"Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

[taskswap]

Starting a thread on our project here. My wife and I are doing a partial restoration on a 1981 F250 Custom. This will be a "couples" truck for us to go camping/hunting/etc with as the kids get older and we don't need to haul around our beast of a camper all the time.

The bulk of our focus is on the interior, which fortunately is packed with "I can totally do that" goodies to replace with LMC / ebay / junkyard finds. We got lucky with this one - we got it for a song and it included a camper shell that we'll also be restoring. The interior is really rough, it looks like a pig had an argument with a gorilla, and won. But the frame and major body panels are sound with no-more-than-expected rust, the engine runs strong and it has a new exhaust.

This truck has an interesting past. The guy I bought it from is only a part-time dealer, it's his hobby (he's a CPA for his day job). His office is just across the street from an auction lot, and he just loves to putter around there for interesting vehicles. That's where he got this.

The funny part is, he had to take it to get the exhaust done (it would never have passed emissions with the old one, and Colorado requires an emissions test before a private party sale). Apparently when he walked into the shop, another guy there looked out the window and said "hey, that's my truck!" Apparently he had given it to his brother, who didn't keep up on the taxes/registration. It was towed, and then never paid up to get it out of impound so the towing company auctioned it. (The "dealer" actually gave me the bill of sale from that as a little fun souvenir to keep.)

So anyway because of all this I have one extra bit of history because that past owner shared this with the "dealer":

You have a jewel of a motor. The motor was built bore and polished and honed heads. Stage 3 cam. Bored .30 over. All Done by western engine supply. Came with a warranty. I added 4 barrel carb high rise intake. All need front end motor parts other than ac and smog pump. I built the motor when the truck had 94k. Bought it from an old lady it was her husband's fishing camping truck. The body only has 100k plus odometer reading so I am guessing 130-140k Miles on the body the motor has 35k roughly you can see what the odometer is and that will tell you exactly.

Fingers crossed for a successful restoration!

[taskswap]

Over the past few days, priority #1 has been gutting the interior. I just finished that today.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it was getting dark when I wrapped up. I wanted to strip the cabin completely but I couldn't remove the old A/C because it was one of those aftermarket units where the condenser is in the cabin and the hoses go through the firewall. There's no way to remove it that I know of without emptying the lines and I have reason to believe they're still holding a charge, so that seems like a waste. I just used a ratchet strap to hold it up out of the way.

No shocker, there's some floor-pan rust, but not as much as I expected. I got everything cleaned as much as I could and took off the loose rust with a grinder and a scotch brite wheel. I need to get the side channels around the doors cleaned out, then I'll give it a coat or two of a rust sealer/primer before re-carpeting it.

[rcarlisle]

Over the past few days, priority #1 has been gutting the interior. I just finished that today.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it was getting dark when I wrapped up. I wanted to strip the cabin completely but I couldn't remove the old A/C because it was one of those aftermarket units where the condenser is in the cabin and the hoses go through the firewall. There's no way to remove it that I know of without emptying the lines and I have reason to believe they're still holding a charge, so that seems like a waste. I just used a ratchet strap to hold it up out of the way.

No shocker, there's some floor-pan rust, but not as much as I expected. I got everything cleaned as much as I could and took off the loose rust with a grinder and a scotch brite wheel. I need to get the side channels around the doors cleaned out, then I'll give it a coat or two of a rust sealer/primer before re-carpeting it.

Looks like a great project. My interior was similar - we always say it looked like a serial killer's dump site. Smelled like someone left an armpit under the seat. We've refreshed the interior completely, done safety things - shocks, brakes, tires. Got AC working. They are great project vehicles that nothing is too hard to do.

Can't wait to see this one get improved.

 

[Pete Whitstone]

Over the past few days, priority #1 has been gutting the interior. I just finished that today.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it was getting dark when I wrapped up. I wanted to strip the cabin completely but I couldn't remove the old A/C because it was one of those aftermarket units where the condenser is in the cabin and the hoses go through the firewall. There's no way to remove it that I know of without emptying the lines and I have reason to believe they're still holding a charge, so that seems like a waste. I just used a ratchet strap to hold it up out of the way.

No shocker, there's some floor-pan rust, but not as much as I expected. I got everything cleaned as much as I could and took off the loose rust with a grinder and a scotch brite wheel. I need to get the side channels around the doors cleaned out, then I'll give it a coat or two of a rust sealer/primer before re-carpeting it.

Nice project, and great find on the auction truck.

Unless there's a bunch that's not visible in the photo, that rust problem is almost non-existant. Looks like surface stuff that will easily be removed with a flap wheel or Evaporust. My TX truck had a few through-holes on the drivers side, and the sheet metal "dam" that runs under the sill plate was eroded to nothing. So for a CO truck, I think you did very well.

Keep us up to date on the restoration!

[Gary Lewis]

Nice project, and great find on the auction truck.

Unless there's a bunch that's not visible in the photo, that rust problem is almost non-existant. Looks like surface stuff that will easily be removed with a flap wheel or Evaporust. My TX truck had a few through-holes on the drivers side, and the sheet metal "dam" that runs under the sill plate was eroded to nothing. So for a CO truck, I think you did very well.

Keep us up to date on the restoration!

Yes, that rust is no problem at all. I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible. (I've been doing that on some things on Big Blue, and it is a major pain!) Plus, the stuff is thick enough that it will seal small pin holes, although you might want to put a piece of cardboard under the truck when you paint as any drips on the concrete are not coming off.

And the story about the truck and engine is cool. No wonder it runs so well. You'll have a great truck for what you are going to do.

Plus the topper/camper looks like it'll be great for weekends.

[Pete Whitstone]

I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible.

Agree on the POR-15. However, it is not UV resistant, so it needs a topcoat. I'm not sure how important that is under a carpet, or on the bottom side of the truck, but I still topcoat it wherever I put it.

I used it on some sheet metal panels that form the roof of our outdoor fireplace. I leaned the panels against a table in my shop, without putting anything down on the concrete. I painted the panels and let them dry. However, because they were on a slant, some excess POR-15 ran down them and accumulated where it sat on the concrete. Not much just a few drops. No problem, I'm sure that will peel right off when I lift the panels... nope. Took a layer of concrete up with it when I picked them up. That's how sticky the stuff is.

Oh, and wear gloves, unless you want black paint spots on your hands for weeks to come.

[Gary Lewis]

I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible.

Agree on the POR-15. However, it is not UV resistant, so it needs a topcoat. I'm not sure how important that is under a carpet, or on the bottom side of the truck, but I still topcoat it wherever I put it.

I used it on some sheet metal panels that form the roof of our outdoor fireplace. I leaned the panels against a table in my shop, without putting anything down on the concrete. I painted the panels and let them dry. However, because they were on a slant, some excess POR-15 ran down them and accumulated where it sat on the concrete. Not much just a few drops. No problem, I'm sure that will peel right off when I lift the panels... nope. Took a layer of concrete up with it when I picked them up. That's how sticky the stuff is.

Oh, and wear gloves, unless you want black paint spots on your hands for weeks to come.

Yes, a topcoat is needed if it is going to see UV. But I didn’t topcoat the stuff on the floor, nor what dripped though. Haven’t seen the stuff on the floor again as it is covered with sound deadening and carpet, but the stuff under the truck is still black, and UV will turn it whiteish.

And if you are topcoating, I recommend using any exterior grade spray paint and spray it on while the POR is still tacky. I’m done with brushing the POR-specific topcoat on as it always leave brushstrokes.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, a topcoat is needed if it is going to see UV. But I didn’t topcoat the stuff on the floor, nor what dripped though. Haven’t seen the stuff on the floor again as it is covered with sound deadening and carpet, but the stuff under the truck is still black, and UV will turn it whiteish.

And if you are topcoating, I recommend using any exterior grade spray paint and spray it on while the POR is still tacky. I’m done with brushing the POR-specific topcoat on as it always leave brushstrokes.

I should have explained that I painted several things in the shop with POR-15 over 10 years ago, and while they aren't in direct sun there is outside light coming in and they are still as black and hard as ever. However, my engine hoist is now sitting outside and getting some direct sun for the last several months and it is starting to get chalky. Still black, but....

[taskswap]

I'd use POR-15 to seal it. That stuff will seal rust to the point it won't rust more. And getting it off is almost impossible.

Agree on the POR-15. However, it is not UV resistant, so it needs a topcoat. I'm not sure how important that is under a carpet, or on the bottom side of the truck, but I still topcoat it wherever I put it.

I used it on some sheet metal panels that form the roof of our outdoor fireplace. I leaned the panels against a table in my shop, without putting anything down on the concrete. I painted the panels and let them dry. However, because they were on a slant, some excess POR-15 ran down them and accumulated where it sat on the concrete. Not much just a few drops. No problem, I'm sure that will peel right off when I lift the panels... nope. Took a layer of concrete up with it when I picked them up. That's how sticky the stuff is.

Oh, and wear gloves, unless you want black paint spots on your hands for weeks to come.

Thanks for the tip on UV resistance in POR-15. Obviously not a problem under a carpet but good to know as I start dealing with the bed. Although I'm tempted to just Line-X it. Slide-in campers are tough on beds and it'll probably be mounted in there "most of the time" (carrying it is this truck's main job).

I'm super on the fence about the wiring. One of my goals was to redo the wiring harness - there's a bunch of sketchy stuff tapped/altered throughout it, and electronics are my favorite hobby, so I have a lot of confidence (and tools) to do it. But as I'm analyzing it objectively, I think the current harness is in better shape than I thought and all the aftermarket harnesses are just going to leave me with a thousand splices and different wire colors anyway. Guess I'll table that and just improve what I have.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks for the tip on UV resistance in POR-15. Obviously not a problem under a carpet but good to know as I start dealing with the bed. Although I'm tempted to just Line-X it. Slide-in campers are tough on beds and it'll probably be mounted in there "most of the time" (carrying it is this truck's main job).

I'm super on the fence about the wiring. One of my goals was to redo the wiring harness - there's a bunch of sketchy stuff tapped/altered throughout it, and electronics are my favorite hobby, so I have a lot of confidence (and tools) to do it. But as I'm analyzing it objectively, I think the current harness is in better shape than I thought and all the aftermarket harnesses are just going to leave me with a thousand splices and different wire colors anyway. Guess I'll table that and just improve what I have.

I've been fortunate to be able to repair all the harnii I've run across. But I have scrap ones from which I pull the right wire colors and solder pieces in and then use adhesive-lined heat shrink.

So far I've not found an aftermarket harness that I think is worth it. Not saying there isn't one, but I've not seen it.