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During an afternoon walk through the neighborhood, Steve Kerley and his wife saw a 1988 Ford F-150 Lariat pickup parked on the street with a “For Sale” sign in the window. Kerley was not in the market for a vehicle, let alone an old pickup truck from 1988.
However, the truck appeared to be in such remarkable condition that he not only gave it a thorough once over but he also inquired at the house near where the Ford was parked.
From the seller he learned that the Ford was a one-owner truck that had been well maintained. The seller had recently purchased the truck with the idea of a father / son restoration project. Evidently the son did not share that vision so the truck was being offered for sale.
“It looked pretty good and ran,” Kerley says. He and his wife went home to ponder whether they really needed an old truck, even if it was in excellent condition.
Their question was quickly answered in the affirmative. So on January 15, Kerley re-turned, purchased the truck and drove it home. Some actions don’t need explaining, they just happen and this was one of them.
The bright regatta blue metallic F-15 Lariat was in better condition than Kerley had hoped for including the pin striping on the sides. The truck was blue inside and out. The dashboard was not padded but was painted blue.
Typical of trucks of that era the headliner did not exist. In place of a headline was a painted, blue in this instance, metal roof over the front seats. Since this truck was a deluxe Lariat model it was equipped with “power-operated” features including: brakes, steering, windows, as well as power door locks. The F-150 was also equipped with an AM/FM cassette radio with speakers in both front doors.
Under the fender-to-fender hood over the 300-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine that provides power to turn the P235/75R15 tires.
Once Kerley got his truck home and began a close inspection he happily did not find much that needed attention. New tires were installed, along with a new exhaust system as well as a new battery and starter. From the factory the truck was fitted with a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive with a floor shift, which suited Kerley’s wife just fine.
A full-size 8-foot-long bed has always been protected by a rubber pad. Because the Ford is designed to haul heavy loads it is equipped with two gasoline tanks. The front one has a 18.2-gallon capacity while the rear one can hold 20 gallons.
Both of the chrome bumpers have rubber inserts that appear to be in like new condition.
Unlike newer vehicles the wind vent windows can be opened. The clutch, brake and gas pedals are all suspended from above.
When Kerley acquired the Ford the odometer had counted 130,000 miles. Since then he has added more than 15,000 more miles. It takes awhile to accumulate miles because the speedometer tops out at 85-miles-per-hour.
Despite the lack of air conditioning Kerley plans to keep cool in the summer months by using the flow through ventilation in the cabin compliments of the two-piece rear window that slides open.