Restoring Grandpa's '57 F100 - First Truck and First Post

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02-28-2014, 10:35 AM

'57 Ford F100 Nut

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Restoring Grandpa's '57 F100 - First Truck and First Post

Hi Guys and Gals,

My name is Taylor and I am 17 years old (Will be 18 in a couple of weeks). I have been lurking around the site for a week or 2 now and thought it was finally time to join up!

About 2 weeks ago, my Grandpa decided out of the blue to give me his 1957 Ford F100 that he has had for 43 years. It is a Style Side Custom Cab with the Big Rear Window and is 2 Tone Red and White. It has a 272 Y Block I believe and is a 3 on the Tree. Overall, it is in good shape for a '57 that has never been restored and Grandpa believes it has less than 20,000 Original Miles on it (The Original Speedometer has 6,600 miles and the replacement one has about 7,000 miles on it). It was used to haul show horses before Grandpa bought it and then he only put a few thousand miles on it.

Anyways, I am VERY excited that he is giving it to me and that I have my first truck! I have always admired his F100, so be able to call it my own is very special to me.

The truck was last drove in 1977 and has been sitting down in Grandpa's barn since then. When I first found out that I was getting it, I was planning to just fix up what was there and start driving it. Well, when I actually went to look at the truck (I had only see pics of it up till now), I discovered that is was in worse condition than I thought it would be in. The engine is stuck and there is a lot of rust on the underside of the truck (the frame is good though). The interior is basically destroyed from critters.

After discussing it with my dad (who is helping me with the build), we decided the best route to go is a frame up restoration. We figured if I want it to last for the long haul, I might as well do it right the first time.

Right now, the truck is still sitting in the barn (got to wait for the cold and snow to go away), but I am hoping to bring it out of the barn within the next week or 2 and into Grandpa's shed where I can start dis-assembly. Planning to start with the frame/suspension/steering/brakes/tires and then move on to engine/transmission then body and then finally interior and put it all together. Hoping to get it done in 1-3 years or so if all goes as planned. The thing that will be my main issue with getting the build done is cash as I will be paying for it myself.

My end goal for the truck is to have it as stock as possible on the outside and interior, but be a reliable daily driver. I also want to do a few comfort, performance, and safety upgrades along the way.

Here are a couple of pics of my truck as it sits (I have since cleaned out the bed):

I do have a question (Sure I will have more in the future): The 272 Y-Block that is in the truck is stuck. Unless I can free it up, it will need a rebuild. This truck is going to be my spring/summer/fall daily driver and I was just wondering if you guys think I should rebuild the 272 or put in a 302 out of 80's to early '90's Mustang in it instead? Just wondering which choice would be the best option and what would cost the least both in cash and time. As a side note, I am planning to put an automatic transmission in the truck (looking to put in a C-4).

Well, hopefully my post was not too long and I will be sure to update the thread as my build progresses.

Thanks,
Taylor

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02-28-2014, 12:13 PM

real550A

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Taylor- First of all, congrats on your first truck, you could have done much worse! Now, I'll offer my opinion only. Being that this is a low mile time capsule, I'd be reluctant to do any modifications. This was a running, driving, legal truck when new, and can be again. Your plan to go through the frame and running gear is solid. Refresh everything that time may have taken its toll on. Make sure all grease fittings work. As far as the engine goes, I'd just find a spare, running 272 or 223 to stick in there while I rebuilt the original V8. Used engines/donor trucks are pretty cheap, and someone near you probably has one. Take your time, get it on the road, and finish it as you drive. Try becoming proficient driving it with the 3 on the tree, you might like it, and that could save you some $$ to put into other areas.
Whatever you do, save all original parts, you may want them in the future.
Best of luck, and post pics on your new build thread!

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02-28-2014, 02:02 PM

'57 Ford F100 Nut

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Quote:

Originally Posted by real550A

Thanks for the kind words as well as your opinion! I appreciate it. I understand what you are saying about not doing any mods since it does have such low miles and has been sitting for a long time, but since it is going to be my daily driver for 9 months out of the year, I really would like to update some things on it so it will be more comfortable to drive, perform better, and be a bit safer (things like a cd player, a/c, power steering, seat belts, disc brakes etc.). I am for sure going to keep the stock look both on the exterior and in the interior as well. I will be sure to keep original parts that I do not use as well as keeping the thread updated with pics! Thanks again for the help!

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02-28-2014, 02:39 PM

Danleig

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I mostly agree with real550A. There's better than a 90% probability you can get it running again, and for the near term that's your most cost-effective option. It will give you an idea of A) if you really like the way it drives with stock running gear, and B) what specifically you would like to change and in which order. It looks like a great truck.

As a suggestion, make sure the clutch will disengage, because the hydraulic line is a weak link for a truck that's been sitting. Then put on some round tires, get someone to help get the truck moving 10-15 mph and ease the clutch out in 2nd gear. This will let you know if the engine will break free; Don't go crazy, just get it turning over, you're just proving the feasibility of getting the stock engine going again. If (and when, I predict) it does, change fluids, put in a fresh battery, clean out and check the fuel system, points, plugs, condenser, and go for starting it!

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02-28-2014, 02:55 PM

'57 Ford F100 Nut

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Danleig

That sounds like a really good plan!

Thanks for the advice! I like the idea of trying to get it going with the stock running gear and see if I can get it going and how I like it before changing the engine and transmission. The more I think about and after reading your guy's comments, I think keeping the stock running gear in it is the way to go for now and just make little improvements to it like I mentioned above. Thanks for help guys!

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02-28-2014, 04:03 PM

Damifiknow

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Good luck and welcome to the Orphanage.

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02-28-2014, 04:08 PM

real550A

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Taylor- Just a quick hint....if you add your location to your profile, there may be guys that are local to you that can be of help. This is a great bunch here!
Mike

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02-28-2014, 04:59 PM

'57 Ford F100 Nut

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Quote:

Originally Posted by real550A

Taylor- Just a quick hint....if you add your location to your profile, there may be guys that are local to you that can be of help. This is a great bunch here!
Mike

Thanks for the tip Mike! Just added it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damifiknow

Good luck and welcome to the Orphanage.

Thanks for welcome!

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02-28-2014, 06:32 PM

78 & 87 Super Cab

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Also order all the free catalogs you can find

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02-28-2014, 06:46 PM

hiball3985

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You are so fortunate, people would die to have an original low mileage truck like that. That is something that should be left completely original and saved for the future. If you want to chop up and modify find another truck and let some one who really appreciates what it is have it. People are continually chopping and modifying these trucks and the originals are to hard or impossible to find. The originals are a piece of history that should be preserved.

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02-28-2014, 09:13 PM

egg collector

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Welcome to the wide, wide world of decisions and choices. If you are no better in remembering what went where and what came off first and last, I would suggest pictures or video. I did buy a doner truck that I can use as a reference. Now I probably will fix up the doner. Anyway someone here suggested bagging and tagging parts and bolts as you tear it down. Do not throw away anything. I kept everything and actually went back into my discarded pile to retrieve some parts. Not all part are replaceable without someone making them. If after 6 months you think it will never get done, do not give up or even after one year. Just think, how many 18 year old students will be driving something three times their age.
My suggestion, orginal as much as possible, you can always change things later and by then you wlll have a better idea of exactly what you want.

Go for it and good luck

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#12

02-28-2014, 10:07 PM

'57 Ford F100 Nut

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Thanks everyone for the additional replies, compliments, welcomes, and advice! I will be sure to store all your advice away and use it. I am not the type of person who thinks he knows it all or anything like that.

I do realize that a truck like mine is a very rare find indeed and I do appreciate it for what it is. It is also very special to me being as it was my grandpa's truck for over 40 years.

My family and I were told the other week that my grandpa has a form of liver cancer and does not have much time left (a year at the most), so as you can imagine, knowing that makes this truck (and it's restoration and getting it back on the road) even more important to me...

I am more of an old school kid (sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade LOL!) and am not the type to totally modify and hotrod a original low mileage truck like this so no one has to worry about me doing anything like that.

My end goal for this truck is that it will be a nice looking daily driver that is reliable, clean, and will be as safe as it can be (disc brakes, etc.) and also will be something that I will be able to remember my grandfather by when he is gone. I am sure I will change my mind a thousand times along the way of how I want to do it, but I will keep it original as possible.

Be sure to check back for updates about my build!

Thanks,
Taylor

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#13

03-01-2014, 07:18 AM

Walston

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Congratulations Taylor. Nothing is more fun to work on than a truck owned by your grandfather.

I understand your comments about making the truck more "drivable", nothing wrong with that if that is what you want to do. However KEEP EVERYTHING you change so if when you are older you want to restore it to original, you can. For example, maybe you do put a 302 with an automatic transmission in it. Keep the Y-block and 3 speed in a dry spot in case later you want to "restore" it.

Make sure you bag, photograph and label everything. It is impossible to have too many pictures and with digital pictures you can take thousands and thousands. File them in a usable way on you computer, they can prove priceless. I suggest you buy some big freezer bags and label them as you take them apart, correct bolts or some dohickey that you can't buy is important to save and know what it is.

A couple practical things for you and your Dad to think about:
1) To make this you daily driver, you have to be able to insure it. Classic car insurance usually will not insure anyone under 23 or 25. So talk with your insurance agent to see it you can get coverage that will be worth a darn. This is not very interesting, but it is quite important. You don't want to have a minor or semi-minor wreck and have the insurance company say, well it's totaled, here is $500. When we started the rebuilt our 1960, my son was 14. We finished it when he was 18 and we could not get him covered to drive it.

2)If you are gonna drive it everyday, there are safety improvements that you should consider. Seat Belts, disc brakes, getting the gas tank out of the cab and maybe power steering. There are documented conversions for these things on the site, but remember keep ever thing you take off. It will be tempting to sell this stuff on ebay, I recommend that you keep it.

If you look at my gallery you can see some pictures of the process and also some of the safety upgrades I mentioned.

Good luck

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#14

03-01-2014, 07:35 AM

Walston

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Here are a few technical articles that you can learn from. More information is available in the "Article/Specs" section.

Toyota Steering Box Swap For 1948-1960 Trucks .: Articles

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Adapting Major Components of 1948 to 1960 Ford Trucks .: Articles

Brake Tech for early model Ford F100 Pickup trucks through 1964 .: Articles

Installing a Mid-60's Mustang Gas Tank In A 1953 F-100 .: Articles

Front Suspension Alternatives for 1948 - 1960 Ford Trucks, Part One .: Articles

Front Suspension Alternatives for 1948 - 1960 Ford Trucks, Part Two .: Articles

There are actually 11 or twelve parts of this article, see the others in the article section and do a search.

Read and ask questions, lots of people can be good help.

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#15

03-01-2014, 07:51 AM

Walston

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Taylor, Here is another place you can learn a great deal. Unfortunately George got sick and was not able to finish Earl, but there is a great deal of information here and it is worth looking at. I know it is a 1954 and not a 1957, but much is the same. The Truck was later finished by another FTE member.

http://earl.clubfte.com/

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