Hello,

I am brand new to the forum but have been reading posts for a year now I guess. I inherited a '54 f100 that is basically all original with the exception of paint and some rebuilding 25 years ago. The truck is out of s. California/AZ and has very little rust.

It does run but is a beast to drive, uses oil, leaks and leaves everyone smelling of gasoline within a few minutes. The truck has been basically sitting in my storage for the last two years due to a move and new job.

Really, my question today is whether to just use the body and put it on an explorer/mountaineer chassis/engine or to utilize the original platform along with a Mustang II system and modern engine/tranny. I actually have a complete in the box mustang II setup in the bed of the truck.

Goals: Retain high resale value and be able to just get in and drive it like a somewhat normal vehicle. My wife cannot drive it as an original f100.

Resources: I have done resto mods before and am a capable fabricator but my $$ is more limited this time around as I have a wife and kids. Park Rangers don't make a lot. So, I thought that I could pick up one of the v8 AWD explorers on CL for about $1600-$2500 and basically get everything I need vs going the more traditional route of buying individual components and spending tons of money.

But, If doing the chassis swap is considered too much of a *******ization and will greatly impact the resale then it may not be worth it to me. Thoughts?

 

First, considering you said you inherited this truck in its original stock configuration, I feel like at least one person ought to encourage you to keep it stock and just work on the issues at hand. Things like the gasoline smell in the cab can be fixed. The other things can be addressed as well. I'm not a total purist, but I do hate to see somebody modify an original truck, especially if it belonged to a family member.

But if you're determined to do it, I'd definitely forget the idea of a complete chassis swap and just use the MII you've already purchased.

Got any pics? We all love pics.

 

People who are new to the "hobby", some may call it an addiction, seem to gravitate towards the chassis swap concept. At first blush it seems like a very inexpensive way to go to gain modern day conveniences and retain the looks of a vintage vehicle. It all sounds good on paper but you will soon find out that the devil is in the details. Modern day chassis' are built for a specific body and do not lend themselves to a "body graft" very easily...espcially when the body is an F100. Power steering, disk brakes with a power assist, A/C, and an automatic transmission with better rearend gear ratio will make your truck far more drivable for both you and your family. These are all things that can be done incrementally and without breaking the bank. Good luck with your truck!

 

I agree with Doc and Charlie above. If your truck is as good as you say and you inherited from a family member I say leave it as stock as possible. I have kept mine stock and it drives nice.... now my wife can't drive it since she doesn't drive standard. Most say a stock rebuild of the front suspension and steering components will get your truck driving easier. Bias plies on the front make steering easy also. Others should be along shortly who have more knowledge than I do about swapping in a Mustang II.

And before we can make a final decision about what to do with your truck we have to see pictures. And resale value? I have found the more stock and uncut it is the more it will bring upon resale as no one wants another guy's problems.

 

To each his own, tho when I see a modern engine stuffed in these classics, it's time to keep looking. Sometimes there isn't a choice, but..

 

Welcome to the forum! I also vote on keeping and modifying the stock chassis. A couple months ago I was keeping up with all the F1s that sold on eBay. There was one truck that had the Explorer frame swap....engine, tranny, wiring and all. It was the biggest mess you have ever seen and it got a grand total of ZERO bids. I'm half way on the stock or modified thing. For me it depends on the truck. The first one I ever owned was kinda rough. It was smelly and tough to drive like you say. I had a wrecked 90 mustang gt that was complete and running. So I swapped in the whole 5.0 and AOD transmission, fuel tank, computer, wiring, etc. It turned out really nice as a daily driver.

 

Kept mine stock and it is what I prefer and recommend - but do what you wish with your own truck. My wife can drive our 55, but not easily. Steering is difficult in the driveway area, but reasonable once you get on the road. I use the bias ply tires which have the flat spot bump until they get down the road and warm up, but then are fine although they do grab road cracks a little. The brakes are the most difficult part for my wife. She has to stand on the pedal pretty hard to get a stop and a quick stop is a little iffy at times. All those can be corrected with changes if you wish. You might think about going as stock as possible and change a little at a time as needed. It will be less expensive to start with, but go with what you feel is needed. If you look at changing, I would suggest making a project list with cost and time and see what fits your budget, skills, time, etc.

Bruce

 

If you want to keep the budget to a minimum, consider rebuilding the stock suspension with new king pins & bushings. Then consider the Toyota power steering mod which keeps the stock axle. You can lower it a little if you want during the front end rebuild with a drop-axle.

My vote would be to fix what is necessary and drive it for a while. I did my build having never driven the truck (unless you count the part where we winched the truck onto a car trailer). In fact I stored it for 12 years then did a 2 year project before it ever hit the road. After you get a few miles under your belt, consult with Axracer who will tutor you on how to develop a plan for a vehicle build!!

Dan

 

Thanks for all the input and replies. The main reason I thought about the explorer swap was because I saw a '56 at the gas station that did it and it was super clean. I couldn't even tell till I looked underneath.

However, perhaps I will stick with the original frame and use the MII kit that I already have. It does include the power steering rack also. Maybe sourcing a 5.0 and AOD would be a good compromise. There is a stock 89 mustang 5.0 w/140k miles on CL for $1500 right now.

Here are some pics before I put it into storage.

 

 

Here is my suggestion on developing a build plan:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...1955-f250.html
How old is the MII kit? did it include new wishbone upper and lower control arms and large brakes or does it require the use of salvage MII parts?
If it is the former and you have fab skills and equipment and work space then why not use it? If it is the latter then I'd suggest leaving it in the bed until you can find a buyer to unload it on.
89 mustang ignition system ecu was not the best design ford ever built, you have a chioce of building/modifying your own wiring harness and be sure to get the harness and original ECU from the SAME donor vehicle the engine came from, or converting it to carb and standard distributor (~ $1K). If going to EFI IMHO you would be money way ahead by obtaining a low mileage "mod motor" and tranny from a late model FoMoCo vehicle (plentiful and cheap in the salvage yards) that has an aftermarket or FoMoCo racing engine swap harness available. Buy the entire running donor vehicle you'll likely be able to use the rear axle and brake master cylinder and other parts. It is likely that any 80s 302 or 351 is going to require a full rebuild, $2 - 4K not counting the tranny. The AOD (not the AODE) is THE WORST tranny Ford ever made, so will definitely require rebuild/upgrade, another $1K.

 

Thanks for the link....The MII kit is only a few years old. It doesn't require any sourcing of parts. Comes with new upper and lower control arms, shocks, crossmember, hubs, brake kit, steering rack, bushings, coils, etc.

I am comfortable building my own harness from a donor vehicle as I have done it for an LT1 4l60e Land Cruiser conversion in the past.

I don't have to have fuel injection, i'm just more familiar with it. I don't' know much about the mod motors except they seem like they are huge with the massive overhead cam setup. But, i'm sure many have done it.

I suppose my thought on rebuilding the stock 239 Y block and 3spd and steering components seemed to be a waste of time and can be very $$ compared to sourcing a donor vehicle. Maybe I am incorrect.

 

the gas fumes with the original engine is probably a leaking tank, fuel line, fuel pump, or most likely a leaking carb because the gaskets have shrunk while sitting. Fixing any or all this would take <$100.00.

 

Roger that...the carb leaked like crazy. The whole "worn" package has got me wanting to make it something of a better driver. I'd love for my mother in law to get to drive it again along with the wife but the 3 on a tree and no power anything is very challenging for them. My wife wants it to just be enjoyable.

 

A rebuilt stock or dropped beam axle, softened or replaced springs and toyota power steering drives/rides quite nicely. The SOHC mod motors are not significantly larger than in block cam engines, are extremely dependable and economical very inexpensive I know people that have bought them for ~400.00 or bought a complete donor for 1K. The engine is very strong, Hot Rod magazine got > 700 HP out of a as pulled 400.00 U pull junkyard engine with a rusty cylinder wall for less than 2K complete using ebay parts. If you are comfortable with ECU engines, then that is the way to go IMHO!
if you don't care what manufacturers engine is under the hood then an LS is very compact, inexpensive, strong and powerful. Again Hot Rod built a 6.0 truck motor without ever opening up the pan that put out 1K HP! They couldn't kill it!