Daily Driver to Limited Use Pickup

[tlj87]

Hello,

I have a 1994 F-150, 4.9L 300, 4x4, 5spd manual, Std. cab, 8' bed. The truck has 161,000 miles on it and we have had it since 36,000 (second owner). Mechanically and cosmetically it is in very good condition as I have kept up with body work and had it oil undercoated every year.

Anyhow, I am moving to Pittsburgh (about 1.5 hrs away) for a new job, and will be getting a new(er) and more fuel efficient and compact vehicle (something like a Jeep Patriot, Toyota RAV4, etc.) for getting to and from work and my camp.

I will be keeping my 100-acre property for weekends and vacations and would like to keep my truck at the property. Always finding myself hauling lumber, mulch, junk, etc... I'd like to find a used snow plow setup for it as well.

What I am wondering is if the truck will start to deteriorate rapidly or if it will remain a viable work truck for the next, say 10 years. It will sit for a week at a time, and perhaps up to a month at a time in the winter.

How about gas? It has dual tanks - should I abandoned one of them? Should I add additives when filling?

And Oil? Change once a year when I get it inspected? Switch to synthetic?

Other considerations?

I will reduce the insurance coverage on it since it will see limited use (i.e. remove collision coverage) to keep the cost of ownership low.

 

[buck12]

I bought a new F150 last year but could not let my 93 F150 go. I kept her as hunting truck which means I drive it Nov - Jan for deer season and March - Apr for turkey hunting. During the unused months I try to drive it at least every other week. Its nice to have the old truck in that during hunting season I can leave my hunting stuff in it or if I am working on a project at our remote property I can leave tools in it.

 

[texasjohn]

That pickup is worth far more to you than anyone else.... and it's 4 wheel drive...I have a beater f350...stop driving it on the road, keep it on the ranch... very handy to have... be prepared to see your vehicle begin to come apart, things like interior lights, A/C, heater, etc.... but as long as it starts and runs and can pull a trailer, it'll be really handy...

All good ideas about how to keep it... also, suggest you keep a trickle charger on the battery.

 

[hawkeye08]

If you can find gas without ethanol, that will help.

 

[WH401]

Run an additive in the fuel, Stabil or Seafoam would be good ones. Keeping the tank topped off with fresh fuel will help with this too, as well as using the lowest amount of ethanol fuel you can find. What kind of condition is the paint in?, a good coat of wax to protect the paint is just as important as an oil change IMO. Where will you be parking it?, inside or outside? Do you have a concrete pad or gravel spot to park it on? Inside would be ideal, but if not then I would suggest a gravel spot or concrete pad. You don't want to leave it parked on grass because it will start to rust out from underneath. The condensation from the grass will cause moisture build up under the truck. This combined with the temperature rising through the day will causes everything to slowly rust. I know this because the same thing has happened to one of my vehicles that has sat parked on grass for the last 3 years, and it was in pretty good condition cosmetically as well. Parking on gravel or concrete would be good for the tires too, so they aren't in the dirt all the time. If you can hook the battery under to a "Battery Tender" that would help extend it's life.

Above all else the most important thing is regular use. I know you've said it may sit for a month or two at a time but still, any vehicle with miles and age on it will begin to deteriorate very rapidly once it starts to sit for a period of time without regular use.

 

[tlj87]

texasjohn - Yes, the truck is very valuable to me! If I were to trade it, I would get peanuts, at best. I do want to keep it on the road, though, so I can fetch materials and have an extra vehicle should I or someone close need it. I have a JD Gator and Kawasaki Mule at my camp for most on-property maintenance.

hawkeye08 - Does the higher octane fuel (89,93) have ethanol or just 87?

wh401 - The paint is in good condition. In fact, I just had some rust repair and painting done on it. The under body of the truck gets oiled every fall. I usually wax it twice a year, spring and fall, with washings at least once a month. This, of course, will probably be reduced to a fall waxing and limited washing.

As for parking, I plan on adding two 8' sections on to my machine shed, one for the truck and the other as an 'open' space for whatever I want out of the barn at the time. This addition will be enclosed with a gravel floor.

FWIW, here are a few photos of the truck...

 

[Toyboy]

You'll have to deal w/critters wanting to make it their home also. Especially mice

 

[aczlan]

That is a nice looking truck.

Aaron Z

 

[smstonypoint]

You'll have to deal w/critters wanting to make it their home also. Especially mice

And especially in heater/AC fan housings, as both my neighbor and I learned to our dismay earlier this summer.

Steve

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is a nice old truck. Always liked the strait 6. Plenty of torque and dead reliable.

The other guys covered it very well. Keeping it covered is key and keeping the critters out. I would invest in a barn cat with a $15 kitty door so she can get in and out of the weather. That will keep the critters away. The reason I say she is the females are much better hunters and do not pi$$ on everything like the males. You can get them for free all day long and about $40 in my area gets them fixed so you do not end up with 1000 kittens.

I would not switch to synthetic at this point. I would also invest in a $25 battery maintainer. I have put them in both my fathers and uncles Corvette's since they get limited use and they do wonders. Get them at WalMart or Harbor Freight.

Make sure you drive it and use all the things like the 4x4 and heater blower motor atleast once a month. This will keep all things free and working. DO NOT just let it warm up then shut it down, that is worse than not driving it.

As for the gas keep both tanks full. Use gas STABIL for ethanol. Its a marine formula. Its a dark brown color. The red stuff is better than nothing but really useless for ethanol fuels.
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Chris