Hi everyone and greetings from Australia. I have bee lurking in the background reading posts and see this is a place of wisdom and experience so I now open my thread.
Please bear with me while I bring you all up to speed with the reason I am here.
My son has a 1964 F100 and has asked me to help him rebuild it as a rat rod.He is a mechanic by trade so that is not an issue. the prioblem is this....
In Australia we have a different car culture and vehicles to the USA. We do not have the types and variety of vehicles you use for parts. No Corvettes Chavelles Mustangs Camaro or el camino etc etc....and no ford trucks F100s and so forth. F0rd trucks like the US ones are practically non existent.Subsequently rodders and modifies out here have not done any ford trucks so there is also a lack of information on what can be done and how to do it.
along with the lack of vehicles is the inability to get parts... Ford and GM have closed production and retailers do not carry any US replacement parts. Next point ... the vehicle is right hand drive so the steering controls dash etc is on the other side. a lot of things that you you use in conversions will be a major rebiuld/remanufacture for us.
Buying the parts are half the issue as frieghting them back here usually requires the sacrifice of my first born to pay for it. I have friends over there and if I visit I usually locate and bring parts back as passenger luggage so far I brought back a full brake system (master booster lines and things) and next trip full body rubber kit including door and window channels and windscreen rubbers. ( the front and rear windscreen rubbers were available but the retailer wanted $900 US for the pair and that is true)
So I turn to you wise and knowledgable fellow fanatics for help
All I ask for is knowledge and advice.... what you are doing... how to do it... what parts to use and hopefully what companies I can purchase through.

Thank you for your patience and attention,
ps first time on a forum please cut some slack if I make mistakes. thanks

 

Welcome to FTE!
There are a few members here that are in AU.

 

I forgot to mention there is an Aussie chapter. You may be able to hook up with some of the people there. Australia Chapter - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com)
You might not be able to get the parts we can get over here, but I sure would like to have the access to 351C blocks you have over there.

 

Thanks, I have sent a join request. will look into the 351c... freight is the problem. How deep do you want to put your hand in your pocket ? Example is fully recond motor in Victoria has $10,000 Aus on it which equates to $6500 US. (exchange rate is an aussie dollar is worth 60 cents US. and then frieght. A few used ones around... prices vary.

 

One of the things that some people do , is a complete swap onto a newer truck frame.

 

thanks for the reply... that will work in the US but not here. Ford trucks over here are basically no existent... the early Ford/ chev trucks over here now are imported from the US. Have contacted the Australian Chapter of FTE they might give us some directions as well. thanks again

 

As much as I'd like to support local businesses that import parts into Australia, some of the prices they charge are obscene, so you are better off putting in an order with a US supplier like Dennis Carpenter, LMC etc. Shipping costs have skyrocketed since 2020. At a local level, Autoware is decent for some parts - I've had good experiences with them and reasonably priced. Parts are around, but it can be a bit of a quest. Worth getting a copy of the original parts and accessories catalog as it helps narrow down specific parts and can help in sourcing parts that may have been used on local models.

For other parts, FB Marketplace, eBay and Gumtree can be useful and I've had luck there. Parts come up, but certainly not as readily available as in the US. In terms of communities, check out pickuptrucksdownunder on Instagram; might be some people you can reach out to on there with local knowledge.

In terms of frame swaps, no Crown Vic's here or Mustang II front ends readily available in Australia and you'd run into a world of issues around engineering approvals I would think. But there are some locally made products that are engineered etc. Just depends on which direction you want to go with a build...and budget.

IMO, the dash always looks a little off on the RHD models as the gauge area isn't symmetrical, so when it gets flipped to the right, the angle is a little off. That was the way from the factory though. That said, I'd take that over driving a LHD truck here!

RHD '64's aren't particularly common - would be keen to see some pics. Seems like the larger Ford trucks were more prevalent than F100's in Australia. Assume you're in Victoria given your comment on the engine cost?

 

That is more than they are here, and you guys kept making them until 1982. The plus on the blocks cast over there is they weren't thin wall castings. I still have two good ones and at my age I probably don't need anymore.
Post a picture of the truck when you get enough posts to be allowed to do that.

 

Yes they are more expensive over here, everything is cheaper in the US ans available as well.

We are presently trying to find engine mounts, the motor is a 460cu ford out of a Lincoln and the chassis is cleveland.
They were available out here untill the mid 80's but the parts stopped getting shipped out.
Dont' know if these are available as "ready to bolt in" out there or as the seperate parts mounts,chassis plates etc to construct our own but if you can pass a few contacts to track this down it would be a big help.

 

There was a change in the isolators around 74 or 75. What year 460?
Power Torque Engine Mount B2723 | O'Reilly Auto Parts (oreillyauto.com)
Power Torque Engine Mount A2367 | O'Reilly Auto Parts (oreillyauto.com)
Since your truck is a 64 and I assume they were just like the 64's over here the engine mounting was totally different from the 65-79 trucks. Someone has already modified it if it has a Cleveland since that engine didn't show up down there until 71. There are aftermarket mounts for 385 engines. Like these 1962 FORD F 250 Trans-Dapt Performance Products 4685 Trans-Dapt Performance Engine Swap Motor Mounts | Summit Racing
But since your truck is right hand drive the steering box may be a problem with a 385 engine, you may have to fabricate you own mounts or modify the ones that are in the truck now.

 

Might be worth asking the Castlemaine Rod Shop; I'm sure they could help you out.

 

First port of call and they only have GM parts now... also contacted Jeff Dellow at Dellow Conversions and he hasn't had any for years, the US stopped supplying parts and he hasn't been able to find a replacement supply.
Hoping Proflow may give some results.

 

Welcome to FTE, tell us what plans you guys have for the truck. You said “Rat Rod” style and to me that means whatever will work on the truck. If parts are difficult to find you just have to adapt other parts or make your own. Years ago I put a 302 in an early 80’s ranger (that’s a small truck over here). There weren’t any motor mounts for that. I used a piece of rectangular boxed tubing and drilled/burned (with a torch) holes and made my own. It was crude, but it worked. My build now (look under my username if you’re interested) I fabbed up my motor/transmission mounts. I know the motor mounts were available, but mine let me put everything exactly where I wanted them. If your son wants a lowered look, either heating or removing leafs are one way of doing that. You can also build/fab lowering shackles. You have to think like a hot rodder. What do I want and what’s available (any year, any manufacturer, but preferably ALL ford) to get that. Good luck and post up pictures, we love pictures!

 

Being in NZ I can appreciate your pain, particularly the freight costs! ie $50 freight on a carton containing lightweight parts that you could hold in the palm of one hand!

 

I have a thought. If it's going to be a rat rod, would there be ANY left hand drive cars or trucks that you could swap the body on to? Or are the junk yards void of that stuff?
I'm amazed at the costs you guys down umder must suffer just to get parts shipped.