Phil Shepherd Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Found this forum last night looking for information on repairing a speedometer (I've got some cable noise I believe). This looks like a great source of info. Glad to have found it. It seems the 7th Generation F150 is a little tougher than some to find complete information about. My son told me last year that he wanted to become a mechanic, so I went out and found this truck to start working on to see if that's truly what he wants to do. We've got her roadworthy finally, but still a long way to go to make her what we want. He wants to make it into a camping rig for he and I to take weekend trips in. We're having a blast working on it. It's been a great tool to teach him about mechanics. I was a mechanic in the Navy and now a mechanical engineer. My parents owned a body shop when I was a kid, so I know jsut enough to be dangerous. We're both learning along the way. I just remind him to keep learning as he gets older and to remember that the way I'm showing his is just my way, not necessarily the only way (or even necessarily the right way in some cases). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Welcome Phil! These trucks are a great way to get your foot wet in mechanics. The basics are all there, to support the theory and practice, but it's not canbus or has a lot of solid state that you (your son) can't visualize. Parts are fairly common and inexpensive. There are still enough on the road. The truck itself looks pretty solid! These trucks always collect muck and rot out at the inside of the door seal rib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I love the look of these trucks when they're straight and original like this one. Nice find, and welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Shepherd Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 I love the look of these trucks when they're straight and original like this one. Nice find, and welcome aboard. Thanks. She's got the rust issue inside the doors, but otherwise the cab is solid. The bed floor is swiss cheese, but the frame is solid. We're trying to decide whether it's better to rebuild the bed floor or find a decent replacement for the whole bed and swap them out. I kinda like the original paint scheme and weathered patina though. I might just work with what we've got. Another opportunity to teach him welding skills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Thanks. She's got the rust issue inside the doors, but otherwise the cab is solid. The bed floor is swiss cheese, but the frame is solid. We're trying to decide whether it's better to rebuild the bed floor or find a decent replacement for the whole bed and swap them out. I kinda like the original paint scheme and weathered patina though. I might just work with what we've got. Another opportunity to teach him welding skills! I am glad to see you passing along skills, and glad your son wants to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Thanks. She's got the rust issue inside the doors, but otherwise the cab is solid. The bed floor is swiss cheese, but the frame is solid. We're trying to decide whether it's better to rebuild the bed floor or find a decent replacement for the whole bed and swap them out. I kinda like the original paint scheme and weathered patina though. I might just work with what we've got. Another opportunity to teach him welding skills! You can buy bed floor panels from Tabco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Thanks. She's got the rust issue inside the doors, but otherwise the cab is solid. The bed floor is swiss cheese, but the frame is solid. We're trying to decide whether it's better to rebuild the bed floor or find a decent replacement for the whole bed and swap them out. I kinda like the original paint scheme and weathered patina though. I might just work with what we've got. Another opportunity to teach him welding skills! You can buy bed floor panels from Tabco. Yup, half beds the whole 8', or save shipping and get the 48x19" panels and tile them. That's what I did. https://tabcoparts.com/amfinder/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 Welcome, Phil! Glad you joined. That looks like a really good project on which to teach a lot of skills. On the idea of a "camping rig", that's kind of what Big Blue is evolving into. I'm getting ready to add a bed cover that has tracks that will hold racks and a tent, allowing us to camp pretty much wherever we stop. What part of East Tenn are you in? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and we could add you with a city or zip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Shepherd Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share Posted March 26, 2021 Yup, half beds the whole 8', or save shipping and get the 48x19" panels and tile them. That's what I did. https://tabcoparts.com/amfinder/ Thanks for the tip. Never heard of Tabco. I’ll check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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