I have a 1974 F100 supercab with a 390 and a C6. My dad says it is a rare truck since it is a Ranger and a supercab. He paid $1700 for it in 1988 and has put over 125,000 miles on it. It now has a blown motor but I plan to restore it to like new condition. How much would this cost?????????

 

It's hard to put a price on how much it can cost to do a restoration. How much can you do yourself and how thourogh are you going to be. For me the real question is how much would it cost to replace it. I would think it would cost at least 10K to do a full frame off and that would be with you doing much of the work.

 

I eventually want to do a full body off resto but first want to get it running enougfh to drive first. I can do a lot of the work and I have a friend of my dad's who worked for ford in the 80's to help me. First a motor rebuild and trans rebuild then I'll do the body and interior when I have the $$$.

 

GA,
You could probably rebuild the motor for about $1300. If you want to upgrade, your in for more than that.
Tranny rebuild is going to run around $400 to $500. A high performance torque converter would be an additional $300.
You'd better save your beans young man, your going to need them.
Note:
If you have to buy a new crank, I believe the 428 crank will fit in that old "FE" motor. You could oversize the valves and port the heads and have a monster motor on your hands.
Good Luck, Have fun,
KingFisher

 

Are those prices for doing it yourself or farming it out? Seems kinda steep if its DIY.

Work continues on my truck. I'm planning on getting it to a certain level of safety, then reliability, then pretty. So far I've replaced the speedo cable, installed a new driven gear, and have finally gotten together all of the parts to install the parking (emergency) brake that was missing when I bought the truck a few weeks ago. I've got new mirrors on the way (the current ones are rusted and won't stay put when driving down the freeway). Then there's a new fuel line and possibly new brake lines... The more I look, the more it needs. But then that's to be expected at this point.

I plan on getting a MiG and an engine hoist over the next several weeks so I can patch the floor pan and fix a hole in a rear frame crossmember support.

Then there's the leaking main seal in the engine and the transfer case seems to be coated in oil and grit on the rear side...probably a seal gone there too. The 460 doesn't look pretty at all and could probably use a rebuild and a paint job.

This is a project after all. I think anyone that's not up to it (both time and money wise) should move on. These trucks need care now and letting them sit there and rust isn't going to help anyone. I don't think the PO of my truck did anything over the 4 years he owned it. Didn't even title and tag it (probably because he couldn't get past emissions). I bet the floor rusted out while it was in his possession because the cowl was just jammed with leaves on both sides. Such a shame.

My advice to anyone just starting out (like me) is to get an overall clear idea of what the shape your truck is in. Look at systems (like the steering system or the suspension system) and decide what state they're in. Then plan projects to correct systems rather than bits and pieces here and there. It will make the entire project less overwhelming and you'll be able to budget according to priorities and needs.