When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ford truck folks,
Cheryl and I took the 66 for 20 mile trip for ice cream last night. The shifter worked fine. A very good upgrade. Thanks Chad and others. I feel better about that. So in the mean time I pulled up the old vinyl floor mat and found some rust that I new was there. The plan on that is to get it repaired now while the cab is open. I think I have the items to complete that patch. The passengers side just needed wire brushed and it will be able to be coated. May use some rust inhibitor on those surface rust areas too.
Did this surprise me? Not really. I have seen much worse. I am not a metal man but I will attempt this rust repair.
Passenger side should clean up just fine for a shop truck. Should I be thinking of sound deadening material on the floor?
The old shift lever removed
And the indicators
New smooth collar needs sanding and finish work. # 6 screws
Grandson Nic took the 66 for a short drive. He likes it too. The smaller 15 inch dia steering wheel feels just right with the power steering. I believe I am going to leave it black, A lot of the ***** are black, the new shift **** is black. And I would probably mess it up painting it!
Setting in Nic's nice shop about a half mile from us. He is a Ford guy and might just keep it!
Last edited by Effies 56; Apr 23, 2026 at 03:08 PM.
Chris, you have a handsome family, I assume all the good looks come from Cheryl? (just kidding).
Anyway, those floors don't look bad to my untrained eye, I have seen and was considering much worse when I was on the hunt for my slick. As to the question of sound proofing? I would love to hear the pro's and con's from others as to what to expect or the benefits and or the negative, but my first thought is "Yeah, Go for it", as it might make the ride even more enjoyable. Also the feedback will be welcome since I am thinking to do the same. I have read some about it in some other treads, but that was all written during the process, and I can't remember if anyone shared any negative feedback, such as rust continuing to fester under the sound matting, or thickness effecting...anything...
So hopefully someone with some first hand experience will be kind enough to chime it and continue our education.
Best wishes from Germany, and how far north are you into PA?
On one of my 66's I had, I bought the sticky sound mat, can not remember the name of it, but basically you sprayed an activator on the area, then applied the sound matting and pressed it on. I did it in the doors, the floor (under the vinyl) and on the roof, the roof material had the reflective (aluminum foil look) on it. Made a HUGE difference inside the cab, HUGE, and when closing the doors it had a more solid sound, 10/10 will do again. Since my 66 was a Cali truck, it had minimal floorboard rust, again, I forget what I used 🙄 (that d*** age thing) but I did clean it, coat it, then paint it, that one, Bessie went on to a fella in Maynard MA.
Guys,
Matt,
If you look at a state map. On the west side of the state there is a chimney area that goes up to Lake Erie, We are in that area about 10 miles from the lake.
Pickupman, Awesome truck. Thanks for the sound improvement info in the cab. I need to consider that soon.
So the following is pretty ugly! But it is the reality on some of these trucks. I cut out some areas that had thin spots that were not completely thru but were not good.
On the 66 cab rust in the drivers floor. Once you start its always worse than it looks. So I cut most of the bad out. I found that the area in the fender had been full of grass and dirt. That's why the side panel had rusted out also.
Picked up some tools to help with the metal work
Getting tools into these areas not easy
Whittled at this on and off today
So we will attempt to put in some good solid patches.
Last edited by Effies 56; Apr 24, 2026 at 07:50 PM.
@Pickupmanx2 Thank you, that is exactly what I was hoping to read. Also great looking F250, personally, I have become quite fond of the Wimbledon white.
Chris, @Effies 56 I am impressed, you don't waste time. Looks like good progress and it will be great to know that the metal worms are at least held at bay.
Which brings me to another question for the forum. Does anyone have any experience with metal etching? What I mean is, once the worst of the rust is addressed, either cut out and new metal welded in, but where the the remaining surface might only have "patina" or in areas that are hard to reach, such as seams or the vent box areas like the one Chris removed a bit of the inside panel from, is there an "acid" that will etch and neutralise the metal before primer and paint is applied to seal the surface. I know products like POR15 come highly recommended and my brother used a bit back in the 1980's and '90's on his IH Scout frame, but is that a rust inhibitor, or encapsulator?
I am specifically thinking of the vent boxes (doubt that is the correct term) as I know mine were filled with pine needles when I got Lucy, and when I cleaned them out, I could feel with my heads surface rust down in those areas. I don't just want to ignore the and then have serious repairs later.
Matt,
Its easy to tear this stuff apart. Remember I am not a metal magic guy! Wish me luck as we try to make improvements and repair the rusted floor area. Yes rust inhibitor info would be useful too. I plan to spray something into the vent box area for some added protection. Oh the guys with the rust free trucks are living right! So I see some trucks advertised that are "rust free", and they come with new floor pans that have not been welded in yet! Yea right! Not saying that there are not rust free ones out there too.
The white trucks look very sharp! As I learn more about these slicks and the colors used by Ford at that time, I wonder what the favorite color is /was?? So today the Caribbean Turquoise as in our 66 might not sell well if offered today in a F150 ?? I like red!
When I get up to my shop, I have a bottle of "stuff" that the guy I bought Shrek from had, it definitely stops rust, he used it on part of the pass side hood, I'll take a picture of that also, I've used it in a few spots and it does seem to stop the oxidation/rust process so it would be useful in hard to reach areas.
Keep on keepin on Chris, and yes, I'm a fan of the Caribean Turquoise however, I did get a lot of compliments on Bessie, the white one, she just looked "clean" all the time, had a 300/NP435/4.10's in it, Offy 4bbl and Hedman headers I wrapped, she moved most of my stuff when I left SoCal, towed the Vdub, the jetskis, all my toolboxes and returned a nice consistent 16+ mpg while doing it, probably could've been in the 18's+ but she sounded so good and ran smooth, that was the first inline 6 I fully rebuilt, had the rotating mass balanced, .030 over and a "special" cam from my machinist, he used to race the 300's at Orange County raceway waay back and I have to say, that 300 for being NA really ripped! Ol'Bessie even drug home Mater, had to drop to 3rd on some of the bigger mtns, but once the 4bbls opened up, it was go time.
Guys,
Pickupman,
That's is pretty darn good gas mileage for a 300 6 cylinder! Good picture hauling the red truck!
Thanks for the continued support on the 66. So I had a couple hours to play with sheet metal this afternoon. Getting a little closer to filling the gaping holes in the drivers floor and up into the air vent area too. I do plan to drill holes to spot weld these patches to the structure also.
The compound curve in the floor is going to require some thinking. I don't have a lot of metal shaping tools.
Last edited by Effies 56; Apr 25, 2026 at 07:21 PM.
Guys,
The body work on the 66 cab floor did not go well today. Not surprising. Old man. old welder, old hood, old truck.......
So I am going to get some more air for the MIG that could have been part of the issue. It doesn't make good welds if the air supply is out or low! Maybe look at a new Mig? This old used one has issues with the wire feed control?? New hood, the auto darkening is just not working. Maybe drop down to .024 wire? Using the .034 or .036 dia?? That may or may not help as I have used this wire size on a lot of other repairs in similar material,
The new panel fit up is going ok. I have welded a bunch of sheet metal together with this welder. Just a perfect storm today I think. This side panel is not very easy to get at and to get in position to weld easily. I knew that would be a tough area for sure.
I applied some weld through high zinc paint to the underside of the panels.
Last edited by Effies 56; Apr 26, 2026 at 09:14 PM.
Rusty,
The welder is a antique that was a off brand purchased by Lincoln, maybe 30 years old. It has lots of settings and features but has always seemed sensitive. Yea the gas was low, or out? Tank is in the other truck ready to go for exchange tomorrow. This helmet is a solar unit and doesn't owe me anything. So a new one may be in order. I have cheaters in it to be able to see better. When welding it just stayed dark for like 15 seconds very annoying. I don't think it has batteries? Will take it for review or new?
Thanks on the panels. Yes its not like I haven't welded things together. Of course when trying to do a better than average job the systems malfunction. Will get back on this tomorrow. I have tried 024 wire but its been a long time. I will keep you guys up to date on the rust repair on the 66.
Off in the weeds! Here are some other projects I have put together (Allis Chalmers 1951 CA tractor):
Last edited by Effies 56; Apr 27, 2026 at 12:57 AM.
Looks good! I fixed all that stuff on my li'l B too. My mig welder is a 40 year old Millermatic 200, still works good. A few years ago I bought an old Miller tig welder. Really nice for sheet metal, however my old eyes ain't so good anymore. With the mig you can guess a bit and get away with it. With the tig you gotta see whats happening.
Rusty, Folks,
I am going to get some .024 ish wire, tank of gas, check hood function and or new. Will look gently at the old Century welder in the area of wire feed controller. But I don't plan to be able to actually fix that issue with the wire speed. Cleaning with compressed air and or maybe a visual inspection inside that area is about my limits.
So we move forward on some rust repairs on the 66. It will work out. Thanks for the support guys!
You should see my welding. It is chunky at best, and requires more grinding than a pole dancer. Then weld again...grind....weld....grind, hammer, say a few prayers, after a few cuss words...
So I would say you are doing GREAT!! Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.
Matt, Rusty, guys,
I am going to take the old Century welder in for service. I did not buy a new one yet. Just like our trucks we try to improve and keep this old stuff working!
I did get a new hood and will have the old one as a spare for maybe one of the family members to learn with. That's how I learned. Watching Dad with a spare hood. Almost wanted to be a welder. Instead went to school for drafting and design. I still like to stick stuff together.
however, I did get a lot of compliments on Bessie, the white one, she just looked "clean" all the time, had a 300/NP435/4.10's in it, Offy 4bbl and Hedman headers I wrapped, she moved most of my stuff when I left SoCal, towed the Vdub, the jetskis, all my toolboxes and returned a nice consistent 16+ mpg while doing it, probably could've been in the 18's+ but she sounded so good and ran smooth, that was the first inline 6 I fully rebuilt, had the rotating mass balanced, .030 over and a "special" cam from my machinist, he used to race the 300's at Orange County raceway waay back and I have to say, that 300 for being NA really ripped! Ol'Bessie even drug home Mater, had to drop to 3rd on some of the bigger mtns, but once the 4bbls opened up, it was go time.
