Hi all- I just wanted to introduce myself to the group. My name is Ryan and I'm new to the site and to the world of trucks as I recently bought my first truck ('66 F100) and am here to soak in everyone's knowledge, experience, recommendations, etc etc to help with the truck. Here's a quick background on me and the truck.

Me:
I'm 29 and live in Woodstock with my wife. We're expecting our first child (son!) in <4 weeks so needless to say we're excited but also trying to tie up a lot of loose ends and prepre for his arrival. I've had my eye out for an old truck for quite some time and knew that if I didn't act before our son was born it may not happen for a while. After searching eBay, craigslist, etc I found a truck that got me excited and could afford. Now onto the truck.

Truck:
1966 F100 Custom Can 4x2 Shortbox with a 352 & 3 spd on the column. All paint and body is original and body has very little rust. From what I can tell all the guages and lights work, all body and interior cab trim is present but will need some polishing to bring back to life. It's in need of some serious TLC to get it in safe driving condition (brakes & stering) and currently needs some attention to the bottom end as I've been told the rear main seal is bad and it leaked ~6 qts of oil in the 75 mile drive home from buying it.

Knowing the motor needs to be pulled to access the main seal and ultimately want to convert to an auto tranny I may have to start considering a motor/trans swap. Naturally then I'd like to upgrade the brakes, steering and suspension since the motor would be out of the way, makes sense right? At some point in between I'm thinking I want to clearcoat the body to protect the remaining paint and undercoat the frame, cab and bed just to preserve it all for the years to come. So does this mean I'm wanting a complete overhaul, resto...sure!

So all those things considered, my goal is to learn about motors, suspension/brakes, power steering, etc that works best on the trucks, costs differences, past user experiences, etc. I'll try to keep my dumb questions to a minimum and research as many past thread topics as possible before bringing up something already discussed.

Look forward to the future and all the learning ahead!

 

Welcome to the Georgia Forum Ryan!!!
Congrats on the baby!! It sounds like you have a great plan for the truck and we can't wait to see and hear all about your restoration process. There is no stupid question, OK there is, but it will be OK, you are among friends. 6 qts of oil in 75 miles, that not a leak that's free bleeding. We have some great guys here with lots of knowledge and you will find they are more than willing to help. The 66 forum might be helpful with the more specific questions. That can be found here: 1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

We chat about anything in our monthly Georgia chat threads so please drop in and join us there. I am Full time in the Georgia National Guard and currently deployed overseas, I am returning home next month !!!!!

 

Welcome to the forum Ryan. Congrats on both of your new additions to the family. I am in the Acworth area. If you need some help let me know.

 

Welcome to the forum. And congrats on the new baby.