So I picked up this truck (71 F100) with the intent to flip it and hopefully make a few bucks to spend on my other projects. But my daughter came home and saw it and asked "Sooo whats with the new truck... it's my favorite color so it must be for me right?" I said the first thing any loving father would say... "hell no you already have a truck"...lol (she has a 72 hiboy that we just never got around to doing a body swap on) So her response to that was I'll trade you my hiboy for that one. Wow that's a tuff one considering I paid for both...lol All things fair she did pay half of the hiboy back and I gifted the other half and parts on her birthday. Anyway I asked if she was serious and she said yeah the F100 was really more of what she wanted. So feeling guilty for not getting her hiboy done for her I said yeah and started in making it more road worthy. Here is the only pic I took right after I got it.



So the grill was busted scratched and bent the hood trim the same. front bumper was bent and had tabs welded on top of it. The tires were dry rotted wheels were extremely rusted. Dash pad cracked and busted, seat and door pads ripped. The wiring was a mess and melted behind the alternator. It would start and run strong but not restart. and the hood had really bad rust in the structure. But she loved it so I got to work... Spent a day hunting wires and besides some really strange rewire attempts from previous owners, blown fuses (from said bad wiring attempts...lol) and the melted wires behind the alternator I got everything working. Changed out the alternator and all the wires going to it as well, new ground and power cables, new solenoid, new starter. I also changed out all the heater and radiator hoses along with the water pump. New cap & rotor, spark plugs and wires and it now starts runs really strong and restarts like a champ. It came with a brand new carb and the brakes had been redone already. After that I turned my attention to how it looked. Took the grill and front bumper from the hiboy (don't worry I have a spare set and a plan for it) Cleaned up a set of hood chrome (F100 badges and front trim) painted the F100 badges and the "F O R D" letters across the front and also repainted the "FORD" on the tailgate. The bumper was an ugly rusty step bumper but I had an idea of cleaning it up and coating it with spray on bed liner and then painting the outer edge to match the white on the letters. Looks a lot better and my daughter likes it so that's all that matters. Then I swapped out the ripped bench seat for a nice one I was saving and an almost perfect dash pad I also had tucked away. Replaced the armrest and just cleaned it up. It still needs a bit more help on the interior but it's getting there. The big project just happened over the weekend and that was skinning the hood and replacing the inner structure. Many will question why waste your time with such a rusty hood and I would have been one of them a few years back but the whole rat/rustic rod fad has slowly grown on me and my daughter likes them too.Also we had already fallen in love with the great patina the truck and hood had on it. So I started looking through my hoods and I only had 2 that I could justify cutting up for this project and the hiboy hood was badly dinged and bent on the outer skin and it just so happens that it was the same color on the under side. Ok time for some pic's....


Grill from the hiboy...




Rear bumper and new "FORD" paint.






Hiboy hood




71 F100 Hood














Cut out the inner structure from the Hiboy hood






It didn't take much to cut out the 71 hood so much rust that it all but fell out.


Just a few parts still hanging on...









The big flat area of the hood that are glued to each other were still hanging on really strong so I poured acetone down behind the panels and it softened the glue enough to pull them apart without damaging the outer hood skin.










I scrubbed down the inner hood and hit it with a wire wheel on the back side then coated it with spray on bed liner then did the same to the inside of the hood skin. Then I coated all edges with weldable primer...

















With the spray on bed liner still wet I slid the 2 pieces together and started clamping them down.










At this point I moved everything up onto a makeshift work bench and started pop riveting it together. for this big of part I like to rivet it together to keep it from shifting (clamps can slip or get bumped off) I then spot welded it back up through the old drilled out spot weld holes and left the rivets for the added "rustic patch" look when the hood is open.

























Last thing was to clear coat it and then put it back on the truck.















I drove it to work today and before the hood would bounce at the front corners a good 1/2 inch or more at 60 mph, took it up to 80 and it never moved. I would call that a success!

 

Nice! Is she happy?

 

That's a nice truck, congrats.

D

 

Beauty!

I'm jealous. I had a 65' Slick in that color when I lived in Tacoma back when I was in the Army. Wagon wheels too. I miss that truck and I miss Washington. I used to go up in the Cascades and fish the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area and the Snoqualmie, Nisqually, Cowlitz and Satsop Rivers for Salmon and Steelhead.

Wished I'd stayed there.


I like fishing for Stripers on the shore here tho'.

Your little girl is very lucky to have a dad like you. The dividendsfor you my friend will be priceless.

 

your truck looks cool. i wish mine was that color not the faded red and white. what are those rims from? good luck with your truck.

 

So far so good, we talk about the things that need to be done and then what we want to do to it and we seem to be on the same page most of the time...

Thanks, you got to love craigslist...lol you can find some good stuff if you watch for it.

Yeah I've always been a fan of older cars painted teal, it's such a unique color and really stands out. I grew up in Western WA and yes it is a great area for getting out doors when the weather is nice. We made the jump to the Eastern WA about 7 years ago and 300 plus days of sun and a lot less people oh and 70 mph speed limits and no traffic!!! Yes my girl is a pretty good kid so it's easy to do things for her because she always appreciates it.

Paint will solve all your problems then...lol Thanks we really like the way it's turning out. The rims are stock 2000 mustang GT wheels painted white. A set of wheel adapters made it possible to bolt them up.

 

here's what the interior looks like now. I need to put power steering on the truck and then we can find a steering wheel she likes for it as this one doesn't match and is in very poor shape. As for what has been done I put in the bench seat, the arm rest and the dash pad. Painted the gauge bezel and just cleaned everything. The stereo needs to be put in and I would like to find shoulder seat belts for it, and most likely take out the in cab gas tank.

 

Sweet looking truck! +1 on the teal patina look and that rear bumper. I missed one at the local salvage yard by a couple of days. The yard worker said they crushed what was left of the truck including the bumper and a perfect passenger side long bed with build in toolbox. I asked the guy when I left if the truck was going to be crushed before the holiday weekend 50% off sale and he said no...guess he guessed on that one. Lucky and smart girl on that truck. My 13 year old already has designs on the one we bought.

 

That truck turned out very nice! I really like the two-tone rear bumper. Great work. I lived on the "East Side" (Goldendale) after I retired from the Army in 94. Moved a couple of times, and ended up on the (Don't hate me) "West Side" about 2 1/2 years ago.

 

Heck I'd take either side altho' I loved fishing in the Sound and Straits too so I think I'd go west. Love the ocean, either one!

The inside looks great on that truck.

Gary, were you stationed at Ft. Lewis when you retired?

 

Thanks, I was happy with the way the bumper turned out, one of those things that you think it will be ok but not sure until you see it. As for the salvage yard yeah thats why I don't like to go unless I have the tools and the time to pull almost anything I find. Luckily we have a local yard that you can tell the guy likes the old stuff too and wants to help keep them on the road by keeping them in the yard and having great prices too.

Hood $60
complete doors $55
Fenders $45
The dash pad in this truck was only $25
Tailgates $65
Bumper $45
and that's not for junk, they just have a flat fee for most body parts.

nah no hate here. I like the west side but I grew up there and it was way different 30 years ago. Too many people for me now and I got tired of wasting my life sitting in traffic for 2 hours a day to go 15 to 20 miles. I drive almost the same distance over here and it takes 8 to 10 min. because the speed-limit is 70 and you can go that fast or faster at "rush hour"

Thanks, If I ever move back I would shoot for the far west side like out on the Peninsula out past Gig Harbor or up by Bremerton there is a little town called Belfair that my inlaws have a cabin on a spring fed lake and its only a mile from the beaches of the Sound. Fishing, crab, and oysters and if you want to go to Seattle it's just a relaxing fairy ride over.

 

Congrats on the find. Good job fixin' it up for your daughter. Sounds like you're a good "Daddy". The underside of the Highboy's hood was the same color? Marriage made in heaven. "Ya gotta Love it when a plan comes together".

 

So unfortunately the engine gave out on this truck and then life got in the way so it sat for a while waiting it's turn as I finished up other projects. I recently pulled it into the shop and started disassembly of the front sheet metal and pulled the 360 engine. I have a 390 being built that will be going back into it and the original 4 speed manual transmission will get a new clutch. I will also be focusing on rust repair and then interior work. The exterior will be left original paint/patina as much as possible but rust repairs will require some paint touch-ups. My daughter has moved on in life and has a young family now so she has no time for the truck anymore. When it's finished it will be available for some else to love and enjoy. Here are some of the updates so far...

























Also here are some YouTube video's of the progress if you would rather watch them then just pictures . I'm not asking for views, likes or subscribers so do so at your own discretion ...

 

Nice job on the hood
When I seen what you did to the hood got me thinking of when I did that to a 70 AMC Javelin ram air hood, used hoods if you can find them start at $1K and up.
I was able to get a 2nd hood and pulled both apart and did the same thing 20 years ago.

I also pulled the frame from my 81 F100 to get a bad dent out as the stud welder and puller would not cut it.
So I know what it took to do that.

When I seen the motor going to a 390 and thinking your daughter was a lot younger could she handle the power then a little more reading I see is older then a thought.
Will be following
Dave ----

 

Some times we plan for life to go the way we "want" but life says hold on a minute we are going this way instead. Whoever ends up with your truck is gonna be getting a good one.