Son Works to Finish Late Father’s 1965 Ford Truck Project

By Brett Foote - September 18, 2019

FTE member’s father passed before he could finish his old Ford, so his son and grandson are taking over the job.

If there’s one dominant theme among projects here in the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums, it’s that they almost always involve multiple generations of fans. We tend to inherent not only the Ford trucks of our ancestors, but also their love for them. In the case of forum member jjriley97, both certainly apply. Unfortunately, the circumstances under which he obtained this 1965 Ford pickup project aren’t something anyone wants to endure. But at least he’s turning his personal tragedy into a positive project with his own son.

“This ’65 is what my dad was working on in his retirement. He took it down to the frame and pretty much all that is needed is all of the body and cosmetic stuff. The truck has a 300 and 5-speed manual. Sadly, dad passed recently and he was unable to finish the truck. My mom has turned it over to me and my son to carry on the mantle. The radiator has some holes, so I pulled it and I am having it fixed. Then we will transport it to my house to begin the process of finishing this up in his honor. I’m sure I will have many questions on this as we go. But I look forward to getting going on this and learning.”

A tough situation, indeed. But we can’t think of a better way for a Ford fanatic to pay tribute to the man who gave him life. The good thing is, his father looks to have done a great job fixing up this truck mechanically already. Really all that needed to be done was a little cleanup and cosmetic work.

“The engine bay isn’t the worst I’ve ever encountered. But I will be dressing up the wiring and repainting it for sure. Dad knew how to make ’em work, but didn’t focus on aesthetics. The end goal for this truck isn’t a show queen, but as an honor to my father and a nice enough driver that I could take it to a show if I wanted to. As well as something to hand down one day.”

Soon, the radiator was fixed and the truck was home. So the OP went to work trying to figure out some wiring issues first. He also went ahead and buffed out the paint to give it some more shine. And after a little work and a few short drives, this old Ford seemed to be running great. So now it was time to get down to business. And by business we mean bodywork.

“I finally got a chance to start the fun stuff. There aren’t that many dents on this truck. I started doing hammer and dolly work. My first time ever doing it, but I researched how and then did it. Paying to have it done isn’t an option for me. I worked on the two worst. I need to shrink the bed side because the metal is stretched. I’ll be bringing the oxygen and acetylene bottles from my dad’s shop the next time I go there.”

At this point, the OP is busy fixing up little things while he works on straightening up the body. And we’re obviously excited to see how this family project turns out. So be sure and head over here to catch up on progress to date, as well as stay tuned to see how things progress moving forward!

Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums