Faults:

The thermostat housing ear broke off, so I had to use a piece of pipe across 2 sticks of Allthread coming out of the original stat housing holes to keep it on; worked great!

Distributor shaft broke, or was it the timing chain? Either was only about $25 at NAPA. Was idling at a light and then nothing...

My seats were thrashed when I got it ($200 bucks from a friend who was ready to call the junk man), but the seat buns were still there, only the material was bad.

General Comments:

Awesome truck, started every freakin time (even in gear when I stalled it on a railroad track once; kept it in first, hit the starter (no clutch) and the gas and it leaped right off the tracks!)

Drove it to Canada from LA twice! Up and down the passes no problem with a small shell, downshift into 4th was the only issue on the grades. One spark related hiccup, but that was it on both trips, just a little cough.

Steering was a little loose, but not dangerous. The steering wheel is the perfect ergonomic position to rest your arm out the window and keep 2 fingers on the spoke; that's all you need to cruise straight.

Mine had a 5 speed conversion that had a DEEP 5th gear. I could do about 85 @ 1800 RPM. Never really gauged the gas mileage, but it didn't seem too bad.

Developed a serious oil leak from somewhere, never found it, just kept adding oil. Soon after I worked on the rockers and bent the valves putting them back on, duh! Sold to a junk man for $75 bucks.

Faults:

It was very misused, and then sat for many years before I got it gifted to me from my father-in-law. It needed many minor repairs to run. Driver side window did not roll down (missing handle & rails), driver side door opener was a welded on Allen wrench, dash lights did not work, sun-exposed plastic was very brittle, paint was extremely faded, windshield wiper switch was a kitchen cabinet handle on a push/pull switch, etc. It had a lot of personality.

Trans slave cylinder went bad shortly after I got it running, probably seals and such from sitting so long.

Replaced head cover gasket 01/2011. It had been leaking oil from each side since I got it, and gasket sealer was not working.

Starter was rebuilt 11/2010.

Passenger side steering arm (?) was replaced 05/2010.

Replaced spark plugs and wires 01/2011.

General Comments:

I also have a nice 1999 Ford F150. I prefer driving this Mazda. It is not as comfortable, and is tougher to drive, but there is just something about it that I like.

It is very reliable, however it does not like the cold. On cold mornings it takes a while for the engine to get warm enough to run completely smooth. It warms up enough to get the heater working well very quickly, though. The transmission is very stiff until it warms up as well. When cold, accelerating from idle always has a stutter. It revs up as I push the gas, but then immediately almost dies. I have learned to tap the gas, then let off for a second and then hit the gas again to get it going from a stop light. I suspect the carb needs rebuilding. I replaced the fuel filter and plugs/wires to try and fix this, but it did not help.

The last two tanks of gas got me 29.8 MPG and 30.6 MPG, and that was a mix of city and highway driving. That is another reason I have garaged my Ford (15 MPG).

It has a camper shell on the back, which makes it a very good truck to haul my musical equipment in (I'm in a band). It is a light truck, and the camper shell acts like a sail. On a windy day, I get blown around quite a bit.

It was very beat up when I got it, so I did not feel bad about modifying it. I redid the dash and added a stereo in a different location than the original radio because it was larger than the original. I am painting it yellow and black with a large smiley face in the center of the hood, and having a lot of fun with the paint job. The many modifications have helped endear me to the truck. Plus, I do not worry about scratches and dings. So I park closer, drive through brush, and generally do whatever without a care.