Hey how come one the home page- '61-66-
we are the smallest for views and threads?

I rarely see em on the road .
Just not many made?
Was that when chevy was top dog?

I know I like em, why do you guys like this vintage?

Thanks, Tim

Just killing time till I get my fenders back.

 

I like it because 66 was the year I was born. I always wanted a Ford truck from that year. I just wish I was born a year later where I could get any part I wanted. Seems like everything I like or need is made for a 56 or after 67.

Still looking for a cab floor for a 66

 

Probably cause there are fewer and fewer of them around today. I know that's true here in the midwest anyway. Hard to find decent iron from the 60's that's not all ate up.

Hey Bill, you can use a 67-79 floor "repair" panel in that 66. You can get em right here in Motor haven.

Good luck,

 

I can identify with you in getting those hard to find parts but woah!! not may around? what are you talking about? I live in Saskatchewan its cold and wet and they use salt on the roads what other conditions are better suited to rust right? So your probably thinking that we have nothing left but old rusted out skeletons... wrong! just around the area I live in ther are at least 15!! I personally have three one really rusted out but still solid (it was on fire twice so give it some credit!!) and the other two look factory fresh except for the paint, with another hope fully on the way. The ford dealer in town must have had a sail because they are all over the place. Driving into the big city i see severalsitting in farm yards (not bushes). Those truck were and are pritty damn tough trucks. Oh wait those two that are rust free... well there not really but the only rust i could find (trust me i looked) was in the exact same spot on the hood about three inchs long and I can just weld that.

 

Cool! I did not know that. That makes the search much much easier. I can find stuff for 67's all over the the Lords creation.

Over the years I have seen there are certain makes and models that always get the attention. The the rest you find a smattering of parts for. In the 80's I had a 53 Chevy, same way (parts were always for a 55-57 Chevy) and I had a 64 Ford Fairlane 4 door (you were great if some of the parts would fit a Mustang) I look at this 66 in the same light.

The thing that always frosted me the most was no matter what car or truck magazine you pick up. They are always centered on one thing....Chevy. If they show a Ford it usually had a Chevy engine If I were a millionheir I would start a "classic Ford" magazine and have Ford trucks, custom and originally restored for trucks from 1903 to today. Might not make a dime but I would love it!

 

Hey now that's one mag I'd definately subscribe too!

 

In case you didn't know further...Most of the parts from the back of the cab forward from 65-79 are interchangeable. If you hang around this forum long enough, you will find that the power steering and power brakes from 67-79 trucks are one of the most popular and easier jobs to do (Compared with other years and other makes and models.) It appears you have been a member for a while and made several posts, so forgive me if you knew this info all ready!

Robert 'Bob' Nolan

 

Bob,

No I didn't know that. I am doing my best to learn forum. I gain more light from it everyday. I want to add the power steering and power brakes so that is good info to know.

I am not much of a mechanic. and I just learned a month ago about this truck I am going to pick up. But I have been on the forum for a couple of years, reading...etc. Since I am taking possession of the truck I am paying more attention to this particular forum (1961-66) than I was before. Is there a website where you can find out about part compatability? I know there are books about it.

 

I have seen 1 in the south west Michigan area MINE And i love her. She is the only 62 F350 4x4 around so far.

 

Sorry, forgot to mention she is a daily driver toooo.

 

Aw man, If we have to explain, you'll never understand!
Just ribbin' ya.

I believe that since all of the popular models (take your pick from the 20's to late 50's) have been getting rarer and rarer and the 67- up models are still pretty plentiful, the next logical step was the 60's series trucks. Once these are "Done to Death" others will relish the classic lines of the late sixties and early 70's as the CLASSICS and start restoring or collecting.

 

I just like the looks of these trucks. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for old Fords and these are affordable, easy to work on and parts are far more plentiful than most folks realize. The wide cab and twin I-Beam suspension are also helpful. In the south these trucks are still working and the Junk Yards around here have lots of them.

 

I believe Krosati and William have come the closest as to why our trucks are becoming so popular, in that the '50s F-100's popularity and scarcity has made them either expensive junk or trailer queens beyond what most us want or need. Couple that with the innocence we felt as a nation in the early and middle '60s you have a power emotional force feeding the popularity growth of the "Slick '60s." (Remember Camelot?)
For me, I like the classic lines. It has a feel for the sweeps and curves of the style explosion in the postwar automarket, but has a pragmatic sense as well. The sweeps are in the front and rear fender wells, and the curves are found throughout the body, so there isn't a squared off angle anywhere.
The boxier look for the '67 and later is not bad, retains a little of the style in the grille and front, but loses much of the overall "work of heart" which went into the '60s design.
In my opinion, the '65 and '66 are the best, with the unibodies running a tight second.
Just my thoughts.
banjopicker66

 

Tim,

I'm reading your first post in awe. I'm 27 and have owned 1 '66 and 2 '66's. I drive a fairly cherry '67 built in Aug. of '66.

I say at least 3-4 '64-66's on the streets here in Tucson, AZ. each day. I've got my eyes on a long bed that's been sitting, not moved for the last year!

When I lived in north Texas the junk yards were full of 'em, then the crushers came along... A sad day it was !

I want a '66 custom cab shortbed, with a 289 or 302 and a C-4, and a 3.00 gear. Anywho, the old trucks are on the roads out here. Maybe it's because they don't have to be sniffed like my '67...

Michael

 

Beside the funky 60s curves and sweeps of the body design (and don't ignore the instrument panel) to which banjopicker66 has so eloguently alluded, the '61-'66 era offers the most varied and interesting collection of Ford truck innovations of any.

The era starts with the unibody. Let's face it, a bad idea. That led to the mismatched 50s box on heavier models and on the '63 F-100. Only in America. Only at Ford. (calm down, I mean that affectionately).

By '64 they had cleaned it up with a matching separate box and produced my favorite of the era. Truly the last of the old style truck era: last straight axle; last year for the 223 and 292.

Then came some great and lasting innovations. The Twin I-beam suspension; the legendary 300 cid six; the camper package

Lots of different trucks with a basic common design. The other eras are boring compared to '61-'66.

And I relate to the emotional pull of the times to which banjopicker66 also alluded. My '64 was manufactured in September 1963 - just before JFK was assasinated and the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. Way before Vietnam and Woodstock. Not so long ago, but a very different time in America.
(Not so long ago? Whatta you, nuts? That was 40 years ago, bud! 40 years before that was the Model-T. Yikes!)

God help me, I love my '64.