My father (RIP) loved Ford trucks and bought a used 1975 Ford F250 in the 1980’s. I inherited the truck in 2011 and I struggled to decide what to do with it. Ultimately, I could not ignore the tremendous sentimental value and decided to restore it. The poor condition of the truck and my lack of mechanical/auto restoration skills, however, lead to years of procrastination.
I retired in 2013 and I needed a project to keep me out of my wife’s hair. At the time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For the next two years, I would spend hundreds of hours learning new skills, planning stages of the build, finding parts, dealing with different vendors, and navigating the complexities of every aspect of the restoration project.
The 360 Ford engine and both axels were rebuilt. A friend and I did 90% of the body work to include removal of what seemed like an endless amount of rust. We replaced the cab corners, rocker panels, floor boards, truck bed, and firewall. We removed what seemed like a ton of body filler and hammered out or replaced several panels. I removed all the old wiring and replaced it with an updated wire harness. I installed power windows and door locks. I upgraded to Dakota Digital gauges. I had the truck painted by the good folks at Chimera Motors in Huntington Beach. The list of improvements goes on and on, but I don’t want to get too far into the weeds.
Luckily, I found LMC Truck early in my build, as over 90% of my parts came from their warehouse. I couldn’t be happier with their customer service. If something was wrong, they fixed it no questions asked.
Now that my project is complete, I have a better understanding of why my father always seemed so happy while wrenching on and modifying his truck. I enjoy being done with my project, don’t get me wrong, but surprisingly I really enjoyed the journey. In the end, I went from being the guy who wouldn’t even change his own motor oil to a guy that is confident enough to completely dismantle and rebuild a vehicle. I know my father would be so proud of his old truck and that makes me very happy!