Reunited with my old truck (sort of).

[salans7]

Back in 2008 I picked up a 1980 Ford F150 Custom as a non-running project. I was a kid then and had big dreams and ambitions for the truck that never materialized. By 2017, I had lost my focus on the project and grew tired of watching it sit. I made the decision to re-home it, and away it went.



The truck was a 50 foot looker and had some serious cab rust issues that I wasn't able to tackle at the time. The paint was getting thin and I couldn't even wash it without taking the paint off. The engine was a pile of parts, the transmission was missing the input shaft, there was no rear driveshaft, no front axle shafts, etc, etc. It was essentially a parts truck, and that's what I sold it as.



I finally felt free from the worry of "Am I ever going to be able to finish this thing", but not long after I finished traveling Florida, the "I really miss that truck" set in. I picked my F350 up in 2019, and that filled some of the void, but I still missed the brown truck.

It's been 7 years since I watched that truck get towed away, and I figured I would never see it again. Over that time, I've managed to come across some parts from it on Ebay, and realized it was being parted out. I followed the seller and every once in awhile would see other parts that likely came from my truck.

While browsing parts listings on Marketplace last week, I found a listing for a Brown/Tan door. Something told me to check it out and try to verify whether it was a door from my old truck, and it seemed to match up with my old photos. The seller seemed to be the same person I sold the truck to, so I made arrangements to head over to the neighboring county this morning to see what he may have still had. It became apparent once I got there that the truck was long gone (scrapped). Aside from some smaller parts that I was able to identify from my truck (B-Pillar moldings, pieces I painted, etc), nothing else was left which I had assumed would be the case. The seller travels to swap meets and the parts from my truck are likely spread across Florida or even the US.



I did not leave empty-handed as I had planned to come back with the door. The seller still had the map pockets from my truck, so I went ahead and took those home too. They were both in pretty poor shape, but I was able to get them cleaned up and looking much better than they were. The door is pretty scratched up compared to before, but I'll likely touch it up at some point if I can find the paint.



Maybe you're wondering what I plan to do with a random door and some map pockets? At the end of the day, it's a sentimental thing. I can't have the truck back, but I still have a piece of it and that's filled the hole in my heart. The door has been pretty stripped down, but I have most of the parts to put it back together and will pick up the rest on Ebay. I plan to make it look like a functional door and then hang it in my shop. I may end up having the glass etched as a memorial to the truck that is no more. The map pockets will be hung onto the doors of my F350 as an F150 memory that can be carried with me when I drive the F350.

[viven44]

I have a parts truck too, and I have used parts off it to complete other projects, and every time I get back to it and get parts off it for something else, I am thankful for having it. I am not good at poetry but if I was, I would write an Ode to parts trucks!

Just like my parts truck, I'm sure your truck provided joy and fulfillment to many others in their projects, and great that you have a part of it to remember!

As has been said before "Rest in pieces"

[salans7]

Thanks Vivek!

I used multiple parts trucks to build the F150 into what I wanted it to be, and multiple more to build my F350 the way I want it to be. That means the trucks aren't exactly original but built to be the type of truck I'm happy with. I'm thankful for those who part them out as it helps me build my dream trucks. One important lesson I learned is to not sell the truck you care about as it may leave a hole in your emotions/heart that may never be filled.

So many people come onto the forums and Facebook pages asking if anybody has seen their old truck. My old truck is no more, but at least I can say that I still have a part of it.

[Gary Lewis]

Congratulations, Shaun!  Glad that fills the hole in your heart.

And I think hanging the door in the shop is a good idea.  

[salans7]

Thanks Gary! I'm glad at least a part of the truck made it's way back home.

I'm on the hunt for some trim moldings now but once I have those on, I can start figuring out how to hang it.

[BigBrother-84]

Shaun, thanks for sharing this story with us!

salans7 wrote

Maybe you're wondering what I plan to do with a random door and some map pockets? At the end of the day, it's a sentimental thing. I can't have the truck back, but I still have a piece of it and that's filled the hole in my heart.

I totally understand that.
I just can't figure out the day I'll have to sell Big Bro.

Fascinating, but not logical.

[salans7]

BigBrother-84 wrote

Shaun, thanks for sharing this story with us!

salans7 wrote

Maybe you're wondering what I plan to do with a random door and some map pockets? At the end of the day, it's a sentimental thing. I can't have the truck back, but I still have a piece of it and that's filled the hole in my heart.

I totally understand that.
I just can't figure out the day I'll have to sell Big Bro.

If I could go back in time and do it over, I would have at least kept the doors, fenders, bed, interior, hood, grille, and front bumper for the next truck and scrapped the rest if I decided to still get rid of the truck.

I can say though that I will never suggest anybody sell their pride and joy unless they absolutely have to. Not everybody has a sentimental attachment to a vehicle, but when you do, selling them can be rough.

[grumpin]

Yes, I like the idea of hanging it in the shop!

It's funny how people can get. A company I worked for built a new hangar, our Director of Maintenance speced out the new hangar.

It was huge, and our shop was great, but we joked about the old hangar, that we maintained the aircraft with dirt floors and oil lamps.

When we were finally moved in to the new hangar,  a couple of us went over and took the sign off the old hangar and we hung it in our new shop.

Sentimental and a reminder to be grateful.

[salans7]

Made some progress on the door recently. It's a functional door again, with all lock hardware re-attached and the windows installed with new weatherstripping. The only thing I'm missing is the lower 1980 specific door trim molding. That may take some time to find (for a reasonable price), so my next step is to figure out how to hang it on the wall (concrete block). If I really wanted to go crazy, I could source a door panel and another map pocket for the door, but I don't really want to spend more money on this door than I already have since you won't see the inside of the door anyway.

[Gary Lewis]

That's cool, Shaun!  Glad you did it.

As for hanging it, how about two hooks that go in where the glass would go in the top of the door?

[salans7]

Gary Lewis wrote

That's cool, Shaun!  Glad you did it.

As for hanging it, how about two hooks that go in where the glass would go in the top of the door?

That won't work as there's full glass in the door. It's a complete door now.

I'm thinking of building one or two brackets for where the hinges would go, and maybe something on the striker side. We'll have to see.

[grumpin]

salans7 wrote

Gary Lewis wrote

That's cool, Shaun!  Glad you did it.

As for hanging it, how about two hooks that go in where the glass would go in the top of the door?

That won't work as there's full glass in the door. It's a complete door now.

I'm thinking of building one or two brackets for where the hinges would go, and maybe something on the striker side. We'll have to see.

I like that idea. How the door mounts!

[Gary Lewis]

I was thinking you could have the glass down.  But I like your idea better.

[Bronco638]

Hey Shaun, do happen to know the two colors of that door? My '80 was painted Walnut Glow and Sand Glow from the factory (it's now dark red, or what dark red would look like after spending decades in the Arizona sun).

I'm just curious as to what my truck may have looked like. I have found the original Walnut Glow behind the kick panels (inside the cab) but have yet to find Sand Glow anywhere.

Thanks.

[salans7]

Thanks Gary and Dane!

Bronco638 wrote

Hey Shaun, do happen to know the two colors of that door? My '80 was painted Walnut Glow and Sand Glow from the factory (it's now dark red, or what dark red would look like after spending decades in the Arizona sun).

I'm just curious as to what my truck may have looked like. I have found the original Walnut Glow behind the kick panels (inside the cab) but have yet to find Sand Glow anywhere.

Thanks.

My old truck was Dark Chamois Metallic (8A) and Pastel/Light Sand (6D). Your original colors were an extra cost "Glamour" option. Both of your colors were 1980 only, and the Light Sand on my truck was also 1980 only.

There were three 'Glamour" colors in 1980 and your truck had two of them.

[Bronco638]

salans7 wrote

My old truck was Dark Chamois Metallic (8A) and Pastel/Light Sand (6D). Your
original colors were an extra cost "Glamour" option. Both of your colors
were 1980 only, and the Light Sand on my truck was also 1980 only.

There were three 'Glamour" colors in 1980 and your truck had two of them.

I wonder what those two colors cost to special order. So, your truck was similar in color(s) to mine but not the same. Thanks for confirming.

[salans7]

Bronco638 wrote

salans7 wrote

My old truck was Dark Chamois Metallic (8A) and Pastel/Light Sand (6D). Your
original colors were an extra cost "Glamour" option. Both of your colors
were 1980 only, and the Light Sand on my truck was also 1980 only.

There were three 'Glamour" colors in 1980 and your truck had two of them.

I wonder what those two colors cost to special order. So, your truck was similar in color(s) to mine but not the same. Thanks for confirming.

Check out the documentation section at the top of the page. I can't guarantee it, but there may be some literature regarding glamour color pricing.

[salans7]

I finally did what I should have done 10+ years ago and drilled the holes for the Trailer Special mirror in brown truck's door. I didn't have a riv-nut tool back then and was too scared to mess the doors up, which is why it was never done.

You can see the truck originally came with the Type 5 chrome mirrors since the gasket for those mirrors left a mark on the door.

The mirror you see on the door is the one I bought specifically for this door, so I still have the ones for my F350 as well.