Name is actually Bob, but everyone but my wife knows me as Fuzzy. "Susie Q" was my Mom's nickname - thus the title of my truck and forum username. I'm the proud papa of my signature truck. While I paid a bit too much for the old gal, she thus far still runs well and has not been fiddled with a great deal. Blessed with "good bones," low miles and from one family I think she's a keeper. I'm going to drive her for the next year, God willing, and then start a full scale restoration in the summer of '21. I have never done this before (trepidation abounds). I have a year to plan it out and if there are folks out there who have gone down this road and have tips for the Newbie, I am "all ears." I have some mechanical aptitude but I'm not an engine guy or a body guy, so the real hard stuff I'll parcel out for completion. I'm in no hurry but I want to be alive to drive her for a long time. Great forum and thanks in advance.

 

Welcome aboard Bob.
Well I'm new here as well and I sure wish I had found this Forum right away after getting my 1959 SWB. From what I have noticed most people on this site say enjoy your truck the way it is, get the safety issues taken care of as you can (brakes, electrical, engine and steering to say a few) and drive it. I like you am not a body man although a do have some experience with engines and brakes and suspension. I have been getting some experience with body work and I find it very relaxing. When I got my 1st truck about 6 years ago, it and I had a date with the tools picture shows where it is as of a year ago... I was about ready to put the cab back together when I got military orders. I have a 66 I drive on occasion as well as a 62 4X4 and 2 other 59s. I don't get much time to work on the trucks with work and traveling with the military on occasion, family life, farm, etc....

My first thought was Crown Vic IFS power train swap but after reading this the last week or so I'm going to enjoy the truck for what it is and was solid front axle 223 I6 and the 4 speed standard trans this way it will hopefully get done before they put me in the ground an how many of these old trucks do you see running around towns these days. Mine will never be a truck that I drive year around do to where I live. What ever you are going to do to it it will be yours make it how you want it.

Oh by the way I've seen this a lot "get a manual for your truck it will save you time and money".


This is the floor boards of a donor cab and was the better shape of the 2 floor boards. All 4 corners were bad luckily the cab supports were still good.

 

...double (at least) the amount you’re expecting to spend.

 

Thanks for the quick response and great advice, "Rusty." I have heard similar recommendations about driving it as much as feasible to work the kinks out of the mechanical systems. My first purchase, after the truck itself, was an owner's manual, shop manual and catalogs from LMC and NPD.

I'm military as well. We are positioning to retire the summer of '21, which is why I say I have a year to plan. I tried the restoration thing a few years ago. The military nomadic lifestyle makes it tough to have long term projects.

Also, a great piece of advice from "instig8r63;" aren't all our hobbies money pits to a degree?

 

Welcome, Bob, Fuzzy, Nick, & Susie....wow!!
I’m sure, as I did, that you will find the FTE forum very helpful and worth it’s weight in gold! I have been down the restoration road several times and can relate to all the decisions to be made...some depending on finances, what you want the truck to be and, foremost, your personality. What I mean is...the end product will reflect your tolerance, desires and vision. Personally, I would never be satisfied unless every nut and bolt was removed and replaced....no stone unturned and every mechanical device rebuilt. That’s me, so I know that I will always end up tearing the vehicle down to the bare bones and enjoy that. I think its wise that you spend the next year tinkering with the truck and learning about it. Along the way you can decide where you ultimately want to go with it. You may not be an advanced mechanic, but there’s nothing that you can’t learn to do. In that regard, plan to spend almost as much time researching online as twisting the wrenches!! Good luck with your project.

 

Resonateur,
Many thanks for the reply. We may be kindred spirits. As soon as you mentioned that you'd "...never be satisfied unless every nut and bolt was removed and replaced....no stone unturned and every mechanical device rebuilt..." I immediately said, "that's me!" Not having much experience beyond my old '79 Bronco that I wrenched on myself for 18 years, I thought I'd better get used to the idea of someone else doing the work and my part essentially being...the banker. After I took the truck to a shop near where we plan to retire and got an estimate, which by the way did not include getting "...every nut and bolt was removed and replaced....no stone unturned and every mechanical device rebuilt..." I cringed at the thought of paying all that money and not even getting down to the frame! So, to know that there are others who have gone down this road many times is reassuring to a great extent. I'm not afraid of hard work; I have time (or will have once I retire summer '21) and I'll have a solid plan put together. Money is a factor but stretched out over time, it's more palatable to my wife than dropping a bundle only to be likely disappointed at what could have been.
Again, my sincere thanks for reaching out and I really hope to pick your brain as time goes on.

 

62 SUSIE Q congrats on the retirement I have 29 years in and looking at my next set of orders for 3 more years then I'll throw in my cover.

 

B, F, N & S:
To further encourage you, I will repeat what my mechanical mentor told me years ago before I attempted my first frame-out restoration. He said, “Hey, when it comes down to it, it’s only nuts and bolts!” I was in the same limbo as you are now and, although an oversimplification, there was a lot of truth to that statement. You take things apart, you make notes along the way, especially if things could be reassembled backwards, you put all the fasteners in little baggies and label them. My first project, I took extensive notes and drawings, labeled the baggies by number and put all the parts in numbered boxes. When I reassembled...I just followed the directions backwards! Of course, unloaded each box as I went to refinish all the parts and got new matching hardware for each baggie. I am about as **** as one can get...later got more confidence in my memory for reassembly. You may work slower than a paid mechanic but, in my opinion, you will also work more carefully. Since you’re not paying hourly, you can afford the time to disassemble to your desired extent. You will have the satisfaction of having done it yourself, you will know the mechanics of the vehicle better when it comes to servicing it later. Everything might not turn out perfect but, frankly, a professional shop might not do a perfect job either. Remember, your paying them for the cost of the service they provide IN ADDITION to a PROFIT. That’s my speech...enjoy the journey. I will help you any way I can, however, there are a lot of members here on FTE who know way more than I do. The help I got from folks on this forum really helped my truck turn out a lot better than it would have otherwise!

 

CONGRATS to you as well, Rusty! I'll hang it up at 38 years summer '21. Semper Fidelis.

 

Thanks again, Resonateur! You're building my confidence post-by-post. I'm not afraid of busted knuckles and have been accused of OCD from time to time. This will truly be the first time I'm not trying to wrap up a project so I can drive to work the next day! I think I'll be more patient knowing there is always tomorrow... Your points about knowing the vehicle better are spot on. I have a 2012 Ram 3500 that I adore but I don't "know" that truck the way I knew my old '79 Bronco. And, after all, it's the Planning, not the Plan that gets you to mission accomplishment.

 

Haven't quite got the forum figured out completely, so this may not be the right way to continue a thread. Anyway, I have a lot of my signature truck's VIN figured from the manual but I thought I'd ask the "Ford Whispers" to help me out with the extra detail since I am always amazed at the knowledge this site has within it. I'm having a tough time getting a decent picture of the VIN plate but the best photo I have is attached for reference.

F10 = Conventional, Light duty (F100)
J = 223 cu, 6 cyl
E = Mahwah, NJ plant
301426 = Built in June of the model year
A = 3 speed Standard
11 = 3.70 rear diff ratio (Ford 9")
14 = 114" wheel base
F = Baffin Blue
5000 lbs GVW
I think the "114 3600" means 114 hp @ 3600 rpm
I am baffled by the "DSO 22" but have read here that it has something to do with any special orders from the factory.

That's the sum total of what I think I know.
Let the Ford Whispering begin. Seriously, thanks very much for your time!

 

First, thank you for your service and congratulations on your upcoming retirement. I retired 32 years ago and would never have made it in todays PC military, I don't know how the current crop of soldiers, sailors and marines still manage to defend the country given all of the constraints. I'll look forward to seeing updates Suzie's progress.

 

Thanks, Chief. A lot has changed in 37+ years...mostly for the better. Thanks to you for serving as well!
I'm excited to get started on Susie Q. Thanks for the info and best of luck on your project as well.
Semper Fi.

 

Welcome aboard and thank you for your service. I did 6 regular army, got out in 97. I had too much of a civilian mind set, but looking back wish I would have stayed the course and retired.

When I inherited my dad's truck a year ago, I was a little apprehensive but have really enjoyed working on it. Dad spent 7 years on it building it from the frame up so he did a lot of the heavy lifting, but it still needed a lot. He used used parts for most of it so I have pulled the motor and ripped it down to reseal/repaint everything that was leaking horribly (machine work had been previously done which saved me a ton), rebuilt the power steering system (pump and gearbox), had the radiator soldered up, chased quite a few electrical gremlins and sorted them out, and I am getting ready to start the body work. The truck fires up first time every time and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. It's fun and I think you'll find the truck pretty easy to work on. I have less than $700-$800 in so far, so they can be affordable if you work on it your self. Dad did get stuff from many different years, 78 300 motor, 95 ZF 5 speed trans, 95 power steering pump, 79 front end for the brakes and steering gear box. That has been a fun adventure figuring out what he pulled it all from.

 

DSO 22 is where the original dealer ordering district was. I can only guess east coast maybe Atlanta? Since it is only two digits and not six there was no special order.