ChristianVB96 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Hello, My name is Christian. I'm from Los Angeles, CA Recently given an opportunity to buy a 1984 F150 XLT from my girlfriends grandpa. He's old and too sick to do anything with it now so he offered to sell it to me. The truck lives in Virginia while I live in LA. I would pay to have it transported. I've always liked the look of these 7th gen bullnose and cant come up with a reason not to take him up on the offer. His offer was $2,200. I've done little research and fortunately came across this website. With the all the great information on here I signed up in hopes that anyone with any opinions, advise, or any knowledge that they are willing to share is greatly appreciated. With that being said, the truck to me, looks to be in pretty decent shape, but not knowing anything about these trucks or what issues are common (besides rust) I'm not sure what to look for when looking to get one of these. I plan on fixing it up and keeping it and turning it into a type of Sunday cruiser. What are things I should be aware of when owning one of these? Is it a complicated truck to work on, keep maintained and running? Is the truck worth the price? Does anything stick out that needs immediate attention? What are things that should be upgraded or changed in order to perform at its best today? I included some pictures for better reference. What I know about the truck: -1984 XLT Regular cab -121,700 miles -Automatic 2WD -5.8 V8 351 -Truck starts with a jump. Been sitting for 3-4 years. I haven't driven it yet. Thank you for any help! Its definitely appreciated. I'm excited to own this truck but just want to make sure its worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Welcome, Christian! Glad you joined. Would you like to be on our map? You can see it at Bullnose Forum/Member's Map. Nice truck! The "H" as the 8th character in your VIN means you have the 351HO, which is great because you have the most simple setup - DS-II ignition and no computer. There really isn't much you need to do to it but maintain it. As for the price, that's a very good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianVB96 Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 Welcome, Christian! Glad you joined. Would you like to be on our map? You can see it at Bullnose Forum/Member's Map. Nice truck! The "H" as the 8th character in your VIN means you have the 351HO, which is great because you have the most simple setup - DS-II ignition and no computer. There really isn't much you need to do to it but maintain it. As for the price, that's a very good buy. I appreciate that! Yes. Please add me to your map. That is good to know. I'm no mechanic, so I believe the simple set up is going to work just fine for me. Are there any common issues with these engines that I should be aware of? I've been told that carburetor needs to be replaced. Would you have any recommendations to what the best replacement would be for the 351HO? Again, I'm really new to this so I appreciate all the help/advice I can get. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 I appreciate that! Yes. Please add me to your map. That is good to know. I'm no mechanic, so I believe the simple set up is going to work just fine for me. Are there any common issues with these engines that I should be aware of? I've been told that carburetor needs to be replaced. Would you have any recommendations to what the best replacement would be for the 351HO? Again, I'm really new to this so I appreciate all the help/advice I can get. Thanks! You are now on the map. As for the carb, assuming you have the original 4180C Holley then it is a decent carb, and unless it is damaged it shouldn't need to be replaced. They worked quite well in 1984 and with a reasonable rebuild can work fine now. Having said that, I'm not a Holley fan and prefer Edelbrock. But in reality either will get the job done very nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 You are now on the map. As for the carb, assuming you have the original 4180C Holley then it is a decent carb, and unless it is damaged it shouldn't need to be replaced. They worked quite well in 1984 and with a reasonable rebuild can work fine now. Having said that, I'm not a Holley fan and prefer Edelbrock. But in reality either will get the job done very nicely. Welcome to the fun Now 1 thing not said is you plan to have the truck shipped to LA, Cali. You have to go thru smog check with the truck? If so some just look at equipment and it passes if it is there, others do a sniff test so it has to be there and working. What if anything been done to the smog equipment on the truck up to now? You may want to look into what it takes to get plates for a non-Cali car or truck? Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianVB96 Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 Welcome to the fun Now 1 thing not said is you plan to have the truck shipped to LA, Cali. You have to go thru smog check with the truck? If so some just look at equipment and it passes if it is there, others do a sniff test so it has to be there and working. What if anything been done to the smog equipment on the truck up to now? You may want to look into what it takes to get plates for a non-Cali car or truck? Dave ---- In order to get plates in CA I have to pass smog unfortunately. From pictures I was sent of the engine bay I think the smog pump was removed, which is something I’ll definitely need to have in CA. How difficult is it to get these trucks emissions good enough to pass in CA? I’m not sure exactly what is needed for these trucks to pass so any advice is appreciated. 0829-4369-BDF5-1865A5B95497.jpeg" border="0"/> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-F150-Explorer Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 In order to get plates in CA I have to pass smog unfortunately. From pictures I was sent of the engine bay I think the smog pump was removed, which is something I’ll definitely need to have in CA. How difficult is it to get these trucks emissions good enough to pass in CA? I’m not sure exactly what is needed for these trucks to pass so any advice is appreciated. 0829-4369-BDF5-1865A5B95497.jpeg" border="0"/> Can you get a picture of the Emission label off the radiator support? That will help immensely on what emissions parts are needed to pass a smog check. Depending on what county you live in, in California, you may be required to do a dynamometer smog check. If parts are missing, it will be harder to get certain parts here because of California vs federal emission control differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbenson66 Posted April 5, 2023 Share Posted April 5, 2023 Congrats, that's a awesome deal. As a reference, I was looking for a project. I found a 1980 F-100 I bought for $4,000 and it needs a lot of love. (Phoenix, AZ) I'm sure there are a lot of folks who would buy that from you for way more than he wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianVB96 Posted April 10, 2023 Author Share Posted April 10, 2023 Can you get a picture of the Emission label off the radiator support? That will help immensely on what emissions parts are needed to pass a smog check. Depending on what county you live in, in California, you may be required to do a dynamometer smog check. If parts are missing, it will be harder to get certain parts here because of California vs federal emission control differences. I live in LA county and am not sure if a dynamometer is required for a smog inspection. As for the emissions sticker, unfortunately, since I am not there, these are the best pics I can get. I'm not having any luck finding a more legible sticker online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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