Good afternoon all. Brand new member here - looks like a great place to share my progress and pull in suggestions from fellow experts.

I'm beginning a restoration of a 1986 D350 truck. Factory 360 v8 and 727 trans. Single cab, long bed. My dad bought this truck almost new and I basically grew up with it - learned to drive in it...etc..

It still runs and drives today, albeit it leaks everything imaginable, and it appears I have a either an intake or head gasket leak as it recently began burning coolant. It also burns a bit of oil if you let it idle for an extended period. Compression is down a bit, but evenly so. Body is very good - no rust, interior is faded but intact and no major cracks.

For those of you still reading - I want to get this truck back to the way it was when it was new-ish. I'm not going for showroom condition, it will be a driver and truck that will still be used to get stuff from the hardware store. I'm aiming for the condition say a 5 year old car would be in today. This includes going through the motor and driveline, front end, bushing etc. Interior will have working A/C, cruise, and maybe even FM radio

So my first stop here I think is to freshen up the motor. Factory in 1986 I think it's rated around 180HP. If my research is correct the "pre smog" engines had HP around 250s or so. It doens't have to pass any emissions anymore as it is registered as an antique vehicle. Can someone throw out some suggestions on modifications or improvements to get the engine closer to 300HP. Most of the message boards focus on muscle car applications for these engines, but this is a truck - daily driver. With a budget focused on "the whole truck" I want to have some fun with the engine, but it ins't getting the a ton of money thrown at it...

Thanks in advance. I'll be keeping updated with pictures as I go. It will be slow as I work during the week, but should be able to tackle a small update every weekend!