I feel I should introduce myself, being a newB and all.
My name is Nick, I've been fabricating for three years, worked at a race shop doing fiberglass/fabrication on SCCA F1000 race cars, and I currently go to school fulltime for mechanical engineering and work at a new car company called Local-Motors and get to engineer/design/assemble/fabricate parts there.
Before I started playing with vehicles I restored things, lots of coleman stuff, antique tube radios, amplifiers and televisions. Then I built converted 2wd dakota to 4x4 from scratch, designed and waterjet all the braketry and welded everything in my backyard. It's got a np231-dana24 divorced doubler and uses a 1978 f250 front axle, 1979 f350 steering box, 1994 GM14 bolt on 39" bias tires with double beadlocks.





This truck should combine all my passions into one bundle, 4x4 stuff, restoration and vintage cool machines. I've been looking a for this body style/grille ford from four years ago when I pulled the transfer-case out of one to do a 4wd conversion on my dakota.
I love drivelines, axles, suspension, and transfercases but have no experience with engine work.. I can’t even drive a stick!

Anyways, I hunted for years and found this nice 1959 f100, I cant tell if it is a factory 4x4, but it was done right.
here is the VIN info for decode... I have no clue LOL
F10C9R21293
WB:118 Color:RE F100 DATE:07A TRANS:A AXLE:01
MAX GVW LBS:05000 CERT NET HP:158 RPM:4000


The truck was being restored with a kid and his dad from a mid 90’s restoration, but the kids dad died and he couldn't work on it, so it sat.
I found the truck on craigslist and checked it out, and was amazed that the thing had a frame off and all the sheetmetal was like brand new, undented chrome grille…. I had to have it! Soo I took it home.
Found some bondo in spots, cracking the paint. from the backside it looks like they were filling some dents, nothing super big tho.





Look at this rust free sheetmetal!

From what I can tell, it has a low pinion, eight lug, closed knuckle heavy duty Dana 44 in the front. This axle is weird I’ve seen plenty of the massive closed knuckle 44’s in the yards but never with locking hubs like this one, it looks really early.





It also has a weird leaf spring slider for the front suspension instead of a shackle.
The steering box /column/ujoints do not appear to be original. looks a like a GM style power steering push pull box.

The transfer case is a dana24; I currently own four of them, one in the dak, two for spares and one in this thing.
Rear axle looks to be a eight lug dana 60.

The good:
-no rust anywhere
-dent free
-clean clear title
-shifts smoothly tranny/ t-case

The bad
-missing seat, original steering column/wheel, headliner, front cowl cover, interior front window trim, tailgate, few ***** and such.
-broken drivers door glass
-The Previous owner couldn't get it running, but I think I can figure it out


No clue on tranny or engine? I’m dumb when it comes to that stuff.
I think 292CI? also has anyone seen an eight lug factory 4x4 f100 before?


Plan is now to take off the ugly body lift and try and take the thing back to original.

I do have a donor fuel injected 460, sterling 10.25 from a donor f350 and high pinion 44 from the dakota (going to a KP 60) to put in the sucker if things don't work out too.

 

I can tell you that the spring hanger you show in the pic is the same as the ones on my 65 F100 4wd truck. Im not sure what 64 used and I know 63 did not use that style. I dont know how many years after 65 that style spring hanger was used. Thats a good question. You might look at the website Fordification I know there are parts breakdowns for the later 60s and 70s there that may show how long those were used. I noticed that your rear shocks are mounted different from what should be stock for your truck also. You shocks if stock should come off of the front of the axle where you see those two little brackets hanging down below the axle and go up to some brackets that are rivited to the inside of the frame rail. Hope this helps.Good luck with your project.

Edit.... I went and looked at the pic of your rear axle again as something about it was naging at me. Then it became evident that it looks like your spring packs are outside of the frame rails. Unless that is an opticla illusion due to the cammera angle. It also looks like the bump stops for the rear axle will not contact the axle under full load.

 

yes, the rear suspension is too tall, the shackle angle back there is horrible. Looks like a previous owner flipped the shackle to lift the truck and it also seems like the lift block is meant to contact the bumpstop and the dana24 has a speedo cable that looks cut.

You are also correct on the rear shock mounts. And the front shock mounts do not line up with the inner fender wells and wont fit when I take off the body lift. Looks like the front spring hanger was pushed back 2" because it sits in the body-mount instead of in front like a diagram shows.

The driveshafts, rear axle, t-case x member, and front axle all look a bit pitted whereas the rest of the frame/brackets are not which leads me to belive they were off another vehicle... but what? lol

 

The hubs resemble old IH units.

 

Nick welcome to the Orphanage! It looks like your truck started as a F100 4x2. A PO has added the 3/4 ton 4x4 components. The front Axles on early ford 4x4 ran the same Dana 44 with just the hubs being different. Your h lock out hub looks to be a Dana locking style. Ford offered three styles full time and two locking, Dana and Warn. Not sure of the year of your suspension, but your rear setup looks similar to mine, except the unused shock tabs. The short shaft from transmission to transfer case is hob cobbled as a slip joint is not needed.
All in all the truck looks like a great starting point.
You did good with pictures from the git-go

 

And just to further complicate the situation... I have Never seen an F100 or any half ton with 8 lugs. These axles must be from a donor truck.... Or it's a F100 cab on an F250 chassis. What is the wheelbase?

 

1959 "4WD" 'Frankenstein Monster' (was born a 2WD) has a 1960: hood and two piece grille. 1959 has a one piece grille and its hood has FORD block letters. 1960 hood has a hood emblem.

F10C9R21293 // 118 / RE / MODEL code F100 / 07A / A / 01 / GVW 5,000 / 158 / 4,000

F10 = F100 / 1959: F10 refers to either F100 2WD or 4WD / The MODEL code & GVW defines which is which.

C = 292 2V

9 = 1959.

R = San Jose CA Assembly Plant.

21293 = 1959 Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

118" wheelbase / 1956 was the first year this wheelbase was available for F100's.

RE: R = Torch Red / E = Colonial White / "Restored" truck was originaly tu-toned, not painted black.

F100 = F100 2WD, 5,000 lbs. GVW(R) / If a 'real' F100 4WD, the MODEL code would be F110, the GVW(R): 5,600 lbs.

07A = Assembled January 7, 1959.

A = Ford Light Duty 3 Speed Manual Transmission.

01 = Ford 9" Rear Axle / 3.70-1 / non Limited Slip / 3,300 lb. Rear Axle Capacity.

5,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating / If a 'real' F100 4WD: 5,600 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

158 net HP @ 4,000 RPM

All 1953/79 F100's have 5 lug wheels on a 5.50" bolt circle / All 1953/98 F250's, 1967/98 F350's have 8 lug wheels on a 6.50" bolt circle.

Frankenstein Monster: Cobbled up truck that has non original drivetrain/steering/suspension (and lawd only knows what other) components swapped in.

Compare the hidden frame VIN with the VIN on the Rating Plate and with the VIN on the registration to see if all three match. If the VIN's don't match, be thankful this 'beauty' doesn't live in CA!

 

Good looking truck. Was the guy you bought it from able to give any more insight on vintages/source of the parts on it?

 

where is the frame vin located?
Title vin matches the cab vin.

Thanks for the VIN info. I love that color code!

The previous owner was pretty clueless about the missing parts or where to get them. I did wind up prying up the toolbox and found some cool stuff! a nice chrome dash faceplate, some headlight bezels, and a factory heater that is in great condition!

I was praying it was all orignal, but it will be cool to have another franken truck to join my family

I am pretty buddy buddy with the divorced dana 24, I have one in my franken truck, along with a jeep transfercase that's cut in half and lots of other pre 79 ford parts... I have 12K on it, a flop, and it's never missed a beat!

I've amassed a large collection of them...Going to twinstick one here when I put the Dana 60 in the dakota.


Here is the potential donor truck a 1994 Ford f250, My Father bought it from the city and used it for his business until an accident. It was meticulously maintained and most components on it are new, including the rebuilt E40D with ~1700miles or so on it (although I want to replace it with a zf5). My original intent was to find a 58-60 2wd for cheap and swap it with the engine I had here and the axles I had lying around. But every truck I went to see had rust issues, title issues, or major cab parts missing.

The 460 suffered a damaged power steering pump pulley




So since the truck is a Frankenstein truck already, it wouldn't hurt to throw a 10.25 in the back, the Fuel injected 460 and a hp44 in the front and gain disks and more modern stuff all around? or should I keep the 60, 293 and the weird 44 and embrace the wierdness lol!?

Also, it is missing the cab corners being a 2wd and all, and I do see some stress cracks forming. Anyone have some good dimensions for them? I would like to model them and cut and bend them up on a waterjet/press brake if possible.

 

Nick the serial number on the frame should be on the top rail of frame PS just in front of cab mount.
As far as what you should build. I would say drive it a little, and you will decide. You are already way into the dark side. Might be difficult to get back stock, so its up to you.

 

The frame vin is different
F 10J0 RJ 3753
Looks to come from a 1960 2wd ford, so that may explain the hood and other things.

My girlfriend came over last night, and we cleaned up the interior.

 

And the plot thickens. Man that is kinda scary. In Nevada or at least Clark County is getting tougher on serial numbers on older vehicles. I don't know how AZ is but you may want to clear that up before investing time and money into this new project.
The cab looks good with a little shine on it.

 

I called the DMV, they ran both vins and they came back not stolen, they are cool with it. They also told me that the title was re-done at some point because the mileage was off, so it's a class "C" and was reinspected at that point in time and re-issued a new title.

 

F10 = F100 / Same jazz applies as in 1959 (see post 7). F10 refers to both F100 2WD & 4WD. The MODEL code and GVW defines which is which.

J = 223 1V I-6.

0 = 1960.

R = San Jose CA Assembly Plant.

Cannot be the letter J. The first digit has to be a number.

This is the 1960 Numerical Sequence of Assembly, the trucks specific serial number.

FoMoCo did not use a letter before the serial number until 1967.

 

More crazyness
sorry guys but the help here has been amazing since I dragged this thing home!.


I was going under the truck in extreme detail to find any clearence issuies that would arise when the 3" body lift would be taken off. Some poorly placed fuel lines scare me but everything else looks alright and will clearence.
Well I found one big clearance issuie
looks like the transmission was never designed to be in this truck, it's massive.
anyone know what it is?