Hello everybody

My name is Chris, 27 of age and living in the the south of Germany. I'm about to buy a "1960 F100 Custom Cab Manual gear" for my father as a "Thank you" gift for supporting me throughout my studies.

(Apologies in advance if I choose the wrong technical words to describe something)

Let me summarise what happened so far: Had a look at the truck twice, once alone and once with my father and my fathers friend (who is a hobby mechanic). The truck looks pretty good, no welding seams, engine runs really smooth. Has about 45000 km (28000 miles) on it. Original from Oregon. A farmer owned the truck his whole life before selling. Second and third owner are Germans. We would be the fourth owner.

Right now I have three questions:

(1) The engine sweats (not sure whether you call it like this in the States). It means that the engine looses oil. Within a few weeks its just a few drops. Is this bad? Should we have a closer look? If so, where and what should we check? I know it's hard to guess if you haven't seen the engine, but just give me your best guess.

(2) I want to check if the engine is still the original engine. The following website describes it pretty descent: How to Identify a Ford Motor - 9 Easy Steps - wikiHow
My question: Is the manual to identify the engine correct?

(3) How can i check if the engine belongs to the body ("matching numbers")?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Chris

 

Welcome to FTE Chris. The 1960 your looking at would have been built with one of 2 engines. A 223 cid inline six cylinder or a 292 cid Y block V-8. A quick google image search should show you what each looks like. I am not sure but I don't think the engine will have a stamp or number cast into it saying it is the "factory" engine to the truck. Is the transmission a 4 speed or 3? If its a 4 speed it should be a T98. Cast into the drivers side of the transmission case.

As far as the engine "sweating" or leaking oil I assume it would depend on were its leaking. First we need to determine what engine you have and then we can talk about were its sweating. External oil leaks are easy, blowby would be more of an internal engine cause, piston rings etc.

And don't worry about your English skills, they are far better than my German. I spend 26 months in your country. It was a great time and I will always have fond memories of Germany. Plus you have the best beer on the planet!

 

Thank you for your quick reply, thundersnow70!

It is a 292 cid Y block V-8 with a 3 speed manual transmission.

I will ask the current owner if he can identify the location of the leak. I will tell you as as soon as i got an answer. My father already guessed that it might be the piston rings.

 

If its a 292 and the leak is from the down draft tube behind the passenger side head its blowby. That would be caused from cylinder pressure getting past the piston rings and causing pressure inside the crankcase. The pressure blows out of the down draft tube and probably out of the oil fill cap right in front of the intake manifold. I would recommend doing a compression check on all 8 cylinders if you are worried about it. Bad rings will show up fast. If you do a compression check make sure and take the coil wire off so the engine doesn't start and make sure the butterflies in the carb are completely open so it gets all the air it can. Also pinch off the fuel line so it doesn't dump a bunch of gas in the engine.

To answer your first question I don't think there is a way to verify the 292 is the engine the truck had when it was built. Good Luck

 

A vacuum gauge test would probably be less objectionable to current owner and wouldn't require removing plugs or running down the battery. Look for steady 18" to 20" at sea level.

Y block engine are known for crankshaft seal leakage at the rear of engine.

 

Hi Chris, nice to see a fridge guy in Germany ... if you have some questions after buying the truck give me a PM ... Tom from Münster, Germany

 

Good luck on your purchase. Have someone check it out before you buy.

 

Welcome to FTE

Do not believe the miles shown on the odometer, as it reads to 99999.9 then returns to ZERO!

 

Thanks for the hint! However a friend of mine who is a mechanic checked it out. The condition is pretty decent. No weldings (at least not visible).

 

Also the term "numbers matching" is a General Motors thing. You warranty plate located inside the glovebox can be decoded and it will determine if it was built with a 6 cylinder or the 292 thats in it now.

 

We finally decided to buy the truck and picked it up last weekend. The drive home was simply amazing :-)

There are few issues we want to tackle. I'm gonna ask for you advice and guidance one by one.

The first one is the steering. Right now we have a lot of steering play (hope that this is the correct english term). If you take a left turn and then a right turn (or vise versa), you have to turn the steering wheel for about 10 degrees (rough estimate) before the tires actually begin to move.

What could be the problem and how can we fix it?

Thanks a lot
Chris

 

First check all components for wear. Tie rod ends and king pins. A rebuilt steering box runs about $600 to $800 USD. There is an adjustment on top of the steering box that might take out some of the play but most likely your box is worn out. To check king pins jack up front wheel (one at a time) grab top and bottom of tire and try to move it back and forth. If it moves you need new king pins. Nice Truck!

 

Manual steering components need to be carefully inspected and replaced as required. One of the first tools you must have on hand is a grease gun. Modern vehicles do not have these requirements.

King pins, drag link, tie rod ends, etc need to be inspected for excessive play or looseness. The steering gearbox may be worn out. Make sure it has sufficient lubricant. Wheel bearings, drive shaft u-joints, drums etc etc, the list is extensive before it can be considered serviceable or safe and reliable to drive. Suggest you acquire the 1960 Ford Truck Shop Manual, it will have the maintenance inspection and repair specifications for everything on your truck.

 

As mentioned all components should be checked for wear. If all seem fine, you can try adjusting the play out of the box as rgs4x mentioned. Before attempting that adjustment, get a manual or consult someone who knows how to do it. If not done correctly, you can risk the box locking up in the full turn position preventing you from straigtening the wheels. YIKES! Nice looking pick-up.

 

Last time I checked, a steering box rebuild kit was available from Classic Performance for about 1/2 as much as a rebuilt box. Alternatively, I believe there's a Toyota power steering box which can be substituted.

Check the brake lines carefully, particularly those going to the back brakes. There's a chance they've nearly rusted through, and when it bursts you'll have no brakes, since the stock master cylinder only has a single chamber for front and rear. Places like ECI and Classic Performance have adapter kits for converting to front disc brakes and/or a dual chamber master cylinder.

I highly recommend getting the factory service manual. It'll answer many of your questions, and provides valuable information like torque and clearance settings.