Older car as a daily driver (insurance, vehicle, auto, gaskets)

[le roi]

i need some advice from the wise men of the forum.

I have a 1980 Ford F100 pickup truck. i believe it is a 4x4 with a 302 v8 with the 2 barrel carburetor. It has around 40,000 miles as a hunting and leisure vehicle. My granddad bought it in 1980, and took great care of it until the late 90's.

There was some work done to it in the mid 1990's, and it was running fine as of 5-6 years ago, but it is has been sitting outdoors since 1980, exposed to the elements. it doesn't look rusty, and i think it runs but i'm not sure.

so, assuming i'm the type who
A) knows little about how to fix cars myself (but willing to learn)
B) needs a reliable daily driver, period, so this would need to be a primary vehicle or nothing at all.
C) young and knows basically nothing about what i'm getting into with a 1980 Ford truck

.. anybody have any advice? any ideas on what repairs might need to be addressed to make this old vehicle a reliable daily driver, and a ballpark guess of how much it would cost? and whether i'm getting in over my head here? I'm headed back that way around thanksgiving to go take a look at it, see if it runs.. anything I should look for? I'm not going to lie, i'm pretty ignorant; i just really like this truck.

[sunsprit]

As a hunting and leisure vehicle, this truck may be yet able to provide some good service life.

But, as a daily driver ... especially in town or city use ... it's a lot of excessive vehicle just for transportation. Heavy, poor fuel economy, and a handfull to park in normal parking spaces.

You're looking at many generations of improvements in engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, handling, and running gear on trucks since that era of design. If you're in a climate area where a good heater is needed, then these trucks aren't close to later models.

If this truck needs any serious money spent on it to bring it up to roadworthy condition, you'd be better off putting the money into a more modern vehicle for daily transportation.

[GTOlover]

the ford F-series truck is one easy truck to work on I would say pick up a haynes manual and go from there dude
Do It Yourself (DIY) Auto Repair Manuals from Haynes

beside being a carbed 302 the 1980-1996 F-series trucks are pretty much the same

I mean it has a 302 V8 a C4 automatic and a 8.8 rear end all which is some pretty solid stuff
if it is a 4x4 it runs a borg warner manual transfer case and a dana 44 TTB front axle

[M3 Mitch]

In general agree with Sunsprit, although if the truck is in decent shape, you can get it for essentially free, and most importantly your typical daily mileage is not high, it can still be a good deal.This truck probably makes more sense as a 2nd vehicle. Having just one car/truck is a PITA if you are going to DIY, reason being that anytime you start a repair or heavy maintenance, you don't have a ride until you finish. So if say you are doing spark plugs and as you start pulling the spark plug wires off you "discover" that you need a set of wires as well, you have to bum a ride or walk to go get the wire set, or else try to bodge the old wires back on, get it running well enough to go get the wires, etc.Even if you don't DIY, a 2nd car, particularly a 2nd car that's a pickup, can be damn handy.If the truck has been sitting outside and particularly in the sun, the tires may be age-checked and it's possible you should put new tires on before driving it any real distance.

[le roi]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

In general agree with Sunsprit, although if the truck is in decent shape, you can get it for essentially free, and most importantly your typical daily mileage is not high, it can still be a good deal.

this is what my situation is. the vehicle is free, and i don't drive much... im just worried about reliability, and the cost to ensure it remains reliable. i don't mind spending a few thousand dollars up front to get it in decent shape, i just don't know if that's realistic.

This truck probably makes more sense as a 2nd vehicle. Having just one car/truck is a PITA if you are going to DIY, reason being that anytime you start a repair or heavy maintenance, you don't have a ride until you finish. So if say you are doing spark plugs and as you start pulling the spark plug wires off you "discover" that you need a set of wires as well, you have to bum a ride or walk to go get the wire set, or else try to bodge the old wires back on, get it running well enough to go get the wires, etc.Even if you don't DIY, a 2nd car, particularly a 2nd car that's a pickup, can be damn handy.

you may be right. unfortunately i only have one spot to park, so i can't "keep it around" to test it out.

Originally Posted by sunsprit

As a hunting and leisure vehicle, this truck may be yet able to provide some good service life.

But, as a daily driver ... especially in town or city use ... it's a lot of excessive vehicle just for transportation. Heavy, poor fuel economy, and a handfull to park in normal parking spaces.

You're looking at many generations of improvements in engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes, handling, and running gear on trucks since that era of design. If you're in a climate area where a good heater is needed, then these trucks aren't close to later models.

If this truck needs any serious money spent on it to bring it up to roadworthy condition, you'd be better off putting the money into a more modern vehicle for daily transportation.

i hear what you're saying, but none of this is a top concern for me. i'm pretty good at parking, and i got by without heat or A/c for a good stretch, and i don't drive enough to really worry about the gas mileage. i really like the truck, i think enough to outweigh the fact that its impractical.

now, reliability and cost of maintaining reliability, that's by FAR the #1 issue.

[PDD]

If it only has 40K miles then the engine should not need much more than a good complete tune up. Possibly a new or rebuilt carb because it has been sitting a long time.
IMO there is no better second vehicle than a full size pickup. Have a mechanic go over the truck and replace the brakes and tires and you should be good to go.

Since you are getting it free there is no point in you learning auto repairs on your only vehicle.

Good luck.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by le roi

this is what my situation is. the vehicle is free, and i don't drive much... im just worried about reliability, and the cost to ensure it remains reliable. i don't mind spending a few thousand dollars up front to get it in decent shape, i just don't know if that's realistic.

(snip)

now, reliability and cost of maintaining reliability, that's by FAR the #1 issue.

As you seem to be focused on this one issue, and if the truck is basically sound ... then yes, it has the potential to be a reliable driver.

Cost to achieve this, however, remains an ongoing concern if you are not a D-I-Y'er. At this point, it's a low mileage unit but it's current condition is an unknown to evaluate from where the forum sits. You'll need to bring the truck to an independent shop that has working knowlege of these vehicles and knows what to look for as potential problem areas ... and can evaluate the truck for you with an estimate of repairs.

There's a lot of stuff that can deteriorate from the low mileage/years of sitting unused ... hydraulic system can accumulate moisture and degrade, seals in the motor and trans and diff can dry out and fail, radiator/heater hoses can dry out and fail, carb passages can be gunked up with old gas residues, the fuel pump diapraghm can be dried out, and a gaskets and seals throughout the truck can have failed with age ... mechanical or body/chassis stuff. Don't forget shocks can fail, too, with age/disuse. Tires can rot out with age. And rust, if you're in a high humidity area, can attack a lot of the structure of the truck. The battery and cables can deteriorate, too. The radiator and heater cores can rot out internally, and won't show up as a failure item until some day when they do start leaking ... or fail to circulate coolant and dissipate heat. Depending upon the coolant protection, there may be rust inside the block, too. Fuel tank(s) can rust out internally, too. Old lubricants/grease in bearings can break down and fail to lubricate properly ... in places like the suspension, hubs, and wheel bearings on the FWD stuff in front, which can be labor intensive to clean and repack with fresh grease. Internally, in the motor ... valve guide seals can have hardened with age, and not seal properly ... causing this motor to use oil.

Overall, there's a lot of stuff on the truck which can cause you to have concerns about it's ability to reliably transport you after all these years of non-use.

From a cost of ownership standpoint, even if you are given the truck for free, you may find that you'll be upside down in this truck very quickly. If you do get a lot of money tied up in it, be sure that your full coverage insurance policy allows you to set an "agreed" valuation rather than a blue book number. You may have to document the truck with your insurance agent to do this, but it's best to protect your investment.

[SD4020]

Even if you have to take it to a mechanic you would still have an excellent pickup and they are cool to boot.

It would be a good way to learn a few things too. Either way I'd say go for it.

[Deez Nuttz]

First off the truck is going to only be as reliable as the person who maintains it. Meaning if you neglect it, you can't expect it to live. With that said hopefully it was well cared for all it's life. However letting any vehicle sit for any prolonged period of time is NOT good. Because things like seals and such can dry rot and then blow when you least expect it.

Now since it's been sitting 5-6 years, you're going to want to do the following to get it running again:

1. Change the oil
2. Change the plugs, wires and cap.
3. While you have all the spark plugs out, it would be a good idea to spray some sort of lube inside the cylinders and turn the engine over with a breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt. This will help free up any stuck parts. Just make sure you mark all the spark plug wires to what goes where so you can get it to run again.
4. It would also be a good idea to pull the distributor and prime the engine's oil pump with a priming tool...when an engine sits as long as yours has, all the oil is in the pan and none is on the parts...this will eliminate dry starts. However you need to know what you're doing when you do this. I recommend doing this before you change the cap/rotor and the plug wires.
5. Dump out all the old gas and refill the tank with fresh gas
6. Pull the carburetor and dump all the old gas out of it, and prime with fresh gas

And hopefully things like the transmission input shaft seal aren't dry rotted/leaking and especially things like the brake calipers/cylinders aren't leaking. They're easy to fix but you don't want to lose your brakes either.

[little elmer]

Keep a can of Berryman or Ether under the seat for the winter.