F-100

I bought my first F100, a 1966 model, back in 1990. It was "running and driving" when I bought it. I drove it for ten years, fixing it up along the way. On thing to keep in mind is that fixing up an old truck in the days before the internet meant something totally different than it does today, for obvious reasons. Finding the information necessary to obtain the optimum results from any given repair or upgrade was not an option at that time. Researching the best course to take with repairs and upgrades was limited to asking / calling around. All too often, the information I would receive was biased by unhealthy doses of negativity and bad attitude. For instance, when the machine shop guy was too lazy and / or stupid to order the valves necessary to rebuild the head, he told me "parts are not available, so it is not possible to rebuild this head, your need to swap out an entirely different engine". The valves he was talking about are available online, today for $34. When the guy at the radiator repair shop didn't like the idea of dealing with a young person who was heavily tattooed (remember, this was the 1990's, before every sorority girl and basketball player was tattooed) his knee jerk reaction would kick in and he would send me on my way with my old radiator which was "beyond repair". You get the idea, it wasn't easy making things happen back then. I did the best I could, for the time, with all the repairs and upgrades I did to the truck. It was a sweet ride (as sweet as I could make it considering the limitations that were in place at the time). It took me lots of great places over a ten year span, and I really have missed owning and driving that old truck.

The idea of filling the void left by my original 1966 F-100 aka "The Magic Truck" (Mama said it would take me anywhere) is one that has been in the back of my mind for some time. Since I also take effort to replace newer lower quality items with older better built items, it was an easy decision for me to create Magic Truck v.2. I discovered this 1960 F-100 at my neighbor's garage sale. It had been sitting inside my neighbor's garage since 1994, untouched since her husband made his exit, leaving her and the truck behind. The truck was abandoned in a state if disrepair, with the carburetor in a coffee can and the steering box locked up. However, it was in otherwise unmolested condition. It had been stored in a closed garage for the past 16 years, which was a big plus compared to the usual condition of a "field truck" of the same vintage. With the help of my friend Kirk Moffett and the use of Kevin Dickerson's (Dicks Rod Shop) car trailer, I was able to move the truck (with 3 flat tires, no brakes, and a locked up steering box, in late August) the half mile to my house. This was the initial step in what would turn out to be the year long task of getting the Magic Truck v.2 on the road. The second step was to sell my newer Ford Ranger, which would (1) force my hand in refurbishing the F-100, since I would be without a truck until it is on the road, and (2) provide the cash necessary to refurbish the F-100. Yep, I sold the daily driver to finance the project truck...

There are many approaches to fixing up an old truck, many of which are lacking in effectiveness and / or value. We have all seen the guy who gets his hands on an old truck, and immediately disassembles it in preparation for the big build that never happens. We have all seen the guy who puts a bunch of body work and a paint job on a truck that is not even close to being road worthy. We have all seen the monster V8 install on a truck that has about 1/3 the brakes and gears to handle a sloppy V8 installation. Of course, there are variations and combinations of these basic themes, with no limit on the ways to mess up a good old truck. With this in mind, I wanted to refurbish the 1960 F-100 "Magic Truck v.2" in a way that avoids the basic levels of dumbassery. I wanted to get this truck in road worth condition, keeping in mind the things that did and didn't work on my previous F-100.

Step one was to leave the truck in "as-found" cosmetic condition. Usually, a 50 year old truck would have either 50 years of wear, or even worse, several re-paints. This truck had 34 years of visible wear and tear when it was parked in 1994, so it was kind of a "time capsule" when I discovered it in 2010. Believe it or not, there are people who pay money to re-create this effect with "fake patina". So, until I am ready to do proper body work and paint job, the truck is going to look like this.

Having refurbished several old cars over the years, I have figured out that it is best to do a comprehensive repair of all the mechanical elements up front. Patching up mechanical elements one item at a time creates a never ending sequence of working on a truck that never runs right, which can destroy the motivation of a project like this. If you have ever wondered why there are so many unfinished projects for sale on Craigslist, this would be the reason. With this in mind, I set out to repair, replace, and refurbish everything the truck would need to be road worthy. In a stroke of good luck for me as far as this truck goes, the previous owner had upgraded the original 223 inline 6 engine to a later model 1967 240 inline 6 engine. The fourth generation Ford 240 / 300 "big six" is a very durable engine known for power and economy, and is a much more sensible upgrade than the poorly done V8 conversion that we have all seen. Plus, I just happen to like the Ford "big six". After locating all the pieces to the carburetor, I was able to rebuild it. I wired up a hot battery, and the truck fired right up. Upon confirming that a good running engine was in place, I felt good about moving forward with this project.

With so much work at hand, I had to decide where to jump in. Remember the bad steering gearbox I mentioned earlier? It is near impossible to find a replacement, as the 57-60 Ford trucks used a pretty specific box that doesn't really leave room for any alternate / retro fit box. My good friend Layne Nelson just happened to have a few 57-60 Ford tucks in his pasture, so with his help (and the help of the boom on his service truck) we were able to "borrow" one from a 1957 one ton telephone truck. Show stopper averted, and time to move on! With the existing wiring somewhere between general disrepair and just plain missing, I took on the task of completely upgrading and rewiring the truck. Coincidentally, as a part time antique dealer, I happened to have a bunch of NOS automotive electrical components. Other than the new push in fuse panel and battery cables, I was able to rewire the entire truck with wire, switches, and connectors that I already had on hand (including NOS 1963 Chevy Impala tail light lenses). My friend Darren came over and replaced the U joints and shocks while I removed the old wiring system. Next up was a complete brake system rebuild that included upgraded dual reservoir master cylinder, wheel cylinders, shoes, turned drums, NOS bearings, NOS hardware kits, brake light switch plumed in to custom built hoses & lines. The clutch master and slave cylinders got replaced, along with a new custom hydraulic line. Cleaned and lined fuel tank, new lines and fuel pump deliver the gas. Fresh radiator, fan, water pump, heater core, thermostat, and hoses keep everything at the proper temperature. All the major repairs, along with all the incidental repairs, took me right at 12 months (working on the truck as time / weather would permit) to complete.

The truck now runs and drives as it should, with everything mechanical and electrical functioning as it should. I have been driving it around, and it drives great. It does have 3 pieces of cracked glass and a worn out paint job, which I may or may not change in the future. For now, I will be driving and enjoying the truck for what it is, with thoughts of the Ford Ranger never crossing my mind.

Click on pic for a full size view.