Figured I might as well start a new thread of my build. The plan is to make it where it could be a daily driver. Its going to take a year or two to get it where I want it but well worth it in the end.

Here's the spec on it that 66V8baby decoded for me

F10 Series code, F100
Y = 352 2V for '66
K= Kansas City MO, assembly plant
746328 = Consecutive unit number, built in September 1965
115 = Short wheel base
J = Rangoon red exterior color
E81 = Trim Code for Custom Cab with red crush vinyl and cody weave pattern
C = trans code, Ford 3 speed 3.03 fully synchronized
17 = axle code, 3.25 open 9"
63 = Memphis District Sales Office where it was ordered



Luckily its in pretty good shape




They got a little carried away with the radio cut out, have to patch that up. Both floor pans have had a previous fix, while not the cleanest fix its a floor that will be covered up anyways. So I'll touch it up, weld up extra holes and then cover it up.



Not a very clean cab corner fix, already ordered a new panel to cut this out and fix it correctly, more pics to come on that progress




Started removing the bondo on this door to see what I was working with on the old patch. It really isn't too bad at all.



What was a little strange is there were holes in the hood for trim but not the rest of the truck. Well found the holes, they were bondo'd over. The bed appears to be welded though but I can see them from the back side so I'll drill them out.



Found all the holes for the "Custom Cab" emblem as well. Ordered a new set so I can see what holes it need and which are extra that I can weld up as Im getting rid of the 80s mirrors.



After sanding for a bit decided to pull the majority of the easy parts to have them blasted. Rusted U-Bolts are a major pain, but got the grill out and fenders off. Had to cut a few bolts



Just a little rust on the cab corner that will be easy to weld up. Cab mounts are in great shape.



Little rust behind both headlights that will need to be fixed so the fender supports actually do something.



Bed came off only had to cut the two rear bolts.







Doors and hood off.





Now to get it back outside for a good power washing to see what all I have to work with. Pretty decent progress working on it by myself. Should get it blasted in the next few weeks. For now I'll focus on the few rust fixes and cab work. Then strip the interior.

 

Man, you jumped on that build in a hurry! Nice progress.

 

Didnt get anything done tonight but did finally notice this fancy homemade track bar looking thing. Haven’t ever seen one made like that.

 

That snubber would cause the springs to stiffen considerably when it engaged.

I wonder if whoever made it was trying to replicate the Ford Flex-O-Matic suspension from the late 60's and early 70's.

BTW, keep going! it's looking awesome.

 

I bet you are right on them trying to get the same results.

Thanks its a long road ahead but a little/lot at a time and I will get there. Either going to work on the cab corner tonight or some more power washing. More pics to follow .

 

I should have taken more pictures when I was doing all of the body repair...

Pay careful attention to all the nooks and crannies where the cab corner sits against the floor board.
There was an amazing amount of powered dirt road tightly packed inside my cab corners. I could have filled two quart jars with all the packed dust that I dug out.

I ended up making new cover plates to cover the cab mount access hole. My 69 F100 provided a good template.

When strangers walk up to you at the gas station and want to talk about the truck, you know you did it right.

 

Well got the cab corner fixed. There was a nice collection of stuff behind it. Wire brushed the rust and hit it with some rust primer to help it out a bit. Got my panel fitted up decently and started tacking. The door jam area was bent more than I first thought so it took a lot to fix it. Being no body man as that’s an art I will never master I’m happy with the results. Got it just a touch hotter than I ment to, so it pulled ever so slightly inwards but a little filler and it will be like new. Def night and day from what it was.

 

Didn't get anything done last night but did identify the transmission that's in the truck. Its a SROD 3+OD. Read up on them some, and looks like they are not the favorite transmission but I think I will run it until it has a problem then I'll replace it. Or if I happen to run across a good deal on a Tremec while Im in the middle of this build.

 

It's not a bad transmission, at least you have OD. The worst thing about it for a truck application is that the shifter is pretty far aft.

 

It has a shorter side shift shaft than most pictures I've seen of them, so it puts the shifter in a comfortable position for me with plenty of seat clearance. Not sure if that was something that was standard on them or not. But looks like it has extra holes for shifter locations. Of course it looks the shifter itself is also modified a little. Yep the OD will be nice, last time I drove it down the road 8 years ago, I remember it not much above an idle at around 60 mph (no tack or working speedo at that time).

 

Lookin good. Remember the old motto "grind and paint makes me the welder I aint".

With that much collected trash on the drivers side b pillar, I would definitely check the other side and the a pillar as well. Ford didn't design those areas to drain moisture well, so rot is pretty common there and a few other places.

Check the inside cavity that is formed where the roll pan curves up to meet the a and b pillars. Those areas are bad about collecting things. I drilled a big drain hole in each of the four corners to help and sprayed a high phosphate paint into every nook and cranny.

It would also be a good idea to check the cowl vent system. Trash can collect in the bottom of the cowl vents and plug up the drain, sometimes rotting out the kick panels or the vent passage. Thankfully the vents on this body style make it easy to stick a garden hose or a hand down the vent hole to clean it.

 

Once I get the seat and tank out I'll clean out all the spots I can as I can already see the stuff down in the vents themselves. Then hit them with some primer and paint/sound deadening. The drivers side cowl vent is rusted through a little from the front side where the front tire has covered it with dirt over the years. It will be a simple patch. Plus no one will see it once the fender is back on As you can see the guy before me worked on the floor pans some. Not the cleanest job but it will do. Wont see it once I get a mat or carpet back down. And I still have the molding for the carpet as well, it was behind the seat all these years. Speaking of seat that's still something I haven't decided on. Would really like to get a center fold down armrest of some sort but don't want it looking too new or out of place. Lots of things to do before I need a seat anyways, so I'll deal with that later.

 

Your in luck in regards to seats!

Ford didn't bother changing the bench seat mounting point spacing until 1997. Keep and use your 66 bench seat slider. Any seat out of a Ford truck from the 60's to 1997 will have the same mounting points and fit on your old slider. Some may have a stud instead of a bolt hole, so some modification will be needed for it to fit your slider. But it will fit!

The only other mod is the seat back latch has to be cut back quite a bit so that it doesn't hit the fuel tank.

I am using a 1991 seat with an armrest and cupholder in my 66. MUCH more comfortable than the old 66 seat.

 

That will make the seat hunt a lot easier knowing that. Thanks.

 

Short bed, Custom Cab, V8, manual transmission Slick! What a gem to restore! Great progress so far on the rust repairs and don't be afraid to use a hammer and dolly once your panel is welded in. Even while you're stitching it. Heat control ends up being important for final finish.