Just bought a 72 F100 SWB Ranger XLT with a 360ci and 4 speed borg warner. I bought the truck to be my country house hauler but also to have fun since I like working on my cars. I haven't had it a day and already I am thinking about what I want to do with it. The truck is solid but the most problemativ thing about it is there is a good amount of rust on the roof and along the drip rails. Since it is for thrashing around I didn't much care but I was doing some digging in case I felt like patching another cab roof to the car if/when I want to restore it. I've looked around and can only find online stores that sell fenders, doors and bed panels. I haven't found one that sells a roof panel or any

So the question is - where can I get a roof panel that is rust free and what do you recommend for this type of replacement repair? Anybody done something like this before?

Long term, I will probably want to keep the truck fairly stock butmake it look nice, probably paint it two tone green and white.

Second question - the shifter is loosey goosey. Works fine but it would be nice to have it be less loose. WOuld replacing the linkages/bushings down below help or is the slack more related to the transmission itself?

Third question - I'll need to replace the clutch at some point. Is swapping a diaphragm style clutch for the original lever style a straightforward thing or does it require any additional consideration?

I'm sure I will have a bunch more questions and I look forward to engaging with all of you. Thanks in advance - I'm thrilled to be a f100 owner now!

Darryl in San Carlos, CA

 

fisrt off let be the first to welcome you here to FTE you'll find lots of helpful tips and tricks on how to upgrade,restore and just keepin the ol gal runnin . now about the roof problem well theres no aftermarket for them yet so you'll have to visit a salvage yard for that,some where back theres a fellow that coped the top on his and it looks pretty cool.now on to the 4speed the old B/W 4speeds realy dont have a "linkage" the shifter goes rite into the top of the trans,the end that moves the forks is probably worn,a lil welding and grinding it back into shape can help alot. the diafram type clutch can be used but you'll have to extend the adjustment rod a bit due to the fact the diafram type is thiner and needs a longer adjustment rod to make up the difference not that big a deal. i do the same thing on anything i had that was a stick im kinda fond of the cenerforce 3's seems like they hold up pretty darn well. good luck with your new truck and have fun with it

 

Welcome to the world of bumpsides!!! Caution, they are very addictive! I would imagine in your part of the country it wouldn't be too hard to locate a rust free roof section. I've done a good bit of sheetmetal work on these trucks and it's not too rough of a job for someone with average welding skills and good body work skills. I would suggest cutting the replacement roof in the windshield posts and cab corners, about 4-6" down from the drip rail. It's a lot easier to replace the entire roof then to just try to reskin the roof and replace the drip rails.... If you're so inclined, it's a good time to chop the top a bit....much more involved process then a simple replacement but still not impossible to do at home with the right tools. Whichever you do, measure about 3 times, check your measurements, measure again, then cut!!!!! If you use a cardboard pattern for each cut and reference it to a point on the truck, the cuts on both trucks will be the same making fitment, welding, and finishing much easier....

 

Hi Darryll,

welcome to the FTE forum, I mainly deal with 67 to 72 bumpside trucks, if you need a complete roof from a truck i parted out, or a complete cab i will make you a good deal i am in Los Banos, about 1 1/2 hours from you call or E mail me
at (209) 769-4058 Cell or Jsor58@sbcglobal.net thanks, Jess