As many of you may know, I am rebuilding a 70 Bumpside: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post13490858 and have over the past few years been visiting salvage yards for lo-buck parts for both my Bump and Dent.

I went to the 'yard today to grab some brake line brackets to adapt '78 discs onto the '70. Both brackets needed to come from driver side because they bolt-on rather than the passenger side where it is riveted. Finding the brackets was no problem... snipped the lines and undid the bolts and merrily I went.


I always look at all Bumps and Dents in case I find any hard to find parts like Autolite 4100s, bucket seats and seat backets, Dentside sport steering wheels, a tilt column from a manual trans truck (haven't found one yet), swaybars, cherry tailgate decor panels, etc.

After having looked at the interior of almost every Bump and Dent, they all had bench seats, cracked steering wheels, and were generally torn up and gutted. There wasn't much else except a '73 F350 DRW with a steel dumpster adapted to fit on the frame. It was a total hack job. There was a good two-foot space between the cab and the dumpster. I figured that an old work truck wouldn't have any desirable parts.. I was interested from afar if the cab roof lights were OEM or aftermarket... well, I opened the door to climb up on the sill and couldn't believe my eyes at what greeted me.....

Yeah baby... vintage '67 bucket seats complete with bucket seat brackets!!! One seat has a broken frame but it's nothing a few welds can't fix. The cool thing too is that the passenger side upholstery is really nice and the driver's is repairable with some stitching. For $80, it's NO PROBLEM. I'll be swapping the bench in my '73 for these seats... the 70 is already slated to get '70 Mach 1 high-backs.

So when at the salvage yard, inspect every Bump and Dent because there is no telling what you will find. Right now, I feel like partyin' like a **** star!

 

Nice find!!!

Also, those brackets are close to non existent on most trucks in the midwest...

 

Correction:.. the seats are 68 or early 69.

Yep... I've been looking in 'yards for about three years just for a set of brackets. I thought I'd find 'em in a Bumpside so it was very surprising to find them in a Dent.

 

Curiosity got the best of me so I decided to see what I bought. I looked closer at the underside and noted some of the hog rings were rusty while others still have some shine. My suspicion was confirmed when the upholstery was peeled back... carpet padding! Actually, who ever "fixed" the seats did an OK job except for the broken welds.. the right floor bracket (left in the pic) is broken in two and a thin cross brace on front was also broken.

Oh well... fire up the welder!

 

Still a sweet find. Those are cool. There's nothing cool in any of the yards around here.

 

good find indeed!

 

Nice score there HIO!! And you're right, you just never know what you'll find in the JY. I went to a JY a few years ago that's out in the middle of nowhere. They always have several bumps and dents. After spending a few hours looking at all the trucks and broncos, I happen to notice a old dent facing the woods and sitting in tall weeds, so I said what the heck, I'll check it out. It was picked over some so I went to the front after mashing down the weeds, and whola...there sat a white buffalo, factory push bar!!

Can't wait to see them bolted down HIO!! I've heard that some of the old E-vans had the same seats/brackets as well but I have never confirmed this!!

 

Used to live in the country and had a local garbage service, I was in the yard and he stopped for my garbage pick up and was checking the oil on his old F600. I looked under his hood and the FT engine had a pair of the greasiest finned aluminum Shelby valve covers I ever seen. I gave him 20 bucks and a set of tin covers for them. Cleaned up great and I still have them. I could never imagine why the were on a garbage truck. So I still look in every truck at the bone yard.

 

I was going to say they were probably '68. They have the same stitching and pattern as the seats that were in my '68 Mustang.

Going to the wrecking yard is like treasure hunting ....you never know what you might find.

 

2x.. early 69s don't have headrests until the mid-year change where they do.


I've been wanting to go yarding lately since I got some homework to do on seatbelts, odds and ends like screws, a door switch pig tail, and debate whether I want to convert my 71 F250 from a T18 to a 4R70W.


Always on the list are those hard to find parts... bucket seat bracket, rear contour bumper and/or its brackets.

 

The 4R70W is an excellent transmission. Box stock, it's pretty stout. With some simple mods, it's even better.

They first came out in the 1993 Lincoln Mk VIIIs. However, If you do look for one, I would suggest finding one from at least a 1998 or later vehicle.

They were available behind 5.4L, 4.6L, 4.2L, 3.8L and 5.0L engines. 3.8L, 4.2L and 5.0L models will be compatible with any Ford engine that has a 'Windsor' block pattern (2-bolt starter). 4.6L/5.4L models will be compatible with a Ford Modular engine block pattern (3-bolt starter).

If your F250 has an FE, you'll need an engine-to-transmission adapter but, you'll first have to know what pattern of the potential donor 4R70W is, to get the right adapter.

Transmission codes on the vehicles with a 4R70W will be "U."

 

Excellent. I was perusing Bendtsen's Transmission Adapters last night and got the idea planted while reading the newest issue of Hot Rod. MSD just came out with a stand-alone, plug and play controller for the 4R70W.

I'll prolly look for one out of a newer F150/250 since they are starting to show up on in the yards up to about model year 2003. And according to Bendtsen's it'll need to be a mod motor version.

Boy, this is gonna get expensive... again! But plans for the Ferrari are still intact.

 

Not sure why it would have to come from a Mod engine, as opposed to any of the others (?). It's only a case difference.

Around 2002/2003, the hole for the speedometer cable in the extension housing was done away with and a speed sensor was added to the left side of the main case.

Did it give any specifics about why it would have to be from a (3-bolt starter case) 4.6L/5.4L 4R70W?

--my shift controller is a Baumann Optishift ---now, rebranded under the name U.S. Shift, Quick 1.

 

I dunno.. that's what their adaptor is spec'ed for with an FE.

Here is MSD's controller:MSD Atomic Transmission Controller Module - Stand Alone

 

You guys are making me happy that I don't through anything away, going to have to do inventory come september and put up some ads. Hmmm 75 cs trim, 79 f350 cab forwards, frame and front suspension, 89 f350 & 88 f450 and lots of glass and door parts. 4 trucks in a 1.5 car shop, lots of room in my place.