1979 Ford F150 Lariat – Darryl C.

I just completed a year and a half restoration of my 1979 F150 Lariat and wanted to share the results with LMC. Without LMC, this project would not have turned out the way it did – Thanks!!!

I have always liked ’79 Ford trucks. My uncle was a salesman at one of our local Ford dealerships in the 70’s and I always liked going to visit him and checking out the new cars and trucks. I remember when the square headlights appeared on the ’79 Ford trucks – it was love at first sight. My dad bought one of those sleek Fords, a new 1979 F250 Supercab Lariat, and it was the truck I learned to drive in. Since then, I vowed to own a ’79 Ford of my own one day.

Having recently retired, I was looking for a project that I could work on and was actually looking for a ’79 Bronco as my first choice. I wanted one in decent shape but without rust, which was turning out to be a unicorn in the salt-laden area that we live in.

During the long weekend in September 2017, we were at an International Mustang Meet in Helena, Montana. While in the area, I searched through the classifieds. I didn’t find a Bronco but did find a 1979 F150 Lariat in two-toned Maroon and Candy Apple Red with only 67,000 original miles. After talking with the owner and being satisfied that this truck was pristine and no rust survivor, my wife and I took a side trip to Pocatello, Idaho to look at the truck. Wow! The owner had documentation with every oil change, every service, and every fill-up since new. There was zero rust on the truck. It was perfect and we brought the truck back to Alberta, Canada, where I started the year and a half restoration project.

I struggled whether or not to repaint over the original paint but there were a couple minor dings and scratches so we decided to strip it in down, and make it like new again. It was fun working on this project with my son and we learned a lot along the way. Everything was kept as it was back in ’79, except I installed 1995 Ford wheels to get some wider tires on and we overhauled the original 460, removed all the horsepower limiting smog equipment, added a few top and bottom end components, and resealed everything. We increased the limp factory 212HP to 360HP and 497 ftlb of torque. Let’s just say the BFG T/A’s don’t stand a chance.

One of the reasons we decided to go as deep as we did on the restoration was due to the fact that LMC exists as a resource, and that shipping to Canada was easy and very convenient. I couldn’t believe the variety of parts they carried that made this build possible and satisfied my need for perfection in making sure the project turned out great. From engine bay components, rear bumper, front bumper guards, interior components, carpet, new exterior light lenses, trim, gas tank, decals, and badges — you name it, they had it!

My wife and I love cruising in the ’79 F150. Thanks, LMC, for being there to support our restoration project and the thousands of others on the same mission to keeps these classics gems on the road! We will be back once we find that perfect ’79 Bronco to restore![lmc_story_gallery]