I have the opportunity to buy a 1980 f-100 but it has the holy (Swiss cheese) frame. I am concerned it may not hold up or be any good. The frame is not rusty just has a ton of holes in it from the factory.

Are these frames OK or should I just pass on the truck and look for something else?

Thanks...

 

I'd love to find the idiot that started the whole swiss cheese frames are junk deal, and hit him upside the head with a swiss cheese frame. Then have him tell me how weak they are.

There's nothing wrong with swiss cheese frames. They were just a weight saving measure that Ford tried for a couple years. The weight savings weren't enough to justify the holes, so they stopped.

The only issue you might have is in a hard crash, but then again, a hard crash will take out any frame.

 

Not to mention they hold up just as good as the later frames for hauling weight in the bed or towing.

If the truck is in good shape, go ahead and take a serious look at it.

 

Thank You will do that...

 

1980 f100

here is the truck. it's about 1 4 hour drive for me to look at. Just wanted to be sure it was worth pursuing

 

That is an amazing looking truck! I love it. The truck looks pretty straight no rust. Make sure you check out the body carefully for places that looks like they might have been covered up and check under the truck for rust as well. Also make sure the engine compartment looks squared away (Nothing unusual like things removed and ect.)

Believe me I learned the hard way with my 84.

 

Very nice! It has a number of custom touches, and I am not referring to it being a Custom F100.

Welcome to the forum, WTB-F100!

By the way, if you buy it, will you have to change your forum name? [WTB = want to buy?]

 

That is what it stands for currently will have to come up with something new.

 

Thanks for the info. I already know it's not the original drivetrain in the truck. at least not the engine as there is a bracket for an AC unit (no AC compressor though) and the dash is not set up for AC.

I'm buying a truck for a running and driving project but aren't all trucks running and driving projects. LOL!!!

 

Just be warned f100's can be odd ducks. They can have small Ford car pattern rims, and the early ones like that one had king pin frontends that were not made very long. None of this I would assume is a deal breaker, just be aware of what you are getting. If you want f150 parts, they can easily be swapped in but of course that is more work and money.

 

The swiss cheese frame, I would assume, is not quite as strong as the later ones, but mine was used and abused and the frame remains perfect. And yes F100's are oddballs in some cases. The 5x4.5 pattern was most common in shortbed trucks, especially stepsides. I had the displeasure of having it on my LWB truck, which isn't as common. Our '83 F100 LWB had the 5x5.5. The suspension is also a little different. 1980 4x2 trucks did use a kingpin front end, which in my opinion is better than later ball joint setups.

Also, being a 1980, there are a couple wiring differences, and if it's an early '80 there are more wiring differences.

 

You could go from "want to buy" to "want to build"

Edit: with regards to the small bolt pattern: wouldn't this allow for more custom wheel options on the truck? Maybe free it up for some muscle car rims?

 

^That is true. I know guys that put stock Mustang wheels on F100's, as well as sweet aftermarket ones. The ones on his truck already look pretty nice. Looking closer though, the lugs look like they're spaced farther apart, he may have 5x5.5. GVWR mainly decided what lug pattern you got, as well as power vs. manual brakes. Power brakes could have either depending on GVWR but manual brakes got 5x5.5 no matter what.

 

The reason I even bring up the wheel pattern issue is the popularity it seems to drop the f100's more than the f150's. Probably like was mentioned, a lot of them were short beds and those are customized and dropped more than the long beds. So the first thing they usually want to do after they buy a f100 is drop the frontend a little bit, and then comes the dropped beam problem were they won't fit on these trucks.

Easily remedied, but just be aware of what you will need to do.

 

have NO WORRIES about the swiss cheese frame. My 80 F350(swiss cheese frame) with a 429 is my pulling truck. I have broken everything BUT the frame on it