What to expect?

[lloyd3]

Just picked up a very clean 1997 extended cab Ford F-150 from a family friend that is a one-owner, mostly garaged (and almost never off-road), well-cared for and rust-free 4x4.  It's the 4.6 litre V-8 w/the 5 speed. The truck drives like it's been pampered and is nearly perfect (brakes, clutch, and suspension feel flawless), but.....I'm planning on taking it up to the Canadian border in Minnesota next month and leaving it w/my father-in-law to have a decent 4x4 for use there on various hunting and fishing excursions (his old pickup is a very rusty 89 2-wheel drive w/250K miles).  I'm guessing that 3 of the tires are at least 8-years old on it and the belts and hoses are possibly original and....this truck has 147k miles on it (clearly fairly-easy highway miles, but...).  I was also contemplating picking up a little pop-up camper to put on it to haul up there as well.  I'm a little concerned about the trip (about 18-hours of driving) in an older, high-mileage vehicle. I'm also concerned about the added weight (about 1,000 lbs) of the camper.

Any suggestions as to how to proceed? Any Ford truck guys out there? I've got about a month to do what it needs.  

[Kern Dog]

What to expect?
I'd buy a good pair of walking shoes and a AAA membership. (Ford)   

[draftingmonkey]

From everything I know it is supposed to be a pretty decent motor but on the low power side, so I wouldn't tow with it. A 1K lbs camper will probably be felt in its performance. If you still want one I would wait and buy it at or near the destination end. I would probably put new tires on all around, change fluids, filters, hoses and belts. Give it a good tune-up, possibly new plugs, wires, etc if they look original. You may want to check the heater core as I have read it is a pain to change. Picked up from a Ford forum "the nut holding the EGR tube to the exhaust manifold inevitably rots off and leaves you with a very troublesome and irritating exhaust leak that is not very easy to fix." so something else to take a peek at.

[440]

Not sure about the 97 models but I would give it a good check over. Change the oil, gather up some basic hand tools, take extra water and oil, jumper cables, belts and hit the road.

Personally I would  forgo the camper. Dont try and push the truck too hard up steep hills if it doesn't want to, let it tell you what it wants.


I drove a neglected 220k+ mile 1977 Fairlane over 900 miles (16hr) in a weekend.

[Homerr]

I just bought a '94 F150 a few months ago with 156k on it.  It's the 4.9l straight 6.  I read up on it and 150k is just getting broken in, I should expect 300k+ out of this motor.  I've driven mine about 800 miles now, even yesterday in 95 degree weather (it runs cool), and I'm at the point where I have confidence to drive it about anywhere.

Not sure about the '97 and 4.6l V8 but if you've given it the once over, checked the brakes, and probably replace the 8 year old tires I bet it'd be good for anything.  Use this next month to make sure there are no gremlins in it and get some confidence in it.  It sounds like a good truck.

[Charger_Fan]

Try to find out if it's had the timing chain guides & tensioners done yet. Usually they wear out not long after 100K miles, so it may have already been done.
Other than that, the 4.6 engine is pretty trouble free, if it's had decent maintenance. I have two vehicles with that engine.

[lloyd3]

All good advise gentlemen, thank you! I cancelled on the pop-up camper for the very reasons mentioned above. It goes to my mechanic first thing Monday for a thorough inspection and tune-up, and then probably a trip to Costco for tires (all for about what the camper would have cost). It also needs a receiver hitch added (for pulling docks and duckboats, etc.).  Don't want to need those walking shoes and I really don't want to saddle my FIL with a money pit.  Got to keep the host & guide happy!

[lloyd3]

Well...my mechanic called today. All original trucks with high miles still need to be maintained and regularly dealt with. This one  suffered from benign neglect just a little. It needs just about everything you would expect: belts, hoses, ball joints, tie-rod ends, and possibly a clutch. Sheesh! The brakes are good, the engine runs fine, but.....! There goes my inexpensive gift/project.

[lloyd3]

Oh well, I guess Fords aren't all bad.

[Charger_Fan]

Looks like a pretty clean truck. Once you fix a lot of the neglected things, it should be a decent truck for your father in law.

[lloyd3]

Thanks! What's even better is that I'll have it to drive while I'm up there. Always good to have dependable equipment in  country where the wolves are getting bigger than the deer.

[lloyd3]

Just about ready to go.

[draftingmonkey]

Very nice looking rig. Since you went with the shell (good idea) you might look at a a Truck/SUV tent for camping. I have one for my rig. Have an air mattress for the bed I inflate on location. Once setup I mark the tire location and then can leave the tent in place to travel about an area. The tire marking allows me to backup to the tent opening. The tent makes a great changing room a supply storage area while the bed is setup for sleeping.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/auto-atv/car-truck-suv/truck-bed-tailgate-accessories/truck-tents-shades|/pc/104796180/c/630501480/sc/104658480/i/630564480/napier-backroadz-suv-tent/2240900.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ftruck-tents-shades%2F_%2FN-1118190%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_630564480

[lloyd3]

Got the shell cheap from some folks that were stripping a '97.  They even threw in a deer guard (lots of those where this rig is headed). The tent is a great idea!

[lloyd3]

Working on this truck has been something of a revelation for me.  It has alot of the characteristics of the cars from the 60s and 70s that I like in-that it's relatively easy to work on, parts are as plentiful now as they were I was a kid doing the muscle stuff, and .....both the trucks and the parts are reasonably affordable.  This truck is big, roomy and solid, and being a stick, it also has that closer interaction between man and the machine. I actually enjoy driving it around to do errands more than my little auto-econobox (but...only in light traffic).  On the highway in overdrive it's getting pretty close to 20-mpg and it doesn't have that claustrophobic and tinny-effect that most small cars seem to have (unavoidably, I fear).  I'm also a bit bigger than normal, so maybe I'm more sensitive to that? My own 2001 Dodge Off-Road heavy-half has been a good servant for all these years, but it rides like a tank compared to this Ford, and it gets 14-mpg (if you're lucky & are going slightly downhill). I have used it for very specific reasons (wayyy off-road for elk and other hunting), so maybe the comparison isn't completely apples to apples. The Dodge is heavy-duty; this Ford is clearly lighter-duty, but much more comfortable to live with for every day use.  The Ford does seem to have aged a bit more gracefully as well, but that could be the way it has been used, compared to the hard use my truck has seen.  These old Fords clearly have their charms, however. It will be hard to hand it over at the end of my trip.

Truck central!


A pre-shell comparison. Notice the smaller (and quite a bit less-expensive) 16-inch tires on the Ford.