Hello Everyone!!

I have a 1997 Ford F150 XLT, 4.6L V8



Have been having an issue or 2 lately with some engine noise I think its the idler pulley or maybe the tensioner.

Anywho, I couldn't decide if I wanted to keep the truck or do the cash for clunkers, but lets be honest... I didn't have the heart!

Also... I recently had the transmission replaced as the original had some fatal issues, and the truck has 96,000 miles on it!

So now I am going to keep the truck and do some updates

Anywho, I will be active here I'm sure!

Thanks

Jason Flittner

 

Yeah man, im glad you did not get rid of it. You will never be as happy with some 4banger Obama-car as you would with that truck. These are some good trucks, and will stay around for hundreds of thousands of miles if you keep up with them. I have seen a 97 similar to yours with 350,000 on the clock and still rolling with the original engine.

Going to the dealers and seeing C4C on some of the trucks/SUV's that people are turning in is disheartening. Its sad to know that people are really buying into the whole "global warming and get that gas guzzler off the road deal". There are plenty of cars sitting at the dealer right now waiting to be crushed or "re-cycled" that with a little TLC would be a great vehicle, or some of them are nice as they sit. Its too bad that they dont re-sell some of the C4C vehicles.

As far as the engine noise issue, I would post something about it in the V8 engine section and you will get more results. Some of the guys that watch that section are REALLY helpful. You might find just what you need there.

Just saying, but I would start by getting some scratch doctor or headlight lens restorer and get those heads back to white and shining pretty again. You will probably notice a major difference in light output also.

Welcome,
Good luck with everything.
Brad

 

Thanks alot I am really happy with the truck overall, I need it to pull a enclosed Harley trailer I have and obviously for some wheels.
I have been intending on doing some of that headlight cleaning action, need to get on that! I am thinking about taking the cap off of the truck, they seem to look much better w/o it.

I will post up some more pictures/videos soon!

Thanks

Jason Flittner

 

Well I used scratch doctor from walmart and it worked wonders on my headlights. I think I payed every bit of 8 bucks for it too. And now that you said something about it, I would take the cap off also.

Clean up them headlights, take off that bed cap, and give it a real good wash/wax and I think you will be impressed with the difference.

 

Welcome Jason Once you poke around here I bet the $8 Brad spent on the scratch doctor that you will catch the mod bug like so many people do. Ideas are all over this place... ENjoy your stay and shine that baby up

 

I second that.

 

nice truck! looks like mine when I first joined the site!



around 2007 ^^



^^^ now

over the years this site has taught me how to memorize credit card numbers so its easier to buy stuff online it would be a shame to kill that truck with less than 100K on it! do you know what they do in C4C? they put silica gel in the oil pan and seize up the engine so they cannot be resold!!!

 

I agree in that it is way to early to give up on this truck! It does have some issues though, so here is the update as to what is currently being replaced (as we speak)

Tensioner Pulley
Idler Pulley
Ac Compressor
Serpentine Belt

The truck should be done here in a little while, I'm excited to get it back to see how it is doing!

Raptor I reallllly like those mods you did, did you install those yourself? I may have to make contact with you to get some further information, I really like how you whited out the front!

Thanks to everyone for your hellos and hello right back

JFlitt

 

Welcome man. its good to see another 97-98 still alive. youve been warned but until it actually happens you wont know the full effect of the mod bug. haha

i started out simply getting new seats this summer and ended with this...so far more is on the way. (all my mods and the before pics are in the link in my sig)



in addition to the headlights restorer i recommend from personal experience to paint your grille. i did it an couldnt be happier with how it turned out and just make the truck look so much better

 

thanks man. it was a helluva road to get it where it was, but its worth it

if ya want, shoot me an e-mail (Raptor05121@yahoo.com) and I can pull up details on things.

basically I PTM'ed (thats Paint-to-Match, you'll hear it often) the bumper, cut out the H-bar center and PTM'ed the surround, dad got me my billet grille. thats a PatriotDecals vinly "White Oval" on my badge, Lightning headlights with LED corners, NBS badges w/ white inlays (also from patriot decals).

Oxford White FTW!!!

 

97 F-150 XLT 4X4 Off-Road here. Got a mods page in my gallery. Trust me, it's a NEVER ending quest!~

 

taking the topper off and getting the oxidation off the headlights would really help. i did it to my headlights and it looks a hell of alot better

 

x2 when I got my truck the first week I cleared them up and put a set of SilverStars in 'em

 

Welcome to the site and thanx for not "recycling" your still perfectly good F150, a few of my mods are as follows.






I painted that gray trim around the back glass.

Now on a more mechanical note this is why i would change your fuel filter if you have
the original.

 

Yea that grey trim and the grille fade fast but I painted mine also and it looks soo much better now