I recently purchased a 1976 F100. I bought it out of interest in starting a new hobby. Unfortunately, I know very little about this type of thing, but I figure what better place to start. My father has a lot of knowledge on this subject but he commutes out of FL, so I don't see him much. (We are both airline pilots and are both based in St. Louis) Because of my pilot background I have a lot of knowledge on engines ranging from piston to turbine in addition to various electrical and hydraulic systems. However, I have little if no hands on experience with working on these things.

To cut to the chase, I am asking where you think I should start.

First, the trucks condition:

It has a straight six (I want to replace with a V8 of some sort) The engine is reliable but burns some oil.
The body and frame are in great shape aside from rusted out floor boards and a few dings here and there.

Second, what my goals are:

As noted above, I want to replace the engine with a V8. Ultimately, I want to rebuild the truck. I don't have an interest in making it original, but I would like to make the exterior look close to it. I would like to customize the interior and power plant.

Third, reality:

I am on a budget of course and I don't have a garage. I should have one by the time summer rolls around.

What do you think?

My ideas are to get the floor boards fixed. During this time, I could be looking for a V8.
Any recommendations on which engine I should go with? Any recommendations on the floor boards?

I hope this email isn't too haphazard. I have a billion questions I could ask, but figured this is a good start.

Thank you so much for your time.

 

First and foremost I (and probably most other folks on this list) would offer you nothing but encouragement in pursuing the "fixing-up" of an old Ford Truck. It's a great hobby and well worth the time and money you put into it. That said, perhaps the following will help you avoid a common putfall - look before you leap so to speak.

If you truly want to restore/modify a truck then you would be far better off spending a little more now and buying a truck that already has a V8 and that is preferrably as rust free as possible. I live in South Carolina and around here solid rust free mid-70's Ford Trucks with V8 engines can easily be had for less than $2000. I paid a little more (though not much) than that for my '77 F100 Ranger XLT, but it's 99.9% rust free, was the color I wanted, has a C6, power steering, air, and only had 49,000 original miles. It was the "right" truck for me.

I don't know what you have in your '76, but I'd be willing to wager that by the time you get the floor repaired, find and rebuild a V8, purchase the necessary motor swap components, and do the million other necessary things to get it all put together and running, you'll have a lot more sunk in it than $2000. Find a truck that has all the base components you want and go from there - it'll cost a LOT less in the long run.

The fact you don't yet have a garage makes the above all that much more important in my book. A true restoration on any vehicle requires more time, money, and space than one would imagine. Even a serious "fixing up" that falls short of restoration will likely require a fair amount of down time for the truck and you'll need a good place to work on it. At least with a V8 truck you can enjoy driving it now while saving up your pennies for a garage and the parts you'll want down the road.

Again, please know that I'm not trying to discourage you but rather hope to keep you from getting in over your head before you've thought out all possible ways to go about doing this. Free advice - worth what you pay for it...

Bruce in South Carolina
1977 F-100 Ranger XLT
1984 Volvo 245 Turbo - it's a Ford now!

 

I would find out how the rust got in there and fix that problem first especially if it is having to sit outside. Once the leaks are plugged you can go after the rusted out pans. If the bed is really rusted it would be good to have it sandblasted and prime it also. Any rusted spots or areas like around the fenders or the back of the cab should be sanded to bare metal and primed as soon as possible.

If you are going to do an engine swap you are also dealing with the transmission because it is most probable that the bellhousings would be different. With that in mind I tend to agree it would be better to find a V8 truck up front but lots of people do engine swaps. I also think that a tricked out, hopped up long skinny motor is a radical thing to see and hear, LOL. Clifford Industries has all kinds of stuff for hopping up the 6's including multi-carb manifolds, cams, headers and ported heads. NEAT STUFF.

As far as the entire process of going through one of these it somewhat depends what shape its in and where your head is at. Some people dismantle the entire vehicle all at one time. Thats just too much for me so I single thread the whole thing. I do the major leaks/rusted out problems first, then all the mechanicals and get it running good, interior restore, dents/minor rust/body repair and lastly the paint job.

 

I recently purchased a '73 F250. I never really worked on a vehicle before, as I have owned Hondas and Toyotas in the past. I have had to do alot of work on this truck, but so far everything has been easy to repair, and the parts not only were readily available, but inexpensive.

I'm learning alot about auto repair, and loving it. I would agree with the first post in that you can put more money into making it into the truck you want than just going and buying it. Perhaps you could use the current truck as a donor vehicle for a truck with a V8 you could buy for real cheap. If the sheet metal on your 6cyl. is good, you could find a similar V8 with a nasty body and save some cash that way.

Or you can just have fun and do it your way. If you want to do an engine swap, I would leave the 6 in it for now, and find that oil useage problem. Drive it with the 6 in it while you make the truck pretty, and find the V8 you want (460) and build it up slowly as time permits. When the V8 is just the way you want it, put it in your old truck.

 

First off good luck on your project. One think you might want to consider is what your going to use it for. If your not going to be towing big loads you might want to consider a small block 351w for the swap. You'll get a little better gas millage. Maybe around 15mpg. If you need a lot of torque, and who doesn't in my book, big block is the way to go. Expect somewhere around 6-12 mpg. I'm getting 9 with my 390. There's a couple of posts in the 351c/351m/400 area about the 6 to 400 swap you might check those out. I am parshial to the 400 only because it's lighter than the others, and you can build plenty of horse power in them. I just built a 351c (simular motor) with close to 400 HP. But my truck (73 F250 highboy) came with a 390 FE/C6 and it's a very good motor. When I put higher compression pistons in it this summer I should have around 300 HP. That's plenty for what I do. Also you can build a lot of horses in a 460. So the choices are there. I use my truck to get around in the winter so I need it to be reliable. So I started with the engine and drivetrain. The body will be after the motor work.

 

Congrats on the purchase. These trucks are fun and fairly easy to work on and the parts are still somewhat cheap. Plus they do not have all the "new fangled" computers and gizmos that you need a garage full of special tools and equipment to repair.
The floor is straight forward - cut off the rusted areas and replace with either a new floor pan section or custom form one out of 1/8" steel sheet. You will need a grinder, snips, hammer etc plus either a welder or a bunch of rivets. Welder is better but rivets work well also. Then spray undercoat the whole "new" floor pan both sides. Throw a carpet over it and viola your done.
The engine isnt too difficult either. You have the 300 inline six, a very good engine with lots of torque. It can be made into a "fire breathing monster" check out the inline six forum on this site. But if you have your heart set on a V8, look for a 302 or a 351W they will boltup to your existing transmission. Hit the junkyard to get the right engine mounts and towers, I think they use different ones than the 6 but I cant recall right now.
Good luck on the restification and have fun doing it.

Sparky

ps
What do you mean you are on a budget?? All AME's are under the assumption you Pilots are rich

 

Thanks for all the info! For those of you that think us pilots are all rich are mis-guided. Four years of school and training equals big $$$$. When we finally get that coveted first airline job we don't make squat for up to four years.

Your comment regarding the 302 and 360 matching up to the pre-existing trans is helpfull. My six would need rebuilding so I figure why not go for the V8. Any advice on good places to look for one of these?

Last question. I want to have the floor boards welded in. Would it be best for me to cut them out myself and then have a shop do the welding. How much can expect for them to charge for this work?

 

 

i have to agree. start out with a truck in as good a condition as you can find. i live in south dakota and my 78 was pretty rusty. i found a new bed by luck and the rest of the repairs cost $2600. the V8 swap from the 6 cost me $1500 so earlier guesses were low. the deeper you get in the more discouraged you might get, so start from as high as you can. stick with it though!