My first truck was a 1980 Ford F150. It had a 4.9 300 I6, and a C6 automatic. It was a Custom trim level truck, and had very few options. It didn't have A/C, or even a Radio! It did however have the special "Deluxe Tu-Tone" paint treatment in a beautiful brown/beige scheme. The truck sat dormant for 5 years before I picked it up, and in those few years had accumulated some rust where rainwater had no way of escaping.

The funny thing about this truck was that when I first laid my eyes on it, I hated it. Coming from a family of Ford Truck enthusiasts, I was naturally bit by the Ford Truck bug. But this truck didn't have a blue oval in the grille like all the other Ford trucks I had seen, and it looked like a giant chocolate bar with banana cream streaks down the side. For the next four years I constantly passed by the truck, which never left it's backyard resting place. Then one day I saw the truck in the front yard with a For Sale sign. My family and I stopped to look at it, and after some negotiating, the truck was on my dad's trailer, with a final sale price of just $400.

It turns out that the truck was ordered new in Los Angeles, California, and then assembled in the now defunct San Jose Assembly plant in Milpitas, California. Some time around the late 80's, the original owner of the truck moved his family to Florida, where the truck currently resides. He went on to pass the truck to his wife, who shortly after passed the truck on to their son. I bought it from him for the aforementioned $400.

The I6 wasn't getting any fuel to the carburetor, but after some fresh fluids, a new battery, a new fuel pump, and some coercion, the old "Big Block" I6 roared to life. After a few idle adjustments, the old girl purred like a kitten! That old 300 was a true testament to Ford's ability to produce indestructible engines.

The truck needed a complete restoration, and since I didn't have the proper funds for that, I slowly spent the next few years doing what I could to make the truck more presentable. I used the truck around the yard to haul leaves and trash, but unfortunately only got to drive it around the neighborhood one time.

Over the years I became an incomplete walking thesaurus of the 1980-1981 F-Series trucks, and I finally realized the direction I wanted to take this truck. I fell in love with the Ranger Lariat trim level trucks, so I completely upgraded the truck to the Ranger Lariat trim package, which was the highest trim level Ford offered in 1980. I have also decided to keep the original paint in the truck, since it is quite the rare combination.

Unfortunately I realized that the old 300 was actually rebuilt before I bought the truck, and the rebuild was one of those backyard budget builds that makes you cringe. I also found that the 300 I6 fell to some very serious corrosion issues from a previous owner running tap water for coolant, so I decided to retire the old 300 I6.

But the story doesn't end there, and unlike so many first vehicle stories, I have held onto the old F150, and although It was never the first vehicle I drove on the road, it will always be my first vehicle, and the one I love the most. If I can, I plan to keep the truck for as long as I live.

When I am done with this truck, it will look exactly like something that could have rolled off the assembly line back in 1980. However, it will also be loaded with every period correct option I can find, making it a very unique truck as well. To most people it will look like a completely stock truck, but I'll always sit back and smile knowing how far the truck has come from what it was back in 1980. As the truck sits in the picture below, the outside of the truck is nearly complete, aside from the wrong grille, mirror heads, and wheels, which will all be replaced with 1980 correct pieces. I also plan to swap in a 6.6 400 V8 as well as a C6 automatic to bring new life to the truck and make it a street and off-road sleeper. The future is very optimistic for this old truck, and I absolutely cannot wait for the day that I can once again fire her up for the first time and take her around the neighborhood for old time's sake.

Shaun