A few years ago I bought some clean trucks when I was in california for a few months for work. I am thinking about making another trip out that way. The reason is I am restoring a 79 f-350 wrecker that has a rotten cab, and my buddy is restoring a 78 f-350 super camper special. It's allmost impossible to find anything clean around here, and I could get parts from some of the guys that bring it out this way. I'm thinking of going west to bring home the parts I need, and mabye a few extra.

Mabye some of you guys that mess with these trucks in the west can help me get some parts together. I know a few people have said they have scrapped clean stuff just because no one wants it out there. If I can get a good price I'd make the trip. I want to find 2 regular cabs, 77-79 prefferred, with no a/c cutout. I prefer no trim, or just the upper trim. I want cabs and doors, minimal dents, and no rust at all. I don't need any interior but it's ok if it does have it. Don't need titles or anything like that. I would also like to find a clean 77-79 8 foot bed, with the fuel doors.

My plan if I can set it up will be to drive my 08 ranger out, i'd take the bed off and make a mount to bolt a cab to the back of the truck, I'm also gonna make a trailer, probally just a rear frame half with a trailer axle to bolt the bed to, and set the second cab in the bed. This load should not be a problem for the ranger, it's got the 4.0 v6 and 4.10 gears. I can do the trip in about a week with my friend round trip. mabye a little less

If anyone out there has anything clean and pretty cheap i'd be interested. mabye interested in a couple of extra doors. I could go all the way to california if needed, but arizona or even texas would be easier, but I want clean desert metal, i'm tired of everything rusting from the inside out around here.

This is just a planning stage, might not even happen, but if you can help me out I would apprreciate it, I can pay you some for your time and of course for the parts. I just don't have a ton of money to spend as gas will be around 1000-1100. Thanks for any help.

 

I've found some good stuff in NC and VA around the Martinsville area.

 

Ive got a whole truck that all you have to do is fly in and drive it home...

JRB65

 

I would be interested in stuff in the south east, but I have not been able to find anything, don't know anyone down there, I had a bad experience going to nc to get a "rust free" 1970 f100 about 12 years ago, it was a complete rot box with the optional see through firewall. If anyone down that way has anything i'm open to it.

I don't really want to drive one home, not from that far away, I did it once from california and had good luck with it, but also bought it a month before I left there so I had time to work out all the gremlims before I made the trip. Keep the ideas coming though, i'm open to allmost anything.

Thanks, Bill

 

I'd say that JRB65's offer is quite generous. And even if there are problems on the way back, hey, that's the way to learn how to fix them and learn about the truck. If you lose a couple of days with repairs, think what you've save in time driving out west?!

(OK, I know you know how to work on them...and you've had bad experiences before, but what a deal this could be.)

Load up parts on the way back. It's a truck, drop things in back, easy as that.

I'd consider it a bit longer before rejecting it. But that's just me.

 

Check out craigs. You never know

truck bed for ford f-150

 

i know of a 77 single cab f150 with dual tanks. the bed floor is a little rough the cab is good. it does have ac though. it has good fenders and hood. pretty complete truck. and then theres also a complete driver 77 f150. 400 ci engine, auto. that i could probably get for round 1200.00 bucks. its all in a local junk yard of a family friend. plus he has a supercab with a 460 that was running when he parked it. back bench seat is prestine condition. cab is soso. im in oklahoma. hes got about 5 dents that hes had for a while and they are pretty much untouched except for parts ive robbed off them.

 

Let me roll back just a little bit..The truck is not free...LOL... Its a completely restored 74 Dent with no rust at all... Just to Clerify..
JRB65

 

I've been trying to convince someone with a car hauler to do exactly what you are talking about, but no one has ever done it that I know of.

Let me know if you get more serious about it and I can try & round up some parts or try & help you locate some. I've got some nice fenders, etc. here that would go for a bunch back there but I just got quoted $161 by FedEx to ship on to MS.... Kinda kills any sales ya know!

I'd try & take back as much as you could. Sure it'll cost more but you'd making the trip out already so the more you bring back the more you can sell & the more $$ to be made.

 

thanks for the info on the trucks a little closer, but I'm looking for completley clean metal, I'm terrible at body work and dont have the paitience for it. and body work is super expensive, I have a good friend with a body shop and he cuts me a big break, but I want no rust to start with.

Haha i'd be happy to take a restored truck for free I did the driving cross country before, but a few breakdowns and days doing repairs and missed work more then cover the extra gas driving out would cost.

Chasetruck thanks for the offer, thats exactly what i'm looking for, hell if I found enough clean metal i'd take my dads superduty out and my 20 foot deckover trailer and load up beds and cabs and front clip parts. I'd have to measure, but if I can put the beds sideways on the trailer I could get 3 cabs and 3 beds on the trailer, and one on the back of the truck, but that would probally be hard to find that many. the fuel would cost alot more, but selling a bed over here would cover most of it. Let me talk to my buddy and make sure he can get away from the wife for a week to do this, I know he wants to as he is needing a cab for his truck.

I know there is a place in north carolina that gets stuff from out west, flashback f100's and he has very nice stuff, and I think his prices are reasonable for what he has, but since I need more then one I think it would be worth it to make the trip. And I love a good road trip. Don't really need a whole truck as I have plenty of clean frames, and everyone around here just wants body parts and dana 60's. Mabye I can save some good metal from the crusher.

 

Ah, oops. (That's me below looking oblivious!)

 

*hillbilly, bring some 1" kingpin I-beams with you bud!

 

Hey hillbilly, I am in Pittsburgh area, there is a guy here that does just that. he just posted today on craigslist, 1973-79 Ford Truck Parts // from California . Looks like he has a lot of parts. Been meaning to call him to get price on doors. Have no clue on his prices, but probably more than out west. But might be worth calling, might be cheaper to drive here and pay his prices. Just a thought.

side story on going west for parts I was out west years ago with my parents visiting some of my fathers friends. They are into old trucks. My fathers one friend has a ranch, with a giant lot of ford parts, all I took was fenders, cheapest thing to ship, since I was flying. Think it was only 100 to ship home. Would love to take a truck and trailer out and pic some more stuff up since he said whatever I wanted was free. The stuff is clean and about 300 ft off the main road between Denver Co and Lander Wy good luck finding it.

 

what would I find the 1 inch king pins front ends in? I only have some 1/2 tons right now, but I know where there are some 1 tons at, if I do the trip I can bring whatever you guys need if it's anything with me. I have some engines, transmissions, front and rear axles, transfer cases, just no clean metal haha.

My buddy thinks he can do it, but we will talk more this weekend, if we do, would probally be looking at sometime in may.

 

it's looking like we are going to plan a trip out there, probally looking at some time in may. That will give plenty of time to get things set up. I'm also looking at using my dads truck and my 20' deckover trailer. Let me know if this sounds crazy or not, I want to load the beds sideways on the trailer, I can get 3 on that way, and put a cab in each of the beds. I would also like to put another cab in the back of the truck I'm driving. Do you think I'd be able to find 4 nice cabs with doors and 3 good beds? I will also fill the inside of the cabs up with some extra doors and fenders. I can also bring things out that people might want If I have it. I can also drop things off on the way back to help pay for the trip if anyone knows anyone that wants anything. I won't go to far north, I plan on running I-40 out but I can take different ways back. Looks like around 2700 miles, probally be burning about $1800 in diesel fuel, but I can sell 2 beds around my way and make all that up and then some.

If anyone out that way has or knows of anything I can send out a deposit if needed once I get things rolling over here. Also what does good metal go for out there? I'd like parts with just the upper trim, or no trim. Would be nice to find a cab with the fuel tank in the cab, also would like cabs with no a/c. but as long as the metal is clean I'm not to worried about options. might be easier if I did'nt have any seats that way I can put more in the cabs. But as people chime in with things I can figure all this out. Might also be looking for a clean flareside short bed, I can take that apart.