Hello All,
I'm a newbie to working on my own truck, so I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of "well duh!" questions from me, but I digress.
My name is Chris, and I live in Ventura, CA. I own a '84 F-150. It has a 302 with an AOD transmission. That's the short version...
Long story somewhat short, this truck was purchased new by my Dad who has since passed away. I used to ride in my car seat (I was born in '81) in this truck. Years went by and I was given this truck when I was 16. It had around 260K miles on it. I spent money I earned from my job and got it repainted (Midnight Blue Metallic as it was originally, which is not the color it is right now) , and engine rebuilt. Made some minor interior mods and new wheels. I used it as my main vehicle for a few years until I started driving 100+ miles a day for work. Got a Honda and drove the truck on the weekends until I got married. My wife and I moved to a condo where there was nowhere to park it anymore. So, I sold it.
Fast forward about fourteen years and two kids later... I have always thought about the truck since I sold it but much more in the last year or so. Just missed having the truck and of course there is sentimental value too. Still had the VIN... found the guy I had sold it to back in 2003. He still had it and was actually getting ready to sell it! Bought it back about a month ago, and while I'm not happy with the mods that were made to it (the wheels, paint, removal of some stock parts) I'm happy to have it back. It has 305K total miles on it, with about 40K since the engine rebuild.
It failed smog miserably - needed an alternator (because of the choke circuit that was blown), carb rebuild, MAP sensor, TPS sensor, O2 sensor. I had it done by a pro, but I hope to be able to do some things on my own going forward (I'm an engineer so I can't help but tinker, even if I'm not necessarily qualified!). Now I got the registration done, new plates etc and I'm ready to chip away at things. First thing is the A/C getting fixed (clutch not engaging, and I know it wasn't converted ever to R134). I'll create a thread for things I'm working on over the next few years. My goal is to get it to original condition as much as possible.
Thanks to everyone that hung in to read this whole thing - I appreciate all of your help in advance! I've learned a lot just by reading the other threads.