Hiya,
Another newbie that found his old pickumuptruck finally. Ran into a '53 F250 with a 215-6 popper and 4 onna floor, 75k on the clock. Must have been a flatbed (has no box/bed) cuz it has the short running boards that stop at the back of the cab. With the Gulf station logo on the door still somewhat readable i wonder if she didnt have some sort of A-frame towing rig too. The metal is all in pretty good shape overall. I dont have to replace floorboards or fenders and the usual stuff. She needs both rear cab corners, and one front corner. quick question about that. I see inside and outside rear cab corners listed, but no real diagram. I assume i'll need both as you can see daylight?

She's a runner, but needs fluids and such right off the bat, and brakes very soonly. Pedal goes to the floor, but if you pump it enough you get a little braking action. Hopefully it's gonna only take fluid and bleeding to get them working initially, before a complete teardown. The gas tank needs investigation as it's feeding from a 2 gallon can at the moment instead of suckin gawd knows what kinda crud from the tank.

The wiring needs attention right off as it's pretty rotted, but the truck does run. amazing given the amount of bare wire with teh inslation rotted off. My inclination is to leave it 6v as long as the generator is working for the time being. It will be quite awhile before she's ready for any trips of any length so i'm not gonna worry about lights and whatnot suckin down the battery at night. I'll just be putting around town for now. A 12v conversion is on the list tho.

My first purchase was a factory service manual, and the second the body book. With the snow and cold for a couple months yet i have time to start collecting what i'll need. I figgure to start with a 50/50 mix of acitone and tranny fluid as a rust breaker and tackle bleeding the brakes so she'll stop. then i can go after the wiring and fuel supply. she'll need some sort of air cleaner before she runs as well as an oil change. The tires are banana peels so they're on the list too, but being able to stop tops the list.

I"ll be lookin for tips and tricks on the brakes and such. Thinks like how best NOT to break bleeders after soaking them with the 50/50 mix, aircleaner options, wiring (i plan to pester Julie lol), gas tank cleaning,,,,,,,,the list will go on and on. I restore and repair old motorcycles but this is my first old truck. I'm lookin forward to the challange, and the ride. I hope spring gets here soon.

 

Welcome, and congradulations on your find. Im sure not the smartist one around hear, but there are many who are. Im just pokin along on my F-1, learning as i go. JIMMY

 

Hello and welcome to FTE! Sounds like you will have an interesting build going on. There are a lot of good people and information on here. Someone will come along with the info you are looking for. I was lucky enough that mine didn't need the cab corners. Remember to post lots of pics. We love pic. Later, Lakota

 

Welcome to the forum, DumbLuck!

My first piece of advice, fwiw, is to read the section in your service manual about adjusting the brakes, and do that before bleeding. That could be all you need.

New, replacement gas tanks are pretty cheap, especially compared to the frustration involved with messing with old ones. If you're changing the tank, it'll be a good idea to replace the fuel lines, as well. They could be just as gunked up as the tank.

For wiring, there are stock, replacement harness kits made just for your truck. If you're going to leave it stock, that'll be an easy way to make it safe to drive. No sense having good brakes if it burns itself down from an electrical fire. ;-)

All in all, it sounds like you've got a great starting place for a fun restoration project. Since you've got mechanical and restoration experience, even if it is short a couple of wheels ;-), you can surely do anything your truck needs help with. Good luck.

 

Thanks Merc, and the rest who have replied so far. I've already been snooping thru the service manual reading up on what i know i have to mess with, as well as aquring parts catalogues too. I have even used the search function here (skerry, aint i lol).

This whole project is on a shoestring budget as i'm disabled. I got the truck cuz the PO was a silly enough booger to take a '80 Kawi 750 LTD in trade. I really want to avoid sheering bleeders, and other dumb mistakes. I know all hoses, lines and such will all have to be replaced eventually on everything. Lord knows i been thru enough skooter fuel systems to know cleaning the carb aint worth diddly spit unless the tank and lines are clean. (dont ask how i learned this please). I have also noticed new tanks start about $150 and go up from there (ouch). Time i gots, money i dont.

any tips, tricks, and whatnot greatfully appreciated.

 

Welcome. Lots of learning going one here.

 

Welcome to the board!!

It sounds like you're making a good start on your truck. You're not alone on trying to build a truck on a budget, many uf us here don't have 2 nickles to rub together. with a little bit of ingenuity you can do quite a bit without spending huge bucks.

Bobby

 

Welcome to the forum, glad to see another big truck owner here. Like you my F-250 was somewhat usable when I got it I have been working to make it better. If you are going to want to do any highway driving you might think about swapping out the rear end for something a bit newer. I switched to a rear end from a 67 F-250(an actual bolt in project) 3.73 gear and it now runs down the road much nicer than with the original. The problem is it is sitting in the garage with the front torn apart and in the process of replacing the rocker panels, front cab corners, inner fenders, fenders, air deflectors and gravel pan. Getting to long here, this is a great place and there are great folks here enjoy your truck....

Bob G