As I have never done a ground up restore project I need some advice. My first 2 hurdles are cash and a place to work. I have my folks well equiped garage for a few days at a time but thats it. As I have never done a full vehicle restore I know I will need to spend a few bucks getting pros involved. I have done a fair bit of mechanicel work and have the mind to get around most problems.

What I have:

'78 F-250
2 wheel drive
A BIG Ol' 460. (It has has a bit of work but is getting rough!)

What I want:

(I would love to do the big ol' 6" lift but parts are not advailable! So plan "B".)

Mild drop, drum to disc brake conversion, low profile w/ +1 tires, repair/replace worn parts, upgraded interior and new paint. Easy right?

First hurdle, parts. Where do I find them? I can find straight factory resotred parts (LMC or local canadian boys), but the upgrads like brakes, where?

Second, I am thinking drive train first year, motor/trans the second and paint/interior the third. Does this sound relistic? Would you exprienced pro's do it different? The motor and trans are okay, things like brake hoses and steeering linkage are not. So if I do it in this order I can get insurance and actually get a bit of use from it leagally!

Lastly any advice on banks easy to rob for the cash? KIDDING! Thanks for all your help.

Ryan

 

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I would do the drivetrain first. While the engine is out, you can go ahead and redo the engine compartment. Degrease, pressurewash and repaint while the engine and tranny are out of the way.

 

if your parent's will allow it, try and put up a portable garage like the one's in northern tool catalogs, and tuck in the back yard or beyond the garage from the house side so they don't see it so much. This will allow you to keep everything out of the elements for an extended period of time, as projects like this take a lot longer than anticipated.even if it's just all the body parts, and then leaving the chassis in the garage. Which means, start with the driveline. Stay warm.

 

Make sure you have lots of room to have your parts laying everywhere as the truck is alot larger when strung out in pieces. I had made a list for every area of the truck and priced the parts, I came close to my projected prices but as any project your going to run into snags.

Also wondering why your throwing a lift out of your plans? Autofab carries some quality lifts for the 2wd's. I've also heard Camburg has a lift for them.

 

Autofab has 3 and 5 inch lifts for the front i-beams. something like $700 and $1300?? respectively. Rear leaf springs or add-a-leafs should be easy enough to find.

 

Considering it's a 3/4 ton I would have to encourage lifting it if anything. If you already have disc in front I wouldn't worry about getting disc in the rear. But that aside, I would do the engine and tranny first. The truck probably has a 9" since it's 2wd which are real tough axles. You could probably put that off for a while, just check the U-Joints.

 

Hmmm now ya all got me thinking! Autofab has a 3" inch kit that I can see. They don't recomend it for off road, so why would I want to do it? (Okay you can but there are a few hoops to jump through.) The lift is "easy" when looking at other work. What about a 3" body lift on top of it?

I have thought about the portable garage, but got a big no from the folks! Motor and trans are easy enough start with and room required is little. Rear end (9") is leakey and probably will need some attention.

Things I know need doing are brake lines, brakes and stering linkage so if I add that to the list in the first year, parts are local and SHOULD be easy to come by. I think I could get a good head start.

Thanks guys!
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Oh see the 5" lift now! That is just what I have been looking for!!

 

If you think the autofab kit is cool check out Camburgs equal lenth beams.http://www.camburg.com/fords1P.html Sorry link wont work for everyones viewing pleasure.

 

In this kind of restoration, your priorities are:

1) Make sure you're not wasting your time. Check the frame out carefully.

2) Lift or not? Personally, I think that dropping an F250 is nonsense. It's contrary to the vehicle's purpose. You drop cars so they can road race. You lift trucks so they can work on rough terrain.

2) Be able to steer and stop. Replace anything questionable in the steering and braking systems, end to end. No real use replacing rear drums with disks unless you're racing or something. BUT, steering linkage and brake hoses will likely be different if you do a 6" lift, so this needs to be decided first. On rear drums, total rebuild kits are cheap and worth the peace of mind. While the drums are off you might as well replace the wheel bearings. It's going to be in various stages of disassembly for days, even weeks, at a time to do all this. Be prepared for that.

3) Be certifiable - signals, lights, etc. Then get certified and you're on the road.

4) Drive train.

5) Other systems - cooling, electrical, vacuum, misc leaks,...

6) Body & interior

 

When I did mine, I focused on the safety stuff first. Inlinetube.com has all the plumbing you could want, and I used their stainless brakelines. An entire poly bushing kit is fairly cheap, and you get everything to do your truck. Those 2 things will really help with safety. After that, then focus on redoing it. I did the parts that were related to those pieces, such as repainting the leaf springs, brake drums, stuff like that, and then went for the rest over time. Just so you know, it will cost a LOT more than you think. I thought I would have about $3500 in mine, but so far I am over $6000 and still spending

 

If you are goin to take the cab and bed off the truck, you need to start with the frame. make all new brake and fuel lines, paint the frame check for rust and other problems you may come across, get the drive train painted and fixed up. Do all your suspension work. once your frame and everything under the body is done prep the cab underneath and sit it back on. then you can do your rust repairs off the ground and be able to get that done. The bed comes last.

 

I did a frame off on my 2 wheel drive 77 F250 last summer. It took me 3 months working on it every spare moment. It took up about 2/3 of my buddy's 40x60 shop. Definitely inspect the frame for cracks, rust through, etc. Get it sandblasted and painted for sure. It's really nice when you look under your truck and it shines better than new. Paint everything, because it will rust eventually. Replace everything. You will be happier and no time is easier than now. If you can't afford it now, WAIT. You will be much happier in the long run. I can tell you from experience. Also, if you get it sandblasted, take as much off the frame as possible and get it all painted individually. It will turn out much nicer and rust won't creep from odd places. Oven cleaner also works as an excellent degreaser before you send it in to get sandblasted.

As far as money goes, expect to spend around $4,000 in parts to do it nicely. That figure doens't include the engine. That is this winter's project.

You have a DANA 60 or 61 rear end in your truck. Not a single F250 rolled out of the factory with a 9 incher.

Hope all that helps. Have fun.