Back to stock? It's a 79 Free Wheelin' F100 with a 302, SROD, PS, PB, AC and very little else. Well, factory gauges and white spoke wheels. It's also a Custom.

It had no radio (no antenna hole, nothing), no cigarette lighter, I mean just a stripper F100 Custom with a few options. It's factory Candy Apple Red with the white striping all over it.

Right now I'm tearing it down to the frame to see what I have to work with. Useable parts include the passanger side outer and inner fender, 2 rear fenders (although both need some work up front where the steps bolt on), 2 bed sills, the tailgate MIGHT be worth fixing and right rear quarter is decent.

The cab is rusted from the top down (window channels, under the driprails), the cowl is damaged (somebody tried to cut it out and fill it), the cab corners and floor are decent, rusted badly around AC box, fuel tank rusted out, ect...

Now, if I replace 1/2 the truck (cab, hood, front fender, and rear quarter) how much of it would be origional? Very little I'd guess.

I figure I can buy a decent cab for way less then it would take to fix this one.

Oddly enough, I looked for THIS truck for many many years. Candy apple red/white stripes 302 SROD shortbed stepside Free Wheelin' F100.

I've got a bunch of stuff I've been saving for it, to kinda do a period 'restomod' if I wanted to, and that's kinda the direction I was thinking of.

 

The freewheeling part is a little trim striping which will have to be made special if you want it back to original.

IMO, consider the Truck itself if it is worth it.

 

SROD? What is SROD?

What kind of striping? Is this a Flareside? I'm always interested in Free Wheeling stuff.

Stock or resto-mod, whatever you prefer. If if was up to me, I'd go with stock.

Does the dash still have the blank radio plate? Would be interesting to sport a non-radio truck. Is the antenna base covered with something or what?

I don't worry about originality - that's hard after 30 years. But if it IS factory and is in good condition, I consider it original even if it has been replaced.

 

There is no antenna base. I'm not sure if it has a knock off plug on the cab, but the cowl has never had a hole in it. Yeah, it's a shortbed stepside, but not a true flareside, like the early trucks or the ones they build in early 1976 when they started making them again.

I used to run a 1976 Bicentennial F100 that was also a stripper, no radio, lighter or much of anything. Had a 360, 4 speed, 4.10 gears and single speed transfercase, but it did have the true (like from the 50s-60s) flareside bed on it. It's the first one I've ever seen with the singlespeed transfercase, which I'm assuming wasn't a very popular item when new. Same with the flareside, they apparently used them for the first few months of production. Oh, back to the 79...

This truck didn't come with the bezel (or door panels or origional seat due to being baked in the Florida sun), so I added one from a parts truck. All the radio delete trucks I've seen though have a one piece plastic bezel (no knockout plate). Kinda hard to find a 30 year old truck that never had a radio in it though. I did put a antenna on the lower right corner on the back of the cab, and my CD player was in a modified overhead console from a old E series van. I now have a Highliner that I plan on using (the overhead console headliner thing with the speakers built in) with a Dakota Digital electronic antenna. Have to remove the sunroof when I fix/replace the cab though.

BTW, the Free Wheelin' stepsides used a standard interior, they didn't have the special trim like the fleetsides or Indy 500 trucks had. I do have the right door panels, upper seat back, (somebody put a bottom from something else in)bezel and ring around the glovebox for a regular Free Wheelin' fleetside somewhere around here though. Like where mine is a Custom, it was like any other Custom, no carpet, mimimul insulation, ect...

Almost forgot, the engine in it is out of a 1984, but I have another date coded from 1979... not that I'll be using it.

It's still got the origional paint and the striping as well, it basicly used like a big decal, but they'll have to be painted back on. The striping came in black, white or gold.

I still have a factory GT bar (rollbar) that came from another 1979 longbed stepside F100 that I'd love to trade for one from a shortbed stepside. Got a few bits and pieces of the Rainbow stripes as well, but nothing in good shape or close to being a complete kit. They came with the one I parted out that got in a accident years ago and nobody ever put them back on, or maybe they were leftovers from the job?

For those that don't know, the Free Wheelin' package was a trim package you could get in late 1976 to 1979 on any Custom or Ranger 1/2 ton pickups. You could also get it on 1978 and 1979 Broncos (with XLT trim if you wanted), Couriers, and Vans. On the stepsides, the 1979 had different striping then the late 76-78s but otherwise the rest of the package was the same. the Flareside 'Package A' basicly had the black white or gold pinstriping, blackout grille, and black painted bumpers. The fleetsides had the special interior and rainbow stripes as well as a 'Package B' that had the GT (roll) bar, wagon wheels, and spare tire lock.

My 1978 F150 shortbed stepside also started out life as a Free Wheelin' F150, but it's been repainted twice (at least) and had a 80-86 style square fender bed on it when I got it. It now has the correct style bed, and I jumped trim to a Ranger XLT, but I'm now thinking about sticking my Lariat stuff in it.

Oh, the SROD is the Single Rail Overdrive, basicly a toploader that's a 3 speed overdrive instead of a 4 speed.

 

Damn, that is cool. Too bad the cab is rotten. Maybe you can salvage the antenna base and graft it onto a new cab or something similar.

The single-speed Dana 21 transfer case was only a 1/2 ton option that existed from '73-'76. In '77 you got NP203 or NP205 in any chassis you desire.

Damn...another rare part lost to the elements. You don't know how hard it is to find a Free Wheeling dash bezel with the radio delete. Yes, they are molded. If a radio was selected, the faceplate was cut at the factory or at the dealership.

All 77-79 Free Wheeling pickups got the black/orange/silver interiors. It's same as the Indy 500 trucks. They just used the Free Wheeling interior in the '79 Indy trucks. Only Broncos didn't get the Free Wheeling interiors. Not sure about E-series or the Courier. You're correct about it only available with the Custom or Ranger trim on pickups, but you could get it in F-250 or F-350 as well. F-100/F-150 required RWL tires if ordered with the Free Wheeling package.

Yep, they come in sections. I've got a NOS set somewhere.

 

I just learned something interesting. My Bicentennial 1976 apparently wasn't after all. I was thinking about it and did a search, and found the origional brochure
http://www.geocities.com/bicentennia...ront_page.html
that says it was fleetsides only. It looked EXACTLY like the one in the brochure (white, same interior and dash plaque) but the bed had short striping on the fenders and short pieces of the gold decal as well. It was like that in 1989 when I had the truck. Same plaid seat, everything. Maybe somebody found that stuff at a dealership and stuck it on? Wild.

Oh, my GT (rollbar) is from a longbed fleetside. I've been debating on if I want to cut it down a few inches and weld it back up, or just find the right one. I about hate destroying this stuff, even though it's not worth much.

You have a set for the stepsides, or the rainbows? I had a set of lazers that came with a 1972 Gran Torino Sport that I sold years ago. The lazers brought more money then the car did.

It's getting hard to find an unmolested bezel of any sort. I've got a couple laying around that were already cut for a DIN style receiver, so I normally use them instead of cutting up a virgin 3 hole.

That's cool though, not too many people know what theses trucks are, or care. When I was growing up, I always thought they were the coolest pickup on planet earth.

 

A person can always verify the make-up of a truck by phoning Ford for a replacement build sheet that comes in the form of a letter

 

what's the number to call ford? do you contact a local dealer?

 

Interesting. I haven't read up on the Bicentennial edition, but that brochure sure is an eye-opener.

I wouldn't cut it up. I'd find myself a workable 4x4 and slap 'em on. I plan to do this eventually. I have both dash bezels, an non-A/C dash and original AM/FM radio. Mine is the separate rows of colors of orange/brown/yellow for 8' beds. For 77-78 trucks without the upper striping that was available in '79. Also have a nice set of Free Wheeling door panels. No seat or headliner.

I envision a brown '78 HD F150 4wd with the Free Wheeling with yellow wheels.

 

Do a 73-79 forum title search for "Build sheet" and you will see the threads.

 

Unfortunately the build sheet I got for my '79 F-150 did not give me definitive answers; I have either a free-wheelin or Indy pace version, based on the equipment on my truck (& Body code PA4, Color 'O'), but no mention on the letter from Ford as to what "package" it had. I've posted here a couple times but I guess I'll never know for sure...

 

SROD.....3 speed w/overdrive.........I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! altho I do wish mine had another gear between 2nd and 3rd(direct drive) also the build sheets, do they look original as they came in 79?????

 

The shift lever comes out in the same location the transfercase lever does and uses the same boot (instead of the BIG 4 speed boot).

These won't be the easiest trannies to find anymore, but they used them from 77 up into the 80s in 1/2 and 3/4 ton 2 wheel drive pickups, E series vans, Capris, Mustangs and the like. Granadas seemed to have more then most.

Although a toploader, they ain't noted for their strength. They basicly took a 4 speed toploader and swapped the gears around.

If you want overdrive, I think you'd be way better getting a T5 or even the Mazda 5 speed that nobody seems to like much.

With a SROD first gear is pretty high, second gear is directly on top of first, and third gear is WAY over there, like skipping a gear (almost) in a close ratio 4 speed. Overdrive however, is geared nicely with third, so when you go back and forth (like I do) in the mountains all the time it'll keep in the powerband.

Second to third though has been known to drive people insane, and that really holds true when downshifting. You'll find yourself in situations to where you're chugging along in third, but you'll be screaming if you drop to second.

These were optional in the F100-150-250 2 wheel drive from 77-79 and then for some years later in the 1980 up versions. Only behind 300-302-351Ms and I think the 351W (as well as some 4x4 applications, like Broncos) in the 1980 up versions. In the cars you'll see them behind 200-250 sixs, some 255s and 302s.

They were as good as it got back in the 70s era if you wanted overdrive, but by the mid 80s you had way more better choices. They do seem to work well in a pickup behind a 300 6, as they'll pull a little better then like a 302 with it's 3" stroke. 20 odd years ago we used to use the SRODs all the time as they were dirt cheap and readily available. Most people that had one in a Capri/Mustang couldn't wait to get rid of them.

 

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT U MEAN!!!!!!!!!! mine is just like that, like there should b another gear between 2nd and 3rd, I hate drivin thru slow areas, cuz my truck is so loud I have 2 drive in 2nd 2 do the speed limit cuz 3rd just chuggs, but I really have no complaints with its durability, its held up against some rough treatment and many burnouts

 

P is for the youth package which means it has the Free Wheeling package. The package had black mirrors, black bumpers, and the interior treatments. Optional Free Wheeling equipment had the following: push bar, bed bar, and wheels. Does your F-150 has/had any of them?