I really don't know much about working on cars and trucks but I'm smart and LOVE to learn and do things but need more knowledge. I'm very good with my hands and can build a garage but have had problems replacing the starter on my wifes car. Google only helps so much ya know?



I just acquired a 1962 Ford f100 unibody, 292 v-8, 3 on-the-tree. The people that I bought it from was a son at college, his highschool project car. He worked on this truck ALOT so much so the when he got done he took his senior pictures with the truck. Looks great, sounds great, but I know practically nothing about cars.







My steering wheel is the size of a buses. How hard is it to replace it with a smaller one? Also my shifter is right in my thigh area is there a way to shorten it?

I've read that people have added power steering how dificult is that to do?

How dificult would it be to replace the bench seat with bucket seats? Would I have to add seat belts then?

I can use super unleaded gas right, 10w-30 oil?

While my truck looks nice underneath is a different story. The bed has diamond plate welded in because the original bed was too far gone. The floorboards in the floor are the same way. The truck drives like a wagon, so i started looking online and in another thread in this forum it talked about mounts. I went out to look at mine and there pieces of wood where there should be rubber.

For the most part most of the steel was in solid shape some bondo used in the Amateur restoration and a decent paint job. For the price I picked it up at I practically stole it but theres more work to do. New door seals, figure out horn malfunction, get interior light, Fix or match 4th rim, fix my loose mirrors.......... I have more questions but I guess I'll start with this and see where it goes.

I'm not without help though my brother-in-laws like to think they know a thing or 2 about cars and fixing them, but my uncle does know about fixing these classics and before I go to him and look afool I was hoping for more education. Maybe I'm in over my head but I loved this truck the second I saw it.

 

Nice new truck you have there, here's to another 48 years. That big wheel is your power steering, they call it armstrong steering, for a reason. There are threads on here about using, dare I say, a toyota box, its almost a bolt in if you can't find the ford box. Bucket seats can be robbed out of any f-series up to 96, the seat rails are a bolt on deal.No lead gas is not a problem, 10w40 in the summer, maybe 10w30 in the winter, but I wouldn't worry too much. I don't have unibody experience, but I think the floors and such are hard to come by. Rich

 

The good news is old trucks are simple to work on and generally give you lots of room to swing a hammer. The bad news would be you bought a rusty truck, and rust repair is not a DIY job for the unskilled. You may seriously want to assess how bad the truck is, the cost to fix it, and then decide to flip it and look for a better one. Nothing is more expensive to do on an old vehicle than repair rust.

For now, make sure the front end is properly greased (several fittings, easy to do, often ignored). This may make a big difference in how it steers. Also make sure you have proper tire pressure, more makes easier steering, just make sure you don't exceed the recommended pressure stamped on the tire (a few PSI below the max when cold would be plenty). After all this, tell us what you think. A smaller steering wheel will be a huge mistake without a power steering conversion.

Get that cabinet **** off your glovebox.

Regular craptastic unleaded should work fine, though if you hear it 'pinging' under load you may want to bump up the octane a bit. You shouldn't need to run 92. Oil as suggested above is fine, though if it tends to leak I use 20-50 in the summer.

I would add seat belts regardless. You can put shoulder belts in them if you use big-*** washers to back up the sheet metal. Honestly, I like the bench seat better. One from a newer truck with the fold down armrest fits right in there and has a bit more comfortable shape. You may want to give one a test fit to your butt at the junkyard. Any high-back bucket seat is going to look, well, wrong if it's taller than the rear window. Shorter buckets like ones from early Mustangs were what the Ranger models had but they offer no comfort advantages over the bench seat.

You may want to post pics of your rust issues (check the bottom of your radiator support too) so we can better guide you on what potential nightmare you may be facing.

 

Welcome aboard and nice truck. I have a 62 Unibody and love it. If you change your sterring wheel I will buy the old one from you (send me a pm).

Roll up your sleeves and enjoy!

 

The 3 spoke steering wheel has been reproduced by Dennis Carpenter (in black) and is the same as:

1960/63 Falcon/Comet / 1961/66 F100/250 2WD / 1966 F100 4WD / 1967/70 F100/350 / 1966/73 Bronco.

Excepting Bronco's, the horn ring and horn button share the same applications as the steering wheel.

 

When I left from work yesterday someone pointed out i was leaking fuel. My boss tells me its my fuel pump.


He also states how on the newer vehicles its in the gas tank and its ALOT harder to do. I called up the local Napa store and they can order it for me for $40 but he says its for a 63 will that matter?

I would like to change the fluids out with some fresh stuff. The hoses and belts all look OK except for the garden hose (wtf)











Here's a few pics of the undercarrige
















What do I need to do to figure out why my horn and cig lighter dont work?Are the ***** for the lights and glovebox fairly easily attainable, I would like to add some red lights under the dash and another lights ****.

My brothers-in law are going to the junkyard next week and im gonna ride with to see if i see anything that matches up. While Im there what parts should I ALWAYS be on the look-out for, and which parts should I usually pick up aftermarket?

You can tell from the pics that it didn't get a complete overhaul but everything looks easy enough and I'll outsource what I can't DIMyself. Had more questions but its late and i gotta go to bed. Fire off any questions or comments!! Thanks

 

Well first of all welcome to FTE and nice truck you have.

Looks like you have a reason to buy a mig welder and fix some rust. Here is a link of where you can buy new floor pans to replace the nice wood job.

Carolina Classics, Obsolete Ford Truck Parts, truck part, ford truck part, truck body parts, classic truck part, pickup truck part, old truck part, classic ford truck part, antique truck part, old ford truck part, auto truck part, ford truck restorat

There are many other great replacement parts there and at many other site sponsors, you can pick up replacement ***** for inside the cab at Denis Carpenter, there are many parts available and if there is some you don't quite understand you have come to the right place. I love the search function and learn stuff I would never have thought of.

As for you horn you may want to clean the contacts and make sure that it is properly grounded and check for a blown fuse.

Cig lighter you will have to get a multimeter or test light and check for power from the center pin to ground.

I know in my 64 the fuses were on the head light switch so you may want to check to see if there are any blown, not sure on the old trucks but they may have dedicated fuses for the horn or cig lighter.

As for adding red lights under the dash I have tied into the parking light circuit before and then when you turn on your lights they will come on and it is easy to do.

Have fun

D

 

1961/66 F100/250 2WD / 1966 F100 4WD / 1967/70 F100/350:

Under the horn ring (or horn button) in a hole in the steering wheel at about 5 o'clock is the horn brush and plastic insulator (C2OZ13A821A-kit). It just presses in.

The brush has a thin copper wire running thru it that can snap. Some ppl do not know this, remove the steering wheel...and this can cause these parts to fall out, so they could be missing.

The horn ring is retained to the steering wheel with a plastic retainer (C2DZ13A809A) that has three "ears" on it.

If one or more of the ears snaps off, the horn ring does not fit to the steering wheel properly, the horn will not blow as a result.

If removing the horn ring (or horn button), be aware that there's a large coil spring between the ring/button and the steering wheel.
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The cigarette lighter fuse (FEW14429A) is metal and shaped like a barrel, has one male & female end.

The female end threads onto the stud that is located on backside of the lighter's socket. The wire plugs onto the fuse's male end.

Originally, the fuse had a hole in it, where a paper clip (or similar) could be inserted to reset it.

The lighter's element (C1TZ15054A) unscrews from the ****. It may be burned out.

While these parts are all obsolete, all can be found at Ford Dealers, obsolete parts vendors.

Some of these trucks have a firewall mounted fuse box. Some have a fuse box mounted to the side of the headlamp switch.