My dad and I are finally going through with plans to restore/rebuild our 1966 longed. I know enough to know that I don't know enough when it comes to knowing how far to take certain aspects of the build. More specifically, how far to take overhauling the chassis/suspension and replacing the drivetrain. We have a good sense for the bodywork we want/need - it's the rolling chassis that has us stumped.

We want to make it a daily driver for my dad (and for me one day) and also add some power, greatly improve the suspension for ride and comfort, upgraded to disc brakes and convert to automatic.

We've thought about scraping the chassis/suspension and going with a brand new rolling chassis - that may be a huge waste of money. Just not sure.

To my point/question...are there any guys on the boards that know their stuff and are willing to talk with me about our options? I can go to my local shops, but I expect them to justify the option that puts the most money in their pockets. I'd like to have some good info before kicking off discussions.

Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to FTE. It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do to your '66 LWB. You didn't mention what engine and transmission and rear axle your truck presently has and what your goals are for fuel economy (which is sort of an oxymoron where these trucks are concerned). You also didn't mention how much rust you have and where it is located. I did a body off/bed off frame restoration and modification of a '66 LWB CC V8. It took 2 - 3 years to complete and cost much more money to do than I'll ever get back from it. But I built the truck for me, and I don't plan to sell it until I am too old to drive it anymore. I rebuilt the stock twin I-beam suspension completely, adding gas shocks and front and rear sway bars and I think my truck rides and handles great. Of course I am 69 years old and grew up with these things since they were new, so my frame of reference is different to yours. So I don't think you need to consider a frame swap unless there is something major wrong with yours. The good news is that everything you want to do - power steering, power disc brakes, upgraded engine and automatic transmission are all relatively easy to do. Obviously, the more you can do yourselves, the less your labor costs will be. Much of the work is straight forward. A surprisingly large number of parts are available from several vendors. Rusty nuts/bolts and fasteners can be a headache. You have the forum's expert in disc brake, suspension , and power train conversions, call sign "Jowilker" (real name John), living right there in North Carolina with you and he loves to help people. If you want to put in an '80s Mustang 5.0 EFI engine with AOD transmission, 37 Ford Guy has a complete "how to" thread on this web site. Good luck and have fun!

 

My daily driver (when I get it put back together, body work and paint) is a 66 F250 with a 77 F100 front disc brakes, power steering, springs, heavy duty shocks and a sway bar. The rear is a 9" Ford, 2.75 ratio, locker, F250 springs with leafs removed and heavy duty shocks. The steering column is a late 70's tilt that has been shortened 2" The engine is a 460 with a C6.
This was done about 6 years ago by Roger Carter. He put all new wear parts on the front end and it handles very well. The locker rear can be a little twitchy on wet pavement but it sure helps in adverse conditions. I have a platform hitch so I can pull my trailer without it squatting too bad. At some time in the future I will change out the motor for a 95 Mustang 5.0 I have in the shop for better mileage. All in all I have been pleased with the road manners of my 66.
AS so many others have said, buy a donor 73-79 F100 or F150 and swap front axles for the disc brakes. Since the front frame architecture is the same from 65-79 it's a bolt on affair. The power steering will require shortening the steering column or you could replace the column with the donor column and have a steering wheel that makes more sense for the power steering (smaller). If you use a donor with an automatic, the column would have the shift linkage for the transmission (bonus!). If the donor motor is a 351M or 400M the motor mount perches will work on a 351W but the rubber mounts are different. The 351 and 400M motors are good except rod bearings don't last. Fresh rod and main bearings and they're good for another 100,000. Change the timing chain set to one that doesn't have the retard for emissions requirements.
Just remember, all new wear parts in the front end and a good alignment will do wonders for your 66.

 

Welcome to the site, Just wanted to wish you luck. I am new here as well and asked myself the same questions you are. I concluded I didn't have the skills to make Engine swaps/frame modifications and upgrade to power steering, brakes etc... Nor do I have the money to pay someone. As clint eastwood says "A man has to know his limitations". You are in a better situation with your 66' than I am with my 63' as it has a straight axel and leaf springs under the front where you have a good relatively modern suspension. I will enjoy following your build if you keep posting - Matthew

 

csm_274 , Welcome to and the Slicks Forum.

Where in the Tarheel are you located? I am north or Raleigh in Creedmoor. There is a lot of great help here on this forum. Tell us more about your truck. You can upload photos to a share site and link them here. We can pull you through about any tough spot.


John

 

Welcome to FTE.

This is a great goal, and certainly achievable, especially with Ford factory parts harvested from later Ford trucks. You can convert your drive train and add both safety features (power disc brakes) and creature comforts such as power steering using Ford donors with relative ease.
How familiar are you with Ford trucks and drivetrains?
Is yours an F-250 (with 8-lug wheels) or an F-100 with 5 lug wheels? Note that the F-150 did not debut until 1973.

....and will rob you of the ability to easily and economically upgrade, if you use a different chassis other than a '65/'66 Ford truck.
You may also run into issues with the title and the DMV and insurance companies.
You shouldn't need to replace the chassis unless it is so rotted with rust to be unsafe. In my opinion, use the truck's chassis.
By the way, now is a good time to check the VIN numbers. The frame has the VIN used by state DMVs to look for stolen or mis-titled vehicles. On these old trucks, it often happened that the original Warranty Plate on the driver's door was not transferred from the original door to a replacement door after an accident.
I would make sure the frame VIN matches the title. (I would be very upset to find that the truck I bought had been sold over and over on a title that didn't actually belong to it.)
It is located on the passenger side frame rail, on the top, about where the front of the engine is located. It is a light stamping, so use a heavy wire brush but not a grinder.
Also, if the Warranty Plate on the driver's door matches the title, post it and all the other information here, and we can decode it for you.

Absolutely - but most of the advice we thrive on focuses on helping you doing the work. You will save tons of money and enjoy the effort you put into your truck. In the event you have to pay someone to do the work, we can help you oversee that too.
I asked earlier how familiar you are with Ford trucks and Ford drivetrains because any drivetrain that was installed at the factory from '65 - '79 can be easily transplanted.
The power disc brakes and power steering are easily harvested from the same trucks, '73 - '79.

All the details needed to make these upgrades are here at FTE - including the tricks, traps, pitfalls and solutions to all of them.
And.....

I have upgraded my '66 F-100 to a 460 with an automatic, power steering and power disc brakes, and it all looks factory - because it is. If you want the power of a 460, I'll be glad to share my experiences.

There is sure to be someone near you that is happy to help, like John W. has indicated.
We enjoy this board, and one main reason is helping others.

Again, Welcome to FTE.

 

Thanks to everyone for the great advice/input. John W...I've enjoyed many of your posts in the past, but never noticed you were from Creedmoor. I live in Durham. I would love to talk to you about some of your comments, and better yet, to see if you have suggestions for shops in our area that could help with this build. Would you be willing to have a brief phone call?

 

Where bouts in Durham. We probably can catch up and get together. I am looking to try to get my grandsons for a 1st fishing try Sat. I just bought a couple Zebco 202s, would like to go to a pond and see how they react.

I was able to help a member with a steering issue that lives up off 70 & 85 about a month ago.


John

 

Mr. Wilker - I live near Southpoint maill on the southwest side of Durham. I'll send you a private message about talking or meeting up somewhere. Thanks again for offering your help.

 

Did you receive my email response or did it go to spam?



John

 

After talking with my Dad, there's a good chance we'll need to go to a couple different shops to get our work done. My question is...what order should we get the work done - for the tires/wheels, suspension and drivetrain (obviously, the bodywork/interior will be last)?

For example, we plan to change the wheels/tires (probably from 6 bolt to 5 bolt), switching out the leaf springs for a 4 bar coilover (front/back) and replacing current 302 with a 302/347 and switching out current manual transmission for a 6-speed automatic tranny (not sure which yet). The suspension work will be done at one shop. The drivetrain work will be done at a different shop. Should we start with the suspension or the drivetrain change? Just not sure which should come first.

Thanks for any input.

 

Shane, Don't know what you have there, no 302s in 66, just 352 v8 & 240/300 I6, maybe some 350s had 6 lug, but F100s have 5 lugs, 250/350 pickups 8. Send me the photos.

John

 

Sorry...I was typing one thing and said another. Yes, it has an 8 bolt setup. My dad switched out the original engine for a 302 many years ago. Except for the engine, tranny (4 speed manual with granny gear) and the addition of extra leaf springs for towing, it's a stock F250. Here are some photos of what we're working with.

 

Looks to be a pretty nice F250. Other than some body changes and maybe some improvement in ride, that same basic platform was the basis of Ford trucks to 1996.
Other than changing to an automatic if you must, I see zero advantage to the suspension changes you mention. It sounds like you are trying to make a F-100 out of a 250. What not sell it and find a F-100 that has the "softer" suspension.

I like F-250s. It is what is, heavy duty. A F-100 with an Auto sounds more in line to what you want.

For that truck, again the simplest thing to do it is add an automatic transmission and keep/renew the factory suspension.

 

F-ONE...you've summed up my problem very well. This truck is 100% sentimental factor - why else rebuild a 66 F250? Ultimately, I won't to create a daily driver my 73 yo dad can enjoy. Switching to an automatic and adding power steering will help a lot. The big unknown for me has been the suspension. I agree the truck "is what it is." My dad bought this truck to haul a camper and to pull an 18 foot trailer loaded with wood. Those days are over so I wanted to make it a better ride. Perhaps it's best to add really good springs and shocks to the current setup and leave it at that. I agree that going beyond that is like trying to make an F250 into an F100.


Question...just how much better will replacing shocks/springs make the truck drive? I doubt the current springs/shocks have been changed in 20 years. It's possible the improvement will be enough to make it a good daily driver. I want to do this the right way and I want it to be nice - not 100K nice, but I am willing to spend a little more money if it makes a significant difference. The trick is figuring out what an additional couple grand will actually give me from a ride quality standpoint. If it's only 10% improvement...then it's not worth it. If it's 50% better, then maybe it's worth it. I just don't know.


As always, thanks for the feedback.