Another Year Fixing the Old Ford

So another year has passed and that means another inspection sticker on my old Ford.  This truck has served me very well so I am more than willing to give it the help it needs to keep it on the road.  This year will make year number two that I have had to get the frame patched.  This years patching was very minor compared to last years but it had to be done none the less.  Even though the inspection came up in the winter I was able to do all of the work in comfort and warmth.  In saying that, I would like to recommend anyone that needs large to light duty truck work done to check out Merrill's Garage
                                                             Merrills-Garage-Inc
The owner, Justin and his crew do great professional work and in a timely manner.  The other person I would like to thank is Wayne Adams of Mid State Welding who of course did the welding and patching on the frame.

Wayne does not have a website so this is as close as I could come.  Wayne is an excellent welder and I wouldn't want anyone else to work on my truck.  Back to the real action, my father (who was so generous to help) and I removed the bed Friday night and dropped the rear tank down.  This is the third time that we have removed the bed and are now getting pretty good at it.  Saturday morning Wayne Adams showed up and we started right away on the frame.

At his young age Wayne has decided that he only likes to work on truck frames in the winter if there is a lift and heat. I of course obliged with both to get him to work on the truck.  There were only two small cracks to be fixed that were right next to the overload bumpers. 

The ditch side one he patched on the inner side as well as a large patch on the outside of the frame.  We also beefed up a few other spots as a bit of preventative maintenance. 

This is the other major patch that was done on the drivers side.  At times I wonder if the rear frame is more patch than frame but if Wayne welded it then I believe it will hold.  After Ten O'clock, when Wayne, left I changed a universal joint on the rear of the driveshaft and replaced the fuel tank until my father showed up and helped me replace the bed.  Once the bed was back on and the lights back together and working one of Merrill's employees inspected the truck for another year. 

This has been a great truck and I hope that I can keep it running for years to come. It has served me well and I enjoy this truck immensely.  I want to thank everyone that has helped me keep it running over the last few years through everything that has gone wrong. 
Remember stay tuned and check back often.