My oldest boy's pickup truck, has officially entered the shop to undergo beautification process.



Nathan wants this truck back together for prom (soon)

He tore it down this far last night, this kid is a hard charger, go-go-go!







Stay tuned.

Cant wait to watch the progress on this one!

I bought a spankin' new 77 F-250 in May of 77.
A 400?, with auto transmission.

You needed a grease zerk on the fuel gauge needle.

Best of success with this on the rebuild.

Except for being a 250 vs. a 150, that truck is the spittin' image of my Dad's old truck and the vehicle I cut my driving teeth on.

This is gonna be cool.

Are you going to install a condom dispenser?

Dude!

I'm sorry.

Nice old truck....

I LOLed...


I may have a few parts for that truck kicking around here. Let me know if you need anything.

HI BOYS RULE!!!!!

Yay, a new chapter.

Man I wish I would have had somebody around to give me proper instruction as a kid, he's picking up invaluable skills.

That truck is gonna turn out bitchin....

It's gonna be fun, and he's a damn good kid, he deserves it.

Alright, bed sides, wheel houses, windshield and gaskets, a set of the half ton style side mirrors and a new seat upholstery kit are on order, could see a semi truck in the driveway as soon as Friday this week.

I'd give you a few tips since I'm an expert on these trucks now...but I'll let you figure it out on your own. I do think it was pretty bitchin as-is. Or should I say, as-was.

I can't wait to see the progress and all the stuff I can do better on my next one! I'm looking forward to it!

Subscribed

I remember the conversation ND & I had about proper tire size on that old Hi-boy. We both won that battle. Bigger is always better.

Mrs. ND wasn't as impressed.

Looking forward to watching your progress.

Awesome!

We are going to cut all this chit off the front and tuck the bumper back in to stock location.



That is where the old belleview winch was mounted.



I may mount the old winch in the back of my old plow truck for un-stucking myself when I get too rammy and end up on top of the snow heap with old yeller.

Nathan will likely end up with a front receiver and a more modern winch on a receiver plate so he can mount front or rear, or not at all.

I was wondering if you were going to keep that old school winch. Hook to some batteries and lift deer on the pole at chickenbuck?

Sweet! Black Betty gonna be stylin!

Hey Tommy have you done anymore to that Ford you fixed up?

Yea and amen! There were many years of driving that I would have been damned proud to have that truck as my daily driver just like it looked in the first picture.

BUT, knowing you, the re do is going to be pretty fantastic.

Have you thought about dropping a 7.3L TurboDiesel in the power plant compartment? A guy can make a BUNCH of HP and Torque come out of those motors, and still be able to afford feeding it as a daily driver.

I have had F-250's with 390's and 460's and they just cannot pass up a fueling station. My new to me '97 F-250 with the 7.3 Turbo is a wonderful truck for all around use. It is even quick enough from a stop sign or freeway on ramp to be fun to drive. And it is bone stock for now.

Other side of the equation, I wonder what kind of fuel mileage a guy could get with a properly built gasser 302? Hopped up just a little, and allowed to breathe, it might just make all the power that is needed and be reasonable in the truck groceries dept.

Very cool, Mr Dave.

You be makin' memories with that boy of yours!

WAY mo' important than trucks.

Congrats, sir.




But...don't you have payin' jobs?

Looking forward to this project Dave. Hi lift trucks do have a good advantage you know...........

The truck is after hours and weekends. I have plenty of paying work that has priority.

I have a feeling Nathan's priority is on the truck though.

Now you're talking my language!

I have a Radio Flyer needing restoring...how much?

I reckon Northern Dave has it figured out without any help, and has likely forgotten more about rebuilds that you, me, or anyone else here is likely to know or learn.

Why not just STFU, sit back, watch, and appreciate without trying to twist something into whatever fantasies of "right" you might have?

But Dave is pretty easy going, doesn't mind hearing ideas.

It is my opinion that a realistic budget needs to be in place. Your build plan is basically defined by your budget.

I prioritize, what's most important, what NEEDS work vs what is OK but could use improvement.

This truck will get the most bang for the buck. And its not going to be a lot of bucks.

I am looking forward to seeing how this one comes out.

This is going to be a cool thread, looking forward to it

I think I have a form for "change orders" I could share with your oldest boy child....he could add the number of hours of work he will put in for you in exchange for you financing a motor like stxhunter has posted pics of. We already know its going to look great when it rolls out the shop door.

Have fun with the project, I did something similar with my dad and it was some of the best times we ever had.

Watching. Looking forward to this.

Dave knows I was joking. I'm wrapping up my 78 for f-150 project, which Dave was VERY helpful on it with all my dumb questions.

the bone stock 351M will remain in the truck (for now). Yes Nate has ideas for a cummins 12 valve or a 7.3, or a built up 400.

That is likely what we will do, we will keep our eyes open for a rebuildable 400 and we will do a mild perf build, possibly add EFI.

But not right now.

The 351 runs excellent, doesn't use oil, cools nice, its dependable. They don't make much power, but it's a 4 speed truck and it does have low range....

It'll be fine, right now we want to take care of the rust and make the truck look nice.

wut?

A mild, modern cam and an ignition recurve would wake it up for not a lot of money.

Don't think Dave didn't either. I LOL'ed too!

A roller cam 302 (94 or later) with efi, headers and an overdrive manual trans behind it wouldn't be a terrible thing to do to that truck, if there would be room for the trans between the divorced t-case and the engine.

but, we aint doing any of that right now.

When I drive this truck I can get 12 mpg with it.

when a boy drives this truck it's 8 to 10 mph because most of the run time on the engine is idling for hours in a convenience store parking lot or other kid hang out areas.

My run time is where the rotation of the crank is harnessed for propelling the truck down the road, for transporting me and my items from point A to point B.

Young people just like to let the engine run, for no other reason than to complain about fuel mileage.

No squeeze.

compression ratio is 8:1 on this engine.

I was 19 with a mid 80's 302 in an 84 Bronco....I put a new intake and 4 bbl carb......and a less restrictive exhaust......I broke the exhaust off behind the cat....and welded up something that exited just in front of the rear axle......

it may have "breathed better" but 19-24 year old males are better at turning gasoline into noise....with the occasional acceleration mark(s) on the highway...or sidewalk.

the cummins swap makes me grin.....

No-One?
Really?

That's the mild, modern cam part. Something like the mildest Lunati Voodoo for example. The lobe designs available now will increase cylinder pressure and improve torque and response over the lazy lobes of the stock design. More power, response, and mileage. Getting some ignition timing in at lower rpms will accentuate the effect.

If a Cummins 12V is on the table it gets my vote. Looking forward to this thread as well. I'm not a Ford guy, but I have always liked that body style.

Dave;
Thanks again sir for sharing a fun, family project with us - as others have mentioned this one brings back some very fond memories for me for sure and will be one I'll eagerly watch.

One of the farm trucks back in the day was a '78 250 with a 390 in it and we had a '76 150 with a 360 and an '80 with a 400 in it too. The 400 decidedly our least favorite motor, but we kept them all stock too.

For the folks advocating stuffing a Cummins into your son's pickup I can only say that the only way I'd go down that road would be with full, FULL pockets.

The strain on the rig's front end changes everything when one stuffs in that much more weight and of course the entire drive train would be under "different" pressure too.

Anyway Dave, much as it pains this diesel engine guy to say it, I'd likely stick with a very similar motor that had a mild massage to bring out it's best.

All the best to you and your fine family Dave and thanks again for the grand thread and pleasant memories.

Dwayne

255/85/16

1972 F-100 w/ 302 Windsor.
118k original miles.
I'm the 2nd owner. My paternal GF bought her new. I grew up in it.

Yep. I bought a new '77 F-250 4X4 in March of that year, 400 engine, auto trans - and it got about 8 mpg..

I made a couple changes.. Tossed the factory 2-barrel carb and intake manifold in trash - along with the exhaust - and replaced it with an Edelbrock manifold and a small Holley 4-barrel. Then changed the exhaust to duals with side pipes mounted under the rocker panels..

Mpg went to 13 and I had tons more power to work with - and it also was the easiest/fastest starting Ford I ever had.... Maybe that type of conversion would work well with Black Betty...

I have some parts for that 351M

A .060 over block that has been decked.
Ported, polished & shaved heads
400 crank, rods & .060 over pistons
loomynum 4bbl intake & carb
some ignition upgrades
headers

In fact all of the parts are assembled under the hood of a '79 F250 parts truck.

Cheap if interested.

Like Redneck said, giving these engines some wind can really wake them up.

how "cheap" is cheap. I like the sounds of that WB. I'm finished with my truck except the exhaust. I'm going to do another in a year or so. That sounds like a great fit.

Hi Dwayne, are you getting any of this tropical weather? I'm loving it!

Your points are very good (I think they are good because they align nicely with mine, lol).

Any engine swap becomes a slippery slope. As per your point, the 12 valve would likely lead to a dana 60 front axle to help support it, then a new spring selection.... vacuum? No vacuum on a boosted oil burner, so add a vac pump for vac operated accessories. It gets hard to stop, all are slippery slopes but some are steeper.

I really do like the idea of working with the 335 series engine. For wiring, for coolant pluming, brackets, mounts, exhaust routing... Everything!



I can get aboard with that line of thought as well. I think (if you can find then) a set of federal mogul (TRW) L2466F pistons would bring us up to 8.5:1, a little trimming from the head and or deck and we'd be at 9.


It's no secret that Tim Meyer right here in MN can hook us up with a stroker kit and even heads if we like to perk the 335 series up to 450+ hp if we have the cash.

But I'm of the opinion that we could likely unleash a reasonable amount of power from the 351 CI engine for a few bucks and it will be dependable and as economical as we can hope to achieve with a gas engine, 4.10:1 gears non overdrive with 35" tires.

I'm thinking 275-300 hp



+1, I'm a big fan of that tire size, it's what I want on my plow truck.



Beautiful.



If you serious, I think yah maybe.

When Nathan drives his litle brother to school in "Betty", Joey plays that song on his i-pod.

We hear that song a LOT around here. lol!

Send the boy over with the trailer & we load the whole truck up. I'll try to get it drug out of the snowbank today.

I wish I had a dollar for every hour I spent in an old ford truck like that ,out in the woods,road hunting grouse,scouting for deer sign ,drinking beer,ice fishing,etc.

it will be a nice truck. i know where there is one about that year with a 454 chevy in it. thats an upgrade!!

White bear and I have been discussing the unicorn piss theory this morning.

This is a concept of achievability.....

These projects need to have achievable goals, otherwise they risk abandonment and failure.

Black Betty could easily become one of those unfinished projects, abandoned, parked behind the barn for decades.

20 yrs down the road Nathan stands with a little boy of his own staring at the rusted and sun rotted old 77 Ford.

"Daddy, what's that?"

"Well son, me and your grandpa started building that truck when I was young. It was an awesome plan, it was going to be shiny black. It was supposed to make 1000 horse power with a special engine that burned unicorn piss."

"What happened daddy?"

"Well son, we hit a snag."

The 335 series were restricted for smog & MPG reasons. They freshen up real good with a few bolt-ons.

I've found the weak point being the stock pushrods bending if spun over 6500rpms. I figure it's a built-in rev limiter.

No unicorn piss needed.

Load the motor for the boy. WB told me about that mill. It sounds fun!

I have a 390 that may or may be stuck at this point. I'd kinda like to put it in my next one. The problem is the next one will probably be for my boy....I'm not sure a 16 year old kid needs to have have a fire breathing FE.

Dave, the 12V 5.9s are good to go with a vacuum pump already part of the package,but servicing the AC pump, nightmarish in the stock Dodge installations, becomes total FUBAR in the custom set ups.

The MAIN issue with setting up a good 5.9 in Black Betty would be dishing and lowering the main front crossmember about 3" to accomodate the deeper Cummins pan.

Relocating the starter's a bit of a headache, as well.

Maybe Unicorn piss will run a mite better than this low sulfur
bio-fuel though ?

GTC

http://cppdiesel.com/cummins-conversion/

The mild cam I mentioned before, ignition recurve, and:



Top it with one of the economy calibrated, smaller four barrels Edelbrock offers. Add a set of headers and the transformation will be complete.

Right on!

We will cross the powerplant bridge when we come to it.

Priority right now is beautification of the Betty.

The truck functions flawlessly in every mechanical respect.

Priority will be body and paint, tuck the bumper back to stock location, freshen up the interior with some insulation and sound deadening, new rubber floor, recover the seat, new windshield and gasket, perhaps a functional stereo and possibly new front leaf springs to level the truck.

Mechanical priorities (future), will be upgrade the 77 power assist steering system with a later power sector, traction devices in both differentials, new bearings and seals in all gear cases at that time and convert to synthetic gear oils, lastly the engine.

First new truck I bought was a 77 F250 4x4, 4 speed 351, jade green. Certainly was not overpowered but that motor was very reliable for the 80K miles I had it. I put a set of headers on it that perked it up fairly significantly and improved mileage noticeably. My brother had the same motor with headers and an edelbrock/small holley that really helped in the power dept.
One problem I had with the truck was the spring inside the front hub that engaged the front axle when you turned the hubs, had two break over time and or not engage because of too much grease, etc. Most troublesome when you are already stuck in a snowdrift during spring bear season, only to find that you only have rwd truck (empty, naturally). Happened again the night before opening day of deer season, when I couldn't get up a loose rock piece of road to a previously scouted spot.
When it was all working it was pretty good in snow and could pack a load without complaining.
Truck got sold to help fund the wife staying home with the kids through their childhood. One of the better decisions we made, at least for us!

That is entirely too sensible and thought out.

Stick to the unicorn piss.

+1

I run that size, even when i had a half ton ford I found some 16 in 5on5.5 wheels and ran a 255/85R16, it just makes since

I don't think we're going to get anywhere with Dave. The plan I laid out didn't even require horse piss, let alone unicorn piss.

Mathman, lol!

If you are bored, I have a challenge (for everybody).

1977 was a very odd year for the f250 4x4.

77 was the first year the 351M and 400 engine was used in that truck. And early production for that model year still used the "highboy" frame, divorced t-case and the tall stance that everybody loves.

Here's the challenge:

Find headers that fit the 77 4x4 f250 with 351m or 400 engine that are not fender well exit headers.

There, that will keep some people busy.

Talk about unicorns.....

Lol!

I beginning to think you pick projects just so you can't make performance modifications!

Even so, the mildness of the cam I suggested is such that it should work fine with stock manifolds.

I plan to cut the "bump" out of the exhaust ports in the cylinder heads, along with typical mild porting. Then have a look at the stock manifolds and see what we can clean up inside of them for additional flow.

(When the time comes(

"I'll think about it" is the way my Dad spelled "never."

TFF that is good

TFF!!!

The headers I had ran through the fenderwell, and rotted out in 3+ years from all the spray on them!

Those headers might be tricky to find for that narrow frame.

Either some shorties or stacks out the hood.


I have mine dump out the fenderwell & there were no clearance issues. One truck was a '77 F150 with 38" tires and the other was a '79 F250 with 33's.

I think you should come get my old 400. The EGR bumps have already been removed, mild port/polish, and a valve grind that you won't see unless you work in a race shop.

more power? find a 351w roller motor out of a 90s for truck, pull the trans to. should be able to get the whole shebang for 600-700$. I probably have a older dual plane intake around here for a holley 4150 flange.

+100 That might be the post of the year

Tonight we cut this off the front of the truck with the plasma torch.



Frame horns are restored to stock so the new bumper will be tucked back in there where it is supposed to be.



Next we removed all the bed floor bolts so the bed is loose from the frame. We had 8 extra ones because this truck had a drop down goose neck ball installed at one time (poorly done, this is coming out)

Then I had Nate sand the inner bed side pinch weld lip to help expose all of the spot welds for drilling.





My spot weld driller is a little more than most hobbyist have laying around.





splitting knife/chisel.

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e...G_20150310_212556545_HDR_zpss84tdhel.jpg[/img]

these are popped.

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e...G_20150310_212544888_HDR_zpshccyrvxg.jpg[/img]

We do that down the length of both sides.

We are done for the night, possibly more tomorrow.

You are a much younger man than I David, to enjoy working nights.

Mind you, time was------------.

Working nights, not awesome.

Working nights with my boy, awesome.

Always had a soft spot for those old F250s Dad had a '73 with a 390 factory 4 barrel. He let me drive it in the field when I was 7. I'm sure the kid will love whatever motor the two of you decide on, but there is just something special about those old "fe"s...

Watching all of this reminds me of something I did back in the 70's.
Took an old ford truck with the cab up front a gas truck from So. Edison took out the little 200 and put in a 289 (people told me it couldn't be done) my next door neighbor was a shop teacher,
next we put in a 4 speed every body said you can't do that, so did. I used the shifter(for the 4) on the column and put reverse on the floor, next I had to put a bigger rear end on it as the little spicer(sp) rear end would have been all over the road, a few other touches, but left the ratty old paint job on it. When the young bucks pulled up along side and went voom, voom waiting for the light to change boy did they get egg all over their face as I left them standing there. That machine was hard to bet to 75 and then I ran out of go. It was fun sold it to a different neighbor, but he just never could get it to work for him like it did for me. Those were the days. Good luck with black Betty. Cheers NC

First car I drove was a 72 F250 4x4 with a 360 big block. It didn't have power steering and in 4wd the steering wheel would buck back so hard I thought it could break my arm. My Dad bought it new for $4000 and finally sold it in 2006 for $6500 and he said it's the only car he ever made money on - well sort of.

70's Fords are the best, though mine have always had an enclosed back ala Bronco. You'd better head over to Whitebear's place and snag that 400 lest I swing down and snatch it to put in my remaining 79 bronco that is sitting in semi retirement at my folks' place in OK.

I don't mind the 335 series engines so much, lots of guys hate them but I've had good luck. My first and best 79 has a 400/C6 and after I scrapped all the smog nonsense and put a Edelbrock 650 and performer intake along with some head work I saw 14mpg pretty regularly. Not an econobox by any stretch but same mileage as my 98 f150 4X4 and looked cooler getting it. My wife has a 79 bronco that was originally sold in California. It is complete with goofy dealer installed stripe kit and more hoses and doodads on the 351 than I've ever seen. Before we drove it into the ground, ie back when it had oil pressure at idle, I saw a legitimate 16mpg more than once on the highway. It was always a dog in the performance dept though.

Someday I'm going to get a nice, hopefully rust free, 70s Ford 4x4 pickup to fool around with. Boats always look cooler at the boat ramp when they're tied to a slick old ford with dual exhaust blowing bubbles in the water.

PS. Not to be that guy Dave, and I know he's got a one spare eye, but please ask the boy to put some glasses on when he's grinding. He'll pick up more chicks in his badass pickup if he doesn't have a glass eye.

We like the old Fords too.

Yep, you are right. I try to keep an eye on him and keep after him. I have a full box of safety glasses and a full face shield for the actual grinding with the sparks and carnage.

Cool, what are you running for front springs on the one in the top photo?

Yep, that's the good stuff.

I was taking a 300 mile round trip drive to my BIL's gun shop last Saturday and was asking around the house for a travel companion. My 8 y/o son spoke up and we made the trip together. "I didn't want you to be alone, Dad, so I came with you. I'm glad when we do stuff like this together."

You set a good example for us fellow Dads, Dave.


Back to the truck. Maybe I missed it in the description, but since you're drilling all the spot welds along the bed rails I'm assuming you're going to put new skins on the outside of the box, yes? Is that a time-saver overall when compared to dealing with dents and minor rust?

Hi Scott.

I can take pictures later this morning, I don't consider anything that's rusted through "minor rust" that said, this one is the best of 3 mid-late 70's ford trucks we own.

But still the fact remains it is ate through all the way over both rear wheels and in the bottom corners below tail lights.

One of the outer wheel houses is also ate through. I could have purchased patch panels but I feel this is the right way to do it on a truck that will be used for hunting/fishing and winter driving.

We will take extra steps to prevent rust from occurring in the future.

Back sides of panels, bottom side of the truck etc will get special rust preventive coatings. Stuff it never had from the factory.

Thanks for the explanation, Dave. I couldn't really tell how much rust there was from my smartphone screen.

10-4 on treating the backside of the panels. It's a damn shame that nothing like that was done at the factory. I recall Dad's '77 ,(nicknamed Black Diamond)having rusted through the side at the top of the WW's, rusted through cab floor door corners and at the bottom rear of the back WW's.

Old Black Diamond was a beat to crap wood hauler that I occasionally drove to high school. It had the 351M and topped out at about 85 mph. I recall having the pedal to the floor and watching a buddy cruise by me in his Chevette. That's some embarrassing chit and hard to live down.

Anyway, thanks again for clarifying. Love these old Ford bodies, even into the early 80's and am looking forward to seeing how this one looks when you roll it back out into the sunshine.

Lol. I think our dads grew up together.

Hell yes!!

Hey, nice work Dave & Nate !!

We need more black betty!!

Yes, ignition. People ALWAYS overlook optimizing their ignition curve. They'll throw $$$$ of parts into it, but not take the time to set up the initial, vacuum, and mechanical curves. They are CRUCIAL to performance and economy.

I agree, a lot if performance is to be had by having that spark come in at the right time all the way through the range.

I used to do a lot of ignition timing work with a single point ignition distributor on a 327 Chevy. I knew that engine very well. The static timing, then the vacuum, I had an adjustable vac advance on that one because I was running ported vac, my static plus the vac advance was too much at idle so my vac advance was adjusted back a little. Then I experimented with weights and springs for the mechanical.

When you get it right, it feels like you found another 30-50 HP hidden in the engine somewhere.

Most folks these days figure an MSD sticker will take care of it all.

OK.

Are those Hankook DynaPro MT tires?


I have a set on my Samurai.

first truck i had was a 70 ford f-100 with a 390 and 4-11s posi, it would blow chevy trucks with a 350 off the road. couldn't keep rear tires on it

I think they are, they are cracking in the tread face, got decent tread left but I don't think I would buy them again.

That seems to be common with most tires these days. "They don't make em like they used to."

Aha !

....another 'window distributor' fan ! Re-curve with different springs, weight. etc....

Tech tip: Get hold of one of those BIG Blue Streak marine coils, the one with the finned housing. Drive it with a Delco window distributor, with a coupla' Dodge resistors protecting your points . Man you talk about FIRE.

There's enough "saturation" inside that big sucker that the engine will run for second after the power's chopped.

GTC

I had a 73 f-100 with one roger...I had the same problem with tires.

I had a msd controller on my 351c that allowed me to swing about 10-15* of timing from the seat on a dial. I could retard it to get it turned over to start and then grab as much advance as the fuel would allow. That was the best money I have spent on a Ford ignition. My Cleveland was awesome.

We haven't thrown a bunch of hours at this truck yet, but an hour or 2 here and there, it adds up.

Love the new seats, Dave.

Those are sweet huh? White high backs with arm rests. They are removable too!

Dave,
What epoxy are you using to coat/rust proof the undercarriage?
Thanks
Doug

Hot damn I love those trucks!

I'm using 2k epoxy primer, a 1:1 mix ratio. Some areas will get a nail hard chassis coating like the por15 type product for additional protection beyond just epoxy.

Thanks!
I am planing on freshening up my Durango. The frame is pretty scaly but solid and I want to coat it with something,

Me too! When Nate had her up on LOW I stared at it out the window of the fish house and drooled a little bit I think.

I was just in town visiting with my paint supplier.

We are going to try a NASON system on this truck, base clear, black of course. He is mixing the paint for it now.

Also ordered a pair of 25" 2.25 diameter thrush glass packs... because I guess the truck isn't loud enough with my 36" walker glass packs... lol.

You know without major outlay you could "un-retard" the stock cam timing and dial in a few more degrees of initial ignition advance.

I think I read somewhere once that the truck M's didn't retard the cam timing like they did when installed in cars. Supposedly due to the more lenient regs on trucks vs cars, emissions wise....

Supposedly the truck cams were straight up. I dunno, I do have a miloden timing set to correct this if not, I've had it laying around here for many years. I think its for a Cleveland but would fit the M.

Dave, I think the Boys truck is a 4" Superlift. Steering components are an adventure to be dealt with. May have to do a swap to crossover. The stock power assist stuff is NOT popular and his axle is a HD44 with big hubs. Probably the least common to boot.

No chit! I wonder where the gets that??? 😁😁

Great truck for resto!

BTW, I'm with you on that Emerald Black for the Mustang. There was a kid in my hometown that had a 69 Fastback that color and it was sharp. I'll bet today's paint will make that color even sharper!

Dave, a buddy of mine sprayed Nason base and clear on my 99 Cummins that had some body damage when I got it. It sprayed pretty well but color matching by the paint codes was crap? After that experience my local O'Reilly matched the existing paint with Nason using their meter and it was a great match.

That doesn't sound like an issue for you here but keep that in mind if you consider it for future projects where trying to match.

Hi bignate, are you saying your boy has a truck with 4" super lift or?

Our truck here is the hd44 big hub axle as well. Open knuckle, disk brakes, big hub. It's non common, to say the least...

I had this discussion earlier today. You are right, I'm not a body shop or a collision repair shop, I'm a restoration shop, I do overalls only, no partial jobs. So, matching isn't part of my deal.

If I like the way the nason sprays and finishes, I may stick with it.

I like that bud. Keep it that way as long as possible. I'm sure you'll have no problems.

really? I thought it was pretty loud. I liked it when you put the exhaust on before he got it. Nate and my dad would get along well! Nothing is too loud. I think he 56 ranch wagon has straight pipes.

Restorations not repairs. I agree!!

My first vehicle was a beautiful xlt two - tone maroon and white 72 wjth the 390. I could outrun all the cool cars in 1/8mile! Mine wound up wearing a lot of recap tires!

My boys 75 pickup is the lighter colored one. It is a closed knuckle 44HD with the big hub. The steering is the Garrison type control valve I believe it's called. It sat lower than my 75 but mine has the high pinion small hub 44. I believe mine is technically a "high boy" but he wanted the same height as mine so put a 4" lift on. Now we have to figure out the steering.

Matching colors for repairs is more art than science. Between the effects of UV, heat and oxidation if you get perfect match color yourself lucky.

Nathan got his thrush glasspacks, lol.

👍👍

sorry I'm a very bad video guy, just close your eyes and you wont tip over.

Sounds good.

Huh. For some reason my thumbs up icons didn't show up right.

Sounds good, Dave.

Well, the gas mileage due to idling and gunning the engine in parking areas just went down by about 1/2 again.

Sounds good, though.

At this point, the notion of mileage is done.

Rate, as in minutes per gallon, is more appropriate.

Love the 4x4, going to be fantastic.

Got her singing!

I was just kinda wondering what my old 460 would sound like equipped like that.

This truck was purchased new in Denver. It still has a dealer tag screwed to the tailgate which is in decent shape so we are putting it back on the truck after paint.

There won't be any late night sneaking out in that rig! Sounds good!

Sounds pretty awesome!

i had those same glass packs on my 69 bronco. wish i had still had that!

the bronco or the glass packs?

Dave and I saw a big ass sportsman with what sounded glass pack, and a lot like nate's truck in the gravel pit by chickenbuck. I'd have to say it sounded pretty good for a Polaris.

Had glass packs like that on a '65 F100, running duals off a 390 and a three-speed on the column.

She'd pass everything but a gas station.

My 79 bronco wears a pair of 16" glass packs, that I'm certain all the glass is long gone out of. Exits in front of either rear tire with chrome downspouts so the sound echoes off the pavement when you put the coal to it. Yes the radio was nullified with that modification, and the "free flowing" exhaust didn't free up any extra mpg for an 18 year old at the time. Gosh I miss that rig, gonna have to sink a few bucks in it when I get back home and get it looking good again.

Looks like an awful lot of labor and stuff to invest in a F---.

I sure as hell wouldn't do it for a Chevy of the same year! Lmao!

Gonna have a little breakfast then it's time to thrash on ole betty, see if we can get some primer, maybe some paint sprayed.

You keeping it black for the base color?

yes, it will be black again.

hey dave i got an 86 chevy k20 if you wanna class your portfolio up ill drive her up this week grins

OK, I have a major soft spot for 67-72 gm trucks.

So do I - much of my fun. These live here, among others.













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My 79 bronco had a set of "no packs". The exhaust was long rusted off. It was a loud, obnoxious vehicle. It drove my buddies neighbor nuts. When I sold it and bought a 76 F150 with a 360 or 390 (never could figure it out) which was equally as loud. The neighbor guy came out and said "do you ever drive anything that's quiet?"

You wouldn't be able to.

Did a lot of bed repair. Media blast, then I welded 21 different holes inside the bed area, a mix of drilled holes for things like an old drop ball goose neck plate, hole saw holes for electrical plugs, a 3"x7" hole for the old drop ball.. Solid bed but it was swiss cheese from things a previous owner had done.





I also put these D rings in for the kid, he hauls dirt bikes and stuff, might as well have decent strap points in each corner.



Doors are off too.



We put an old set of wheels and tires on for the rest of the dirty work. Some light blasting, the priming, painting etc.





One small hole below the dimmer switch that will need to be cut out and patched.

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It was a good day, didn't get pics of everything because we were too busy kicking ass.

Awesome to see you doing this with your boy/young man. I had to settle for loading some .32 H&R with mine, but time is time.

I drove a 70 step side of my dads in high school. 350 bored 60 over, 3:73 posi rear end with glass packs. It was way too nice of a truck for a teenager to be driving but I used to slide open the back glass on a sunny day and the exhaust note was beautiful...no need for a radio on those days. I'd love to have a 4x4 like this one pictured. I love those 67-72s, more so the 67-70 due to the grilles. Nice ride!

Good pics. Some interesting challenges there - it is looking good.

Here is my old girl. I sold her this summer to my father in law.

'72 F-250, 360 with a 4 speed.

It is a nice old truck, and I'm gonna miss her...

the "bump side", very cool!

here's my bump side, like yours its a 360/4 spd.

she's a worker!



(ice fishing)

I've got a '72 with the same drivetrain AND the same blue plates. Yours is a little older apparently because mine starts with an "F."

What a beautiful truck!

Some decent work today.



Prepping bottom of bed for epoxy. No we didn't get all of the original undercoating off, all the loose stuff is off tho.

Heavy coat of black epoxy.



I cut this little bad spot out of the drivers floor.



Made a patch.



Weld through primer





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Por 15

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Undercoating on the belly of the bed after the epoxy dried.

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Nice! My "old" F250 at this point is a 1996 F250 crew cab

Freshened up the seat.







A few other things were done that we didn't get photos of, decent bit of work for a Sunday.

Nice work Dave, I look forward to more pics

To me, that looks like a LOT of decent work for one day. I would not get that much done. Nice.

That truck will be on the road in no time.

Nice work there.

Busting azz I say.

Did you use one of the "patches" from the mustang....

Nope, fresh new metal.

Gawd! I love that truck!

Broke out the lenco for some dent pulling and shrinking. This is a spot welder that has various attachments. Mainly for spot welding but I have a puller shrinker attachment, pictures here.




Here's a crease I was working on.



This one was too harsh for the little spot weld puller.



I welded a washer to that dent and pulled it with my heavier slide hammer.



Its a tailgate I'm working on here by the way.



Also hit the frame with black epoxy.



And test fit the bed sides, marking for plug welds tomorrow.

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I patched a small hole in the back side of a cab corner and shrunk a high dent.... Didn't get pics of that.

Great pics Dave, thanks for keeping us updated.

Its worth the effort. good Fords. here is mine. [img:center][/img]

that is a clean ass truck wow!!

Dave,when your son is a grand dad he will be telling stories about his dad and his truck and their "adventures" together.

Great thread....

When is Betty scheduled for new makeup?

Before prom, whenever that is?

Pretty cool project.

Pretty cool, Dave. You're building more than '65 Mustangs and '77 F-250's there. You're building some well adjusted young people, too.

Thanks, today I worked on a back bumper (refurbishing an old step bumper), I worked on the tail gate some more and I got the 2 grill inserts ready for paint.

Mustang parts were delivered at around 6 on today. The stuff I need to move forward on the Mach 1. So, tomorrow I will be back on the mach 1.

The truck will go back to nights and weekends.

Wow! It's really looking good gentleman.

Dave, what did you think of those box sides? LMC truck?

So far so good, I haven't welded them on and started bodywork yet, we will see soon enough.

Man, you damned sure don't have to worry about going to a gym, or "working out".

What I'm seeing here is long, almost grueling days of WORK, as in real physical labor.

.....keeps ya' out of the bars, too, don't it ?

GTC

Very true, and yes my body feels like about day 20 of USMC boot camp.

(Sore)

Did you save any of the metal patches you cut out of the horse?
I'm going to repair the rockers on my Durango and the color was close.

Sure, I still have them, they are a bit wadded up but they might buff out.

Shucks. If they were straight I would've bought them.

We hung the bed sides tonight

Prepping a bed side shell, drilling holes for plug welds etc.



the other bedside was being marked for plug weld holes.



The weld interface areas were sanded clean and hit with a weld through primer just prior to installation of the new panel.





panel was fit and the welding began.

a nice mig plug weld looks like a belly button, lol.











both sides finished tonight.



Tomorrow we will fit and weld the outer wheel houses.

she's Lookin awesome, for a ford.....



I wish I had half your talent and ambition.

That truck is going to be a functional family heirloom!

wheel house time.

I test fit the outer wheel houses, got them where I was happy with the fit and marked the plug weld spots from the inner wheel house with a paint pen. Then I sanded the spots where I would be plug welding to and hit the spots with weld through primer. I sanded the entire wheel arch lip and hit it with weld through primer as well.



From under the bed, I clamped the wheel arch and drove a few sheetmetal screws in on the inner WH side to draw everything tight for plug welding from the top side.



Here is the top side after plug welding, you can see the sheet metal screws still poking through from the bottom side. I remove those in a bit.



here it is all welded from the bottom side. I drilled the wheel arch holes about every 2.5", clamped and plug welded from under the box.



Top side after some light weld grinds.



she's really getting solid now.



One more outer WH to go and the box is done.

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hopefully you can get the next one done by 5 tongiht so you can coast a bit for the weekend, It is friday!! keep it up, like to see it on the road again soon.

Oh its done, lol. Shortly after noon.





She's rock solid now, I am done with the metal work now.

Slap some paint on and call it good, right?

Nice, I envy your ability to take on multiple projects and get them done.

I'm thinking about taking on a can of Coors light and see if I can't finish that as well.

What kind of seam sealer do you use?

Lips! Oh you meant the truck, not the Coors can. Sorry.

Every time I see this thread I get this song going in my head, Thanks Dave!

I'm using what I have on hand which is dominion sure seal joint and seam sealer.

The bed will get epoxy and I believe I will do a spray in bed liner for the kid.

For the wheel house to quarter seam I want to brush a por 15 type product in heavily from the top, let it run into the seam where water and dirt will be trying to go.

Get off of your phone/I-pad/computer and get that boy's truck done. We want more pics! I'll take care of the Coors for you. Got it covered.

Don't make me come over there and drink them for you.....

As a guy who used to specialize in high risk auto insurance, waayy back in the 80's

I will not ruin your joy by telling you the one thing that boy's of that age are REALLY good at, is wrecking vehicles

Nope, you wont hear it from me.....

That truck is looking terrific! But if it were my son, he would be getting a 200ci straight six, one barrel carb, and three on the tree transmission! And a full roll cage with side or door bars. Maybe a Tonnueu cover that would keep other teenagers out of the bed of the truck, too.

In all seriousness, that is one for him and his heirs to be very proud of.

Its my phone, I got the wi-fi's in the shop now.

Shirley, you can get beer there!

I can, its right out the back door in a paper box.



I'm just not sure if its time yet.




And don't call me Shirley.

Good God, man! it ain't even lawn moaner season!

'49 Ford in the background?

How the hell did you see that behind all the mustang junk?

51 actually.

Maybe you meant the minty green one. (Surf green actually)

Fiddy fore shevee.

Similar look to the '54 Ford my Dad had.

Vintage!

12oz cans????? I thought you were a "pounder" guy.

You know, so there are leftovers for the next day.

I might have to tip back a few High Life's this evening.

Its all I had around.

They are kind of like those little Halloween candy bars, have to have like 5 of them to equal 1 regular candy bar.

If you can get all the way through a can of that you're a tougher man than I am.

some refurbed grill inserts.

These are sweet, I cleaned them up, fixhed nicks and dings, primed, shot a silver metallic base, then black in the headlight side, then 2 coats of matte clear (urethane)





tailgate is coming along.




back bumper also got epoxy, silver metallic base, matte clear.



Putting on new trim studs since the new bedsides don't have any.





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Mad skills Dave.

Sorry to sidetrack your thread but I have a technical question if you will. I have an aluminum lift gate on my expedition . There's a small spot that is peeled and oxidized. After I sand it smooth, is there something I can spray to keep it from bubbling back up before I paint it

I would think a good quality 2K epoxy prime would be a good start but I would research it to be sure there isn't a better foundation for aluminum.

Thank you. Your work is incredible. Love these threads

Are you positive that the lift gate is Aluminum. I didnt think the Expeditions are using aluminum body panels on the expedition until 16'. the f-150 are the first aluminum bodied trucks out. everything else comes after that. I know my sisters expediton has paint coming off the rear hatch as well and looks like its oxidzed aluminum but think its actually steel. What year is your expedition?

I can't speak to lift gates, but Ford has been using aluminum skins on some of their hoods for years. I had a 2000 Ranger with an aluminum hood skin and have seen late 90's and early 2000's E series vans with aluminum hood skins, too.

frikken awesome Dave !

Cab lights, yes or no?






I primed the box and doors tonight. Epoxy.

Uh Dave that is canned water.......... and not even good water at that!

I'd vote no on the cab lights. I used to like them back in the day, but anymore, I favor clean lines and simplicity.

Dave;
My goodness it's coming along nicely - thanks so much for taking the time to shoot the fine crisp photos and share them with us.

As far as the clearance lights go I'll enter a dissenting or no vote as they seem to be the first place to rust out and/or leak. This just might be an heirloom project you two are building and less spots for moisture to enter will be better two decades from now.

Of course that's just one short, bald fellow's opinion on them sir and nothing more.

Thanks so much again for the most enjoyable thread and Happy Easter to you all.

Dwayne

No on the cab lights. Keep it clean the way Henry intended. Looks good!

I vote no on the cab lights.

Great work on the truck so far. Looks like it's coming along nicely. I still remember working on my first truck with my dad when I was in HS. I can't wait to do the same when my son is old enough. Thanks for letting us follow the build.

Greg

Cab lights would distract from the paint, I like your paint

Old school thought and mine too is no lights. Classic.

However, this is the young man's ride. He has to look good for the ladies. Give the kid some bling.

One vote here for the cab lights. I know you know how to seal them and they will look bad ass.

Dave,

Just checking in and it looks like some wonderful progress and as usual, wonderful attention to detail.

It appears there is either a poll about the top clearance/cab lights or folks just decided to comment. Personally, I'm a fan.

Also, although not a Ford guy, I think I've seen cab visors on Fords as well as GMs. While this one's not a great example, I think they give a truck a little different look.



Awesome work as always, it's going to be an awesome beast!

I would not put them on.

The truck looks better with out them.

Another vote for no on the cab lights. but then I'm a fan of clean, no trim or emblems for me.

+1

The clean look for me...

John

No cab lights.

I like cab lights, do it Dave.

the wife and I had a ,IIRC 1997 Taurus,which had an aluminum trunk lid,so they have been doing it for some time.

Yes on the cab lights.

Buschy, the fords, and Rams for that matter have been using aluminum hoods for about 5 years.

I love the look of that truck!

No cab lights either, unless its a new LED light Bar to really light up the Bush! I didnt realize they were aluminum Tom, and i've had alot of them. Just got another last week again. i cant keep up with them changes.

What didya get Buschy?

Regarding the cab lights, I agree that the clean look is nice, but this is a 70's 3/4 ton and as such it just has to have those lights.

1 vote for cab lights.

Another for the cab lights....how else will ya find the truck when it snows?

If 4ager is agin 'em, I'm for 'em. Cab lights. Sorry Sean, couldn't resist.

Yes on the cab lights.

Great thread!

No cab lights. This ain't "Pimp My Ride!"

yes on the cab lights

Cab lights and an 8-track player.

Denny, for a silly Packers fan, you're alright.

only if you have a 3 dog night tape to go in it...

Now yer talkin'!

If he plans on selling produce out of the back at the farmers market, yes on the cab lights.

If he wants a badazz truck to pick up chicks, drink beer, and hang out with the boys marking tires in the corn field, no on the cab lights.

Keep the cab lights. No reason to try to look like everybody else!

People that don't like 'em can turn the other way.

MM, you raise a good point. They do kind of stand out at night.

Hey, Dave, how about keeping the lights and wiring a switch in-line to shut them off independently of the headlights?

I thought everyone was a Packers fan!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott you're spending to much time on the computer!!!!!!!!!!!

No it ain't...but the came stock on these trucks.

Which is another reason to keep em! You don't have to fill the holes on the roof.

Its a brand new set of lights, we just set them on the roof to see if we like em or not.

They do have a switch so they can be shut off.

We ordered these because they looked so awesome in the photos.

When we got them yesterday we were very surprised how large they were.

Here, I'll post a pic of one next to an OE style light on a different 77 pickup.



Because of the arch in the base plate, the new lights will have to be positioned further ahead to match the crown of the roof.







Ultimately its up to Nate. Like I told him, we don't have to put them on, if he wants to see how they would look on the finished truck we can set them on the roof again after paint and see what he thinks.

Black Betty currently has a slick roof, didn't come with lights. A lot of these trucks came with them but this truck didn't.

oohhh! if it didn't have them or the holes, I'd leave it for the sake of less work if it were mine.

I like those cab lights.

Perhaps based on the larger size of these and some symmetry with the F-0-R-D lettering, use only 4 instead of 5?

Regardless, neat stuff Dave.

In that case, screw the lights. I was under the impression that all 3/4 tons had 'em. Even my dad's '77 heavy half, or whatever they were called, had lights on the lid.

Yeah, out of the ..... 4? Vintage fords we own.... Betty might be the only one we have that didn't come with the clearance lights.

She's also the tallest one we have, with no damn lift. Lol.

Was about to ask what he wanted.

I was for the clearance lights until I saw how big they are. Too big, IMO.

What is Nate's view?

His view will be pretty good with all those lights.

The cab lights will provide a performance boost.





There, that ought to keep Dave from putting them on.

Nate is on the fence, can't decide.

I really think we will have to wait till the truck is painted, set them on there and see what it would look like on the finished truck.

I'm not pressuring him either way.

Couple coats of surfacing primer.

We'll go right to 400 grit with long boards now and I might wet sand to 800 before laying the base down, we'll see how it blocks out first.

Awesome!

cab lights are just one more thing to bust off in the brush. I'd not put'em on.

cab lights are just one more thing to bust off in the brush. I'd not put'em on, but it ain't my truck.

Yes to the cab lights, small size, and spread them out all the way across the roof, not squeezed to center.

Dont know if this helps, but I had a '76 F250 4x4 with a snazzy paint job and cab lights. It got knicknamed the "Whoopie Wagon" by a co-worker...

So you dated whoopie?


Back in the day?

Another vote against the cab lights. Keep it smoootthhh.

Back in 79 I was a young single guy and I ordered out a new F-150 4x4 reg cab. It had a 8' box, Ranger pkg step up from Custom it had color coded rubber floor mats ,plaid knit cloth seats, dual battery system , dual tanks, intermittent wipers , ps ,pb, tilt wheel,300 ci 6 cyl, creeper gear 4 spd, with 3.50 gears Dana Limited slip up frt and Traction Lock rear, tint glass and a deluxe factory Ford topper, it was the Jade green metallic color. Damn sharp looking. As I recall it's sheet list was $9734.00 and I bought it outright at $8100. drove it for 11 years and it had 183,000 miles on it when I sold it. Those were the days, that f-150 and I went every where. When you and your son are done remodeling black betty you'll all be as proud of it as I was of mine. Keep the top slick, screw holes in the roof ugh. Magnum Man

No cab lights... Looks like a wrecker with them things..

You just described the ultimate version of the 73-79 ford pickup.

79 had better steering linkage (78-79).

And the way you ordered it was perfect IMO.

The lighter but torqey 300, so dependable. 3.50 gears, 4 speed, traction devices in both axles... Awesome.


One like that came available near me last week for $1500.... I want it so bad, but I think we have enough of these trucks already, lol.

You know Dave I thought it was. Could never find what I wanted on a sales lot. Bastard car dealers back then never ordered trucks for stock that had any features I wanted. Everyone of the trucks on a sales lot seemed to have an auto and V8. I never ever had to go inside that 300 at 183k it would be down about a half qt on the oil and I'd just change it. If Ford could have put their EFI in it and cruise on a manual transmission back then it would have been perfect. Some guys I knew never understood the 6cyl part but it would sure roll the torque on smooth and keep you from getting stuck. The truck also had a sliding rear cab window as well as all the windows in the factory topper.Seems like back then I'd wear out a set of tires every 20k until I got smart and put on a set of TOYO Open Country radials. Can't wait to see Betty done. Magnum Man

Your old truck is what I want for myself for a "hunting truck".

The ride is great in those half tons with the coils up front. The steering is nice, no noticeable bump steer.

The 300 is a great engine, very tractorish.and with the manual trans there is no "slippage" or lost rotations in the drive line.

Lighter engine, more room to work under the hood, great torque with the 4" stroke.

None of the engines made big HP in the late 70's. But the 300 wasn't far behind the 351 in HP and the 351 is expensive to mod. These days its easy to mod a 300 if u like. Get a set of efi exhaust manifolds, change out the rocker arms for a little more lift on the stock cam, those 2 things alone help a bunch. Then of course you could go after carb, intake, cam, higher compression pistons etc.

Or just leave it stock and drive it for 300k.

Not everybody needs 500 HP, I know I don't, not in that truck.

I had a 1996 2wd f150 std cab, eddie bauer edition, with the 300-6 w/fuel injection, and a 5 speed manual.
nice truck. drove it to Montana twice deer hunting.
I would have it floored for 5 or 6 hours,wouldnt go faster than 85.

I say wait on the cab lights until the paint is dry. Some colors look good with orange on top and some don't. I like the factory style better myself. Ultimately up to the tall boy kid of yours.

What IS NOT up to him is the option of hanging a set of "truck nutz" on the hind end. That would destroy a beautifule ride.



'79 F-series trucks have always been my favorite. If someone were to offer a NIB '79 F-150, I would do whatever possible to make that purchase and have an awesome DD.

I love all of the comforts of my '11 F-350 but I'll always have a huge soft spot for a '79.


Awesome job on Black Betty. I can't wait to see it in person.

I'll see how work goes today but maybe I'll swing by with a box of birthday juice.....

Ain't got to worry about that.

There's a big difference between being a kid and being a retard.

Lol.

lol
I think the boy would be the last person I'd have to worry about having "truck nuts" on his truck.

My 78 F250 came with cab lights from the factory.

It is the only truck that I have ever seen that rusted out the top of the cab over the windshield in a few years. There is no way that I know of to really seal them to the cab, because they had to be removed to change a burned out bulb.

My vote is no on the lights.

Myron

I was in my 30's and married at the time, but don't seem to recall any whoopie (but that was along time ago...)

Tailgate seems ready for some color.

Good da Coming in a little late on this thread ,but sure glad it did. Bringing back some great memories .
Back in 1978 I brought my first 4wd a 1977 F150 XLT 400M auto , cloth bench seat full load only thing it did have was no air cond.with 15,000 miles in like new condition .I drove that truck till 2005 , about the only thing I didn't change was the dash pad and the frame . Working + owning a wrecking yard sure help out .
My thoughts on a good motor for your truck . Don't waste any $$ on the 351m or 400m motors they are a over sized boat anchor. My first mond to my 400 was to put a Holley 2bl card , recurved
distributor and dual exhaust <that was the best bang for the buck> Still not happy I rebuild the 400 030 over bore ,aftermarket cam , aluim 4bl intake ,carter AFB carb ,port + polish heads. Didn't gain anymore power just used more fuel waste total waste time and $$.
Next power plant was a 428 out a 68 Ford Car , found a round top C-6 tranny out of a 74 F100 4wd <that had a 360> . Rebuilt that 428 bored .030 with aftermarket cam, aluim 4bl intake and same Carter carb ,also ported + polish cyl heads .That was by far the best motor combo , tons of power and decent fuel mileage <15-6 MPG >.
Still not happy I replaced that 428 with a 1970 Vintage 460 < had to change back to the original flat top C-6 tranny> rebuilt that 460 bored .030 10.5 compression ,aftermarket cam, aluim 4bl intake etc etc .
That 460 had tons + tons of raw torque + power ,but being a typical 460 fuel mileage was 9-10 MPG empty or loaded .
Sorry for the long winded post , if you want any more inside info on how to change over to different power train or parts let me know ,as 40+ years at working + owning a wrecking yard I have a few tricks of the trade .
Good luck on your rebuilt .
Cheers

None of my business, but I'd pass on the cab lights too.

On the other hand, I think a big chrome roll bar mounted in the bed and snugged up against the cab with a quartet of spotlights across the top rail would set off that black paint job.

,...but that's just me.

That wouldn't be bad, bristoe.

Nothing says 70's like a fat roll bar!

Don't know about the roll bar but a nicely made grill guard would surely look great. Magnum Man

Imho plain jane wins almost every time with the exception of good wheels. Mickey Thomson CLASSIC IIs look as good as anything on a 4x4 truck.

great big long weekend for the kids, no school friday or monday, so betty will be getting more work done soon!

Hurry!
Prom's a-comin'!!!

I will vote no to the cab lights too. I'm partial to smoothies ;-). I also agree with Bristoe in regard to the roll bar with a row of flood lights.

I spent a little time with the blocks on the surfacing primer, on bedsides.

Not too bad, better than I expected actually.



here's a little low spot that looks like it will block out in the primer level.



this is why you surface and level new panels (and old ones) with blocks. this is just a couple swipes with the long block, you can see all the highs and lows. that was a new panel, taken to bare metal, epoxy primed and 2 coats of hi build urethane surfacing prime.



if we would have shot color and clear on this, especially being black.... ripples and waves....

She's leveling out really nice though, should be a nice straight truck.

Just keep in mind that the rollbar should only be screwed to the bed itself just like they were in the 80's. Wouldn't want it actually doing anything but looking cool. Don't forget to chrome the leaf springs and differential covers while your at it.

And be careful talking about those almighty 300s Seafires gonna get all horned up.

That's a Ford, not a Toyota.

Good thing this is your J-O-B Dave.

I'd have that thing painted and marking pavement!

Dave, you ever see one of those body tools they use to pull in the sheet metal on the outer box wall to form a indent for a frt gas tank fill? Magnum_Man

Sounds like a dimple die?

(not my picture)

Saw this and thought of this Thread:

Big Red F-100

Interior view:

sjr;
Good afternoon and Happy Easter to you and your crew sir.

Funny in that when I first began to read this thread on Dave's son's truck I thought to myself - "Well I rode in a white one a couple times that really went pretty good"

All the best to you folks and again Happy Easter.

Dwayne

I blocked out the bed sides, they came very close to perfect. I decided to just hit it with another coat of primer and final block it tomorrow.



The rest of the cab was sanded to bare metal today, we got the tailgate back in the booth to get some silver base on the raised ford letters and we also refurbished the original dealership tag which was a bit flakey from age. We decided to keep it, clean it up, paint it silver and we will high gloss clear it before putting it back on the tailgate where the dealer had it when they sold the truck new out if Denver.





Also got the first round of blocking done on the doors. I will prime these again tomorrow, very shallow low spots, not really worth getting out the glazing filler in my opinion.

Yep on the cab lights. Have one crew cab with and one without. I like the lights.

Visor is a no go ...one pheasant and it is gone!

We like the lights, we just don't like these lights on this truck. They are huge, we may exchange for a set of the factory type lights.

The photo in the catalog we ordered from were very misleading, made these lights look the same size, possibly even smaller than the factory type. We got these lights and opened the package.... Wtf? They are like twice the size we thought they would be, lol.

That is bad ass.

Love it.

And with LED bulbs they will be very bright, maybe more than you want, I'm thinking a clean roof line, on a truck this straight.

Hey Dave!

Happy Berfday!



(again)

my friends dad had an original 57(IIRC) ford 4x4 that looked a lot like that.
40 was about top speed,though.
I think the engine was a 231 4 cylinder

57 would have been in the "fridge" era body style, which would have that high square fender opening front and back where this red one has the tear drop front fender and the high square back fender opening. This was pretty common into the early/mid 60's to see trucks with the old style bed sides and the "newer" style cab and front fenders.

That red truck is in the 61-63 range. You will see them in the 61-63 range with tear drop fender arches front and rear, and also a mix of fender styles like this one has.

The bed on this one is the style they had in 57-60.

By 64 it seems like they had used up all the old box sides and they went with a new low cut rear wheel arch on fleetsides.

Could your 231 4 banger have been maybe a 223 6 banger?

the "mileage maker 6"?

Ford trucks have always been known for their outstanding fuel economy.

coffee out my nose.... on my birthday... thanks!

lol!




(4th birthday this week)

Like this?

57's the first year of the "fridge" body style, first year for the "style side" bed, first year 4WD was offered from the factory although Ford farmed the conversion out, and the only year the "fridge" came with single headlights.
The original "High Boy".



Don't ask me how I know all this mundane trivia.

And those 6 cylinder engines were also found in Farm Fresh milk trucks and 62 Ford Country Sedans.

The milk trucks has a governor on them and when removed and installed in the station wagon would haul the mail down the highway,while skipping school,going to the river.

Man good times in the chick machine.

And it would get to 95 easy.

Yep, just like that.

A young guy not far from me has a 2wd sort bed fridge for sale. $2200 asking price, runs and drives, Y block V8... lots to work with, I think it's a 59.

I'm very tempted by it....

thinking crown vic alum crossmember swap, 4 link rear... bigger power....

I need some money for all these ideas, lol.

This one actually has the 223 (single barrel with glass bowl and all)and a granny 4sd.
It was the cheap (farm equipment) model with a painted grill but the guy I got it from put the chrome V-8 grill in it.
It tops out at about 60 with a good tail wind.

Funny how things have changed over the years. The only option this one had is a heater. No radio,,, not even a hole in the dash where one might go,,, but a cigarette lighter was standard equipment.

Priorities.

Lol

I have a running 223 in a 4 door 64 galaxie. Neat little engines.

BTW,,,, those factory mirrors (in decent shape) are a bitch to find.
I'm still looking for one.

Another oddity,,,, only one door is keyed. The passenger side.

This M-F'r is gonna be straight!

I mean its so level.... Flatter than a diet Pepsi.

Son of a, now that's flat!

That will look awesome with some slick black!

Looks good Dave. Keep it coming!

Is that five birthdays in a row Dave. You're going to pass me!!!!

I think its only 4 in a row, so far....

That old 4x4 is the best FieldGrade. Every time you post pics it has me drooling.

Happy Easter everybody!

Some folks are coloring eggs today, I'm coloring a truck box and a tailgate!

Holly, ... more black d make it invisible.

That is even prettier than the other 3 cars. And it's not even done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If da kid shows up to pick up his prom date in that snarlin', classic, pristine F250, he's gonna need a rubber.

I'd buy him a 3 pack just to be on the safe side.

Wow, that truck looks friggen awesome.

Quote worthy.

Lmao!

How come you painted it black?


That's racist.


BTW,,,,, if the truck's not completed by prom night does your boy have to repeat 12th grade?

Nathan says the awesome levels are quite high for him right now.

I like this clear so far, its still flowing.



We put textured rocker guard on the lower section, that's why the extreme orange peel suddenly along the bottom.

He's a junior, he'll take a run at 12th grade next year.

Looks great boys! R u texturing the box inside as well? Line x maybe?

Yes, we ate going to try a SEM product for Bedliner.

U should maybe take on Berliner's too at yr place. At least it would be done correctly! Can't wait to see it Complete

Making shine

I think I see a pimple on yer forehead...

Yowsa!

that SOB is SMOOTH as the head cheerleaders thigh! nice work!

WOW!

I SO have to hire you to properly re do my dads '66 Caddy convertable some day.

That truck just SO rocks.....

This thread reminds me of the car projects my dad and I did together. Nothing this spectacular of course, but the memories are life long and treasured.

Good on ya, man.

It's that Wizard's detail spray. You can't fool us.

those cab lights are almost as big as the ones on my Sterling [Ford ] gravel truck. to big for a pickmeup.

super fine work there Dave.

norm

Its not a bad shine, should be good enough for a teenager's truck?

Like I said to my kid, "I don't know how we got it so straight and shiny, guess we just got lucky?"

If that's the case then I'll drive my Durango up and have you rub some of that "luck" on it!

Seriously, I envy your skills and faith in yourself to make the leap that you did.

have to tell nate it aint going to get done with him standing all by himself back there watching over you. tell him to put the doughnut down and get the old man a beer!! cant wait to see it Dave, You guys do great work!

He made me lunch, couple a beer brats.

This truck is going to be flat out sinister.

Good gawd all myteeeee, he is going to have old guys trying to buy that truck off of him every time he stops to fill up with gas.

^^^^^^^^^Yeah, he damned straight IS gonna have to fight off prospective buyers.

triple/double roll bar would really make it to i think. no need for cab lights, can you get some new retro LED headlights to go in there too.

You better put a big scratch on it before you roll it out of the shop or the kid is never going to be able to take it off road!

He's already looking at it and wondering how the hell he's going to get out to deer camp without getting it dirty!

Lol!

I'd be willing to bet that within thirty days he'll be looking for another hunting/off-road/goofing off truck, because this one is just way too nice to do that kind of thing with. At least that's what I'd do (or at least I've used that excuse). Very, Very nice truck!
I made the mistake of letting my 16 yr old son read this thread. Now he's alternating between looking at his truck and looking at me. I think he's trying to weigh the difference between it's potential and my lack of autobody skills. I'm pretty sure that one way or the other, this thread is going to cost me a few $.

Well, Dave...that doesn't look too terrible. I guess if that's the best you can do, it'll be OK!

And, happy berfday!



(yet again)

Given the nature of the motor, that will be often.

nice work,Dave, give yourself a raise.

Sure ain't got any cash coming in on this one, so the raise will have to wait.

But its still fun.

You, sir, are an artist...

UH Dave, could you squirt some paint on my '02 KIA Sportage? It is pretty sunburned and has a few dings from old farts in parking lots.

That truck is sooooo cool. No way that is a woods truck now. Are you going to install removable body panels just incase the boy wants to use it for things other than making others drool uncontrollably?

Dave, is that the Nason paint on there? If so it looks damn good for a budget line paint! Can't wait to see the final result.....outstanding so far.

He'll need a license plate that says "plnwool"

Yes its nason ful base B/C and select clear 498-00.

I had the panels dry blocked to 400 grit on a urethane surfacing primer and I decided to go for it without sealer. So I sprayed the base with no sealer, rolling the dice a bit...

I soon found that pigment wise I was fine, but there is no film build to this base, absolutely no filling/building properties. So I ended up shooting 3 coats of color to help bridge the 400 grit cross cut sanding scratches, then I also put 3 coats of clear on.

Its going to work out fine and for the sake if consistency I will finish the rest if the truck the same way.

I will use this topcoat package on my next project, but I will use a sealer next time.

I don't want to mislead anybody into thinking they will make this shine with these products right out of the gun, it doesn't quite work that way.

Take the time of a base clear paint job and multiply x 2.5 for the time some poor bastaerd has to wet block and buff it all. Lol!

But, its worth it.

Like I told Nathan yesterday, you can't come this close to full blown awesome and just say "this is good enough".

Its the difference between

"hey kid, nice truck."

And a jaw dropping

"hey kid.... Who's truck is that?"

Kid say, "its mine"

"Haha, yeah... No really, who's truck is that?"

Looks gorgeous Dave. The truck of course! What's next for it?

Yes, it certainly appears to be worth it!! Beautiful job, amigo.



No chitt, my friend. I have a feeling your son already knew how much you love him, but if he didn't before, I'm sure he does now...

I'm finishing buffing on bedsides this morning.

I have an SEM pro-tex bed liner system to put in, I may start that this afternoon.

Then of course it's cab, doors, front clip.

I'd like to be assembling the truck this coming weekend. Have to see how long I can keep up the pace.

Where do you get the time to work on the truck with all of the birthday parties you've been having?

Got damn son! That thing is gonna be bad ass!

Oh and Happy Berfday!

Dave, my son does that type work. I hope he gets as good as you are. He does good though... But experience counts. And you got that. Hat's off to you, Sir!

Some of my son's projects.



Different car. Same owner.



Mustang

Wow, that's awesome!

Dang.. I can't recall the year of that one, but I had a '69 E-type with the 4.2 in it..

Yeah, they had electrical issues - but those E-types turned heads everywhere they went..

Nice car sir..

How's this look?

Bed liner on top and on the step plate of the back bumper.



Tailgate

Slick!

That boy any whoever gets to ride with him are going to be the proudest kids in the county & more.


Jee-wiss ND. Now the other dads are going to be mad at you.

Keep this up and you might be able to get a job.

Looking like a head turner.

Or lining up to pay him a lot of money to build them a truck like that.

I don't doubt that one bit. Lots of money to be made with ND's skills.

AMEN THAT! I am ever in awe of his work.

Come on, its just elbow grease.

But thanks.

We finished the bed liner.

This thing is gonna be bitchin'!

Hey Dave! Have a great birthday! Wow!

Thanks, I don't party as hard as I did 6 or 7 birthdays ago, but I'm still having a beer.

Great job as always Dave. You make it look so much easier than it is.

My dad has an FJ40 sitting in his barn that 30 minutes of rust repair and one of your paint jobs would turn into a very nice rig. According to Bing maps, it's only a 3500 mile round trip from his barn to Minneapolis (not sure where you're at). Maybe when I retire, and have the time to ice fish for a month so I don't have to make TWO round trips.

Tagged .... Great thread!

Looks really good Dave. Wont be long and i'll see that ripping all over town, see if he can smoke them wheels off! i Hear he tends to do that once in a while! The truck will certainly be a dandy as you do impressive work with those vehicles.

northern_dave,

So, are you going to put the 12V air compressor under the seat for him, and the inflatable mattress rolled up in the bed, or is that for him to do as a modification later?

I don't get it?







bahhh-haaa-haaa!

Things are looking good this morning. I'm glad that I used toothpicks to prop up these D rings last night, otherwise they would have been glued pretty firmly in place because this stuff hardened up really nice.



Here's where we did the tape line up top.



I'm pretty happy with it, I see why these aren't cheap. They are kind of a pain in the butt.

i wanted to do that with my truck too but to color match was another 250 over the regular price. looks good!

That truck is quite amazing Dave.

Spray-in liner?

How slick is the surface of the liner? Will things stick a little or slide?

Looks so good now.
One has to wonder will cup holders be next?

Float a piece of 5/8" marine plywood.

The liner is a high solids catalized urethane, its rubbery. Dense, not like the cheap DIY liner kits that are kind of like undercoating. This stuff is tough, it would be grippy for your boots when wet but I think its hard enough that you can slide stuff on without it gouging and cutting in.

I like it.

If I fix one of these trucks up for myself one day I would use this same product again in mine.

Thanks, Dave.

Very nice car, indeed!!

The 69-71 E-type 4.2L ragtop was one of the most beautiful performance sports cars ever made. I lusted after one for many years. But owning one with the Lucas (Prince of Darkness) Electric wiring harness would be a nightmare. A full resto with modern wiring and Weber carbs, though, would be another story!

That deep red paint job was not available from the factory, IIRC!!!

What was the brand name of the urethane liner you used?

I had a typo in my previous post, I meant to say its hard enough for heavy stuff to be slid on it without cutting in. Seems like its damn near hockey puck hard.

Its an SEM product called pro-tex.

Happy Birthday

You 100 yet?

Nice bed liner, BTW

According to my string of fake birthdays, I'm barely mid 50's

Sure its a fake mid 50's....


I'm actually much younger, but I feel way older.

Much too young to feel this damn old.

Or the other way around... Either way, I'm pretty sure its got some age and some pain.

Cool looking stuff for sure!

Best enjoy "young" while you can cause you ain't never gonna be this young again.

Ask after prom night...............

Uff-da.

Hi guys.

We have been working on the truck, racing for the finish line.









Blocking tomorrow, maybe some color.

Lookin good man!

Uh, did he get a date yet?

And Happy Birthday by gosh!

Roughly what would a freshen up like this cost a guy Dave? I plan to do a makeover on my 79 bronco at some point in the next few years and want to do it right unlike the last time when I was a poor high school kid.

It's got a little rust over the rear wheels and of course the inch wide strip on the bottom of the tailgate. The motor would need a little freshening too but the heads were done about 15k miles ago and it doesn't use oil. Wouldn't want anything super fancy just nice paint and interior bed lined if it could be color matched.

Ballpark estimate would be appreciated as I know you'd need to see it for a real quote.

I always took you for a blue tape kind of guy rather than green.

Blue is junk.

Only good for decorating rifle muzzles.

Looking good ND!


BTW: Happy Birthday!


Man, it seems you are getting old quick.....



Seems like only last m,onto you were a young man....now look at how many birthdays have come and gone since then!

I don't even know how old I am anymore, only as old as you feel, right?

Wow, I guess I'm 78 this morning then.

You get more done in a week than must of us do in a year!

Great job. Going to be a helluva nice truck.

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e...G_20150412_155344509_HDR_zps6ta2bf5y.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e...G_20150412_155412088_HDR_zpswkd49c2q.jpg[/img]

"Freshen up", he calls it.

lolol,....

Man...doin her right!

Callin' what Dave does to a vehicle a "freshen up" is like callin' a heart transplant "a few stitches in the chest area".

It's lookin better with it all freshened up like that!

Do have any recent Ford pics tzone?

Fresher than fock.

AWESOME as is par for your work Dave.

WOW! Dave, I'd always heard a hi-gloss black paint job was the most unforgiving of any... but you make it look like child's play. Beautiful gloss on those quarter panels, man!

Oh, and thanks for the brand name on the bed liner... gotta get me some of that.

Looking good!

Kids going to be driving a $30K truck in no time..


Happy Birthday to you too!

Mike

That is a great looking truck I would love to find a 74 Ford hi-boy with the 1ton running gear under it. Please educate us dumb Alaskans on what an off the frame restoration like this would cost??

If this truck came to me off the street and I ordered the very same stuff we put into this truck and applied the same amount of hours, it would be real close to $9000

Is it worth it? I don't know. But that's what it would cost. Is a used Harley Davidson road king worth $9000? I don't know, but that's what a lot of them cost too. Depends on what a person likes I guess.

Is somebody else's truck going to need the very same stuff? Maybe, some might need less, some might need more.


What would it cost at someone else's shop? I have no idea.

Some shops might need 20k for what I did.

I'm not trying to get rich or screw anybody over at my shop, just trying to make an honest living.



I don't know if there are many good ole boys willing to sink that kind of coin into their old pickup truck.

I sure like building trucks though. The interior work is minimal compared to most cars.

That and I really like old trucks.

I hope someone offers him $30k for that truck!

Happy Birthday Dave!!!

Now get to work!!

10-4!

Birthday, birthday, birthday!

Work, work, work!

I think, you do not need to be apologetic about your work. Your are much more than a craftsmen - more of an artesian.

A thought:

"I really would like to be rich, so I could appreatiate talent and help making sure it survives by paying fair in all resorts prices."

This would include a truck by Shaw Classic Autoworks - shipped to Europe, hand delivered. All expences paid. Just to have you show me all the bells and whistles and here you say: "Hold my Beer and watch this."

The Beer would most probably be either a Radeberger or a Hasseröder from Tab.

Thats what I would do.

Later I would go pick up Darcy Echols up in that truck at the Airport, delivering a Legend.

Thats what I would do.

Albeit - words of thanks is all I got. Probably for the best...

Have a great birthday.

Thank you.

I started a thread and threw a few in it. Not eve close to quality enough to belong in this thread!

That's silly talk Tom.

You built exactly what you wanted, you had a vision from the beginning of your project and you followed through exactly to plan.

Like I said, I can't wait to see your truck with some Bambi fluids leaking from the back bumper area.





I'm in, let's do it!

Dave, I think the $9k price would be very fair. In most cases I believe it would be less than what you would expect to pay, especially with the top quality work you do.

There's no equal to a job that is done by a guy that cares about what he's doing.

Final blocking on this huge hood before color and clear.

He has a well of talent all right.

Good lord! Lol

Amen, to that !!

Night shift.


Paint it black.

Put dat sumbitch tagether and take a picture of it!

,...hail far,...

Hey Dave,
Are you doing all that exterior spray, too?? Looks pretty darn good!

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aGeFf_rIAVQ[/video]

Doing it all.

Will it be matte black when it dries?

hehehe

I hope not

Those jump benches are great to have around aren't they.....definitely like the textured across the bottoms...

Hell yeah!

looking good dave, lets see more today!!

It'll look better after a hunting season of driving through brush. My Tacoma got it good last year,even though I tri ed to avoid it.

I have been looking at the pictures but not doing much reading so I may have missed this

you doing anything to rebuild the motor?

That rock coating on the rockers looks about as good as my final paint would on the rest of the truck 😄.

Last nights parts flowed out really nice. It will cut down on my wet sanding and buffing time.

Possibly later this summer.

The kid is really transitioning into a mature vision for this truck. I'm very much respecting his new desire to simply freshen up the 351 with a standard bore re ring (if it clean enough and no groove) improve the cam, dual plane aluminum intake, smaller 4 barrel with elect choke, possibly a bit of head porting and of course fresh bearings, gaskets, paint detail the engine bay.

I'm thinking this truck will be his baby.

Well if he doesn't want it to be baby, I'd be happy to buy it and make it my baby. It's perfection as far as I'm concerned for an old truck.

Sweet baby Jesus that thing is purddy.


Old Ford truck- $1500
ND resto- $9000
Brand new truck- $10,500
Awesomness of it all- $Priceless$




I'll be bringing one over shortly.

I see a gray truck and I want to paint it.......

BLACK!

SPLENDID!!

I am done spraying paint on this sumbich.

Ended up spraying 2.5 gallons (of clear) on the outside of this truck.

You poor soul.....



That tall boy is one lucky sumbish (with all due respect) and I can't wait to see what the preacher gets for a project. You should have your hooks well into the business by then so we're looking for the same if even better. Not to set the bar even higher. :}

Dave its shaping up nicely.

Veddy nice!

In a word, AWESOME!

Freaking awesome!

Looking good and then some.

Dave;
Good evening to you my cyber friend, I hope you folks are well and again thanks for sharing the photos of your son's pickup.

All I can say is

My goodness that's going to be a sharp 4x4.

Thanks again and all the best to you and yours.

Dwayne

Thank you Dwayne, best to you and yours as well.

Spectacular Dave. Your boy is gonna have the sharpest looking ride around.

Have you guys done the engine work yet?