Also ive never worked on one of these trucks before or really anything ford, so if i ask newbie questions im sorry haha. Not to mention anything with a hydraulic clutch so almost everything on this truck will be new to me. (usually work on marine engines, jeeps, and chevys)

 

Whether you use new are used parts is all a matter of your plans. If you're not sure how far you'll go with it, used parts may suffice to get it going and help you decide further plans. But as for the hose/line, searching for a used one could lead to as much money spent as having a new one made, and the new one will be around a while. Years ago I rebuilt my slave cyl and it didn't last. It's a little trickier than rebuilding brake wheel cylinders. That why I suggested a new one. As for as other things, I'd have to say I'm not too impressed with what I see on the power brake modification. I'd be checking that out closely and if doing much more than just making the truck roadworthy, I'd be cleaning that up or trying to go back original. Sadly, there is a large hole there to fill.

Don't worry about the newbie situation. That is why you're here, and there are a lot of experienced guys that will help you along.

 

I got mine from rockauto, cheap. Don't mess with a used one.

Also, pretty sure 272 was not the most powerful engine, and I'm just not seeing the air conditioning, unless that was a pun about the windows. Anyway, nice score. I had a 57 just like it for a daily driver back in the 70s, 5.14 gears and all. Loved that truck.

 

I'm bringing back a 59 that sat (outside in Montana) for 20 years or so. One thing I would suggest is check everywhere for mice nests. I didn't look inside the bell housing until after I had started the engine a few times and it was full inside the clutch. I spent a couple hours barring the engine over and blowing compressed air through a home made wand.
Also I would suggest knocking the freeze plugs out and installing new ones. I found one half gone and only the caked on grease holding in the coolant.

Today I pulled my heater, cleaned out the mouse crap. Pressure tested the heater core (it leaked so I soldered it), tested the motor, cleaned it all up and painted it for reassembly. While the heater is out, soak those vent and heater cables with penentrant and get them freed up good. I had to pull both vent covers to get the doors moving freely.

Have you tried to turn the engine to see if it's stuck or not?

 

no i havent, i saw it and took the pictures you saw that i posted, it wasnt until i got home that i became a little more curious about it, the website i found for decoding the vin wasnt a very good one i guess as it turns out. as far as the AC the truck has vents in the dash and being so used to new cars i figured AC but completely forgot about the compressor that would need to be under the hood haha. right now as it sits i havent messed with anything, i played around with the gas pedal and the butterflys opened like they should and the brakes had good feeling to them, the shifter seemed to move all over the place and couldnt find a gear. i closed the choke since i couldnt live with myself leaving eveything open on the carb (wasnt mine so i didnt want to mess with it too much but that will keep stuff from getting in there further).

 

im still curious as to why it was put up and my uncle isnt sure either, the glass is out and the power brakes are on and there is nothing connected to the clutch pedal so maybe the owner was prepping it for a repaint and doing some work on it or something and just never finished it. Its not like the truck was stripped for parts as everything is still there and even intact, non of the glass is broken and i bet if i looked a little harder i could find the clutch components somewhere.

 

That single round hole in the dash is for the missing radio. Unless you've seen one, it's not what you would expect a typical automobile radio to look like. Check out this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...o-upgrade.html

 

After the master cylinder booster/was installed, whoever did it couldn't figure out how to reinstall the clutch master cylinder, so "walked away" from the project.

Personally, I wouldn't spend a penny on this truck, it needs EVERYTHING which will cost...at minimum 10 - 15 grand to repair...and then what do you have?

An F350 that rides and steers like an oxcart.

 

Well good thing I don't mind spending money on stuff like this. The truck is free and I don't plan on restoring it, so at most I'll have a few hundred in it. Plus I really don't care at all what the ride quality is like, it isn't a daily driver (that's what my new Chevy is for) and I'm no stranger to cars and trucks like this so I know what I'm getting myself into and I also have boats to tow (those are the real money pits) so this truck could come in handy. I just plan on getting it running and driving and that's it, I'm leaving it the way it is (they're only original once).

 

A big glitch on old trucks is the tires. Around here, you just can't find a decent set of used 16 or 17.5s Plan on spending a grand or more just to put new tires on.

 

When I bought my 1960, it had brand new Yokohama radials on it. Tubeless of course. 8 yrs later they're still riding and don't show any dry rot. Try a firestone dealer too. My 77 camper special had the half size tubeless 16.5 I had no problem getting transforce tires for it. Tube tires, don't know

 

I don't want to burst your bubble or discourage you, but you came here looking for tips. A lonnnnnnng way from anything near restoration can still add up to a few thousand! Many here will probably vouch for that. So, be careful. This hobby is addictive, and addictions are expensive.

 

Good advice!

 

Look at it this way: It's cheaper than golf, a trip to Vegas, or most other hobbies.

 

Nice find. It reminds me a lot of the F600 I inherited because I refused to take it to the scrapper for the in-laws. It has been a fun father/son project (on a large scale) getting him interested in turning a wrench rather than playing on his phone. Enjoy!