First day with the truckThe truck was full of holes; fender, frame, rad. support, doors, floor, cab corners, etcI got new front fenders, patched and repainted the radiator support, replaced the water pump, horns, fabricated a new batter tray, and replaced coolant hosesI replaced the floor pans, cab corners, cab support braces, and door sill cornersI painted the cab floor in bedliner and reinstalled the interiorI removed the rear axle and fuel tanks and cut the rear half of the frame offI wire wheeled and prepared a new rear section of frame from a parts truckThis new rear section of frame was welded in with the help of my dadI then painted the frame and reinstalled the rear axle with new leaf spring bushings, shackles, and hangersNew nrg steering wheelWashing it offI got aluminum wheels and put the old bed back onI started sanding down to bare metal for primerPainted truck with PPG primer. Thanks Todd Warren!Primered and ready for body workMany hours of body work later, it was ready for paintI got the correct box for the body style and started getting it ready for paintThe box primered and ready for body workI fabricated a custom diamond plate bumperI painted the bumper black, finished the body work on the bed and painted it, and put it all back togetherNot bad for my first paint jobFresh paintParked next to the B and dads loaderI drove it to school for the Fall semester. Definitely the only farm truck at LehighParked on campusPicked up a free boat off of marketplaceA guy pulled out in front of me while driving the boat homeHe pulled right into my front fenderThe boat smashed into my bed and broke the tailightWith my new diesel I hauled the old truck home to get started rebuildingThe frame and front axle were bent, so I removed the axle and pulled the frame straight with the tractorsThe axles got repainted, fresh bearings, seals, ball joints, ujoints, and brakesFresh suspension and brakes with the axle back inAxle back in and wheels on sitting on its own weightNew radiator and radiator support reinstalled
When choosing my first vehicle, a truck was the obvious choice. A friend of my parents had an old F150 he was about to send to
the scrap yard, and I bought it. First, I replaced floor pans, rear cab supports, and cab corners on both sides. The cab floor was coated in bed liner.
I repaired the rust holes on the radiator support and bought new fenders, fixing the front clip. The rear half of the frame was rotten, riddled
with rust holes so it needed to go. I purchased a parts truck and cut the rear half of the frame from that truck. Then, I welded the rear half of the
frame from the parts truck onto my truck. When reassembling it, I put on new spring shackles and hangers, as well as new U bolts and plates. Along the way,
I replaced countless parts such as plug wires, MAP sensor, battery tray, and side markers. I then sanded it down to bare metal and coated it with PPG primer.
I did body work and then sprayed a single stage enamel. I built a custom tread plate front bumper and also fixed the bed crossmembers. I then resprayed
the bed as well. Putting it all back together I got it inspected and drove it to school. Here I continued to work on it, doing maintenance, spraying bed
liner in the back and fixing a turn signal issue. I then got in a accident, which bent the frame and front axle. I hauled it home with my 1997 Ford F350
and got to work fixing it once again. Hooking a tractor up to both sides, I was able to straighten up the frame. I then fully rebuilt the axles and
straightened the housing as well. They got new seals, bearings, ball joints, springs, shocks, and brakes. I also replaced the radiator support and installed
a new aluminum radiator.
