I have a 57 F100 style short bed I'm looking for a ash tray does any one out there have one you might want to sell or know where I may obtain one.
Also while I have your attention what type of seat (bench or bucket) would best fit in it.
Thanks

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-Oct-02 AT 02:37 AM (EST)]One Way Mike,

I think your in luck. I believe I can help you with the ash tray. I live in Pensacola FL which is just about the furtherest point from any where Y- blocks live. If no one closer can help you let me know. Just E-mail me.

Restoring at the speed of a slow sick snail !

Charles in Pensacola

57 F100 adding Blown 312 auto
86 F150

 

HEY ONEWAY I think we have wroet befor i have three parts trucks that im stirpping all of them has ashtrays your welcom to any just e-mail with address and ill send my e-mail thodges@bearnet.net any other parts you need let me know i hav a 57 a 60 a 58 KEEP ON FORDIN TERRY

 

The worst seat would be the one that was installed in my 1960 panel when I got it: an Econoline swivel seat that was mounted with a 2x4 as a spacer, using low-grade bolts, which had of course rusted solid. It was much higher than stock, so the steering wheel was replaced with a smaller one that looked like it belonged on a dune buggy or go-cart. The steering wheel was adapted to the column by a hub made from a cut-down lawnmower flywheel, and attached with two bolts, one of them stripped.

With a bench seat you can carry more passengers (I don't recommend more than 3), or pile stuff on the seat to keep it from falling through the rust holes in the floor or getting wet when you drive through puddles. The open back of a stock bench seat is a (good) place to keep the jumper cables and other junk.

I haven't decided for sure what seats to use in mine: I once rode in a Volvo which had heated leather bucket seats, so someday I'll drop by the local Volvo wrecker and see what those are worth. Still, if I could locate original panel buckets I might go with those. I once read in a car magazine that after 700 miles all seats feel the same, anyway.

 

Another late reply from Germany ....

As for the seat, I had a similar question some time ago on what bench would fit. I had nothing and wanted a bench. The word was that any bench up to mid 80 full size truck (Ford, Ch..., Do...) would fit. This is not necessarily true as I found out. There's no junk yards with US cars / trucks over here so I had to drive 150miles to a guy who buys scrap from the US forces. He had Fords, Ch...s and Do...s. The Do... benches I looked at are definetly more than just one or two inches too wide (I have a 54, but guess the inside width is similar to yours). I was unable to identify Ch... benches in the huge pile I was looking at while it was raining heavily. In the end I bought a bench from a '80 F350 aircraft tow vehicle (you have probably never seen a shorter F350 with the dual rear wheels just behind the cab) and it is a perfect, but tight fit. Using the F350s adjusting mechanism / slides I just had to fabricate my own mounts (using heavy sidewall square tube steel) and it now mounts to the original mounting provisions in my floor without any extra hole to be drilled. I am a happy camper now.

:-)

 

 

I use mustang II buckets, fit nicely but don't adjust but forward and back. I've had 4 people in my cab once, I don't suggest this 'cause it's hard to reach the cd player. You could put 3 of these seats in yours, that would be neat.