I will add to this as I have time to get it on here, the thread on FTE is pretty long and loaded with pictures. The basics, Darth is a 1986 F-350 crew cab dually I purchased from the second owner in April 1994. He was originally owned by DelMar Stables in Suffolk VA and had a partial custom interior, running boards, exterior grab handles and a Lund visor. Color was predominantly black, and a group of my son's friends nicknamed him Darth Vader. The previous owner parked by feel and the hood, left front fender and right door all had damage. After using him from April 1994 until sometime in 2004 towing our 5th wheel trailer, my wife's health got to the point we weren't camping much if at all so Darth sat a lot. I decided I wasn't selling him, but did want some upgrades, primarily doing away with the carbureted fuel system as anytime he sat over a couple of days it took quite a bit of time to get the carburetor refilled. I decided the easiest solution was to buy a parts truck, so in 2006 I purchased "Big Ugly" a 1990 F-250, with a 460 EFI engine and E4OD. I used the running gear, front clip and left door on Darth, was going to use the 1990 Dash and steering column, but found I liked the setup in our two F-150s at work, a 1995 and 1996. I obtained a later dash, steering column, wiring and column support and went to work on the project. A good friend owns a huge junkyard, and when I was looking for a pair of 1987-96/7 dually filler necks, dragged in a 1996 custom dually with a Powerstroke. He let me take the entire interior, less the missing front seats. Darth now has a 1996 opal gray interior, outboard shoulder belts on both seats, and a set of 2000 Lincoln Continental power seats in front. He also gave me the Ford/Alcoa wheels that were on it.
Welcome to FTZ Since Archion has signed on, I figured it wouldn't be long before you did too. There several USN history buffs here, so I have to ask: How are some of the conserved bits and pieces salvaged from the USS Monitor doing?
Bill, I haven't been there in a while. They had to shut down the conservation center due to lack of funding. Hopefully they will get it going again soon. Did you enjoy the pictures and information?
Glad you enjoyed it! We had fun drilling the hole and that one "once in a lifetime" shot I got of the core drill breaking through was just dumb luck.
