Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

My 1986 Dodge D-150

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    My 1986 Dodge D-150

    Figured it would be a smart idea to put the happenings of this truck into a singular thread.

    So this sad truck came into my possession from the daughter of the original owner. That said, her father is still around and apparently as I've learned third hand was not very happy I bought his old truck!

    Regardless, because my friend who directed me to the truck is also a co-worker to the daughter who owned it, he gives her periodic updates and she's just glad the truck didn't get crushed and is being repaired. She was essentially stuck with either scrapping it or selling it once the county apparently made a fuss there was a vehicle with lapsed registration that had been sitting in the driveway for several years. It got parked effectively when the TorqueFlite originally gave up. Her husband was driving it, and one day it just decided to quit going forwards. Well her father "knew a guy" who could "fix it", and well the hackass he was cut a hole in the floor, setting the carpet on fire, and frying a bunch of soft stuff behind the dash. He also physically destroyed the original TorqueFlite. In the entire course, the hack tried to get the title so he "could determine what transmission it needed". Eventually the daughter had the truck brought back and shoved up the driveway to its resting place for many years.

    Fast forwards to late last year and that's when everything came together. Scrap man offered $250, I said I'll give them $400 and haul it away. My friend (her co-worker) also bought the trailer that was directly behind it for $300. Boom, cleaned out the driveway, easy right?

    Some of y'all might recognize the truck from the "What Are You Working On?" thread...













    Overall a proper bucket with 112K miles. But hey, the body is straight and there's no rust, and especially in the current market, a 360 V8 Dodge D-150 might fetch at least $5.26 and a ham sandwich if it runs (at some point).

    With no transmission to worry about, the driveshaft was quickly relocated to the bed, and the truck coasted down the driveway onto a dolly...

    ...so I could pull it with the Marquis.


    Also, the aforementioned trailer for the lulz. That did receive a new set of tires and we repacked the bearings before I pulled everything out to Waynesboro, GA. Very useful trailer since the sprayer equipment was removed.


    Anyway, after yoinking the dolly from underneath the truck, figured the easiest way to get it into the warehouse was to just pop the parking brake, give it a shove, and jump into the cab and steering it home while coasting down a hill.




    And thus far has been the home for the truck. In the rather uninteresting interim period that occurred in the following months, I took a trip to upstate South Carolina to get a $100 A727 TorqueFlite since I needed a quality rebuildable candidate. The one I grabbed was perfect as it was already a long tailshaft unit. I also happened across a W-150 in the junkyard which provided all the dash vents, dash duct work, A/C control cables, and entire HVAC box; all parts that were damaged beyond repair from the floor fire.

    Work was done to pull the dash back and drop the old HVAC box out. The junkyard replacement got a new evaporator core and heater core installed. This is also when I found that I'd have to replace the entire A/C system because the original equipment used only threaded fittings while all the replacement components use block fittings. Ka-ching! Quickly spent effectively the purchase price and then some on hard parts. Oh well, I figured that'd would be quickly passed anyway given the fact so much is needed to get the truck roadworthy again.

    While I had not planned on addressing the floor as early as I did, I quickly committed some crimes against humanity and graduated from the Tractor Supply School of Body Work and made a horrific patch panel over the gash in the transmission tunnel after trying to beat the transmission tunnel into shape. It was so badly beaten out of shape the accelerator pedal could not be depressed.



    Not a proud moment.


    What the **** is that? Coated sheet metal semi-beaten into form, pop riveted to the floor, and slathered with some sealer. Proper? No. Did it happen? Yes. $400 truck, lets keep our expectations there.

    And that's where we pretty much got to until today, when the replacement HVAC box went in, sound deadner was applied to the forward section of the floors, rebuilt carburetor was installed, and I pulled the wiper cowl to get the linkages out so I can install new bushings since they're 100% gone on this truck.


    (What floor patch?)

    Also, one of the old tires finally let go sitting. A new set was already planned before it ever sees the road, but I'll need to figure out a spare so I can roll it over to the lift.


    Overall, I've got a pile of tune up and A/C parts sitting out there presently. I've got to order up brakes and shocks since that'll happen after I verify how it runs once the transmission goes in. Hopefully maybe next time or the time after I head out there I'll get started getting the TorqueFlite in. I also do plan on taking the bench out and installing a new vinyl floor liner since I do expect this truck to do truck work, and I don't find carpet very nice where dirt and mud might be getting tracked in.

    Anyway, that's the story so far, and eventually there will be more.


    My Cars:
    -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
    -1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser

    -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
    -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (343K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
    -1997 Grand Marquis LS (244K Miles) - March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner - Sold (05/2011 - 07/2024)

    #2
    This is one of those vehicles I tell people about in conversations about ridiculous hack fix/failures. It's come up something like 3 times. I used to keep the pic of the transmission on my phone. Amazing "work" on that.

    Looks remarkably clean & intact; well worth the effort to put it back on the road. Most 1st gen Rams up here have returned to nature long ago now.

    Current driver: 91
    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
    | 88 TC | 91 GM
    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
    | Junkyards

    Comment


      #3
      Good job so far. I like Dodge trucks IF they are undercoated. They rust out here almost as fast as Chevy pickups. The idiot who caused the fire sure messed things up. You got yourself a good deal as most pickups are demanding outrageous prices right now.

      Comment


        #4
        Good looking truck. Nice job on putting in the effort to save it.
        ~David~

        My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
        My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

        Originally posted by ootdega
        My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

        Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
        But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

        Originally posted by gadget73
        my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




        Comment


          #5
          Glad to see your making progress. I think that floor patch looks just fine and 100% functional.

          I've seen several cars in the junkyard with some hack job fuel pump replacements. This is the only one I've seen that tried a transmission replacement from up top.
          1990 Country Squire - under restoration
          1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - daily beater

          GMN Box Panther History
          Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
          Box Panther Production Numbers

          Comment


            #6
            Still absolutely baffled how someone can fail so badly at a transmission repair that the vehicle ends up on fire, the floor has a hole in it, and the transmission is an un-salvagable heap of scrap metal.

            nice age failure on the tires too. I've had people tell me they have never heard of a tire go bad from just being old before, but here it is.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment


              #7
              When all you have is a torch, hammer, 3/8" ratchet with a 6 inch extension... and need to reach the transmissions upper bolts...

              Comment


                #8
                Nice work. The floor patch might look bad, but it gets the job done - and what else could you do besides replace the entire pan anyway?

                The truck looks like it was in decent enough shape before it got hacked up. Should be well worth the investment to get it sorted out and back in service.
                1985 LTD Crown Victoria
                1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
                1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, 360

                Past: 1995 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by kishy View Post
                  This is one of those vehicles I tell people about in conversations about ridiculous hack fix/failures. It's come up something like 3 times. I used to keep the pic of the transmission on my phone. Amazing "work" on that.

                  Looks remarkably clean & intact; well worth the effort to put it back on the road. Most 1st gen Rams up here have returned to nature long ago now.
                  Anyone who knows what the 727 TorqueFlite looks like typically looks at me a bit crazy when I mention they exploded the case until I show them a picture, and of course we still all wonder how the guy managed that. Probably the worst part will be when I finally have a photo of the back of the engine. I've seen through the hole, and the remaining part of the case is still stuck to the back of the engine. All the bell housing bolts are MIA to boot. At least the dangling TV linkage to the carburetor looks okay.

                  Outside of the paint being shot, it's oddly straight and things that should have rotten it in those "magic spots" just haven't. The wiper arms were in free play, so I knew the wiper linkage bushings were gone. When I popped the cowl, it was packed full of old dirt, leaves, and the like, and still quite moist. Vacuumed it all out, and it was still 100% clean. That build up of crap was years in the making. I rarely see D/W trucks out here, and when I do, they look considerably worse than this one.

                  Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                  Glad to see your making progress. I think that floor patch looks just fine and 100% functional.

                  I've seen several cars in the junkyard with some hack job fuel pump replacements. This is the only one I've seen that tried a transmission replacement from up top.
                  Like all my projects, I move slow, and I've got to try to focus on one area at a time since it needs attention from all corners, otherwise I get into feeling a bit overwhelmed. The silly part is there's no need for the hole. All the bell housing bolts are accessible from the bottom of the truck or up top in the engine bay. Plenty of space to get the top ones if you stand in the engine bay.

                  Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                  Still absolutely baffled how someone can fail so badly at a transmission repair that the vehicle ends up on fire, the floor has a hole in it, and the transmission is an un-salvagable heap of scrap metal.

                  nice age failure on the tires too. I've had people tell me they have never heard of a tire go bad from just being old before, but here it is.
                  These tires all have deep tread, so I figure they were put on not too long before the transmission failure. I'd need to go see the date codes, but given the extreme exposure they experience down here, it does not surprise me they failed just holding the vehicle up. I could see an old tire lasting if kept inside in a temperate environment. Arguably I don't even like running an in-service tire, regardless of wear, past 7 or 8 years down here given the heat and UV.

                  For reference:


                  About 2019 when I worked at the parts store, I had an older lady come in saying something was dragging under the car. It was the remaining part of the fender liner that had been beaten out when the tire de-laminated. I think the DOT code had these tires around the 9 or 10 year old mark. The remaining tires all had maybe 4/32" of tread, but all equally were cracking. And of all things, where was she coming from? Myrtle Beach, SC, headed back to Birmingham, AL. I was told she never thought she'd need to put another set of tires on the car because it was getting old (2004 Camry). Tossed the spare on and told her she really needed to stay in town for the evening and get a set of tires in the morning, but who knows if she did the smart thing.

                  /tire sidebar


                  My Cars:
                  -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                  -1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser

                  -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                  -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (343K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                  -1997 Grand Marquis LS (244K Miles) - March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner - Sold (05/2011 - 07/2024)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Tires that came with the Continental had 1994 date codes on them in 2017. I could just about see the air through the cracks, but somehow they held the car up. I think I moved it about 150 feet under power on those tires, they were just too sketchy. Pulled the rims and took them to the tire shop to have new tires installed. I didn't trust driving it the mile there.
                    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                    Originally posted by phayzer5
                    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Brake pedal wear says 212K miles to me instead of 112K, but still a decent buy.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Dragonwagon View Post
                        Brake pedal wear says 212K miles to me instead of 112K, but still a decent buy.
                        That wear point is consistent with where your foot would pivot from the accelerator. Having seen some original repair documents showing mileage/dates and the title I took to the tag office when I transferred ownership, nothing is indicative of the odometer rolling twice.

                        I can show you a 237K and 330K brake pedal with no appreciable wear.


                        My Cars:
                        -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                        -1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser

                        -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                        -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (343K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                        -1997 Grand Marquis LS (244K Miles) - March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner - Sold (05/2011 - 07/2024)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I was basing that on my own brake pedal and torqueflite longevity observations with two AD-150s and a D-150, but I suppose a person who allows a mechanic to set the truck on fire by burning an access hole into the floor probably isn't as careful switching between gas and brake as you or I might be.

                          Be sure to get a couple extra wiper linkage bushings. Thirty years ago, you could walk into the parts department at a Dodge dealer and they would have a bin of them sitting on the counter. Now it's hit or miss on whether you'll find local stock on the Dorman aisles. They break unpredictably.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Time to dust this thread off a bit.

                            No appreciable work was done on the D-150 throughout 2023. It was moved from where it landed in the building to the lift and a even more ancient wheel fitted (something like a 80s Goodyear Vector) so it could be rolled around. Test fitted some Plymouth Ramcharger hubcaps. Remaining chunks of the old TorqueFlite were removed. It was noted the replacement torque converter I had was for a 318 engine, not a 360 due to the lack of an external counterweight. I ordered a weighted flexplate as a substitute. However, that was the most that happened otherwise.


                            Work picked back up today in earnest.




                            The TorqueFlite from two years ago finally landed where it belongs. Had to drop the exhaust partially on the driver's side for clearance purposes, but shockingly everything came apart with ease despite the appearances of the studs. Overall, massive step forwards in a very slow project. The current issue I've encountered is getting the torque converter far enough forwards to bolt to the flexplate. The converter is properly seated, however I cannot seem to get it far enough forwards to the flexplate to get the bolts started. The replacement flexplate is installed in the correct orientation, just a slight enough gap exists that exceeds where the bolt will catch. I think I'll try and take a proper pry bar out next time and gently try to walk the T/C forwards a touch as I cannot actuate it very well with my hands given the space.

                            Anyway, a problem for another day.


                            My Cars:
                            -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                            -1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser

                            -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                            -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (343K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                            -1997 Grand Marquis LS (244K Miles) - March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner - Sold (05/2011 - 07/2024)

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Good deal

                              oh, at some point I learned what may have happened to the exploded original. There is apparently a sprag in there that can fail, and when it happens it seriously over-spins a drum and it explodes through the case of the transmission. If that happend after a rebuilt it may have been put in wrong and the first time it was driven it just blew TF up.
                              86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                              5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                              91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                              1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                              Originally posted by phayzer5
                              I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X