So I would like to start off by saying that I have little to no experience when it comes to working on vehicles. I have changed tires and oil, but never done any real work on a car. On Monday, I will be receiving this 1971 F250 camper special. The car is in working condition except for something wrong in the transmission, not letting you manually put the car in lower gears, but in automatic, it drives fine. I would like to ask for advice from people on this website as to what my first steps should be in making sure this truck doesn't fail on me. Whether it's changing the oil, buying a new carburetor, or what you all suggest. I would also like to address the body rust and how one should go about cleaning that up, or fixing it. In addition to the interior, I could get my hands on new bench seats, dash, etc. I would like to preface that I'm a high school student with a little over $1000 from a summer job, but if it requires more money, I am considering getting a part-time job in order to fund this project. If anyone responds, thank you so much for taking the time to give me your knowledge



I would also like to preface that these images are 3 years old, and when the truck is delivered, I will make another post with updated and more in-depth photos.

 

That truck looks really good on the outside. First thing to do is the brakes. replace all the wheel cylinders on each wheel and the two front brakes hoses and the one from the rear differential to the frame. Then bleed the entire system to remove all of the old brake fluid. Good luck.

 

This thread has a good list of things to do or look at with a new to you vehicle: 68 Rebuild Questions - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

Henry,
You have a good looking truck. You have some things to learn and do. Be safe. Have fun! I like it!
Regards,
Chris

 

You have a near twin to our 71 and the 72 I parted out. Check out my signature for the build thread. Feel free to pm me to ask questions too.

I would get a manual for the truck as they are very helpful. Also watch a ton of youtube videos. I've probably watched nearly every bumbside video I could find on youtube when I got our truck. You learn a ton about things to look for etc. Even if you don't have a problem now, you may later and if you've seen a video or read about it, you'll have an idea on what it takes to fix it. Reading a bunch here on the forum and the guides and info over at fordification are a huge help as well.

For the trans I would start by checking out the shift linkage and the condition of the column as well as the cab mounts. All of these can play factors into how these are shifted. You likely have an adjustment issue but a collapsed cab mount could do it too.

I know you want to fix the rust but my grandpa told me years ago, get it running a reliable or you'll never fix it. I've always worked on mechanicals first so I can drive and enjoy the vehicle, then worked on cosmetics. If this was my truck I would get it running/driving/stopping. Clean up the interior then buff the paint to make it shiny. Rust would be the last piece I'd be worried about unless it was structural. Body repair is probably the most costly and time-consuming piece of any build outside of an engine rebuild. Find junkyards for parts and scour marketplace. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy a whole vehicle than one part. I drove from Nebraska to Oklahoma to get a truck for the box and fender. I ended up making money by selling parts when it was all said and done.

Keep us updated.

 

So your comment about the cab mounts being sunk affecting the transmission is most likely correct. My dad told me about it over the phone after I received it yesterday that the cab was rusting and sinking. He suggested replacing the cab entirely. I know that it's probably the best course of action, but I don't know the availability of old car parts and where to find them, considering I'm in Georgia. Is it possible or plausible to refurbish it myself?

 

What's the floor of the cab look like? Changing the cab mounts out isn't a terrible process but does take a welder. Actually you likely could just use the new body weld adhesives too. Welders are pretty cheap anymore and it's a good skill to have. Cab mounts aren't terribly expensive to do it right. But you can certainly just scab some steel to them and make it work fine. The 72 cab I scrapped had plate steel welded in place and it did the job fine. Unless that cab is totally trashed (roof ready to fall off, floors totally missing) I would just fix the one you have but pictures mean a lot more there. There's tons of folks that have done it here and some that have done it without removing the cab. Many youtube videos too.

A quick google says they can be had for around $100 for the pair. A usable welder under $200. Look into taking some welding classes at school or your local community college. My kid took a welding training program and coming out of high school would have had 90% of his certificate done if he stuck with it.

 

My starter motor crapped out, so I need to replace it with my friend. Other than that, there aren't any known issues, so I will probably start addressing the rust holes in the cab after that(I plan on buying a welding setup to tack weld some metal on it, I'll put carpet in eventually, so she doesn't need to look pretty). I can send you pictures of the cab tomorrow so you can actually see it, but what could be found for around $100 for the pair? I don't know what you were referencing.

 

If you were close I’d just give you a starter. I have a spare or 2 kicking around.


Here’s a screen shot from Google.

 

Hey Henry!

Great looking truck - If it were me, I would not go replacing the cab, or any other original body parts. Fix them instead. It's only original once, and patina is nice - nothing like having a truck you're not afraid to use for whatever! As stated by @tcanthonyii above, replacing the cab mounts is not too bad of a job. As you're doing that replace the rubber mounts too, and things will look and feel so much better. I would personally start with that, so that things are fairly straight, and won't fall of the frame ;-)

After that to make it reliable and safe to drive: Brakes (wheel cylinders and hoses), shocks all around, frontend- and rearend bushings, sparkplugs and distributor parts (points, cap, rotor, sparkplug wires), and carburetor

To give you some encouragement, and to see that things could be waaaay worse, check out my "Big Red" tread

Post lots of updates with pictures, if nothing else it's fun to go back and look at what you've gotten done later in years to come!

 

My only suggestion is not to use the one piece stamped cab mounts. They are too thin and end up cracking around the body mount. If your cab mounts are there and can be patched, go that way. If they are rotted away, get the good ones from Dennis Carpenter. Then all the other suggestions from the group are the way to go.

 

I used the one piece stamped ones, but only because it was all that was available at the time. I reinforced them inside with some extra metal, and so far they're holding up ok.

If I had been able to get the sturdier ones I would have, but alas, Dennis Carpenter didn't ship to Sweden...

 

I figure you're done with your build but next time you need something from DC, let me know!

 

I appreciate that offer, but I have no plans to do that to myself or my bank account again :-P