My father recently passed and left this 1978 F100 to my son. My grandfather bought it new, and my dad got it when he passed. About a year ago my father gave it to my son for his first vehicle. My son is 8 so it will be a few years before he can drive it so I am planning on fixing it up for him. The truck is all original except for the aluminum rims and the replacement bench seat. Still have the original wheels and seat in storage. It is a standard 300 with a 3speed on the column. It has a small amount of rust in a few places and the paint is faded. I just had the brakes and clutch replaced as well as a new radiator, water pump, and hoses. It is running and driving just fine but I am thinking of lowering it . What do you think to lower it with dream beams or leave it stock?

Also the yellow paint is obviously faded,so in looking for the correct shade of paint the vin has a U code which should be a cream color. Is this cream or some other color?

Would you paint whole truck or leave it as is, or patch areas or rust and spot paint where needed and clear the truck leaving the patina intact.

 

Welcome to FTE. Sorry to hear about your father passing, but nice story on the trucks history. I would not lower it, but I am a 4x4 guy, so my opinion does not count on 2wd's. But an easy way to go would be to drop the back end to level it.

In 8 more years the rust will only be worse, if you do not do some thing about it now. So body work and paint work sounds like a route to go.

Ah the rolling hills of Tennessee....

 

Welcome to FTE. That's pretty cool that you've got a truck with a family history! I wouldn't lower it - makes it kind of useless as a truck, IMO. But if you want to, there are a few threads around here with pictures that could inspire you.

Since you asked for opinions, patina isn't my preference either, so I'd aim for restoring it to shiny new paint all around in the long term if it were my truck, but either way, like Rich said, the rust will only get worse. So spot-repairs now are worthwhile if it's going to be a while before you would get around to whatever your long-term plan is. As for color, it looks like cream to me, but I'm no expert on what Ford called various colors back then.

What part of TN are you in?

 

1978 COLOR code U = Cream.

 

It's your truck and your taste. Everyone here has a different opinion on how a truck should look. I personally think a few inches of drop looks good on a short bed 2wd. I'd spend some time with your son and get some feedback from him as to what he thinks. I know that he'll change his mind thousands of times before he's old enough to drive it. Take care of the body like Rich advised and work on the mechanical as time and money allows. Most of all enjoy the time working on it and the time that you get to spend with your son.

 

Sometimes the beauty of an object is the utter elegance of its simplicity.

 

Absolutely

 

I live in church hill which is near Kingsport.

The color code u which is cream looks more yellow to me . I saw a few cars on the net which were cream in color and they don't look the same.

 

The mechanical of the truck are good to go. I just put new tires on it . The steering has a little bit of wear so I am going to search how to rebuild the steering box. I have thought about finding a power steering column and swap it out but I am having a hard time finding one. On a side note I have my fathers 1977 f100 lwb that he bought new and I learned to drive on as well and it will be next in line to get back on the road.

 

Cool. I'm in Knoxville myself.

Folks around here swear by Redhead steering boxes - there should be a link in one of the sticky threads. You may also look into replacing bushings - some of the slop may not be in the gearbox.

 

As for colors, here's a picture of the color swatches in Ford's dealer brochure for '78:



(Source: p18 )

Cream is basically a light yellow. The actual yellow is pretty bright, e.g. 1978 Free Wheelin advertisement

 

Thanks for the color samples . It looks like cream is the color .

 

I like it. Not sure how much modifying you want to do. A later model 300 I-6 with EFI and a 5-speed would be sweet in that truck.

There are a pair of those free wheeling wheels with some non matching slots in Norman OK for $100...

4 slotted aluminum wheels 15x 7

And another pair of the wheels in Bentonville Ar for $100.....

aluminum slot wheels and tires

 

Another opinion only because you asked. I prefer stock stance. Use the money to at least remove all cancer even if you can't completely repaint now. Although technically your son's, since he can't drive for a while, it seems a shame that a family piece like that should skip a generation. Fix it to please you for a few years and get a little enjoyment out of your labor! I like it.

 

Great that the mechanicals are all all up to snuff. That's the place to start and done. I would focus on the rust first. Find a body shop that can do a solid job welding in repair panels or do it yourself. Match up the paint as best possible in the repair areas if a total re-paint is not in the budget. Autocolorlibrary.com should be able to mix an acrylic enamel in OE color.

As far as lowering... that is personal. As a PU it may be handy to be able to haul 1,200-1,500 lb when needed or tow a trailer. Stock stance is made for that. Other considerations would be value... and what your son wants to do with it in 8 years. These are not collectors items but I think an original is generally more valuable vs modified... plus your son may like it that way or want to do something completely different like jack it up or something. I'd leave stance alone personally.