We love working on older vehicles and when they come with a great story or some extra sentimental value, it makes it even better. This is Jess’ 1989 Ford F-150. It’s definitely on the young end of the projects we do but we couldn’t resist.
This truck originally belonged to Jess’s grandfather, Robert Craft (Bobby). He bought the truck new and drove it around his native West Virginia until he passed away. Jess has many fond memories of riding in the truck with her grandfather and hired us to bring the truck back to original condition.
Bobby took excellent care of the truck but the West Virginia winters took their toll on some parts of it.
We always start by getting the car or truck to run safely and dependably. This truck had been sitting for a while so we took care of a number of mechanical and electrical issues before dealing with any cosmetic items.
Never underestimate the ambition of mice. They got inside the transmission bellhousing and built a huge nest around the clutch.
The only area with severe rust was the bed. We determined that it wasn’t worth repairing and Jess tracked down a used replacement .
There was quite a bit of heavy surface rust on the chassis and suspension. Knowing that problem only gets worse, we descaled the entire under- carriage and applied a rust encapsulating coating.
The interior was restored with new seat fabrics and headliner. The carpet was replaced with a color matched, factory style vinyl mat for easy maintenance. The dash and door panels were restored and dyed in their original color. Custom fabric was added to the door panels and rear panel to perk things up.
The exterior was painted in the factory color scheme using the original colors. For the bed we sprayed in a color-matched liner. The rest of the exterior was a combination of restored original and reproduction parts.
Jess wanted to pay tribute to her Grandfather by personalizing the truck with his name. Using an image of his signature taken from an old letter, she had custom emblems made. One is on the back of the truck and the other on the dash. What a wonderful way to honor someone you really cared about !
A “Bobby Edition” plaque on the dash, a vintage Hula Girl and a period correct Sport Grip steering wheel wrap….. That pretty much covers it.
Keep an eye out for this great looking truck. This is no garage ornament. Jess drives this truck everywhere !
