Hey Fellas,

I am new to this forum, as before my last purchase I hadn't had a need for the wealth of knowledge a forum like this would and could provide. Photos to come, but I just recently purchased a 1968 F350 Crew Cab Long bed 4x4, for the most part the truck is in very good condition, minimal rust no major dents of dings and a good frame.. but that leads me into my first question. Should i keep the original frame or should i retro-fit a newer frame onto the body and if so what frame works the best? I have been playing with the idea in my head back and forth for a decent amount of time now and after some research i discovered i am no closer to figuring out what newer truck frame would be the easiest and best choice for me. The goal is for this truck to be exactly that a truck. I have always had a love for the 65-79 crew cabs and when i found one i took the shot. I know it isn't a short, or cheap road to go down but i want to restore this beautiful truck and get her back on the road. I want to build it from the ground up, and make it a new truck with an old look, with that being said i'm not into fancy electronics or anything like that. I want to build this truck to be my tow rig and that means i want to drop a diesel in it so question number two, Powerstroke or cummins, i grew up around cummins and have a love for themand i know its been done commonly, I know i will get alot of grief for even suggesting it but i figure id ask. i am going to start a thread when i really start getting into it as i plan to do as much as i know how to do by myself. Im trying to stay "as budget friendly" as possible. Thoughts, suggestions, let me know! Thanks for reading!

 

Welcome to FTE

This is an aftermarket 4WD conversion, Ford didn't offer an F350 with 4WD until 1979.

All 1965/72 Crew Cabs were "Domestic Special Orders" and all were converted by Ford from Regular Cabs. Most were assembled at the Oakville Ontario Canada Truck Assembly Plant.

Since Domestic Special Order parts are not listed in parts catalogs, there's not one specific Crew Cab part listed in the 1964/72 Ford Truck Parts Catalog.

Warranty Plate riveted to the left door face below the latch. Post a pic of it or type all the codes stamped on it.

 

Will do tomorrow when i have some light thanks!

 

Congratulations on your purchase. I am like you in my love of the body style , I have a 69 crew 4x4 short bed . My desire is to have a daily driver that I can use as a TRUCK when completed. I have had diesel fords for a long time and I spent months trying to decide if I wanted to do diesel swap.
After a lot of back and forth I decided that my truck is too clean , too original and too nice to go that route. I need power though so i didn't want to stick with a 360 or 390 so the hunt started for more power. Just last weekend I purchased a 1969 428 Cobra Jet out of a 69 Torino GT that was wrecked. So it will still have the factory look in the engine compartment. I have made some changes to enhance drivability though, such as power steering and power disc brakes with a Dana 60 front axle from a 1979 F250. I will also be installing a 5 speed with overdrive when I do the motor swap.

Have fun with your project

 

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forums! Lots of great guys on here with vast knowledge on every nut and bolt and then some on these trucks. I wouldn't necessarily go swapping frames, but the Cummins swap has been done more than a few times on here and I dont think I can say that I've ever seen anyone catch any grief from it. Just something to think of, I know it's not going to have anywhere near the torque and horsepower of a Cummins, but you also dont like the electronics and stuff. That being said, I would maybe consider a 7.3L IDI with a turbo kit. From what I know, they are all mechanical, so once you get it in the truck, getting it running should be very straight forward. As I said, there are a lot of guys on here who have done the whole Fummins thing, so I would take some time and find their build threads and go ahead and read through them. It will save you a lot of time on trying to figure "the little things" out. Best of luck to ya! Keep us posted!

 

If you have the funds get a donor truck. It will pay off in the end and you will have updated suspension, drive train, wiring, and a truck the will ride and tow better with some modern safety features.

​​​​​​The trick is to find a rolled truck the frame is good on.

I would probably go Cummins but all the diesel are reliable power houses these days. Maybe avoid the 6.0 powerstrokes. They are not bad but can be a problem if you done know them really well.

Good luck deciding

 

 

F35 = F350.

Y = 360 2V

C = Oakville Ontario Canada Truck Assembly Plant.

D02203 = 1968.

165" Wheelbase.

COLOR: Blank, truck painted a non standard color per the original purchasers request.

F351 = F350, 8000 lbs. GVWR

33 = Medium Beige Crush Vinyl & Medium Leeds Pattern Woven Plastic - 81A Standard Cab.

G = C6 Automatic Transmission.

27 = Dana 70 Rear Axle / 4.10-1 / 7,400 lbs. Rear Axle Capacity.

8,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

179 net HP @ 4,000 RPM

710422:

71 = Los Angeles (SoCal) Ford District Sales Office, where the original selling sealer ordered the truck from.

0422 = Domestic Special Order number, truck ordered special by the original purchaser, not "bought off the lot."

Another way to tell this is a 4WD conversion. 4WD not available with A/T until 1973.

VA = Your F350...is a loong way from LA LA Land, where it first resided.

If you get a deluxe Marti Report, you'll get additional info on your truck, including the name of the dealer it was ordered from. It might still be in business. martiauto.com

 

Do you have any pics of the truck yet? Would love to see them!

 

Looks like a extra heavy duty hauler, that you have there. Congrats on the great find!!