I was looking for a beater to haul stuff when this came around. It's too straight and complete to beat up. All the gauges, lights, glass, handles are there and work. Runs like a champ, 300/6 with what the last owner says is 83k original miles.

Now what? Restore it or use it around the homestead as a work truck.


About this dash, I have the e-flasher switch, did it go in the blank on the right side? Was the left blank for a cigar lighter option? What is that hole below the e-flasher indicator? It appears to be a factory hole.
I need to replace the ignition switch, where can I find a reproduction or NOS, that estuchion has got to go regardless of what happens.

More photos can be seen here


What do you think? Was it worth the $860 I spent for it.

 

it goes on the right side, bought mine in 1972, one owner, about 55,000 on it, been working it ever since, has 140000 on it now, building a new 390 to relace the 352...great old trucks, you"ll get more than your $860 out of it...enjoy it

 

Nice looking ride Definately worth the $860 in my opinion

 

S W E E E E E T!

John

 

Would seem to be worth the $860. That grille seems pristine -- someone was careful with that pickup through the years.

The blank to the left of steering column is indeed for lighter.

How to use it? Well, I wouldn't let it sit outside, that's for sure. Some folks would say restore -- it is a decent starting point for a restoration, but not fabulous either. How do the cab supports, cab cross member ends, door posts, rear cab corners, radiator mount and lower rear section of the front fender look?

You can use that kind of truck for years for basic stuff, and if you are careful it will be no worse for the wear. In other words, you don't have to restore it now. If you do decide to "restore" be forwarned -- you will still need a different truck to go to the dump or Home Depot, because you won't want to risk your restored truck out there. At least not on a rainy day or snowy, or whatever.......

Do strongly consider upgrading to at least a dual chamber master cylinder, no matter what you do. Shoulder belts are pretty easy to do as well. Just for safety sake.......

 

just curious, What is the tire size on the front?

John

 

Very nice find. Gee, I mighta gone as high as $875. I'm kidding. Some of the cheapskates on this forum kill me. IMHO, anything under $1500 for that find is a bargain.

To your question: Reproduction ignition switch bezels can be purchased at Mac's Antique Auto Parts and LMC. They ain't cheap. $45 to $50! Most junkyard 61-66s have the bezel intact. That's cause they are a b*&%# to get out without the key. Good luck with your new ride.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Tire size = 7.50/16 all around. Fist thing to do is get some steel rims and decent radials, make it a much smoother ride.

As for the brakes a funny thing happened. The previous owner had a trailer brake with tee at the master cylinder. I gave a little try at loosening the fittings but backed off and squirted some WD40 to soak a while. I drove to the store for some supplies and the first time I hit the brakes the aforementioned fitting split and all the brake fluid soon pumped out. Good thing it happened close to home, limped home. Fortunately I had a box full of brass fittings and was back on the road in short time.

Solid!

Well for now it's already at work hauling stuff so we'll just see how it goes.

 

You can't beat that price for a working truck and with a grill that's worth half the price you paid for the whole thing. Keep the truck. Do mods at your leisure. Great find!

 

That "funny thing" that happened with the brakes wouldn't be so funny obviosuly in other circumstances. I suggest you read up about dual chamber master cylinder swaps. Great truck for the money, specially with not too much rust. Wouldn't want it to end up as a pile of crumpled sheet metal.

Check out the inline forum here for the 300, as well as fordsix.com -- You might want to check your VIN and decode it -- that may or may not be a 300. Probably is though, as it went into a CC.

I looked at your pics -- might want to add a battery hold down too. As far as I can tell, its just sitting there. 50 lbs of lead and sulfuric acid flying around in an accident are not too much fun either.

Have fun.......

 

Wow! Our stories are so much alike its spooky. I was looking for a beater as well and ended up with a 65 F100 Overdrive Custom Cab for around the same price as yours. The same questions of what to do with it have haunted me ever since. Now I have come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is drive a darn truck. Fix what needs fixing when you buy it. I think everbody has to go through that faze of working all the bugs out created by P.O neglect. I am coming from a mechanical standpoint. Have any verhicle on the road safe and road worthy.

As far as the body goes I laid down some of that brush on bed liner after a hearty wire brushing. I so far have only tried to control the existing rust until I can get around to fixing that. If you keep a can of that Rust Fix around and keep all your drain holes clear you can hol off the rust pretty good until more permanent things are done. Other than that I enjoy finding better pieces if I see them for sale. I have added a bullet mirror instead of sails and a factory, working, AM radio

So thats my rather laid back way of looking at the situation. So I didn't get to beat this one up but I don't have to be afraid to throw a load of wood in it and run through the woods if needed. Thats what trucks are for....

 

Well said Greg, looks like that's the future for this truck. Right now it has a ton of sand and some sacks of portland in it.

The dual chamber master cylinder is a must do project. Any comments regarding this and the 4wheel drums before I get started?

Thanks, Bill

 

Bill,
If you search these posts you will find tons of great info about brake upgrades from just MC swaps to full disc conversions. It can be argued that properly adjusted drums would stop the truck as well as discs but when you add a load such as a ton of sand or a trailer then the drums lose out pretty fast in the form of heat and fade. If you plan to do the FoMoCo disc swap then that would send you on a different upgrade path than just a dual MC drum-drum upgrade so that is why the authorities on these trucks always harp about formulating an overall plan for your upgrades. This keeps you from repeating work and wasting money, time and effort.
I bet it rides quite nicely with a proper load!

 

Bill-

I told you it was the score of the year! I'm still kicking myself for not making an effort to buy it, too, but I'm glad a guy like you got it who will use it properly, as intended, and not turn it into a hot-rod or paint flames on it, etc.

Reading these posts was the first time I have heard/thought about the dual-chamber MC mod. I think that will DEFINITELY be next winter's project.

I, too have put mine to heavy use already (for those of you reading, Bill and I bought our VERY similar F250's within 2 weeks of each other-I paid almost double what he did and I STILL think I got a good deal, compared to some of the prices I've seen rustbuckets go for...). I had 2 yards of stone in it last weekend, and I LOVED saying to my wife (who threatened divorce when I announced I had bought it) " I just DON'T know what I'd do without that truck...".

BTW, with that load of stone, I noticed the 300 six would very quietly haul it up and down the hilly roads around my house without downshifting or mashing on the throttle. I need to install an obscure tachometer, but with just a little throttle and low rpms, you almost can "feel" the sub-2000 rpm torque "sweet spot". The brakes, suprisingly, were not much WORSE with that much load, but I WAS being very careful and moderate. Not much margin for emergency stopping.

brider

 

Hey Ted, good to here from you on this site.

When I first drove the truck home from Price UT to Buena Vista CO I was a little nervous. What could possibly go wrong with buying a 40 year old truck sight unseen over the internet then driving it for seven hours?
The truck pulled Monarch pass (that's a little hilly) in fourth gear and never lugged down a bit. The ton of sand and several bags of cement sure did smooth out the ride the other day.

I'll begin a search on brake systems next, right now I'm thinking of just a master cylinder swap.

Back to work, gotta haul some hay.