Just Bought a 1966 F250 Camper Special/Custom Cab, 352, 4 speed. Looking to remove in cab tank and install a mid-tank and a rear tank. Does the mid-tank on the 73-> fit the 66? Saw it on LMC, at 20 gallons would be a nice tank. Also looking to install a 460 with possible C6. This truck is going to tow my open track car. Any suggestion? Thanks .....

 

Fia289 Welcome to and the Slicks Forum.

That truck should tow your car just fine as is. The 352 can be beefed up with a rv cam, some head work and headers. A C6 is an excellent tranny choice.

You can remove the gas tank only to find no added room. The seat hits the rear wall above the tank.

I suggest cleaning it up and driving it as is for a bit. Let it tell you what it can do.


John

 

Welcome to FTE, I dont know of anyone adding a mid tank but most people add a 60s 20 gallon tank to the rear with some slight modification. Just a bit of cutting and a little framing but nothing crazy. If you use the search function you can find it all over the site

 

I just replaced my seat tank from my 66 and there is no more seat room, but It gives me space for dry storage behind the seat and puts more weight on the rear wheels. I seldom haul cargo so weight distribution is a consideration for handling and traction. I used a 20 gallon Mustang tank with the fill moved to the left rear corner and to a fill door on the side. On our 78 F150 the second tank is in front of the axle inside the frame but the 78 frame behind the cab is 4" wider than the 66
In the 60's custom "saddle tanks" fitted in front of the rear wheel wells were often seen on pickups hauling campers and those usually held 20 gallons. You might check with a local fabrication shop since they are relatively easy to make and install.

As for the motor, I have a 460/C6 in mine and it tows great! Mileage around town is poor but it gets 12 mpg on the highway. It doesn't seem to get much worse towing a car on a trailer. You could stick with the 352 but it's probably pretty tired and 50 years old. You should be able to find a low mileage 460 pretty cheap. Mine was in a 77 that we got for $500 and it had the disc brakes and power steering! It will bolt right in with 73-79 motor mounts. Mine has a custom one piece driveline but everything else needed was in the donor.

 

Similar only a 65 with a 390, basically same as the 352 and never had an issue with hauling vehicles or heavy equipment, just make sure the brakes system is well maintained. I am currently in the process of rebuilding rears, I purchased all the rear brake components from the local Napa auto parts store.

 

Good point about the brakes and don't forget about trailer brakes. Electric brake controllers are easy to instal and adjustable to match the load. I have a platform hitch on my 66 so I can use "easy lift" load bars or different height hitches depending on the load
I'm not enthusiastic about dropping a lot of money in a old engine when donors are so cheap and I've heard some horror stories about rebuilders. That said, the amount of use you plan on using it and the condition of the 352 is an important consideration.
BTW I have towed with a 66 w/ 352 3sp od and it did fine but the motor was new (that was in 1966-7) not 50 years old!

 

Welcome to FTE

1961/66: The only fuel tank available was the 18 gallon in-cab tank (C1TZ-9002-K).

In 1970, Ford replaced this tank with the 19 1/2 gallon (D0TZ-9002-A) in-cab tank (1970/72 F100/750) for use as a "service part replacement."

This tank is reproduced by Blue Oval Truck Parts (Anaheim CA) and is available from all the repro parts sellers.

3/1965 I bought a new F100 8' Styleside 352 3 M/T with Overdrive. I wanted to add A/C, but the dealer installed Ford unit was too expensive, 150 bucks my cost plus another 65 bucks labor.

So, I had Air Cold Sales in West L/A install the exact same Climatic A/C that your truck has. Total cost including installation was 140 bucks.

1966/72 F250 Camper Specials and F250 2WD non Camper Special's with a 7,500 GVWR have 12" x 2 1/2" front/rear drum brakes.

btw: 4 speed: With either the Ford dealer A/C or an aftermarket A/C .. In order to install the "hang-on" A/C's bezel, the shift lever had to be bent to clear it.

 

On my '65, I have the stock tank. The PO added a tank on the drivers side, which is between the cab and the rear wheel. A toggle switch was installed on the dash to switch tanks. At 10 mpg, the extra fuel is nice for longer drives.

 

Thanks for all the responses. This truck had two saddle tanks at one time. between cab and rear wheels out side of the frame. The gas cap area on each side of the bed have been welded up be the last owner. Notice not much room between each side of the frame. Looks like a rear tank will be the best route. If I replace the in cab tank with a new one, will gas fume smell end. would a in cab tank with vent eliminate that? Live in an area of high heat for 5 months of the year... Had a 95 F250 460, great truck, just a Pain in the %$# to work on.

 

Gas has to escape in some manner to give off smell. I would suggest driving the truck and then look for wet spots. One known culprit is the rubber hose between the tank and filler. Gas can weap at that area when filling. Replacement hoses need to be for gas use, not say radiator hose.

In the summertime one shouldn't fill the tank full unless you plan on driving out 3-5 gallons before parking. Heat will expand the tank and cause it to run out on the ground and or down the side of the cab.


John

 

The summers here in Chico routinely get into the 100's, and there is no gas odor in the cab, gasoline, that is. Like John says, use the proper fill tank hose and make sure that the gasket under the sending unit is good.

 

A Bronco II tank (25 gal) will fit between the frame rails and Bronco Graveyard has the filler hose that fits over the frame rail for a side fill. The tank uses straps to hold it in place. Tanks Inc. sell a fuel door to weld into the bed side or a simple hole for the filler could be done. Extending the fuel line and hooking up a fuel gauge is not hard.
If you consider the 66 a "Keeper" and want "the way you want it" and like the idea of secure and out of sight storage in the cab then do it.