There is this 99 F-150 with a 4.2 that has decided to stick around for about 5 years now. 99,000 on it when it showed up and now there are 146,000 or so when the odometer lights, which usually takes a few less than gentle taps on the dash. First week with it went off-road and silt blew out the alt. luckily there was a guy at the first gas station,excuse me only gas station in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday night, that rebuilt batteries in his barn and even put it in this poor truck. Drove home 2.5 hours with no lights on, battery still lives to this day. Both front fenders were damaged, wheel well mud guards went missing, blew #3 piston through the side of the block in about 3 months. A replacement motor was found from a van, dipstick tube broke off in the block after it was in, break off bolt extractor in the same hole so a little epoxy covered up that little mishap. Drove it around for a day before the hood was on, just so excited it was running, but the day the hood was installed 6 hours later it rear ended a Mercedes and totaled both. BUT WAIT, this ford wont die, for a mere 75$ the truck could stay with its owner, so it did. A torch, hammer and pry bar separated and "straightened" the left front horn of the frame rail that may sag slightly after hitting a speed bump to hard, or small animals. Next to go was the fan after being packed with mud and trying to engage the blade came from together, clutch decided to go, radiator and shroud said adios as well. With that and a thermostat replaced this truck will see the next millenia without a doubt....perhaps not. While carelessly rotating over moist soil at terminal velocity, the side of the tire met an immovable object, so the tire moved,the axle moved, the caliper moved the brake backing plate moved, the mount on the axle housing for the rear backing plate moved, therefore they were all removed seeing as how the brakes had not worked since the second day of ownership and the parking brake locked while driving. While the axle was replaced the bolt holding the through shaft for the spider gears in the differential was, of course, broken. Good thing a craftsman drill came to the rescue, boring a hole into the differential housing and allowing the through shaft out. From the front end screeching while wandering down back roads to the entire front end being replaced this truck stuck around, a true testament to the little train that could. On that note of determination this machine decided to make its west out west and try for a new life in CO away from the rust spotted brethren it had become so familiar seeing. It was loaded with 2000 pounds of tools, a trailer was rented, promptly filled to overcapacity, attached to the bumper mounted hitch and promptly set out on the 26 hour drive through the edge of Appalachia, over the hills of Kansas to the inviting 95 degree weather of CO. May or may not have stopped to cool down along the way shortly after plowing down a mattress, however it did survive to frolic in the mountains among the snow capped mountains for about three months. Now I think its *******CKED


Knock knock.......who's there?..........coolant........WTF are you doing in my oil pan!!!!