I am going to restore my great grandpa's 72 F100. It has 94,000 original miles, but hasn't been driven/started since 1993. It has a 360 with automatic, 2wd. No ps, pb, or a/c. Minor rust on front fenders and a cracked windshield. There is some minor rust on the outside of the bed where it looks like the upper and lower half of the bed is welded together. How do you clean that up, before painting? A few of the chrome pieces are pitted, and some of the weather stripping needs replacement.
All in all, a very solid truck.
I'm looking for advice on where to get replacement parts and ideas on where I should spend my money on upgrades. I'm restoring this truck to be a weekend driver, not to race or sell.
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Hello Tom, Welcome to FTE.

First thing start with a plan and a budget. Figure 2 years minimum to do your project and budget $3,000.00-$12,000.00 to spend. The 360 & the C6 will need to be rebuilt. The engine rebuild will take up a good part of $2000.00, the C6 around $800.00 +-.

You will need a building with plenty of space to work in, plenty of storage, and a gazillion Ziplock bags of various sizes, and take photos by the dozens. I would recommend pulling both and waiting til near the end of the project to rebuild them, too many times we do that first and new rebuilds rust while waiting.

I would buy a 73-76 F100 donor truck with 360/C6, for power steering and disc brakes. All parts are bolt up exchange between the trucks. (I sold parts that I didn't need and my donor became -0- in cost.)

Your "chrome" bright metal is actually polish & anodized aluminum. Dennis Carpenter at dennis-carpenter.com makes the best rubber, and make lots of other pieces. Carolina-classics.com is another source. Move LMC to the bottom of your list. Glass available at any good auto glass dealer.

Start going to car shows next spring and see what other folk are doing to their trucks.

Got more questions, fire em up. Do the rebuild right and the ol truck can be around another 40 years, that is if Obama & crew don't get it first.

Big thing is not to rush, the truck hasn't gone anywhere in 16 years, another few months is not going to make any difference in the long haul.




John

 

Welcome to FTE! I'm in the midst of restoring my 67 F-100. John pretty much hit it on the head. keep track of your parts, using baggies and maybe index cards and a sharpie to label everything, and TONS of pictures. Having boxes to organize parts in is also helpful. FTE is an great resource also, so feel free to ask questions. We have guys here with tons of experience and knowledge (John being one of those!) and are more than willing to help! Good luck, and post up some pics when you get started!

 

John,
Thanks for the advice on my 72 restoration project. While looking for a 73-76 donor truck, I might have found a 72 donor truck with ps and pb. If the windshield and or right inner fender are in good shape, I think I'll pull the trigger. It's running with a 302/C6 set up. Asking $1,050.00.
Also, thanks for the heads up on LMC. As you know they pop up first on google search, and I had actually looked at some stuff from them, before I posted on FTE. LMC had a set of 4 car dollies with 7,500# weight for $169.00, Carolina classics had a set of 4 with 10,000# weight for $129.88. Your helpful advice has already saved me $40.00!
My dad's neighbor is an awsome mechanic. He has a passion for it. He works full time for a large used car dealership, doing major mechanical work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He then comes home and works from home on other people's cars. It's nothing to see him working under a car in his driveway near midnight, even during the winter. We live in a blue collar suburb of St. Louis. I barter home repair work with him, as he has worked on all three of my daughter's cars, as well as mine and my wife's vehicles.
So my 360/C6 rebuild will cost me parts only. And of course some free labor on his house.
My budget currently stands at around $4,000.00. I recently sold my 1988 Monte Carlo SS, to raise the cash for the truck restoration project.
In 1988 I sanded the truck down, and my dad painted it for me. Dad worked 38 years at the Ford plant here in St. Louis. Before robotic automation in 1984, dad spent part of his time spraying new vehicles. In 1988 he still had the hang of it. Even got the PPG rep at the plant get him some "sample" paint that coincidentally were the same colors as my grandpas truck.
Dad retired from Ford in 2003. He works everyday with me, now that he's "retired". Dad's 66 now and recently had a pace maker implanted. He's a pretty good mechanic in his own right, but now that he takes blood thinners, I can't let him turn too many wrenches. A tiny scratch will bleed for quite a while. It frustrates him, so I'm expecting he will provide alot of free over the shoulder supervision, during this project.
My time frame might not be realistic, May 2, 2010. That's my dad's birthday. We live about an hour northwest of a 3/8 mile dirt track, where they race stock cars. One of the track owners is Ken Schrader from NASCAR. The Wallace boys, Rusty and Mike are also from the area. I'd like to drive my dad to the races in my great grandpas restored truck on his birthday weekend. Thanks again. Tom

 

John,
Thanks for the advice on my 72 restoration project. While looking for a 73-76 donor truck, I might have found a 72 donor truck with ps and pb. If the windshield and or right inner fender are in good shape, I think I'll pull the trigger. It's running with a 302/C6 set up. Asking $1,050.00.
Also, thanks for the heads up on LMC. As you know they pop up first on google search, and I had actually looked at some stuff from them, before I posted on FTE. LMC had a set of 4 car dollies with 7,500# weight for $169.00, Carolina classics had a set of 4 with 10,000# weight for $129.88. Your helpful advice has already saved me $40.00!
My dad's neighbor is an awsome mechanic. He has a passion for it. He works full time for a large used car dealership, doing major mechanical work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He then comes home and works from home on other people's cars. It's nothing to see him working under a car in his driveway near midnight, even during the winter. We live in a blue collar suburb of St. Louis. I barter home repair work with him, as he has worked on all three of my daughter's cars, as well as mine and my wife's vehicles.
So my 360/C6 rebuild will cost me parts only. And of course some free labor on his house.
My budget currently stands at around $4,000.00. I recently sold my 1988 Monte Carlo SS, to raise the cash for the truck restoration project.
In 1988 I sanded the truck down, and my dad painted it for me. Dad worked 38 years at the Ford plant here in St. Louis. Before robotic automation in 1984, dad spent part of his time spraying new vehicles. In 1988 he still had the hang of it. Even got the PPG rep at the plant get him some "sample" paint that coincidentally were the same colors as my grandpas truck.
Dad retired from Ford in 2003. He works everyday with me, now that he's "retired". Dad's 66 now and recently had a pace maker implanted. He's a pretty good mechanic in his own right, but now that he takes blood thinners, I can't let him turn too many wrenches. A tiny scratch will bleed for quite a while. It frustrates him, so I'm expecting he will provide alot of free over the shoulder supervision, during this project.
My time frame might not be realistic, May 2, 2010. That's my dad's birthday. We live about an hour northwest of a 3/8 mile dirt track, where they race stock cars. One of the track owners is Ken Schrader from NASCAR. The Wallace boys, Rusty and Mike are also from the area. I'd like to drive my dad to the races in my great grandpas restored truck on his birthday weekend. Thanks again. Tom

 

Welcome! I hope your project goes well! If you work through the winter, im sure you can make your deadline. But once you start digging into it, you may experience a snowball effect and want to over do parts since they are off. Make a plan for the truck and stick to it!

Dennis Carpenter sells really great parts.

 

Hello tomw128,
f you happen to get that donor truck that you said had a 302 in it. If you're not going to use the motor,i'd be interested in the brackets and pulleys for my 72 F100 that i have placed the 360 with a 302 but i'm in need of.
Thanks Walt