86' F150 Build

hobobrando

New member
Hi, my names Brandon and I'm new to the forum. My plan is to take my stock 86' F150 and modify it to carry me comfortably on my adventures, my love for fishing, hunting, and camping often places me in remote locations that were just not suited for the 99' Blazer I had been driving. I knew I wanted an older Ford because the 87' I had owned never let me down as the Blazer did on so many occasions, so when I found the ad on craigslist for this 60k mile gem willing to trade for a small suv I wasted no time and drove home that night in my new to me truck! Any way this build might be slow as I'm only 18 and high school and time and money are short. But I plan to do things right and build a truck that will last me a lifetime.

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Plans
Exterior/ Offroad
-Leveling springs
-31x10.5x15 BFG All terrains
-Camper shell
-Sway Bar disconnects
-Front and rear Pre runner style bumpers
-10,000lb winch
-Detroit Locker
-On-board air

Interior/ Comfort
-Sleeping platform with storage
-On-board water tank
-Dual batteries, with solar charging
-Nav system

and more to come.
 

bftank

Explorer
lots of potential there! keep us informed we can help you along the way with cheap and free upgrades. and remember to post lots of pics of this beast getting used!
 

Revco

Adventurer
Great looking truck! I have a soft spot for 80's Fords.

I recently did a quick sketch of the planned modifications for my '83 F250...
ClydeF250Camper.jpg
 

Rot Box

Explorer
Nice truck! I love seeing the bull nose/slantnose Fords here :bike_rider:

What does it have for an engine and transmission? Welcome to the forum you'll like it here.
 

BlackClassic

If Not Now When?
Yes I agree nice truck you got there. Always like that style, I always thought they had the best looking Nose to them. Grea tpotential and you found a good start.
 

hobobrando

New member
Had to take a step in the wrong direction yesterday with the truck and fix the previous owners screw up, must be he replaced the thermostat and didn't have a gasket so he used rtv. It started dribbling coolant from the housing, by the time I made it to the parts store then over to my grandfathers it was a pretty steady stream. I got it replaced and the leak fixed so I decided it was time to go put the 4x4 to the test.

I headed for deer camp which lies way up on a class 4 state road, during the summertime the road can be bad but it is still wintertime and It is nearly impassable, at least with a stock truck. I made it into camp and snapped a couple of pics then I headed for an old logging road to see what the truck was capable of. Needless to say I'm impressed, the 4 wheel drive was smooth, the granny gear on the 4 speed eliminated all fear of getting stuck, and the cooper discoverer m+s tires were pretty impressive. I didn't push it to hard though, being alone and not having cell service left me not wanting to be stranded, but overall it was an awesome first outing.

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hobobrando

New member
Yes its gas, and it has the 5.0 in it. Someday I might swap it out for the 4.9 i6, but that won't happen until the original craps the bed.

Having a hard time locating a camper shell for it, seems before I owned the truck I was seeing them all over for $50 but now that I'm looking there nowhere to be found.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
I prefer the 5.0, I'd just put another in.

Leveling springs for 31" tires? Won't those allready fit? It's stance looks pretty good just the way it is. I just avoid lifting TTB's if I can.
 

hobobrando

New member
Leveling springs for 31" tires? Won't those allready fit? It's stance looks pretty good just the way it is. I just avoid lifting TTB's if I can.

Buliwyf, Any idea what the max tire size I could go with is without lifting? The more research I have done on the TTB setups, I too would like to avoid lifting it. Thanks.

The reason I'm partial to the 4.9's is because I had one in an 87' that I just could not kill no matter what I put that truck through, and the 4.9's seem to have a lot more torque on the low end. But then again I do have a spare 5.0 sitting at my girlfriends house that I could rebuild... Oh the decisions haha.
 

DogCatcher

New member
Buliwyf, Any idea what the max tire size I could go with is without lifting? The more research I have done on the TTB setups, I too would like to avoid lifting it. Thanks.

The previous owner put 33x10.50 BFG A/Ts on my 85 F150. I haven't noticed any rubbing, but I've only had the truck a few weeks and haven't had a chance to really test it out off-road.

qJnIo.jpg
 

98dango

Expedition Leader
tires no lift

33-10.5-15 will fit
285-75-16 will fit
33-12.5-15 will rub like no other

I love both the 4.9 and the 5.0. 4.9 has more off the line low end the 5,0 if you want to race.
 

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