Previously Owned Rides Part II
78 Ford F-150 Custom continued
The 400M from the LTD wagon I parted out was freshened up with a new timing chain, gasket set, and valve seals and dropped between the frame rails. Ring's Radiator ordered me a new radiator to keep things cool and a new Duraspark ignition module and coil kept the flame hot. A new gas tank fed a new fuel pump & Motorcraft carb.

I decided to make a new wiring harness for the rear & trailer lights from scratch one afternoon to replace the brittle original. Meanwhile,  a new J.C. Whitney floor mat replaced the brittle rubber that came inside the truck, while Goodyear Wrangler HT's went on the outside. Blackjack headers and a 2 1/4 inch dual exhaust system was fabricated and made the 400 breathe a little better. The motor came with a healthy cam in it and we got some more juice out of her by playing with the carb & timing and keeping the 351 torque converter in place. She looked and ran good for about 2 years, and the trusty truck got me through college. I used to play with another 2wd F150 in town with a 460. I stomped his ass into the ground each time.

After an afternoon of buffing with some aggressive 3M compound brought back the luster of the Fire Engine Red finish. She served me well, but after 2 years of daily driving my wallet was feeling lighter and lighter. Plus I had 2 other cars at this time and absoloutly no storage space. So I sold it to a local high schooler who owned a 78 Bronco and said he loved Ford trucks. He sold it to a landcaper. Last I heard it was sitting in a yard somewhere in Northeastern Illinois. From rags to riches...to rags. If an opportunity to buy this thing again comes up, I'm all over it.
1955 Oldsmobile Super 88 Sedan
This car came from the original owner's son who needed garage space and didn't want to restore an old car. After pulling it home and learning how much it would cost to do just that...I didn't want it either. It was a rusty Chicago car with low miles, but it lived a hard life. It came with a 324 4bbl, and Hydramatic trans. Options included a padded dash, radio, and EZ-Eye tinted glass. It sat in storage for about 2 years before I said "enough" and put it up for sale. I hope the young man who bought it took it to the next level. It was original enough to warrant a full restoration, but a 4 door sedan is not on the top of many restorer's lists.
Sarah's 1983 Buick Riviera
This beautiful machine was my wife's first car. She purchased it during her Sophomore year of college from a family friend. It was his grandmother's car purchased new in Harrisburg, Illinois and came with almost every option in the book and just 38,000 miles on the clock. It featured a 307 4bbl V-8, A/C, PS, PB, power seats, windows & locks, chrome plated rims, Delco 6-speaker concert sound package, and engine block heater.

I replaced the brittle vacuum lines on the car, repaired a stuck heater control valve, and tuned up the 307. She ran like a top and rode like a dream. I wish Sarah didn't trade this car in on her Cavalier! After it was tuned up it got 25 mpg on the open road with the air conditioning on. If that's not fuel-efficient for an old V-8, I don't know what is. I miss driving this car the most.


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