I vacation in MN a lot (where I'm
originally from) and a few years ago found a '68 F100 sitting in a barn. It was an abandoned farmstead, and I went out there with my buddy to board the house up. The old man had died about 10 years before, and the place was just as he had left it. I tracked his son down in Houston, TX, and three years later convinced him to sell me the truck before kids ruined it.

Long story short, I'm going up next weekend to drive the truck 500 miles back to Indiana. It might sound nuts, but I figure it will be an adventure. The truck was parked in the barn since the old man died. I had my buddy pull it out and get it to his place. He drained and blew out the fuel tank, and backed off the adjusters on the brakes before he moved it, and I had him oil the cylinders for a week before he moved it. I checked it out back in June, and the oil looked good, the radiator wasn't cracked, and the interior looks like brand new. It's got 47,000 miles, with all documentation (he bought it new).

My buddy up there has already done the brakes, had the drums turned, new shoes, springs, etc, plus hoses, new master cylinder to be safe. I will be doing a full tune up, plugs, wires, cap, etc, with a pertronix kit, new fluids, filters, carb kit, drain/ fill radiator, tranny, and rear end. I will be getting new tires (they are not split rims).

Can anyone think of anything I am missing? I would appreciate any input. It's got the 240" 6 cylinder, three on the tree, drums all around. Thanks in advance.

 

I forgot to add fan belt and rubber hoses to the parts I will replace.

 

'Definitely sounds like an adventure!

Other items to pack for the road trip:
Duct tape, bailing wire, spare fuses, an electrical repair kit including primary wire, extra oil, at least a two-gallon gas can, extra water, a tow strap, small took kit, a cell phone, and a back-up plan in case it doesn't make it.

Take pics.. we wanna see the journey.

 

Fuses! I have everything else set aside but hadn't thought of those. I heard tonight that the engine is free, but they are waiting until I get there to do any more work on it.

 

***** of steel or blind faith, Not sure what driving you. Gee I'd drive it around for 3 or 4 days taking short trips testing it out for any possible problems , up hills not any over heating and so on. Oh one thing that gets over looked in vehicle like farm & off road trucks is axle vent.
As ford was so slow to add any axle hose tip to keep out dust,mud, bugs leaf rollers you name it. The nipple screws into the axle housing holds that the rubber flex & hard brake lines onto the housing has a very small hole in it. Not much more then 1/16 in the center of the nipple base with a 1/4"-3/8" rubber hoes on it going up into hose clamp to hold it into frame. Okay here's what can and has happen to me. On every vacation trips with a cab over camper does make every thing work and run a little warmer. I kept having oil soaked rear brake shoes from leaking drum axle seals for like 3 yrs straight. A long story short of time, as the rear end oil warmed up and the vent was plugged it would vent pass the drum seal let oil out as it burped the heated air out. Ha, I had learn this in Vietnam while driving trucks.. But thinking that ford trucks had this big vent hoes this could not be happening until, I removed the rubber hose off the nipple and trying to put a small screw driver down in it as no go. So, I removed it and it was filled with crap and plugged and then knew that's why, I was having leaking drum seals. I drilled it out 1/8" and put in a new hose tip end filter from a later yr that trucks use on them..Just a heads up. on a maybe to do list..
orich

 

Sounds like a great adventure. I drove a 68 240 from the Puget Sound to east texas about 10 years ago. Also when I bought my 59 crew cab, I put my F150 on the trailer behind it and drove 2300 miles home. It had only been off the road a year and the only trouble I had was one tank had bad gas in it. It's a great adventure, what can happen that a person can't fix?

 

Good reminder about the rear end vent. A coworker reminded me of one more thing: wiper blades! And I figure the same thing. Unless there is a catastrophic failure, most things can be fixed roadside (if you have the parts...)

Plus, it will be a cool story.

 

sounds like fun , i'd throw a 5gallon gas can on the list , fill it up and keep in bed just in case you get caught between towns .

 

Replace the fuel pump or take a spare with you. The rubber diaphragm inside probably won't make the trip. Also, plenty of fuel filters. In fact, i'd recommend adding an extra in-line filter because there is probably lots of crap in the tank. And get a AAA premier card, that one covers 200 miles of towing.

 

I just got back tonight. Sadly, the truck didn't come back with me. We bashed away for four days on her. Got her running the first night, changed all fluids, and just sprayed the hell out of every bold we could find. Blew out the tank, new fuel filter and rubber hoses, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, gapped points, new coil, etc. She ran beautifully.
The next day we attacked the brakes. New springs, master cylinder, adjusters, cylinders, shoes, rubber lines. I had never done brake work but I had an excellent tutor. All was going great until I broke a hard line. It was rusted out. Nearest parts store was 15 miles away and it took awhile to get and bend new hard line, but another great learning experience (hint- great tools make a difference in brake pliers, tube benders, and especially flaring tools).
Let her down off the blocks, checked the brakes, and went for a drive. She drove beautifully, stopped beautifully, shifted beautifully. I spent a day just driving her around, and was so impressed with how well that 44 year old truck drove.
I just didn't feel confident in setting out on a 500+ mile trip. After the brake line broke, I started looking a bit closer and it really needs all new hard lines and lots of little things to make me feel safe. The good news is that she is now safely stored in a barn up there, properly prepared this time, and waiting patiently until I can get back up there.
I've got great friends, and learned a lot more than I expected. And the best part? All the old guys that stopped by in this small town and remembered this truck. Most thought it got crushed years ago. And it seems all of them either had an old Ford truck, or their brother or uncle ha one. Lots of great memories were shared and new friends were made, and this adventure is not over.

 

That's great!!

 

Wow, sounds like you already have some great stories to tell.. by the time this truck ends up in your garage some day, you will have spend plenty of hours getting it just perfect... Don't let the hard times get you down, as you seem to have a very positive attitude i don't think that will happen... It is awesome how a car or truck with a few years on it can really bring out the best in people, and get people talking to perfect strangers... maybe it was just the small town, but seems to happen everywhere i take my old truck... best of luck and keep fixing things one step at a time...