1986 F250 Diesel

Hello everyone. Long time reader, first time poster, so bear with me if pictures don't work or anything like that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, just a couple days ago, I bought the perfect start to my dream truck, so I figured it was time to start a build thread.

So, here she is. It's a 1986 F250 Diesel, 4x4, 4 speed manual, regular cab. I've wanted a bullnose Ford ever since my Dad sold his '84 when I was a little kid and this one ticked all the boxes. The end goal is to have a reliable work truck to use when I start welding full time. First thing I need to do is replace the wheel cylinders and brake shoes in the rear then bleed the brakes so it's actually safe to drive. Belts, hoses, and general cleanup come after that so I can start putting some miles on it. The whole build process will take some time because bills come first over a project, but I can't wait to get started.

Oh man. I really enjoyed mine (84 but exactly the same specs otherwise).

Great truck. Check the firewall where the clutch pedal attaches. It can get weak from flexing overtime and brake fluid induced rust. Reinforcement panels are easy to get, but much better to do before you tear through if you have flexing or rust.

Mine had the glow plugs system gutted out before I got it so it was manual via button on the dash. On, count to 6, off, count to 6, repeat twice and she fired right up everytime. If the temp was down below about 15, I usually had to repeat 3 times. Haha.

In reply to Robbie :

Haha, yeah, they're really neat trucks. And I'll definitely check that out tomorrow morning, thank you. I have a lot to learn, so any info is much appreciated. 

Did these come with the 6.9 IDI or had they switched to the 7.3 IDI already? 

Not powerful, but they're dependable. My uncle has one with over 350k. There's always something satisfing about catching up on preventative maintenance.

That's a beautiful truck and I'm sure it will be fun for you to work on and drive. My only comment is watch those glowplugs. The IDI diesel is truly an indestructible motor but previous owners run junk glowplugs or put 6.9l glow plugs in the 7.3l and vice versa. So if and when you change them only use the Motorcraft ones made by BERU.

The autolites and others of the world have a tendency to burn out and swell at the element. So when you go to unthread them from the head they can't fit through the hole and snap off. Now you've got a piece of metal either stuck in the hole or sitting in the prechamber (if you're lucky) just waiting to drop into your motor at 2500 rpms. If you're lucky you can magnet or vacuum it out through the injector hole. If you're unlucky, the head is coming off and those things weigh a LOT.

This is how our 250 shop truck developed its ether addiction. Still runs like a top though!

That’s pretty awesome and I dig it’s a 4-Speed. Did these come with actual stick axle up front because it’s a 250? Or were these still subject to the dreaded Twin-Beam front axle? 

In reply to tux424 :

6.9. And yeah, not the most powerful, but enough to get it moving haha.

In reply to orthoxstice :

Thank you, I'm lovin it so far haha. Oh yeah, I've heard some of the horror stories about autolites. Motorcraft glow plugs aren't too far down on my list of to-do's.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid :

Thank you. It does have the twin-beam up front. I believe only the F350s came with a stick axle up front at the time. 

Dad had one like this - 6.9l, bought from a Ford dealer with low mileage.  Also bought a warranty to go with.  Helped him install a Banks turbo on it and, after a couple of years, had coolant in the oil.  Took it in and the dealer said it had a porous block and was going to cost $7k to replace.  Contacted the insurance company and they told him he voided the warranty installing the turbo.

Long story short, he had told the dealer (the agent for the insurance co) he was planning the turbo install.  I reviewed his policy, which said nothing about aftermarket modifications. 

Called them and asked if they wanted our attorney to talk to their attorney?  They paid the bill.  Still makes me smile after a lot of years.

Sorry for the hijack - carry on.  Dad's was a great truck after it was sorted.

Just crossed the first thing off the mental list. Gonna go to my buddy's garage either tonight or tomorrow to swap them out and bleed the brakes. 

Also, my Dad came across this while moving stuff to his storage unit. Should come in handy for this truck as well as my '78 when the time comes to get started on that.

In reply to CJ :

I've tossed around the idea of a Banks turbo kit for it down the road haha. Glad your Dad was able to get that all sorted out and keep it on the road. 

JRH said:

In reply to CJ :

I've tossed around the idea of a Banks turbo kit for it down the road haha. Glad your Dad was able to get that all sorted out and keep it on the road. 

I was just about to ask if you could put a banks on these, good looking truck! I've got a 97 7.3 250

In reply to grover :

Thank you! Those are great trucks too, I thought about trying to find a later model like that with a Powerstroke, but they're still worth a lot more money than I can afford haha.

JRH said:

In reply to grover :

Thank you! Those are great trucks too, I thought about trying to find a later model like that with a Powerstroke, but they're still worth a lot more money than I can afford haha.

True. I got quite a deal on this one. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one! 

Hey, speaking of my old truck, I was organizing garage tonight and found a brand new clutch master and a thermostat for the truck I don't have any more.

Pm me your address and I'll ship em to ya if you like.

In reply to Robbie :

You sure man? You don't have to do that.

Welp, haven't made any progress on the truck yet this week, but I'm in no hurry. My Dad's house sold, so I've been helping with the moving process after school/work. I'll probably work on it this weekend if I have some free time.

Well, finally got some time to do my brakes today. Popped the drums off only to find broken springs on the driver's side. Back to O'Reilly's tomorrow I guess haha. I'm becoming a regular customer again.

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. Started my college classes and had some parts mishaps at O'Reilly's so I've totally been dragging ass on the truck. I know, excuses, excuses haha. Finished the brakes a little while ago which were kind of a nightmare. 

Haven't done much else other than that. I did take a trip to Pick-N-Pull and took a couple things out of a really clean extended-cab truck. Got this dash mat and a rearview mirror, as well as some new XL badges and a slightly less trashed headlight bucket.

Hey guys, been a busy couple of months, but I've finally made some more progress on the 86. Put all 4 new belts in it, changed the oil, installed a new vacuum pump, and changed out the fuel injector O-rings. Just ordered new Motorcraft glow plugs today, so all of the general maintenance is pretty much out of the way. Drove it to the college for the first time last week and it didn't skip a beat. Sorry for the lack of updates. Most of my "free" time has been dedicated to homework. Been working on my 78 a little bit too haha.

Old belts pictured of course^. A lot of them, but super simple. Gotta love the simplicity of an old truck.

Finally gave her a bath again too. 

Thanks for the posts. These are simple, strong trucks. Great to see you looking after this one. 

In reply to conesare2seconds :

Thanks! They really are simple. I was a little nervous about it at first, but it's not really any different from working on an old gasser pickup. Basic, easy, and pretty stress free haha. 

Big changes today. The moment you've all been waiting for even if you didn't know it.

Bought a set of the budget special 16x8 black steel wheels and some 285/75r16 Nankang Mudstars. Cheap setup, but I'm happy with it. I wasn't really sure about going with black cause it's a little overdone nowadays, but I think it looks right on this truck. The truck's been a total trooper after working through some of the kinks. Anyway, I installed an extra Grant wheel I had laying around the other day. Unsurprisingly, the adapter for my '78 F100 works in this truck too.

I'm really wanting to get started on fixing up the interior. I'm hoping a nice example comes through the local Pick & Pull so I can make it a little more presentable on the cheap. Anyway, here's a few more pictures from some of the truck's travels.

Fishing trip at Shasta Lake. First time offroad at all since I've owned it.

Artsy picture under a lamp in the parking garage downtown. Looks out of place, but in a good way.

My original plan with this truck was to fix it up and use it as a cheap, reliable welding rig, but I've been watching some cool outdoor channels on YouTube and I'd really like to use this truck for camping and other outdoor stuff. Thinking about trying to find a cheap camper shell and a roof rack of some kind for my kayak. We'll see what happens as time goes on.

Good wheel choice!

Sorry I didn't see your updates but the parts are yours if you want them. Seriously.