Well, I started a thread (Help Out a New Guy) and got some really good answers and insight. So now I guess it's time to start a "build" thread as I start gathering parts. I say "build" because it will be done in stages, I'm not tearing down the whole truck and rebuilding from the ground up.

So the subject in question....Francesca. She's a lovely green '55 F250 Custom Cab with a 1980 302 Windsor, C4 tranny, stock Dana 60 rear with stock 4.88 gears, 8x6.5 wheels, and a flatbed. She's definitely been repainted at some point, but I believe in the original green paint scheme, which is neat. Nowhere near perfect, but nice enough for my purposes. Here she is the day I got her, posting from Facebook so I hope it works....




As far as plans go, here is what I have in mind:

o Something has to be done about the rear end. The stock 4.88 causes my poor little C4 transmission to think it's a two-speed. Second gear is literally non-existent. I'm currently searching for a Dana 60 out of a '67-'72 F250, as that should fit fairly painlessly, keeping the 8 lugs, drum brakes, etc. and opening up my gearing options. There are very few options for the current setup.

o Second to the rear end gearing, drum brakes on all four corners have to be my biggest gripe. I'm looking into a TSM Mfg. front disc brake conversion kit to help remedy that. I have not yet looked into master cylinder upgrades that would be appropriate for a disc/drum setup, so input there is appreciated.

o Next, I'll be addressing aesthetics. A 3" drop front axle from Sid is going to help resolve the reverse rake I've got going on from having 60 year old leaf springs in the back with about 1000 lbs. of steel flatbed on top of them. I won't be hauling toooo much weight and there's a whole lot of room to spare under the front fenders, so this shouldn't really hurt anything.

o The driver and passenger windows rattle HORRIFICALLY. I know I can get a new set of chromed/felted weather strips, but for $2-300, I may wait on that one and see if I can come up with a better solution myself. Any good redneck engineering solutions on that one?

o Sometime in the future (long after my rear end gearing is solved), I may look into swapping in an AOD transmission. This will only happen if I'm not 100% happy with the gearing/RPM relationship between the C4 and the 3.73 rear. I could potentially go up to 3.54, but where's the fun in that. Plus, I have a buddy who can get me an AOD for about 50 bucks, so no real complaints there.

o This is just a "want to have," certainly not needed. I like to jam while I drive, so I will be looking to add some speakers/amp/mp3 cable. Just something small, probably tucked under the seat or portable. I'm not gonna build some high end sound system, I just want to be able to listen to Pandora or Spotify while I'm cruising. The good news is that my exhaust is straight piped true duals with cherry bombs, so pretty much no matter how loud the music is, I'll still get to hear the rumble.


So that's all for now, just have to start getting a hold of parts and getting it done. I'll be doing most of the work myself, so it will go slow, I'll have a lot of questions, certain things will probably get broken, there will be cursing, and I'll be very, very grateful for tips, tricks, pointers, insight, constructive criticism, etc. Call it whatever you want, just feel free to chime in!


Here we go.........


EDIT: Forgot a couple of little things. The alternator "bracket" (I use that term loosely) is pretty much garbage and holds the alternator at a bit of an angle, so I picked up a bracket from Summit Racing. I think I might have to take the fan off to install it, but no big deal I guess. I also picked up a voltage reducer off eBay to wire into my FUEL gauge, so that I don't look like an idiot every time the tank hits E. Got lucky the first time and rolled old Franny down a hill to the gas station, coasted right in with a little velocity to spare!

 

Before anyone asks, the picture above does not show the reverse rake very well. There is a good couple degrees variance from back to front.

Also, no I was not crying. Considering I had just taken delivery of this beauty, it wouldn't be a surprise, but no.

If any of you valuation experts want to chime in on what you think it's worth, I'd love to hear what you guys think. Cab and chassis are super clean, hardly any rust to speak of anywhere, and it runs, drives, and brakes very well for a near 60 year old truck.

 

Hey Coyote,
Your truck looks great - very nice. I hear you on the granny gearing - we replaced our F1 rear axle with an 8.8 in. axle from a 2001 Ford Explorer with 3.73 gearing - $125 salvage yard price. I'm sure there are some options for your f250.

I like your plan - we moved to front disc brakes - it makes a big difference & our Explorer rear came with discs as well. We also have an AOD - there are pros/cons to them - good idea to wait & see how your C4 runs with new gearing. Where are you at in Texas?

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Yeah, there are certainly some options, just a matter of tracking one down that's runnable and close. And a good price haha. Guess this is one of those "pick two" kinda deals.

I'm just a tick north of you up here in Dallas.

 

Nice looking ride!
Bill in Rowlett

 

Beautiful truck. I have a 55 F250 as well, but it's far from that shape. I also have the 4.88 gears, but I haven't driven mine yet.
The more I see the meadow green, the more I like it. Mine was originally Sea Sprite Green and I'm currently planning on staying with that color, but I'm a long way off from that final decision.

Keep us posted on your build. Be sure to take more pictures and show them to us.

 

Thanks guys, I'll definitely be updating this thread as things start coming together/falling apart, haha.

Got a line on a guy up in Oregon with a handful of Dana 60's of the correct years for $175 a piece. Says he's parting out 8 trucks '67'-'72, if any of you guys in the PNW need parts shoot me a PM and I'll send you his info. I probably won't be able to do anything just because shipping for an entire rear end is gonna be brutal. Ah well, the search continues....

 

If you are close to Dallas, finding a 72 or earlier D. 60 with 3.73 or 3.50 gears should be somewhat easy. Salvage yards, craig's list etc. You might even put a wanted add on c-list under the auto parts section. That would save a bunch of shipping on one from far away.

 

Thanks for the heads up Husker. I've actually called around to a couple of salvage yards and basically got laughed at. The oldest trucks they've had so far only go back to the mid 80's. I think I put an ad out on CL, but I can't really even remember at this point. I've put so many WTB ads up all over the interwebz it would make your head spin.

 

Looks like you're about to go through with what I am currently. I just pulled a f250 rear end out of a 1970 yesterday. I dropped it off at the tire store for them to go through the brakes...I am running out of time (retiring from the Air Force and will be moving in 2 months) so I know they will get it done quicker. I am starting to do some searching through here but do you know if we will have to modify the driveshaft?

 

I had to on mine, I had change the engine and transmission.

 

I know if you're swapping from a Timken to the Dana you'll have to shorten your driveshaft by an inch, not sure about Dana to Dana but either way a good drivetrain shop shouldn't charge more than 40 or 50 bucks to shorten it (also heard of guys shortening their driveshafts in the garage with pretty basic tools. Not sure if I'd attempt that one)

 

Well guys, I'm biting the bullet and getting a rear end shipped from Colorado. Thanks to whichever user turned me onto car-part.com, that site is a great way to find used parts online. So it looks like I'll be getting a Dana 60, geared 3.73, out of a '72 F250. I'll post back up when it gets here, hopefully (cross your fingers) it's a relatively straight forward swap.

As far as break lines go, will the fittings be the same? Or is this going to be a good opportunity to revamp the whole brake system? I'm planning on switching to discs up front anyways, so if I need to run new lines to the rear I should be able to work that into the plan fairly easily.

If the rear lines don't match up to the existing fittings, would the original drums mount up to the newer axle?

Questions, questions, questions....

 

Never had to shorten my DS from a Timken to a Dana 44. Are you saying you have to a Dana 60? Just curious.

 

Well I guess that was just hearsay, I've not done the swap myself. Or perhaps I misunderstood something I had read.

I thought to swap from the Timken to a Dana 60 you would have to shorten the DS by an inch. Since I've already got a D60 and am swapping in a different D60 I don't think it will be a problem for me.