okay I bought this truck for $900 on sept 17th with camper. lots of patina, no real dents or damage and it ran pretty good when i looked at it. so heres a few pics of progress knocking down rust and getting it painted flat black till my friend the spray king can paint it better than new.
so far i have only driven it a few times due to the camper being on it. Today I offloaded the camper and while doing this the truck died. I replaced the condenser, no go, it was the points, so yeah, no time to convert it so i just intalled new points, didnt really do anything special as far as setting them correctly since i havent dealt with points much before. runs good but i think the carb is giving me some slight grief, so Im not sure I want to rebuild a 2barrel or swap it out for a 4barrel?


this was the first time i saw it, I joined this forum asked a few questions and bought it 2 days later:P

 

few days later


















today camper off

 

Ok I am jealous! You have the cardboard glovebox! I just have the door. Looks like a good solid truck. Can't beat the price. If you liquidate the camper you should recoop most of your investment. If that be something you were thinking.

 

leave it 2brl , cast iron fe manifold weights is like 70lbs .

 

what does the weight have to do with it? why not aluminum intake and 4brl?
whats the best autolite plug preffered on the 360?

 

well if you got the $ for aluminum intake , putting a cast iron on is a p.i.t.a.
360 is not a good motor to mod carb and intake won't make much difference .
find a donor 390 (same block as 360) build it then swap .

 

why switch a iron intake with another? I think I'm misunderstanding you. a adapter can be added to the stock 2barrel mani, but they did make a cast 4 barrel mani which i would never use. I just want a better running carb. carb and intake doesn't make much difference on any stock motor period. it isn't till you get heads that flow better or bump compression with same displacement that a intake would do alot. My carb is picky but not the worse one I have dealt with

 

put my tail gate on today, also i got some radials up front just for drivabilty for now because the split rim bias ply piles were ready to explode with cracks. i have alot more rust to address, but its not all that bad just alot of time to get right.
yep thats my bitchn 300hp camaro and my bike a 93 yamaha fzr600r in the backround, the s10 pile isnt mine lol

 

Rebuild the Autolite 2100/2150. $20 rebuild kit and a gallon of solvent goes a loooong way.

A 4bbl adapter on a 2bbl intake is a waste of time and money. Start with the exhaust (2.5" tubing) for the initial marginal improvements because the 4bbl intake (Performer 7105) and 4bbl carb (Edelbrock 1405/1406, Holley 4160, or BG Road Demon 325) can take advantage of it. If ya wanna bump the compression or work on the heads then by all means do so. However, it still won't breathe without opening up the exhaust system.

Btw, that rear bumper weighs 78 lbs. Ask me how I know.

The passenger side valve cover shouldn't have a breather... only the PCV and its hose connecting to the carb base. That's what is causing the oil/dirt stain.

Was it you asking about an SAS a few weeks ago?

 

ok is it hard to do for a tech who has never done a carb overhaul?ok so exhaust is key here good, i like exhaust except longtubes kill starters on these trucks, how bad are the stock manis? lemme guess i cant run true duals with my second gas tank?
yes i was asking about a SAS it doesnt look like it would be too hard, especially with a lift kit that adds new stuff. my tranny is kinda crappy and doesnt always like 3rd or down shifting and is covered in crud where is my oil pan appears to not leak as it was replaced a few decades ago lol. lift it or slam it, it could be a pretty cool truck. not a fan of the i beam stuff but its damn simple so for a SAS i would leave it with the set up a 68 4x4 uses. I guess i havent decided my direction but i feel i have a solid truck to start with so i can do it any way i want

 

If you plan on building a 4x4 you will need a different frame. If you plan on slamming it you will need an entire suspension swap.

 

If you're any kind of tech, you can rebuild that autolite 2brl...they are that simple. I prefer same sized Holleys, but that's just me. 360's are a low-end torque/grunt motor, so some people say the lighter intake and 4 brl carb is a waste of time/effort...they won't mod up like a 390 and get results. If it's just gonna be a daily driver, hauler and all-around workhorse, rebuild the carb and tune it to spec...it'll wake it up and be one of the most dependable rides you've ever had...with or without the suspension mod.

 

i know the frames are thicker, but the trailing arm perches can be put any place, and the steering can be messed with and crossmember isnt that big of a deal, so why would i need a frame? people convert all kinds of 2wd drive frames, why is this one different?what holley are you using?

 

once i have time I will add a modern 3g 130amp alt and probably go with a contour dual e fan set up and a vato zone thermostatic fan controller and ditch the flex fan. Im also looking into a efi conversion. doesnt seem to be a junkyard route for efi even cfi would probably be better than a carb. anyways who knows. honestly I probably shouldnt have bought this truck its really just kinda too old to where i kinda feel guilty making it more modern with more stuff to break.but for sure the stock alternator sucks ***** so no matter what it needs to go and the 3g is a really damn good one, but actually i seem to remember its not truly a single wire from the last time i did one

 

Steering box mounts out front. Crossmember has to be removed. This is not fun but is going to be far easier than the next step. Putting in the boxed crossmember that was put in when they assembled the rails not an after thought. As someone who has removed the 2WD crossmember I can not even imagine what it would take to put that crossmember back in let alone the 4x4 crossmember. You will probably have to take one of the rails completely free find the location for the front crossmember (doesn't go in the same place) modify your frame however it needs to be. Now duplicate the mods to the rail you have laying on the floor. Put the rail back on.

You will need a 4x4 frame to look at so you get this portion correct. Different sections of the frame are boxed from the factory. Need to get this right along with the amount the boxing pieces stand away from the rail (makes the rail wider in that portion) Oh remember taking out the crossmember? Well you lost your motor mounts when you did that. One of the spots you have to box is where the 4x4 motor mounts go. 4x4 motor mounts are different so you will need a set of those. I do not know what you will need to do farther back to get the trans/transfer case all mounted up.

Great! You still have no axles. You also need to change the upper spring mounts (different on the 4x4), springs (different on the 4x4), steering box (different than the 2WD). Steering column (yes also different on the 4x4). You still don't have a transfer case or driveshafts. The easiest and least expensive way to get all these 4x4 parts is to buy a parts 4x4. All we have to do is strip everything off the 4x4 frame, modify the 2WD frame, throw the 4x4 frame away & put it together. Did I mention that front 4x4 crossmenber is also welded in? You best have somebody that is very good with a torch. Of course we could just take the body off of the 4x4 and put your body on the 4x4 frame instead of stripping the 4x4 frame.

Up until 1980 Ford 2WD & Ford 4wd were two different trucks. Starting in 1980 Ford built the same frame for both complete with holes. This is when Ford went to a twin I Beam design 4x4 front end on the 150's. By using this style instead of a straight axle you could use the same crossmember under the engine. Changing a 2WD to 4WD is far simpler yet still easier to just buy a 4x4. Why? You still need all the parts. You can use any 4x4 frame from '65-'79. Get one with the wheelbase you want and you are set. Just buy a rotted out 4x4. Doesn't have to run. Odds are the transfer case and axles are ok. Rotted out that doesn't run will be cheap to buy. Just make sure the frame is solid.

Don't plan on getting anything for your 2WD frame and parts. People just don't need them. Do you know anyone with a 4x4 from '65-'79? If you do take a good look at the frame under the hood. Remember what you see is just the beginning. If you don't check Craigslist and your local paper for one that is for sale. Go look at it (pretend you are interestedin buying it).

These are just the obvious things I see when looking at a 4x4 compared to a 2wd '79 and earlier. I am confident when someone actually tries this they will find many things I did not state here. Just noticed something. You have a 250. Front axle is leaf sprung on the 4x4. Can you do what you suggest? Sure! Just like when I was young. A guy once said "Speed costs money son. How fast do you want to go?" Another good one that came from Hot Rod magazine "You can do whatever you want to any vehicle you want. All it takes is money."