1992 F150 Project "Finished"

Well I finally got it done!

I bought the truck 11/11/13 and 11/20/2014 she was finished. Rebuilt, Registered and Inspected to the State of Maine standards.

It has been a long year. Many times I wanted to throw in the towel and quit. I kept going along and working away at it.

As a update from my last one regarding this project, I was given to opportunity to trade out my worn out body panels to some better ones on a truck that could not be registered because there was no title of ownership.

1995 F150 302 Auto

From NH, had no title

 My friend got the 1995 with intentions of making it into a demolition derby/race truck. He offered the better parts off it and he would take my worse and more rusty parts.

The Original Bed with Custom Bumper Roll Pan

After I mounted it all back on, I was offered the parts.

 I started ripping apart the two trucks and swapping parts.

LEFT: 1995 F150. RIGHT: 1992 F150

1995 Disassembled

The two trucks with no doors. A lot of fun to drive this way.

After I got the doors, the fender and bed, I started putting them back together.

1992 with the white bed

The 1992 with all the white parts.

1992 from the other side

1995 with a door I found in the woods

And then we send the 1995 off.

We ended up doing the entire body switch in 4 afternoons after school and after work. We did this all while my father was working in Connecticut from Monday Morning-Thursday Night. His reaction was priceless with "Is that the same POS truck?"

After this I had to spend a lot of time working and making money for the next step.

I hired my friend and his father to weld in patch panels and the rollpan bumper and paint the truck.

It took all summer for me to make up the money and for them to get the truck, which upset me a little bit because I was heading off to College and had to spend 10 days out of contact and a month and a half of not being able to go home. 

When I got home they proved they spent their time wisely and did good and careful work.

Kennebunk Beach 11/22/2014

It really turned out clean. All of my brothers, my best friends Dylan and Mike made this thing turn out great. Not many kids can say they built their first truck.

Beautiful Sunset

Roll Pan makes it look sporty and clean

Chrome and clear headlights make it look sharp

Red Interior, White Body, and Chrome Trim

Fully Register, Inspected and Ready to Go

2' Drop Shackles 

I honestly love this truck. I was planning on inheriting a 1989 F150 and doing the same thing a few years back, but I had plans change and I got this instead.

Now as my need for a vehicle get more important, I must decide if I want to continue working on this, or buy something a little newer, and something 4x4 to get to the good canoeing spots... Jeep GMC Z71 F250?

My next options would be to fix a few odd and end thing on this, and maybe upgrade the Engine and Transmission. Big Block? 351 4 Speed? who knows. Only time will tell. 

1936* Old Town Update

After some help from my WCHA (Wooden Canoe Heritage Association) friends I was able to find the original build sheet to this canoe!

The gentleman I got it from told me it was a 1926 15' Canoe. Well 1936 17' is close enough for me. A Free Canoe is a Free Canoe!

It appears to have been built on June 24, 1936. Sent to Detroit, Michigan to return on July 27, 1936 for repairs. It was then returned on July 21, 1937 for more repairs. Along with more done in November 7, 1944. This helps confirm the story of the canoe being sent in for repairs. As there are signs in the sheeting that parts were cut out and replaced.

Also on this build sheet we found what color it was painted originally! It was Design #10 which is pictured below.

It is a Common Sense OTCA model canoe. A really good find, and a amazing price!

Despite my strive for restoration, I have decided I want to paint it a modern Topside Peditt Paint. Possibly the Electric Blue Shade shown on the image below on a fiberglass Kayak.

Can't wait to see it done! Also stay tuned for possibly another Old Town coming into the fleet! Deals are a-brewin!

1927 17' Old Town Canoe

Got this from a guy up in Old Orchard Beach. Texted me out of the blue and said i could have his old canoe project because he was too old to build it anymore.

He said that it has been in his barn since 1989 because it received damage from tree limbs and hail. Honestly it is in beautiful shape and needs a bit of wood work to be 100% again.

He said the original owner was one of his closest friends and ordered it new from Old Town. At one point of her ownership of the canoe it was hit by a tree and sent back to Old Town for repairs.

He has temporarily misplaced the Paperwork and build sheet from Old Town, and the seats. But they are in his barn somewhere he said and will call me when he find them.

Seems to have been Blue

Holes from the Tree Limbs and 

Serial #116493 17

Original Gunnels, still in great shape

Great Lines

Mid-Restoration Beauty

Grand Laker Canoe

This project has been completed for a while now. I honestly just thought about posting about it. This canoe was purchased by my father around 1996. We did a quick restoration around 2005, which we didnt like.

So the summer of 2013 we decided to restore it better, with a tougher canvas. The only issue is that it is very hard get canvas to fit over the hull, width wise.

There really isn't much to say about this one. It is a 1941~1947 Grand Laker Canoe. We found a old penny that was made into a washer in the canoe, so we based the age off that. The hull is in good shape. Replaced gunwales, and a new seat. We also put on our 4hp Envinrude Short Shaft.

 The size difference (pre-restoration) of the GL and my Chestnut Chum

 Removed the old canvas

 Applying the new style canvas

 Putting it back together

 Equipped with a motor

 Loaded down for a trip on Lake Temagami. This is on Upper Cleminshaws, for those who know the lake

 A little too overfilled  for its liking. This is at the Camp Wabun Dock

Stopped by the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough on the way home from Lake Temagami.

Here is the youtube video I made of it, when we restored it.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyShzLzhDYs

Land-Shark Projects: 1992 F-150

So this is my personal, first purchased vehicle.

It is a 1992 Ford F-150, 300 I6, Automatic, 2wd, Longbed, Single Cab.

I bought it in November, with hopes of turning it into my first truck.

I have been throwing money at this for a while. I love this little truck. It is currently disassembled in my driveway, but no matter how ugly it looks, I just have visions for it.

I wanted to improve the stance, so I replaced the rear shocks, and added new 2" drop shackles. This will bring the very back of the truck down, to look more balanced.

I plan on fixing the rust it has, when my funds become available. Once that is done, I plan on painting the truck red, with matte black stripes down the hood.

Later on, depending if I keep it long, I want to upgrade the old worn out 300 Straight Six, and put in a mildly rebuilt 302. Keeping it an automatic.

I want a fun, but functional work truck.

This is when I first got it

Back View

Last month, started stripping her out

 No More bed

Painted Frame

After a little Body Work

New Drop Shackles on the freshly undercoated frame

Land-shark Projects: 1966 Mustang

In the 1990's my father purchased a 1966 Ford Mustang. He had it at College and his wedding. After I was born halfway through the decade the Mustang saw the fate of many classic cars... The Garage.

I have ridden in the car all of probably a mile. Proving how much it has driven in recent years.

My father would occasionally have the motivation to work on the car. We upgraded the front drum brakes, to new disc brakes. All new brake lines. New gas tank. New fuel lines.

This past week, aside from the Penbo project, my brother and I sought out on the task of making the Mustang run again. After a lot of trouble shooting, pulling the battery out of the families Ford Excursion, we cranked over the old tired 200 I6. After realizing the lack of fuel, we tore down the fuel filter and sending unit.

After all the gunk was out of that, we got gas to the carb, and ran the engine. We have it running for the first time in almost 5 years.

We plan on dragging the beauty up to Maine, where we will Resto-mod this old Grandma's Mustang into a nice powerful cruiser.

Soon to be outfitted with a 1966 Ford Galaxie 289 and T-5 5 Speed.