Agreed the SWB being the one to have. Problem is there not all that common for sale and when they are won't last long. A good SWB bed is the price of some complete project trucks. I looked at 64 SWB awhile back, older resto but needed more work and they were asking $25K. I know of one that a lady got from her Grandfather. Standard cab, 6cyl, 3 on the tree. She had to put a sign in the window NOT FOR SALE. I would say the best place to find one is an auction.

 

I think, from your descriptions, you are really looking for a 65 or 66. They came out with a primitive independent front suspension in '65 and used it until '79 so parts for these are easier to find than others.

The V8 became more common in that timeframe as well as the automatic cruise-o-matic transmission. It's a good transmission as well - I'm putting it back in my truck as I rebuild it.

For things to look for (not to plug something too much) I run through common rust areas on these trucks as well as repairs a bit on my YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCka..._as=subscriber

Feel free to review and reach out to me with any questions about what I've seen and done on my rebuild. I can even tie out with you on instagram if you want to chat about these trucks. From my research, if you're not interested in anything that requires any body work at all, you're probably looking around $15k USD if you're buying over here. I have no idea what it takes to ship something like this, but they can be found almost everywhere. Dry states help find trucks with less rust, but what causes a lot of the rust is dirt packing up into areas and then holding water next to the metal and you would be surprised how little water it takes to cause these panels to rust when the mud holds the water right against the metal.

 

 

As you said, ideally, before buying, you'd like to have a compression check done on the lump, drive it to check for smoke, misfires, transmission operation and shifter function, brakes, steering, suspension, etc., which is a problem if you're in the UK and the trucks are in the US. Fancy a quick vacation? You'll want to have the heads reworked (valve seats hardened) for unleaded petrol unless the engine has been replaced with one from about 1972 and newer which will already be done. You'll also want to dump the points and condensor ignition for a Pertronix or similar. States where the least amount of rust can be expected (but not guaranteed) are Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Nevada. No doubt some others will say they're in the mix. Since these trucks are over 50 years old, there's no telling where they've been. For instance, mine was built in Kansas City, sold new in Nebraska, the next owner took it to Washington (state) and then to California from where I bought it in 2010 for $3000. Apparently the prices have gone up since then. Another point, dealers and private sellers both frequently LIE about the condition of the truck. Shocking, isn't it. They'll show you an odometer that reads 85,000 miles and tell you that's the original mileage. They'd better have irrefutable evidence because it's pretty unlikely. Back then odometers only read to 100,000 miles and then returned to zero and started around again. People didn't often keep their cars for more than 60,000 or 70,000 miles. They weren't expected to last many more miles than that. For a truck to have 85,000 original miles in over 50 years means it was driven less than 2000 miles a year. More likely, the mileage is 185,000 or 285,000 miles, or the speedometer/odometer crumped and was replaced. I had a quick look online on Autotrader for '66 F100s and found three trucks that were kind of, but not perfectly, in your ballpark, all at dealers. You'd get a better deal from an individual seller. One was a SWB with 352 V8, but 3 speed manual for $9500 (7132 quid) in North Carolina; One was a LWB with 352 V8 and 4 speed for $9295 (@ 7000 quid) in Michigan; and the third one was a LWB Ranger with 390 V8 and C-6 auto trans that had power steering, power disc brakes and the dual master cylinder already done to it for $12,495 (9380 quid). By the time you're ready to pull the trigger these will no doubt be gone, but there will be others. Good luck!

 

 

 

 

Here's a search on Ebay that is centered on my location (Wichita, KS) with a 1,000 mile radius:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks...cat=6001&rt=nc

Lots of options there, and a bunch that are probably overpriced.

Couple thoughts on what you're looking for as well. I know you said Short bed, but I can tell you from experience that the long bed is very useful and rides a bit nicer than the short bed. Having that solid live axle further behind you just seems to help even out bumps.

The 352 engine was the V8 of choice for these two years and is a very good engine. If the rear end isn't geared too low it is fully capable of 80 on the highway without screaming itself to death. Parts for these trucks are still fairly available with some exceptions.

The radiator support frame (just behind the grill) for a '66 is absolute unobtanium. They make a '65 and a '67 but the '66 was just different enough that you have to modify the '65 to make it fit so make sure yours is sound or can at least be repaired if you get a '66. To go with the heads, exhaust manifolds can be expensive to replace. Most guys with issues in that area opt to move to headers, which are readily available.

Per my transmission guy, the parts for the automatics are available but they are getting harder to find. He would only rebuild my transmission if I agreed to replace the torque converter (which I agreed to). He wasn't able to FIND a new torque converter so he had to cut mine open, replace the thrust bushings, and weld it back together (a fairly standard set of steps so nothing major there).

The bed floors on these as well - nobody stamps a full length and width ribbed panel for the middle section of floor. They sell smaller panels that you would have to weld together to make a full floor, but if you want pristine ribbed metal floor like what came from the factory you better buy a truck that has it already - you will not be able to manufacture it. You may end up where I am, which is working to cobble together a hybrid bed of wood and metal. Again, I have a lot of what I've learned over the past 18 months of working mine on my channel and I'd take any questions/suggestions (from anyone in this community).

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-f100...QAAOSw7aNccZT8

going to look at this tomorrow. It’s abit more than it’s worth but hope to get some room to move. Just looks too clean...