... and a few questions for you guys!

I've just bought (from good old ebay over here in the uk) a 1969 F250 - I've already got a 61 f100, which is pretty modified, camaro clip, C'd back end, 350 pontiac motor etc
this new purchase is a bit less radical, it seems to be all stock, apart from the engine and trans, which is a uk spec perkins 4 cylinder diesel lump (maybe 2 1/2 litre - the guy isn't sure!)

anyhow, I haven't viewed it yet, but it was cheap (and old enough to be part of the free road tax scheme we have over here) - chassis is never welded, some cab repairs, just needs some brake work

it's on drums all around, and 8 stud wheels (16" I think) - the guy seems to think it's a millitary spec truck, with a 'heavy duty' frame and wheels - could this be correct? - I have the VIN no. if it can be de-coded from it?

is there an easy way to get it off the 8 stud stuff, and onto a 5 stud pattern, hopefully with a disc brake front end?? - could I use f100/f150 hubs / rear axle? - what about the later series bits?

I intend to use it to haul a drag race car around, so I'm looking to fabricate a flatbed for it eventually, at present it has a sort of 'trayback' affair made of alloy - suppose it will do for now!
anybody running one of these trucks with a flatbed / stakebed sort of setup on it - I'd love to see some pics
- also if anybody has any 'period' pics of F series trucks being used to haul racecars that would be cool too

cheers guys! - kev

 

the 5 stud stuff is lighter duty than what you have. the f100/150 rear axle is a semi floating design with much smaller brakes. and the 5 lug f100 hubs also come with smaller brakes.

there are plenty of nice wheel options for the 8 lug available. for towing/hauling duty what you have is more suitable than f100/150 parts. if you want disc brakes later model (up to 1979) f250 i beams will bolt in. they have large discs and dual piston calipers


if you want to do it anyway, the f100/150 springs and i beams will mount right up (it is a 2 wheel drive isn't it?) and later model (up to 1979) disk brake equiped will bolt right up as well. the width of the rear axle and the location of the spring perches changed depanding on year/model in the early 70's so depending on which year of truck you get your half ton axle from you may need to do some minor modifications.

I'm sure someone will chime in if i have my facts wrong.

 

cheers brown79

interesting that the f100 / f250 stuff up to 79 will work, might be a bit easier to find over here than the later stuff

the truck is a 2wd one - so I'll have to see what turns up first, a donor f100 or an f250!

- kev

 

Kev, after 65 when the Twin I-beams were introduced, the 2wd chassis are all pretty much the same, very minor differences. The big differences are bolted on below the chassis in axles & springs. As far as the front axle goes a 79 F250 can be bolted to a 65 F100 chassis and vice versa. The rear was widened in 73 to track the front. The wider 73-79 rear can be bolted to a 65-72 chassis but will have to be modded some since the chassis rails were widened starting in 73.


Hope that didn't confuse to much.



John

 

thought I'd update this thread a bit, few pics from the seller's advert

sent a deposit for it, but haven't been to pick it up yet - might be a few issues as the seller says the truck is 73" wide at the outside edge of the tyres, and our trailer is 70" wide!







the 'replacement' diesel 4 cyl engine which has been fitted



might need a bit of interior work too...



- kev

 

also, got some ideas on the replacement pickup bed


^^ I know that's not a ford, but it gives an indication of what might be riding on the back of mine!

- thinking this sort of thing for mine as a short term measure

 

^^ don't know what happened there - there's a piccy missing - I know the white truck with the can-am car on it is a ford!!

 

Looks like it has a 68-69 grille. What's that on the drivers side of the grille? It's also missing the headlight bezels. Looks like a good project.

 

cheers - the black bit on the grille is a drivers organisation badge, which has been painted - and yep, the bezels have 'walked' somewhere!

had a bit of a panic this morning, when I checked the GVWR of the truck - good old wikipedia lists it as 7500 lbs max, so I converted it to metric - and that comes out at 3401 kgs - lucky as my licence only allows up to a max of 3500 kgs!!!

anybody know (roughly) what the weight of a truck like mine is likely to be without anything in the bed?? - or the kerb weight?
(trying to work out if my truck is going to have the weight capacity to legally carry a lightweight car - without me getting another licence)
cheers - kev

 

try your vin # here
VIN Number Decoder offer to you by Ford Trucks Enthusiasts | www.ford-trucks.com

 

bit of googling has given me the folowing info

the gvwr of my f250 is 7500lbs / 3401 kg

curb weight of of a crew cab 69 f250 (so bigger than mine) - 4600lbs / 2200kg

so I should have about 1000kg of car I can legally carry, which should be ok I reckon

- just have to make the racecar a bit lighter if needs be!!

kev

 

cheers for the decoder link - unfortunately, the VIN the seller sent me, I think he must have mis-read it, as it's not recognised

what I have is

c/f25yef90*** (I've replaced the last 3 numbers with *)

is that ^^ the right sort of number? - it looks a bit short to me!

- kev

 

ignoring the "c" your vin decodes as a 2 wheel drive f250 with a 360 engine built in new jersy.

fyi. bench seats interchange from 1965 (maybe earlier?) to 1997 just use your floor brackets.

 

cheers brown79

odd that it decodes as a 360cu in, as the logbook (ownership document) states engine size 4 1/2 litre - must have had more than one engine swap in it's lifetime

thanks for the tip on the bench seats!

- kev

 

Congratulations on the F-250. My first vehicle was a '69 F-100 when I was 16 yrs. old.