Cool story.

[vonburger]

I am a teenager getting money together to restore the Old 71 ford in my backyard. I've been getting money together anyway i can. I don't have a job yet so what i do is go around on country roads and pick up aluminum cans. I've been getting a small amounts here and there from family and friends. But yesterday my uncle who works at a rehabilitation clinic told me he was talking about the restoration his manager overheard him. The manager thought it was really cool how a 14 year old is working on restoring his own truck. Now the whole clinic is saving cans for the restoration.

[abyars111]

That is a cool story. Thanks for sharing. I'm amazed at the love people have for these old trucks.

[Kurt Combs]

Cool story Vonburger, why don't you tell us more about yourself and your truck? That is a gentle suggestion, not a directive. Also, approximately where do you live? Sometimes people offer to help out if they are nearby.

From the sounds of your story you are experiencing peoples good nature and desire to foster youth's interest in things (trucks, cars, fishing, hunting) whenever possible. You will learn a lot doing your restoration, most of it mechanical, but all of it good for you. You will also learn about project management and budgeting. The other thing, I don't know what your timeline is, but if you plan on driving it all the time you are in high school, you do need a plan. You especially need a budget. I would start by listing all the things you need to make the truck what you would like it to be, and then adjust your priorities based on how much you can afford. Post your ideas here and let people comment on what it has cost them to do a similar project. I know that when I plan for a project I list everything I might possibly need and price it out, then I multiply by two for all the incidentals that I missed. You can also ask for approximate hours to complete a stage, or all, of a project. I really miss my estimates on time. Seems I am a perfectionist and that add to the length of a project!

Most of all have fun with your truck and be proud of what you accomplish making it what you want it to be.

[vonburger]

I am a 14 year old guy. I moved to Scottsbluff Nebraska This summer. The truck Is a 1971 ford F100 ranger with a 6 cylinder 240 CID engine. The title is in my grandmothers name but she parked it in my uncles backyard (I am currently living in my uncles house until my moms house sells.) and it has not been touched for just under a decade. i do not recall the mileage but that is of little relavence. I have always been supported well, my family is extremely close. I lost my dad to a drunk driver in 2006. Yeah, i found out that buying stickers for the bumper is one of the last things to do haha. i have little hands on experience. i have a good amount book knowledge though. I've been doing quite bit looking up for it. I spent three hours a few days ago price comparing and i lost the list It will take a lot of man hours and money. But i am in this restoration for the long haul. I am willing to wait for money to get what i want in the truck. My vision is a few frills work and play truck. Mudding, very mild off road stuff. Hauling small stuff like a jet ski or a johnboat. i found this site and i have never joined a site like this, but so far my experience with it has been informative and helpful. I am not a perfectionist but i like For everything to look nice and work effiecently. Thanks for the chance to tell my story.

[basketcase0302]

First and foremost!
Condolences on the loss of your Father.
Your story is quite an awesome one, and your not alone here in your age group. There are several teenagers here restoring our old trucks. Ryan, (1971Ford I believe is his username) kinda grew up here building bumps, (and a racing bump to boot)! There's lots of good folks here to help, and don't be too shy or afraid to ask any question.
Wish I were closer and I'd round up all the aluminum I could also to help with your build!

[vonburger]

First and foremost!
Condolences on the loss of your Father.
Your story is quite an awesome one, and your not alone here in your age group. There are several teenagers here restoring our old trucks. Ryan, (1971Ford I believe is his username) kinda grew up here building bumps, (and a racing bump to boot)! There's lots of good folks here to help, and don't be too shy or afraid to ask any question.
Wish I were closer and I'd round up all the aluminum I could also to help with your build!

Thank you. Its good to know im not the only teenager here. Though i am more of an offroad person

[sargentrs]

Sorry for your loss also. Be patient and plan it out. I've had my truck for almost 8 years now. I started planning my build 3 years ago by searching for and accumulating parts. I picked up parts at junk yards, from craigslist, ebay, and of course, right here from fellow members. Even bought a donor truck for some parts. I've saved hundreds by being patient and searching for deals. Anything you're looking for, check here first. Chances are somebody here might have it. Good luck and keep us posted on your project.

[Kurt Combs]

Sorry to hear you lost your dad; good to hear you have a close family.

I think you will find plenty of off-road type people on this site. I'm not one of them, I just like to improve my ride when I can and I enjoy the torque of a big block Ford. Mine is a drive and improve it as I have time project. This year I swapped the 360 out for a 460 and improved the steering greatly. Next year, when I have some vacation time, I will probably install a newer seat and spiff up the interior. I fix anything that breaks when the need arises. I do brag a lot that it is going up in value while my wife's cars always go down!

I was just thinking, this must be your first vehicle. My first car was a 1953 Mercury that I bought from a guy for $75 in 1964, he had it behind his barn. Hum... the memories of a first car..... you are going to learn a lot and have fun.

[vonburger]

Sorry to hear you lost your dad; good to hear you have a close family.

I think you will find plenty of off-road type people on this site. I'm not one of them, I just like to improve my ride when I can and I enjoy the torque of a big block Ford. Mine is a drive and improve it as I have time project. This year I swapped the 360 out for a 460 and improved the steering greatly. Next year, when I have some vacation time, I will probably install a newer seat and spiff up the interior. I fix anything that breaks when the need arises. I do brag a lot that it is going up in value while my wife's cars always go down!

I was just thinking, this must be your first vehicle. My first car was a 1953 Mercury that I bought from a guy for $75 in 1964, he had it behind his barn. Hum... the memories of a first car..... you are going to learn a lot and have fun.

Cool engine swap. Yeah it is, and i hope i do.

[kf7mjf]

Sorry for your loss man

Your project sounds awesome. Not an off roader, but it should be fun to see it progress.

I've got the '72 service manuals (except the one on body and lubrication) so if you need any pages or sections photographed, lemme know. Lot of good stuff on engines and what have you in them.

[67mann]

My condolences for you and your family on the loss of your father. Very cool that your motivating yourself on a truck restore I don't what your plans our in school or if there's Vocation programs in your area I knew at an early(hated school )age my hands and body would make my wage. So I opted for a Boces program in my jr.&sr. year. I took autobody and remember a student that had brought his own car in to work on in his Senior year.....don't know what the cost was,but still had to be a cheap route to get the body work and paint job.The best part is using a nice facility to do your own work

[robroy]

Good morning Vonburger,

I'm very sorry to hear about your dad, and I think your story's great.

Fixing up old trucks has been a great way for me to gain experience, and the end-result of having a usable truck can't be beat. There's no other vehicle which can give you the independence and capability of an old pickup truck, especially a 1967-1972 Ford. It says a lot about your self-reliance that you're interested in this.

Earning money can take some time, but you already have something more valuable--the desire to bring something about in your life. And I think that you'll find over the years that desiring a thing--spending hours with the positive expectation of something you want rolling through your imagination--is actually much more energizing than having the end-result. So in this sense you're already there; you've already "arrived."

Robroy

[jimmy828]

i am also sorry to hear about your father. It had to be hard losing your father at such a young age. So you say that you are starting a project on the old ford. Well, i must say you came to the right site. I was like you when i started my project. Knowing nothing about the 69 i have until i found this site. There are a lot of guys on here that know a lot about your truck and i'm sure they will give you the knowledge you need step by step to get you on the road. Just have PATIENCE and be ready for a heck of a lot labor . If you know how to post pics send us one of truck. Good luck with your voyage.

[71fordkid]

Welcome to the site. Im 20 now (21 in less tham a month) and have been tinkering and building bumps since i was about 10. there are alot of great people on this site, and just about every one of us knows every inch of these trucks inside and out, backwards and forwards. I myself have had 4 trucks completely torn down now.

Its great to hear about the rehabilitation clinic saving cans for you.it shows that not everyone thinks only about themselves, and that there is still good in this sometimes backwards world corruped by greed and selfishness. Have you thought about building yor truck as sort of a tribute to your dad? was he into vehicle and working on stuff?

one peice of advice i can give you is research, research research.... oh and did i mention researching? try to get as much info on something before you dive in. research it within an inch of its life and that way when you finaly dive in, you know exactly what your going to find and how to deal with it.

[vonburger]

Thanks for the overwhelming response guys. I decided early on to make it into a shrine for my dad. He and i used to go mudding in his old bright orange dodge ram it used to come back brown