ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Out of curiosity, what got you guys into Ford trucks? I more or less grew up around them, so Fords were sort of the defacto standard. My old man had a 1978 F150 4x4 while I was growing up. It was a regular cab long box with a 400/4spd, and blue with a white top of the cab. He skipped right over the Bullnoses and his next truck was a 1988 F250 4x4 with 5.0/5spd, also in blue...I think it was that Regatta Blue or whatever it is called. My grandfather had two Bullnoses and the poor bugger actually died in the 2nd one (heart attack while driving, around 1991). I don't remember what year it was specifically, but it was a silver F250 4x4 with a 351 in it. Due to my age, I was never allowed to drive any of them...haha. I was too young to drive the '78 F150 4x4, and when I finally got my licence in 1988, the newly purchased '88 F150 4x4 was too new to let me drive, although I did get to drive it a little bit when I had my learner's permit (with the old man in the passenger seat). When I got my licence, I started with a hand me down...my mom's bright red 1980 Pinto that she had purchased brand new. Then it was an '85 2dr Ford Escort, and then an '84 Ford Ranger...a plain Jane green 4cyl 4spd radio delete model. In the early 1990's, I bought a 1980 F100 Custom with a 351 2bbl and NP435 4spd. It had been painted already and the bed floor had been replaced. It was originally a 300/6 truck but had been swapped over to a 351 some years before. It was a bit beat up, but it worked really really well...I drove that thing like you'd drive a Mustang GT. It had a funky spoiler on the back of the roof, as well as other unique features like a red bench seat, and no passenger side mirror...lol. I don't have much for pictures. I had that truck for a couple years and really didn't do anything to it to speak of. Changed the starter a couple times, and installed new shocks and brakes. I went without a Ford for a while, and later bought a 1995 F150 4x4 with 300/6 and auto in 1999. I didn't really like that truck, and at the time what I really needed was something easy on gas for commuting, so I sold it pretty quickly. In any case, that old 1980 blue Flareside burned a spot in my memory that I was never able to shake and I always wanted another one, so here I am...lol. LOL, indeed! My saga begins in 1988. I was doing exterior trim for -a very famous celebrity- at their waterfront Greenwich estate. I was a 26 year old carpenter with a clapped out Datsun pickup and a big completion bonus. Then the tile guy shows up with a brand new, bright red, 4x4 pickup with a 'for sale' sign in the back window. I said "hey Paul, where did you get that? Where's your van?" I got it for my son to bring pallets of tile and loads of sand. He just got locked up for ten years, so... "Well I've got 10Grand cash burning a hole in my pocket. Right here, right now!" The truck was a bare bones Custom and had 9,687 miles on it. Thus was born a 31 year relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Cecil Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 LOL, indeed! My saga begins in 1988. I was doing exterior trim for -a very famous celebrity- at their waterfront Greenwich estate. I was a 26 year old carpenter with a clapped out Datsun pickup and a big completion bonus. Then the tile guy shows up with a brand new, bright red, 4x4 pickup with a 'for sale' sign in the back window. I said "hey Paul, where did you get that? Where's your van?" I got it for my son to bring pallets of tile and loads of sand. He just got locked up for ten years, so... "Well I've got 10Grand cash burning a hole in my pocket. Right here, right now!" The truck was a bare bones Custom and had 9,687 miles on it. Thus was born a 31 year relationship. I was 2 years old in 1988. Yall are some old farts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 LOL, indeed! My saga begins in 1988. I was doing exterior trim for -a very famous celebrity- at their waterfront Greenwich estate. I was a 26 year old carpenter with a clapped out Datsun pickup and a big completion bonus. Then the tile guy shows up with a brand new, bright red, 4x4 pickup with a 'for sale' sign in the back window. I said "hey Paul, where did you get that? Where's your van?" I got it for my son to bring pallets of tile and loads of sand. He just got locked up for ten years, so... "Well I've got 10Grand cash burning a hole in my pocket. Right here, right now!" The truck was a bare bones Custom and had 9,687 miles on it. Thus was born a 31 year relationship. You've got to remember Ford was breaking the styling mold in those days. The Taurus, and the Bricknose were, errrrm 'innovative'! And 2E Light Canyon Red was attractive! (as a strippers bright nail polish, to a 26 yo me) It also went with the Performance Red of my '85 GT. *notch Mustang* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 I was 2 years old in 1988. Yall are some old farts. Didn't I say "I have bunions older than you, sonny!" You thought I was joking????? Erik (my son) was born July 31, 1978. Yeah, you're a 'kid' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Didn't I say "I have bunions older than you, sonny!" You thought I was joking????? Erik (my son) was born July 31, 1978. Yeah, you're a 'kid' Random question: if left in constant contact, would plain leather stock damage auto paint? So no dye or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Random question: if left in constant contact, would plain leather stock damage auto paint? So no dye or anything. Being a cobbler myself, I would say that natural vegtable tanned leather would present no problem except rubbing. Some of the chrome tanned garment leathers are pretty caustic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Being a cobbler myself, I would say that natural vegtable tanned leather would present no problem except rubbing. Some of the chrome tanned garment leathers are pretty caustic. Edit: moving this from the lounge and will start a new thread for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Thus was born a 31 year relationship. I'm trying to keep my Ranger so I can have a similar story in twenty more years. I bought the truck used (It's a 2003) in 2010 with 42,000 miles. Now I'm inching up towards 170,000 miles. It would be cool to still have it when I'm 50. Most of my friends have been through at least four different vehicles since we graduated, I'm the only one still driving the same truck. It was my high school graduation present to myself, so it's worth keeping around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Edit: moving this from the lounge and will start a new thread for it Well, I don't know where you went, but I'll tell you you don't want an absorbent material. I used those yellow plastic Bondo spreaders. You can pick up a whole pack of them for ~$2 at Horrid Fate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Well, I don't know where you went, but I'll tell you you don't want an absorbent material. I used those yellow plastic Bondo spreaders. You can pick up a whole pack of them for ~$2 at Horrid Fate. Haha sorry. Got pulled into something at work and never got a chance to create the other thread. I'd read where you used those spreaders and have always been planning on that but on the drive to work this morning I thought of leather. Good point on the absorption. No need to make it a maintenance part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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