Alright, let’s talk about this 1980 Ford project I got myself into. Found this old thing sitting for who knows how long. Looked rough, real rough. But solid, you know? The bones were there.
First Look and Cleanup
First thing I did was just walk around it. Kicked the tires – flat, obviously. Opened the doors, a bit stiff. Inside smelled like old dust and maybe mice. Spent a whole afternoon just clearing out junk. Old papers, bits of trash, you name it. Then dragged out the shop vac and went to town. Got rid of layers of dirt and leaves. At least now I could see what I was dealing with.
Under the Hood – The Real Mess
Popped the hood. Wow. Everything coated in grime. Battery was shot, cables corroded green. Pulled that out first. Then I started checking fluids. Oil looked like tar. Radiator was low, rusty looking water. Brake fluid? Barely registered. Power steering fluid? Same deal. It was clear this truck hadn’t seen love in a long, long time.
Decided to tackle the basics first:
- Drain all the old fluids. That oil took forever to glug out.
- Pulled the spark plugs. Fouled, black. Tossed ’em.
- Checked the belts and hoses. Some looked cracked, others surprisingly okay. Made a list.
- Tried turning the engine by hand with a breaker bar on the crank pulley. Thankfully, it wasn’t seized. That was a huge relief.
Fuel System Nightmare
Figured the fuel system would be a problem. Dropped the tank. Ugh. Nasty varnish smell hit me right away. Sloshed it around, heard junk rattling inside. Poured out what little gas was left – looked like iced tea with sediment. This tank needed serious cleaning, maybe even replacing. Pulled the fuel filter, clogged solid. The carburetor? Probably gummed up too. Decided to just pull the carb off entirely to rebuild it later. It’s sitting on my bench now, looking intimidating.
Small Victories
It wasn’t all bad. Got a new battery hooked up temporarily. Cleaned the terminals real good. Turned the key just to see if the lights or anything worked. Dash lights flickered on! Heard a click from a relay somewhere. It’s not much, but it’s something. Felt good to see some sign of life, even if it was just dim bulbs.
Also spent some time wire brushing connections, cleaning grounds. Basic stuff, but you gotta do it. Found a mouse nest behind the dash too. Fun times.
Where I’m At Now
So, that’s the story so far. It’s slow going. Engine still hasn’t turned over under its own power. Got parts ordered – new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, filters. Still need to deal with that fuel tank situation and rebuild the carb. It’s a lot of greasy work, lots of hitting things with hammers, lots of scraped knuckles. But hey, making progress bit by bit. We’ll see if this old Ford wants to run again.
