Enthusiast III
- 2,420
- First Name
- WareWolf
- Last Name
- MoonWall
- Member #
-
11831
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- Direct Message Me..
Hey folks,
This is the beginning of my restoration journey for my new friend, Lycanical. I picked this name because I love werewolves and this vehicle is a bit of a shape-shifter with the ability to remove the top and add/remove rows to suit transportation needs. I have been watching and waiting for this combination of year, engine, and 4x4 for years to present itself to me, and when this one happened my wife actually urged me to jump on it. I was actually the second person in line to receive the truck, and the first guy turned out to be a no-show and failed to ever respond so victory was mine.
Background: Centurion was a company that had a direct relationship with Ford Dealerships for the 70's-90's making a handful of limited run custom vehicles. In the late 80's, Chevrolet released the Suburban, which Ford had no competitor to. Centurion filled that gap from the late 80's to mid 90's by taking a crew configuration F-Series pickup, removing the bed and shortening the frame, and fusing a Bronco rear end. They complimented the exterior with some upfitted interior consoles and features like CB Radios and TV's. The amalgamation of vehicles leaves you with a three row SUV with a removable top (compatible with all Bronco tonneau / softtop kits) and with the rear seats stowed over 12' of protected cargo space. In the case of my dream vehicle, this is an F-350 4x4 base with an IDI 7.3 V8 diesel and E40D automatic transmission. They only made a few thousand of these over the years. Ford released the Excursion and pretty much crushed Centurion, even though their factory solution was not as flexible. Youtube and wiki can provide more information.
I did what many would likely find insane, and rode with my wife and a friend over 600 miles to go pick this vehicle up and drive it back based on numerous exchanges with the owner. It was over 100 degrees without a working A/C, we were encouraged to not take the truck over 60 until it was looked at, and we couldn't turn off the engine for fear it wouldn't start again without a shot of starter fluid which we wanted to avoid. The secret we discovered on the trip home was that several nests of red wasps were inhabiting areas around the rear of the vehicle, and with each stop we seemed to aggravate and shed more of the buggers. Other than the buzzing friends, we made it home without a single issue. Even my wife drove it for a sprint to give me a break from the heat. First impression: It's like driving a school bus - and I love it!
The previous owner actually did a fantastic job of walking me through and around the vehicle, knowing it's actually history even from the previous owner to himself. I was given a list of known area's to work on, as well as a couple of boxes of extra parts, starter fluid, and a factory turbo pulled from a slightly newer Ford. That being said, I took a few days to get the vehicle registered and check a few things out for myself and just decided it made more sense to take to a local dealership that specialized in Ford diesels to comb through what I knew, and find out what I didn't. I had this strategy of getting it mechanically sane for daily driving, build another pile of cash, and then start addressing the body and interior. Second Impression: Lycanical needs some serious love!
So, for Phase I of this search and rescue mission complete, here is what ended up happening:
Stay tuned for Phase II, which at this point is looking like some body work, addressing rust, and restoring the interior. Phase III may at times overlap with Phase II, where I plan to throw some aftermarket things at the vehicle.
This is the beginning of my restoration journey for my new friend, Lycanical. I picked this name because I love werewolves and this vehicle is a bit of a shape-shifter with the ability to remove the top and add/remove rows to suit transportation needs. I have been watching and waiting for this combination of year, engine, and 4x4 for years to present itself to me, and when this one happened my wife actually urged me to jump on it. I was actually the second person in line to receive the truck, and the first guy turned out to be a no-show and failed to ever respond so victory was mine.
Background: Centurion was a company that had a direct relationship with Ford Dealerships for the 70's-90's making a handful of limited run custom vehicles. In the late 80's, Chevrolet released the Suburban, which Ford had no competitor to. Centurion filled that gap from the late 80's to mid 90's by taking a crew configuration F-Series pickup, removing the bed and shortening the frame, and fusing a Bronco rear end. They complimented the exterior with some upfitted interior consoles and features like CB Radios and TV's. The amalgamation of vehicles leaves you with a three row SUV with a removable top (compatible with all Bronco tonneau / softtop kits) and with the rear seats stowed over 12' of protected cargo space. In the case of my dream vehicle, this is an F-350 4x4 base with an IDI 7.3 V8 diesel and E40D automatic transmission. They only made a few thousand of these over the years. Ford released the Excursion and pretty much crushed Centurion, even though their factory solution was not as flexible. Youtube and wiki can provide more information.
I did what many would likely find insane, and rode with my wife and a friend over 600 miles to go pick this vehicle up and drive it back based on numerous exchanges with the owner. It was over 100 degrees without a working A/C, we were encouraged to not take the truck over 60 until it was looked at, and we couldn't turn off the engine for fear it wouldn't start again without a shot of starter fluid which we wanted to avoid. The secret we discovered on the trip home was that several nests of red wasps were inhabiting areas around the rear of the vehicle, and with each stop we seemed to aggravate and shed more of the buggers. Other than the buzzing friends, we made it home without a single issue. Even my wife drove it for a sprint to give me a break from the heat. First impression: It's like driving a school bus - and I love it!
The previous owner actually did a fantastic job of walking me through and around the vehicle, knowing it's actually history even from the previous owner to himself. I was given a list of known area's to work on, as well as a couple of boxes of extra parts, starter fluid, and a factory turbo pulled from a slightly newer Ford. That being said, I took a few days to get the vehicle registered and check a few things out for myself and just decided it made more sense to take to a local dealership that specialized in Ford diesels to comb through what I knew, and find out what I didn't. I had this strategy of getting it mechanically sane for daily driving, build another pile of cash, and then start addressing the body and interior. Second Impression: Lycanical needs some serious love!
So, for Phase I of this search and rescue mission complete, here is what ended up happening:
- New Water Pump
- New Fuel Injection Pump
- Cooling System Flush
- Transfer Case Serviced and Leak Repaired
- Power Steering Serviced
- Front Differential Serviced
- Rear Differential Serviced
- New AC compressor, Condenser, Orifice tube and Flush
- New Glow Plugs and Glow Plug Relay
- New Fuel Line
- New Starter
Stay tuned for Phase II, which at this point is looking like some body work, addressing rust, and restoring the interior. Phase III may at times overlap with Phase II, where I plan to throw some aftermarket things at the vehicle.
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