Hello everyone,

I posted down in the early 60s forum as well but I'll be asking a lot more questions up here. I had an opportunity to buy a '62 F600 dump truck, sight unseen, for about half of scrap price... so I did. It's a neat old truck and as far as I can tell it's fully complete. I believe it has a 292 V8 ("C" in the VIN) with a T98 four-speed and a two-speed rear. It's got some rust issues but the engine turns by hand, it has oil and coolant in it, and all the wiring looks okay. The tires even hold air. I'm suspecting it will fire with just a little bit of work. A lot of the linkages are frozen up from sitting but I'll soak them for a while and see what happens. The clutch linkage is also disconnected for some reason, I'll have to investigate what's going on there.

The work will probably go slow - I only have so much free time, and my '78 F250 crew cab quasi-frame-off resto is eating a lot of it up. But this old truck may not take much at least to get yard driving again, so I may wrench on it a bit when I have a moment. Here are a couple photos I took:



Here it is where it sat for a few decades. It's been off the road since '82 although I did find a '90s Coke can while cleaning it out...

Now it's sitting in a new spot, probably for a little while.


Two Questions:

- It's got the single pot master cylinder on the firewall with the big booster underneath the driver's side floor... is that hydroboost? I'm unfamiliar with systems like this so I'll need a few pointers.

- There is no way this has single piece rims on it, right? The tires are "TUBE TYPE" but I can't find any kind of locking ring seam. I know one-piece locking rings did exist but I'm hoping that maybe they are just regular single-piece wheels that are just painted two-tone for some reason. I'll try to get some further pictures of the wheels for clarification. I know that Accuride 28157 rims fit if I end up needing to replace them with a safer wheel... but has anyone ever tried the 6-lug Isuzu wheels? At a glace they look quite similar. I work for an Isuzu dealership so I see them all the time, but I'm not sure if anyone else had thought of that or not. (LINK to the Isuzu Steel Wheel)

 

Welcome to this part of the Site.

You are correct about your engine code:

C = 292 2V MD Y-block V8, 135 Net HP @ 3800 RPM

F = Warner T98A four speed transmission.

If you want the rest of it decoded, just post a picture of the warranty plate.

Single pot MC with a frame mounted booster is a "Hydro-vac" booster system.

Hydro for hydraulic, Vac for vacuum assist.

You should have a vacuum line going to a check valve on the firewall, then on to the frame mounted unit. You will also have a vent line that runs up into the cab behind the driver. It will give you a little "woosh" when you apply the brakes.

Brake parts are available through NAPA (change your vehicle type to "Medium/Heavy") and other sources.

Brake drums are NOT available new and are hard to find other than salvage. Good news is they seem to last, and these were low mile, low speed trucks.

If your booster needs a rebuild, it may take some doing to find an outfit that will do it.

Cab parts other than fenders are mostly the same as pickups.

You have a dump bed so you should find the controls for the PTO that runs the pump, and the hydraulics that raise, hold and lower the bed.

If you work on the bed, it is important to always block the bed as they are designed to fall the second you get under them.

Now the BAD NEWS.

Your rims are Firestone RH 5 degree WIDOWMAKERS.

If you aired them up and were not killed or maimed, that's good.

These wheels "snap together" like Tupperware, and if not done right, will come apart with lethal force.

More info:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...l#post19892682

I don't know about the Isuzu wheels. 19.5s will work but will be smaller diameter than your OEM tire.

 

Thank you for the info! There is, in fact, a vent behind the seat on the driver's side that is hooked up to the booster underneath. That explains a lot!

 

I did some eyeballing and tape-measuring and other research regarding a previous idea I had. Isuzu six lug steel wheels are the same lug pattern, have appropriate depth, and I think will clear the center of the hub. If I can get a free/scrap sample I may at least try to get one on the truck to see what happens and I'll report back. It would certainly be an easy and relatively cheap solution for the 6x8.75 crowd if it works.

 

Please do this. I have an upcoming refresh of a 59 F600 and I'd really like to know if those will fit. I'm going to be using it to haul debris loaded with a tractor and if I can make my truck shorter it would be great. I've got rotten 20s on the worst kind of firestone widowmakers so I have to do something.