Complete Auto Noob

[wichidija]

Hi Everybody!

Very, very excited to be here. I have been reading these forums for a while and have been dreaming of owning my own old ford truck, but the moment was never right...until recently.

I just purchased my first Ford truck, a 1972 Ford F250 Custom, it only has 131k and has stayed in one family...they even kept the advertisement from when they bought it. (they purchased it for 2500 brand new and I purchased it for 2200...pretty funny).

Here's the reasons I'm excited about it.

1.) I love this decade of Ford trucks. They just have the look, sound, and feel of what a truck is all about.
2.) I know absolutely, completely, and utterly NOTHING about working on cars...but I plan on changing that.

I have always wanted to learn more about what makes cars tick but was never raised in the type of family who messed around with cars. As a teen, I asked a guy to sort of take me on as an "intern" to show me how to work on autos but it was clear pretty soon that he knew next to nothing.

So I have decided that there is no better way to learn than by doing. Fortunately, I think I have a pretty good rig to begin with, but there are certain things that need repairing, replacing, etc.

Here is my plan:
1.) Start a blog where I record everything I do, no matter how small it is. My mistakes, my successes, etc. I'll take pictures, video, and keep an online record of what a noob looks like learning how to work on a labor of love.
2.) Join this forum, where I have a panel of experts who I can periodically (okay frequently) come to for advice.

So I've already taken my 2nd step (first was buying my dream truck). And now, if ya'll don't mind, maybe you can help me out with my first question...

I am not completely mechanically incompetent, but I simply don't know the vocabulary even of what I'm looking at when I'm looking at it. Does anyone know of an online "Truck Anatomy" chart, that can tell me the name of what I'm looking at? For instance, the first thing I need to replace is the right side exhaust pipe (muffler is fine, but the pipe that attaches to it is rusted through and needs replacing). Is it called an exhaust pipe? I have no idea.

Maybe you can help direct me to some chart of Truck Anatomy. If it was the year of my truck that would be even more helpful.

Thanks a lot and it's really good to be here!

Patrick

[Calfdemon]

from SoCal. You will learn plenty being on this site, we all have and there is no better place to be to learn about your truck. Where are you located? You might even find fellow members that are near where you live that can give you some hands on help when it is needed!

[sargentrs]

from N. Georgia and great looking truck! I use rockauto.com extensively when I am searching for parts (http://www.rockauto.com). I like it because the cataloging system is very easy to use. You can expand the tree on every model between years and look at the same part and tell when it changed from year/model to year/model. I frequently use it when I want to figure out if a part was used from, for example, 1968 - 1985, which is the case on many of our truck parts. I can also reference casting numbers, part numbers, interchange, etc. and gives you the "official" name of the part so you can look it up at your local parts store websites. Incidentally, rockauto's pricing is quite reasonable when compared to your local stores. The schematic pages here (http://www.fordification.com/tech/schematics.htm) are a tremendous help as well as the "Bumpwiki" (http://www.fordification.com/bumpwiki/i ... =Main_Page). Of course, your best source of information is right here on the forum. Congratulations and thanks for joining us!

[wichidija]

I'm located in Salem, Oregon. That would be fantastic to get some hands on help when I get stuck. I haven't even gotten my hands dirty yet but I'm looking forward to it!

I'm also still trying to figure out how to navigate this site so I'll try to update my location and all that stuff.

[robroy]

Good day Patrick,

Thanks for such a super high quality first post!!!

Your truck looks very well preserved, and I think you got a very nice deal. Great job on choosing one!

I think your idea of starting a blog's absolutely perfect. Have you considered putting your blog in to a thread in the FORDification Project Updates section?

If you choose to use a thread in that FORDification section, you'll have the added benefit of folks coming on and commenting on your updates, and answering any questions you may have. If your blog's off-site, far fewer people will see it. This really is the place for Bumpside information and enthusiasts.

To answer your question about the exhaust pipe, yes you're using the right terminology in general! Any of the metal tubing that hooks up to the mufflers can be called exhaust pipe. That said, some people refer to the section of exhaust pipe that sits between the muffler and the engine the "head pipe," while the section of pipe that's between the muffler and the back of the truck (the exhaust's exit) is often called the "tail pipe."

I'm not aware of any general truck anatomy page, yet if you wanted, one idea would be this: you could take some photos of your truck, under the hood, the under-side, the interior, and so on, and then use photo editing software to mark each object with a letter (A, B, C, etc). Then put those photos in your thread and ask folks to come on and tell you what each item is called, and what its function is.

I used that method to have all kinds of ports on the exterior of my new engine identified for me, and it worked really well! Folks came on and said, "Well, A is this, B is that, etc."

Patrick, thanks again for your fabulous post and well done on your truck!!!
Robroy

[wichidija]

Sargentrs and RobRoy,

That was hugely helpful. Thanks so much for your reply. I've gotta say, Its pretty cool to feel so welcome.

Sargentrs, that is a really helpful place to start and I'll begin there. Huge help.

RobRoy, I will definitely have my blog attach to fordification, what a great idea! I'll get to work on it right away. It honestly had not even occurred to me to take pictures of it and ask. To tell the truth, I acknowledge being a noob, but I didn't think people wanted to waste their time just telling me what parts are even called. I'm glad to have a network to help me get going.

p

[robroy]

Good day Patrick!

Sargentrs and RobRoy,

That was hugely helpful. Thanks so much for your reply. I've gotta say, Its pretty cool to feel so welcome.

You're abundantly welcome Patrick!!!

RobRoy, I will definitely have my blog attach to fordification, what a great idea! I'll get to work on it right away.

Excellent! As you've no doubt observed by now, you can get to the Project Updates section from the board index.

Guys generally organize it like this: they have a single "Project Updates" thread for their truck, and then ask in-depth questions in the other technical forums. So their Project Updates thread is used as an overall way to document their truck's progress, while individual threads are used to ask specific questions, like "How tight should these bolts be," or "Where can I find this part I need?"

I decided to make my Project Updates thread an index of its own, so that folks (mostly me) are able to easily find the various specific threads I've posted. You can see what that looks like by glancing at my project updates thread here:

Main #50 Project Thread: 1972 F250 4x2; 8,100lb GVW; FE+T18

It honestly had not even occurred to me to take pictures of it and ask. To tell the truth, I acknowledge being a noob, but I didn't think people wanted to waste their time just telling me what parts are even called. I'm glad to have a network to help me get going.

I'm certain that many folks, including myself, would love to help you out in this way if you posted some photos. FORDification has got to be the friendliest car forum of all. So you picked the right type of truck, to be able to join up here!

Robroy

[390bump]

Wow - for a noob you found what appears to be a fantastic truck! A nice, clean unmolestested speciment! These trucks a prefect for a beginner since they are very basic and easy to work on. Post questions and you'll get plenty of help. BTW, how do you like Salem? Have a son considering Willamette U in Salem and wondering what's it like living up there?

[MrMajestyk]

Patrick

Excellent looking truck

I look forward to your addventures !

Again Welcome

[sargentrs]

As you will find out, there's a great bunch of people on here and all are very willing to help. Don't be afraid to ask anything. There's so such thing as a "stupid" question. I wish I had a nickel for every time somebody asked a, seemingly, basic question and I realized that I didn't know the answer either! Welcome and keep us posted on your project!

[sublimer]

from Blacksburg, VA!

[forrestbump]

from SoCal. Patrick, your truck is beautiful! You're fortunate to be beginning with such an unmolested example of a fine Ford pickup truck.

What I've learned over the years is these are very simple creatures in design and layout. They're easy to work on and very forgiving in virtually all areas. In other words, they're a joy to own, drive and maintain.

Get used to folks giving you the old when they see you and your truck. You may even find that you'll receive offers to buy it from you on occasion.

[1970FordTK]

Welcome from North Carolina.

[Mancar1]

Welcome aboard from Northern Ca. Good looking truck.

[billbates40]

Good looking truck for sure. I'm from Montana, but living up the road from you in Washington.