Well, I will be.
I should get my 56 F100 in the next couple of days. I actually struck the deal a while ago now, but have been struggling to find somewhere that I could store and work on it. (No room at home) Most UK houses have a silly little single Garage, if that. I have been very envious of some of the recent posts, and not just of the trucks.

It looks like some of you guys have workshops bigger than my house..

But it looks like after all of the searching, and finding places that were way too small, way too big, way way too expensive. Or like the last one, Just about right, but with a door only 6'4" wide. So I couldnt get the truck in and out.

I have finally found somewhere to put it. Best of all, it is part of a body shop, the guy that runs it is letting me have a corner. Even better, there is a full spray booth in there, and even better than that an oven that will take the entire truck!

So now I am very excited and just want to get on with it. But after some advice from other older wiser forum members, (well wiser, not sure about the older bit) I am going to get the truck running first and actually use it for a while before doing a full chassis up rebuild.

That way I will get a better idear of what I want to achieve and maybe have a better idea of how to go about it.

As soon as I get it down here, I will take a few photos and stick them in the gallery.

Cheers
Lee

 

It's obvious you are pretty excited about your new truck and it sounds like you have found a very good place to work on it. Just plan on a longer build time and more money than you might think. There is always a "problem" to work out or a part to wait for, but it is good clean fun, especially for us older guys. Goodl luck and post the photos when you can.

 

"Part of a Body Shop"!!!!! Spray Booth!!! Oven!!! Now we get to be envious of you! Congratulations.

 

Congratulations on the 56. (Good year by the way). I really thinks its cool how we're seeing the guys in the UK getting into the old trucks.

 

Really glad you found a spot to work on it, Lee. Hope you told the owner you'll need the space for about twice as long as you really think you'll need it. You know how these "projects" go.

As far as the amenities, I suspect you are now the envy of more than a few folks who don't have access to a spray booth, baking facility, etc. Make sure to stay good friends with the owner!

 

Congratulations Lee,

I too had a hard job finding somewhere to work on my truck (for a price I could afford).
The place I found is on a farm 20 miles from where I live which slows things down a bit.

I also got my truck on the road and drove it around for a year which was a lot of fun.

Get some pic's up and keep in touch

Stephen

 

It arrives on Monday at 7am!! But I have added some photos to my gallery so you can see it.

Wow, I thought I was going out of my way keeping it about 9 miles from my house Steve. That must make for a long day, having to drive there and then back again, to do any work.

I will have loads of questions, so I apologise now for all of the dumb posts I will no doubt be making. But there are a few pointers that I would like to start with.

Thoughts on what I have?

It looks to me that there are a fair few non standard items on the truck, but never having worked on anything other than UK motors in the past and not yet having my shop manual (Still waiting!) I dont really know exactly what I am looking at.

I took quite a few pics both inside and out, looks like I have two Gear shifts at the moment!

I have been told that the engine is probably from a 1970's Ford 400 Ranchero, does that look/sound right from the photos?

The wheels look like they are fitted on with adaptors.

Last thing for now, the only area of bad rust seems to be right along the front of the cab overhang, I am not sure yet if it is from the inside out, but if it is, what would be the best way to tackle this?

Thanks all

Lee

 

Great looking truck Lee

I am pretty sure it would have originally had a column gear shift the guys on here will tell you for sure and will be able to help with the other bits

The rust on the front of the roof is common as moisture gets into the seam and will probably be from the inside out. It probably needs to be cut out and replaced.

I haven't seen a commercially available repair panel but more parts are becoming available all the time, alternatively it shouldn't be too hard to fabricate one up

A while back there was a good post with some pictures of this being done with a piece cut out of another cab, do a search on roof repair and you should find it

Good luck on Monday

Stephen

 

Lee -

Very nice looking truck! Yes, those look like chevy ralley wheels, so they would have to be on adapters.

The engine is definately one of the "335" family. That includes the 351C, 351M and 400. The valve covers give that away. Any of those motors will do a fine job of hauling that truck around (especially the 351C) and they can all be pepped up really well, too, when you are ready to upgrade to more hp.

Looks like mostly stock + cootie bobbed wiring under the hood. The brake master on the firewall is an aftermarket one, (stock location is under the floor), but that setup makes it real easy to go to power brakes by just adding the vacuum booster with a new master cylinder (which it looks like would be a good idea). I'm not liking the fuel line routing much. I'd route that (and the rest of the wiring) more neatly.

GET THOSE PLUG WIRES UP OFF THE EXHAUST MANIFOLDS! They can't have been that way for long or they'd already be burned thru. I did that by just adjusting the length and bundling them. You can see a pic of it on my 351C in my gallery. There are some nice wire runs for them (billet and such) that will bolt on to the valve cover bolts. They are harder to find for that motor than a chevy, but they can be found.

The floor shifter is an add-on. The steering wheel is aftermarket. The steering column is stock with a column shifter. It was probably 3-on-the-tree. The VIN plate will tell you. Is it running an automatic tranny now? I only see one pedal (on the clutch side). Is that the brake pedal? The rest of the interior looks to be a great start. The dash is in great shape (with stock gage cluster), the floor is clean without rust, the seat is in great shape.

The rust in the front of the cab looks to be only in the rain gutter. From the blistering evident in the photo, it is probably from the inside-out. Not a difficult weld patch to make, though.

I like the paint color. I would repaint it the same, personally.

Overall, I'd say you made out really well. Many of us wish we had started with something that nice. Get it driving and check it out.

 

Cheers Steve/Randy,

I will have to have a look around to see if I can find another cab that maybe I can use for any panels needed, although I would suspect that they will tend to be gone in the same places.

I have never done any body repair before, so I will have to do a fair bit of research/practice first I think before I go at it in anger.

One thought I had was to look around in some scrapyards for an old uk motor with a similar section to cut out to use. There are a few old 60's motors that may have a similar shape.

I hear what you are saying re the plug wires/fuel pipe Randy, but I dont think that this has been like this for long. I got the impression that this had been rigged up just to see if the engine was a runner. (Which it is! )

"cootie bobbed wiring" - ? can you help me out here, I am not familiar with this.

Yes the motor is an auto now, but have not yet had a chance to investigate exactly what.

Yes, I think a new brake master will definately be on the cards, looking at the outside of the existing one.

Thanks again guys for the encouragement, my other half has not actually seen the motor in the flesh yet, but she did come down to the Thorney Island show with me last week and genuinely seems to like the effies. So looks like I might be getting a bit more support on the project than if she just didnt like it at all.

Cheers
Lee

 

Lee, "cootie-bob" is a term used to denote a sub-optimal way of doing things. That is, someone did a crappy job on it. Examples of cootie-bobbed items are mufflers hung from the frame with electrical wire, doors held closed with rubber straps, plastic sheet used to cover broken windows, seat repairs done with duck tape, etc. Hope this helps.

 

Lee -

First, the support and enthusiam of your significant other is priceless. My sweety is a staunch supporter, goes to the cruise nights, helps with the smaller jobs, etc. She's even getting all the spec's down to answer questions! You are indeed a lucky man!

The repair on the gutter isn't really a big deal. And, it seems in fact that the truck doesn't need much of that kind of stuff. Since you are storing it in a body shop, ask them about doing the repair. It doesn't seem worth it to invest in a welder and learn those skills for just the few areas you need done.

The shifter on the column can be easily removed, if you like the floor shift, or you can convert (using an aftermarket cable setup) to use the column shift on the auto tranny. I have a floor shifter for my FMX and originally didn't like it much. Now I like it a lot and will stay with it. Personal preference here.

I don't understand what you are looking for in "an old UK motor". What section were you looking for?

Overall, it seems you have a really good start on a great truck. It is mostly together, runs (well?), has the essential upgrades, has little body work to do and is real purdy!

Good Luck!

 

Ahh, "Cootie Bob" (US) = "Heath Robinson" (UK) Cheers George.

and Yes I definately concur, the wiring is definately something that needs attention.

Randy,
Couldnt agree more on the support of the good lady. She seems to have been pretty supportive with my other hobby too. I have an old 1969 Land Rover, that I have had for quite a few years now, and modified quite considerably. She enjoys going to the shows with that too. If you are interested I have a whole site on it. www.progl.com Its a bit different.

I was thinking about trying to find an old UK motor with a simmilar roof line to get the metal for the patches? But I might look into how much it would be to have the roof sorted proffesionally as you say.

I am not sure how well, it runs, as the fuel pump had packed up. It ran for as long as petrol was poored in... But that will be my first job, get it running sweet, then brakes, then Lights etc..etc..

Cheers
Lee

 

Lee, when you say UK motor, we are all thinking about a new engine for your truck. Are you referring to an entire vehicle or a specific vehicle model when you say "UK motor"?

 

Sorry George,

I keep forgetting that we dont really speak the same language in a lot of respects . Its the old Chips and fries thing again! I should be used to it by now, I have worked for an American company now for about 7 years.

Yes when I say Motor, I mean as in Motor Car, Motor vehicle. We tend to use the term generically for a car/Truck etc.

I am sure I will confuse many more times.

Bear with me, I will get there...

Lee