Hello,

My father in-law may be giving me his old truck. I am no mechanic, but I am a fast learner, and I want to learn my way around this truck. I believe it is a 1970 stepside F100 with a 300 straight 6. I know it is an automatic, but a friend of mine said that I should get a 4 speed for it, is this possible? ( I love driving standard, and it would be a perfect rig to teach my wife how to drive stick)

Thanks
Craig

 

Depending what 4 speed you got. The automatic it has is more than likely a c4 which is a 3 speed w/o overdrive. There's is a beefier c6 but was usually mated up to the big block engines. I'm sure Mr. Wilson will chime in at somepoint to give ya a lesson on the manual transmissions.
There were 2 types of truck 4 speeds..the earlier t18 and the np435 that came after it. Both very stout and ornery. They both had the granny low first gear and were not overdrive either. The bellhousing pattern for the 300 will be a 302/351w pattern..or "small block ford" if you will. Friend of mine has had various 4 speeds in his truck from a couple mustangs. They had the overdrive in them and didn't have the granny low first. But..they were geared for a car and they had a hard time getting the truck to go from a stop.
The choice of transmission is up to you..if you want to teach your gal to drive standard..I ALMOST want to say to stay away from the first two I mentioned. The t18 more so..just cuz it has the unsynchronised 1st and reverse. The np435 would be a little better..but again..its a truck transmission and I find them to have a different shifting feeling than a normal standard would..but that's just me. It's a learning process either way!

 

Craig, Welcome to FTE & the bumpside forum

It is a lot easier to install an automatic than a manual, clutch assembly, all rods, then flywheel, clutch setup at the engine.

For what??

My theory, Dam a full grown Ford thuck that can't shift it's own gears. Look for another vehicle if you can't make it through the day with no shifting.


John

 

Well I haven't driven it yet, I have to see if I can get it up and running today, it's been sitting for about 4 years... But my understanding is that there are problems with the current transmission slipping and it has a massive leak apparently. I don't know for sure until I can get it out and up on some jack stands

I figured if I needed to replace the transmission anyways, I might as well get one I enjoy driving, as my daily driver is already automatic.

 

I prefer stick over automatic. I actually changed from auto to stick in my daily driver and have never regretted it (okay, so I maybe had slight pangs of regret when my left leg began to cramp from being stuck in SF Bay Area traffic once or twice, but that doesn't happen all that often!) And if your starter goes out in the middle of the night you can still popstart the truck, can't do that with an automatic!

So many of these trucks came with manual trannies that all the parts to swap over are pretty easy to find. If you have to replace the tranny anyway, then I would certainly consider the swap. The original NP435 in my '68 was getting really noisy in 3rd and when a T19 from an '85 F350 diesel came along, I checked out the dimensions and found it perfect fit, with the exception of having to replace the frontmost driveline U-joint as the T19 yoke was larger. The T19 is synchronized in all 4 gears and has no granny low so it's a very enjoyable truck to drive with this tranny in it, especially with the GV overdrive I added a few months later. So yes, it's worth looking into IMHO...

 

So I am wondering if the t19 would fit my 300 i6? it seems like it would be a more comfortable ride with the full synchro, and it might be easier to find than a t18? Also cheaper too maybe, each one I find on ebay is 500 bucks, although I don't know vehicles at all, so the specs on these are foreign to me...

also how do I post pics of my new rig in my garage? It keeps saying I have no garage (which thanks to my wife, I actually don't :P)

Thanks
Craig

 

upload them to photo bucket or the like type site. then use the share links in your post here.

 

Well let's hope this works:

http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7777abf1.jpg

http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/...ps27b57f8c.jpg

This is the truck, lots of rust and body work, I know.. but it's a great project for me

 

It's called a Flareside, not a Stepside.

Welcome.

 

Grill looks like a 69.
Truck from the pics looks to be in decent shape.
check the floor pans, roof drip rails, cab corners, and cab mounts for rust.

Should be a fun project for you.

 

It could very well be a 69, he is unsure of the year but I have always been under the impression it was a 70... In any case he has really old 1971 manuals sitting on the bench inside. Now looking at the pics in your truck thread, I see the differences in the grill.

When they finally dig out the title to give to me, I will know for sure.

Thanks again everybody!!
Craig

 

looks like a nice truck , If you want to switch to a stick i'd check out the 90s f150 . i had a 94 f150 with the 300 and a 5 speed , should bolt right up .

 

The grille is a 68

 

Gembone sez 1969 grille, gangstakr sez 1968 grille Parts catalog sez it's both.

C8TZ-8200-D .. Painted Steel Grille ~ 1968/69 F100/350 Custom.

 

Okay so I put a new starter solenoid in, and turned the key...nothing. Then I pumped the gas and turned it...nothing. Then I pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor, and it started right up. Each subsequent start after while the motor was warm did not require me to touch the pedal at all, is this normal?

Also, nobody responded to what transmission fluid I should put in. I bought the dex/merc 75,000 trans fluid because I kind of remember a friend saying something about mercon 3 a few weeks ago. Then I got into the truck and found a quart of Type F trans fluid behind the bench that says its for older trucks before 1977. So I checked while the motor was hot to confirm that indeed the trans had 0 fluid in it. Then I put the fluid in, and I ran it through all the gears on the column and low and behold the trans popped in. I was unable to get the truck moving (hopefully a combination of being stuck in the dirt, incredibly low air in rear driver's side tire and only having 1 quart trans fluid)

So I am still wondering if the Type F fluid is proper for this c4, and while I am at it, what oil should I put in when I get around to an oil change?