in POR-15. Obviously not a problem under a carpet but good to know as I start dealing with the bed. Although I'm tempted to just Line-X it. Slide-in campers are tough on beds and it'll probably be mounted in there "most of the time" (carrying it is this truck's main job).

I'm super on the fence about the wiring. One of my goals was to redo the wiring harness - there's a bunch of sketchy stuff tapped/altered throughout it, and electronics are my favorite hobby, so I have a lot of confidence (and tools) to do it. But as I'm analyzing it objectively, I think the current harness is in better shape than I thought and all the aftermarket harnesses are just going to leave me with a thousand splices and different wire colors anyway. Guess I'll table that and just improve what I have.

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

I've been fortunate to be able to repair all the harnii I've run across. But I have scrap ones from which I pull the right wire colors and solder pieces in and then use adhesive-lined heat shrink.

So far I've not found an aftermarket harness that I think is worth it. Not saying there isn't one, but I've not seen it.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Yeah I agree. Another dream shattered... (just kidding!)

I did get some cable for a few misc tasks. I'm definitely doing the headlight relay upgrade so that's on the way, and I'm going to upgrade the 6-pin round trailer connector currently in my bumper to a standard 7-blade. I'm probably going to tow very rarely with this because I have another vehicle for that, but it's nice to know I have it available.

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

I started pulling off front-end trim pieces today. The grille and one headlamp trim piece are broken so I'm replacing those. I want to stay "stock" on a lot of things but this isn't one of them - a plastic grille has no place on anything I own. I'll just break it again. I took a chance on the billet aluminum ones LMC sells, just waiting for it to arrive now.

Meanwhile I need to deal with the massive "road rash" on the front nose so I'm starting to at least think about paint. Sorry, Ford, but I don't think "Fawn" was one of the best color options to begin with. We're thinking of going with a very traditional red-body/white-stripe setup when we do get it painted. I've always loved red on Fords.

We can't afford a proper paint job at the moment, but I want to address the front-nose rust before it deteriorates further. I've got evapo-rust gel on it right now, then I'll prime/seal it and throw on a rattle-can of red paint just for fun. Why not, the weather is gorgeous and I've got the stuff on the shelf. It's easiest to do it now while I have the bumper off, which is getting replaced (the front corner was bent, and I found a nice straight one at the junkyard so why not?)

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

What do you plan to hit to break the grille?

But the billet grille will look good there.

I think Fawn is what Rusty is, the '81 I sold a few years ago. It didn't adhere well on the front of the truck as there were chip marks all over the front. So I understand your problem.

But it sounds like you have a plan. A replacement bumper and a paint job. I'm anxious to see the results!

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Oh I'm just rough on my things :)

Can one of you experts share some thoughts on this?

Sorry for the rough image. Here I'm standing on the left side of the engine bay and my hand is a few inches from the carb. It's a mystery wire just hanging there, with a standard Fast-On blade style connector. The thing is, there are already two wires connected to the carb and no connector for another. It looks brown/white to me but I guess could be tan/white. This is a 1981 8cyl 6.6 by the way.

From the EVTM diagrams I see a tan/white for 8-cyl engines for a "carburetor vacuum valve solenoid" coming out of the throttle kicker module. But unless I'm missing how this is wired it looks like the kicker would just totally not work if that wire was disconnected. I don't have the engine in running condition at the moment (too many disconnected wires, I took out the battery to be safe) but I'm 99% certain the kicker was working. I remember it having a higher idle the morning I first picked it up than it did after I got it home.

This was upgraded to an aftermarket 4 barrel carb and I'm guessing some changes were made to the wiring as part of that. But I don't know enough about carbs (on cars, anyway) to know how to figure out what this wire is for. Any thoughts?

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

Carbs have a fast idle cam that is part of the choke system. So when the choke sets, meaning when you give it a bit of throttle before cranking the engine, the fast idle cam goes under the fast idle screw on the throttle linkage. That way when you release the throttle it is held open slightly to run the engine faster than @ hot idle.

As the choke comes off during warm up, if you blip the throttle to take the spring pressure off the fast idle cam it'll go to a slower/lower step, until eventually it is completely out of the equation.

So yes, even w/o the throttle kicker the engine should run faster when first started and then slow down as it warms up.

The throttle kicker was to completely close the throttle when the key was turned off. That's because these engines were bad about continuing to run w/o a spark, and the fastest way to kill them was to close the throttles. But when aftermarket carbs are installed the bracket for the throttle kicker usually won't fit, so they get tossed.

My guess is that's what that wire was for. But if the engine doesn't continue to run when you turn it off them you don't need the throttle kicker.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Having folks like you around is so huge, thanks Gary!

So given that, I'll try to trace the wiring a little better tomorrow. If it turns out that is the wire to the kicker, can I remove the whole kicker module? I... ah... sort of broke its mounting tabs trying to get the instrument panel out.

I was going to work on fixing it, but if I don't need the module I'd rather delete it now while I have the panel removed.

So I guess tomorrow I'll unplug the kicker, start it up, and see if it runs well both cold and warmed up?

Note to future renovators: Lots of the metal frame are PART of the instrument panel. This was totally not clear to me from the diagrams and instructions. There are screws from behind the panel into the plastic that you can't get to until the whole thing is out. I had a whole baggie full of screws and still couldn't get the panel out before I found two large bolts I had missed!

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

Yes, try it w/o the kicker. And if that works you can remove the module.

I've not run a throttle kicker on any of my several Bullnose trucks. But, Big Blue might be a candidate for it. There's something wrong with the throttle linkage or throttle shaft on the Edelbrock that's on there which causes the idle speed to vary. Sometimes it is down around 500 and the engine shuts off nicely, and sometimes it is up around 700 and it doesn't want to quit. But if the problem is really the throttle shaft being worn in the base of the carb, then the throttle kicker wouldn't fix it. So I'm living with it until the EFI goes on, and that will solve the problem since when the injectors quit squirting gas the engine won't run, and they quit when you turn the key off.

Anyway, happy to help.

And yes, the dash comes out as a unit, plastic and metal frame. And it is a pain!

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

I need to get my wife taking these pics. She's a better photographer than I.

New windshield glass installed. I wanted an at-home service because I have the truck half dismantled, and Safelite apparently had issues with the vehicle's age. I searched around and found USA Glass and they had no issues. $250 all in, pretty happy with that deal.

I didn't realize the new glass would come with the rearview mount - it had fallen off my old one. So that's something in the "parts pile" I can return :)

I had the tech leave off the molding. I'm going to polish it back up and it'll be easier off the vehicle.

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

taskswap

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Oh and the reason there's a "ventilation kraken" hanging up behind it is because I couldn't get the A/C fully removed. It has hoses through the firewall that I don't want to disconnect because I think there's a chance the system is still charged. But I needed everything out of the way to inspect the firewall insulation and paint the floor, so... ratchet strap to the rescue...

--
1981 F-250 Custom. 6.6L V8, 4 barrel Holley carb, ARA aftermarket A/C.

Gary Lewis

Re: "Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Administrator

In reply to this post by taskswap

Did you get a windshield that let's you see the VIN? The later trucks, which take the same windshield, have the VIN moved a bit, and people like to stock only the later glass. But then you can't read the VIN.

I suspect that is technically illegal for them to do, but it sure causes problems later if/when you sell the truck. Especially if you sell it out of state.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

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