1980 Ford F100 – Daniel E.

I saved up some money during high school and my dad matched me when I graduated to buy this. I searched for a truck online for 3 to 4 weeks and the second I saw the ad for her, I knew I would buy it. The man who sold her to me was sad to let her go, genuinely sad. From then on it was taking on adventure after adventure. I began to order parts catalogs from LMC and very soon after was placing orders. My brother has a ’68 Chevy Camaro and my truck just looked so good next to it. Everywhere we went somehow the bed of that truck was where everyone naturally gathered around. I was young and didn’t check my transmission fluid before a road trip and lost 1st second and third gear 120 miles from home and the truck limped me home taking off in the overdrive gear. Because of that I replaced the transmission with the exact same one I found in a junkyard. A lifelong mechanic from the mountains here told me that in his day all you would do is unbolt the transmission and set it on your chest. Well I did just that. My motor reached 220k miles and I needed to redo the head gasket. I ended up pulling all the pistons out from under the truck and rebuilt the motor with it still in the truck. It was my first motor and everything was great except for I didn’t have anyone to help me and I’m still learning and made the mistake of not gapping a ring correctly. That motor made it 3500 miles before melting the top of that piston off as I tried to get home. It was dieseling like you couldn’t believe, and yet for 20 miles it ran and got me home. I ended up parking her and let her sit for 2 or three years, buying parts when I could and storing them. I bought a replacement crate motor and my dad helped me to pull and drop the new motor in which is something I’ll always remember. That motor is now about to be fired up today or tomorrow and she will be on the road again soon. Just like my dad, LMC was there to help. I bought her in 2011 and named her Ruby in light of Ruby’s grave, a protected historical site near Kings Canyon National Park. Thank you LMC and thank you Ford and most of all thank you dad.