Oswald: Nothing Special's '97 F-250 Crew Cab

[BigBrother-84]

About a year since the last post in this thread, but I've finally started on Oswald's restoration! Or more accurately I've started working on him to get him ready for his restoration. So far it's just disassembly.

There's a well known guy here who's pleased to tag every work as «Progress!».

So I'll let him call the shot.

I just pulled the seats out, vacuumed up most of the mouse droppings (they are filthy creatures!)

It's a chance you didn't choose to name Oswald «Mickey».

[ArdWrknTrk]

About a year since the last post in this thread, but I've finally started on Oswald's restoration! Or more accurately I've started working on him to get him ready for his restoration. So far it's just disassembly.

There's a well known guy here who's pleased to tag every work as «Progress!».

So I'll let him call the shot.

I just pulled the seats out, vacuumed up most of the mouse droppings (they are filthy creatures!)

It's a chance you didn't choose to name Oswald «Mickey».

Progress is Gooood!

With the bed off it's rather easy to weld in new cab corners, but I'm getting more and more comfortable with panel bonding in situations where it isn't a life safety issue (cab & seatbelt mounts for example)

Doing a proper prep job insures a leak proof seal without any sealer, and I've seen sheet metal tear before the epoxy let go, as long as it wasn't a direct peel force on the joint.

[Nothing Special]

Progress is Gooood!

With the bed off it's rather easy to weld in new cab corners, but I'm getting more and more comfortable with panel bonding in situations where it isn't a life safety issue (cab & seatbelt mounts for example)

Doing a proper prep job insures a leak proof seal without any sealer, and I've seen sheet metal tear before the epoxy let go, as long as it wasn't a direct peel force on the joint.

There are those who would argue that Mickey is the filthiest! (I'm not one of them)

And I definitely agree it's progress! But calling it "starting the restoration" seems like a bit of a stretch! Anybody can take stuff apart. We have yet to see if I can put body panels back together. I think I'll be successful, but there's still a real chance that I turn Oswald into a pile of scrap metal. So I don't think I can truly say that the "restoration" has started until I'm putting non-rusty sheetmetal back on!

[Gary Lewis]

There are those who would argue that Mickey is the filthiest! (I'm not one of them)

And I definitely agree it's progress! But calling it "starting the restoration" seems like a bit of a stretch! Anybody can take stuff apart. We have yet to see if I can put body panels back together. I think I'll be successful, but there's still a real chance that I turn Oswald into a pile of scrap metal. So I don't think I can truly say that the "restoration" has started until I'm putting non-rusty sheetmetal back on!

The longest journeys start with just going out the door. This is a start, but with many more steps to be taken.

[85lebaront2]

About a year since the last post in this thread, but I've finally started on Oswald's restoration! Or more accurately I've started working on him to get him ready for his restoration. So far it's just disassembly.

But to back up a bit, I posted in June about getting Oswald out of storage, and other than a dead battery, getting him started, loaded on a trailer and brought home to start working on him.

However, as discussed in these posts, my Dodge didn't like towing Oswald home. The Dodge ended up in the shop for three weeks, getting a new transmission. I needed a truck, so Oswald couldn't go under the knife yet as he needed to be the reliable drive-to-the-cabin truck for a few weeks. Fortunately he was up to the task. He even got to pull some bushes out for my son, but proved that he is tired when he couldn't spin the tires on wet grass.

Then the Dodge got back from the shop late on a Friday, so I drove Oswald to the cabin one last time (it's sad to have more confidence in a 27 year old truck than a 17 year old truck, but it is what it is). Since then I've been driving the Dodge to try to regain my confidence, and also going on vacation, and to the cabin.

But today I finally started working on Oswald! Nothing much yet, I just pulled the seats out, vacuumed up most of the mouse droppings (they are filthy creatures!) and started taking the dash out.

The overall plan for this project (in broad brush strokes) is:

• Replace the rusted metal above the windshield, in the cab corners, and wherever else it shows up

• Clean up the chassis

• Repower him. What with is still up in the air, but I'm currently leaning toward a 12 valve Cummins and a 5 speed manual trans.

• Restore the front clip, adding an intercooler if I do go with the Cummins

• Replace and/or restore the bed

The goal for this summer had been to finish restoring the cab. But that was with the idea of starting work in early June. The new goal is just to get the cab stripped out and removed so I can start trying to restore it next year.

OK, not much progress, and not a lot to show, but I do have one picture to document where he is.

My brother-in-law bought a Dodge 1500 with a 360 engine, ordered it with a tow package for pulling his 16' boat. First time he did this, the transmission started slipping on the way back. This is a post 1994 short bed 4WD 1500. Dealer told him he needed a transmission cooler, Robert asked if it was part of the tow package and was informed that it was. Robert pulled out his copy of the order for the truck and showed where trailer tow package was checked.

He had to pay for the transmission replacement, but after a lot of back and forth with Chrysler, he was reimbursed.

When we were clearing out dad's house in Virginia Beach, my brother Bob had a Tundra, Robert had the Dodge, and I was there with Darth. At one point we were shuffling trucks for loading, Bob said something on the order of move and let a big truck get in. I looked at him and said, "big truck, move that Japanese pretender and let a BIG truck in". Darth sits as high as the 4WD Tundra and Dodge, and he is a 2WD.

[Nothing Special]

.... Darth sits as high as the 4WD Tundra and Dodge, and he is a 2WD.

Ride height is why Oswald is sticking with the TTB front axle. He currently sits a couple inches lower than my Dodge. I find it a lot easier to get into Oswald, and especially to load stuff into the bed. I like the idea of going to a solid front axle, but I don't want a truck that sits as high as most newer 4WD 3/4 ton trucks. I used to like that look, and I did lift my '95 F-150 so it sat as high as my '85 F-250. But I want Oswald to stay at stock height.

[ArdWrknTrk]

.... Darth sits as high as the 4WD Tundra and Dodge, and he is a 2WD.

Ride height is why Oswald is sticking with the TTB front axle. He currently sits a couple inches lower than my Dodge. I find it a lot easier to get into Oswald, and especially to load stuff into the bed. I like the idea of going to a solid front axle, but I don't want a truck that sits as high as most newer 4WD 3/4 ton trucks. I used to like that look, and I did lift my '95 F-150 so it sat as high as my '85 F-250. But I want Oswald to stay at stock height.

Back in the '80's everyone on the job site was telling me to lift my TTB truck.

I asked them how many bundles of shingles, bags of concrete, 12' pieces of Sheetrock they felt like lifting chest hight or more... 🧐

🤡🤡🤡🤡

[Nothing Special]

Back in the '80's everyone on the job site was telling me to lift my TTB truck.

I asked them how many bundles of shingles, bags of concrete, 12' pieces of Sheetrock they felt like lifting chest hight or more... 🧐

🤡🤡🤡🤡

Another week of poking at it, and quite a bit of time today, so it's time for another update. As my son described it, I've got Oswald pretty well hollowed out now! Or as I described it, I'm making quite a bit of progress turning Oswald into a pile of used truck parts! (I sure hope I'm able to turn him back into a truck!) I'm definitely past the point of no return. Oswald will never be an old truck again. Either I'm going to restore him or part him out, time will tell.

I've pretty much finished stripping everything out of the cab. There's still some stuff attached to the firewall. I think I'm going to leave the heater in place, but if I need to move it I can later. And I'll be taking the master cylinder off when get to taking the front clip off and I may or may not take the pedals off then.

I wasn't able to get any of the seat belts unbolted from the floor, the bolts are all rusted in too bad. I will need to get them out somehow, but that's a problem for a different day.

It rained last night and when I got the carpet out today I found quite a bit of clean water in the left rear door sill. I'll obviously have to get that found and fixed.

And so I can look back and remember what parts I need to replace, the left rear seat belt is worn / chewed part way through and needs to be replaced. Several of the screws holding the door sill plates down were rusted in and I wrecked them getting them out, but that's not a big deal. The biggest disappointment was that I couldn't get one of the screws out that holds the transfer case shift lever boot, and I broke the screw boss out of the base. I don't know if I'll be able to repair that or if I'll need to replace it.

The seats and carpet are in my basement (I don't want the mice at the cabin to be able to have their way with them) but the rest of the used truck parts are in the bed.

[Gary Lewis]

Another week of poking at it, and quite a bit of time today, so it's time for another update. As my son described it, I've got Oswald pretty well hollowed out now! Or as I described it, I'm making quite a bit of progress turning Oswald into a pile of used truck parts! (I sure hope I'm able to turn him back into a truck!) I'm definitely past the point of no return. Oswald will never be an old truck again. Either I'm going to restore him or part him out, time will tell.

I've pretty much finished stripping everything out of the cab. There's still some stuff attached to the firewall. I think I'm going to leave the heater in place, but if I need to move it I can later. And I'll be taking the master cylinder off when get to taking the front clip off and I may or may not take the pedals off then.

I wasn't able to get any of the seat belts unbolted from the floor, the bolts are all rusted in too bad. I will need to get them out somehow, but that's a problem for a different day.

It rained last night and when I got the carpet out today I found quite a bit of clean water in the left rear door sill. I'll obviously have to get that found and fixed.

And so I can look back and remember what parts I need to replace, the left rear seat belt is worn / chewed part way through and needs to be replaced. Several of the screws holding the door sill plates down were rusted in and I wrecked them getting them out, but that's not a big deal. The biggest disappointment was that I couldn't get one of the screws out that holds the transfer case shift lever boot, and I broke the screw boss out of the base. I don't know if I'll be able to repair that or if I'll need to replace it.

The seats and carpet are in my basement (I don't want the mice at the cabin to be able to have their way with them) but the rest of the used truck parts are in the bed.

Progress! I think you'll have a new truck one of these days, and be quite proud of it.

[Nothing Special]

Progress! I think you'll have a new truck one of these days, and be quite proud of it.

Before this week's update I realized that I have quite a few recent pictures of the driver's side of Oswald, but I haven't happened to take many of the passenger's side. So before I started taking stuff off I thought I'd get this picture. Yes, the fender flare is gone over the rear tire, but that wasn't removed in this project. It fell off when too much of the metal is was mounted to went away. This is the worse side, so it seemed worth a "before" picture.

Now see if you can tell what progress I made this week. i know it's kind of subtle, but I bet a few of you will pick right up on it

OK, if you didn't catch it, I removed the bed! That was a lot of putzy stuff, trying to get the tail light wiring out from above the receiver hitch and grinding off the bed bolt heads (and then sweeping up the grinding dust). I looked at the nuts on the bottom of the bolts and realized I'd never be able to get a wrench on the back ones without removing the bumper and receiver, and the rest weren't going to go down without a fight. So off with their heads!

It was still stuck down pretty good, but a bottle jack between the leaf spring and the bottom of the bed persuaded it to let go of the frame. Then both of my sons were stopping by to pick up their dogs (both were on vacation at the same time so we had two extra dogs for awhile), so I enlisted their help (as well as Lesley and one daughter-in-law) to first carry the topper off, and then the bed. And I only missed one zip tied wire run that started to pull tight as we started to move it!

I thought I'd include one more picture for those of you who don't live in the rust belt. Part of me really wonders why I'm not starting this project on a truck from the southwest. But here I go anyway!