Thought I'd introduce you to my 1974 F250 Ranger. It has been in the family since around 1979 when it was purchased by my grandpa, then sold to my great uncle in the mid-80's, and became mine in 2014.






As you can see, it's been ready for the junkyard my most people's standards for long time. The original bed disintegrated, this bed was a new take off in 1987 and has been once the truck ever since.

I've used this to do real truck stuff since 2014, firewood, dirt, rocks, brush, home improvement stuff, just hauling big stuff. It's got 10 main leaves in the back and an additional three on the helper due to having a produce rack years ago.

It's on its second 360, a rebuilt C6, and 3.73 in the rear. Odometer says 80k, which I know is at least 180k. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more.

Last fall, I grew tired of how bad it looks, yet how nice it drives and how good it runs. The body on this truck is bad. So I bought a parts truck, a 76 Ranger XLT.






Well come to find out, most of this "parts" truck body is also not worth fixing. It does have a rebuilt 390 that currently runs on 6 or 7 cylinders and a rebuilt C6 that has at least first gear. No brakes so no desire to test that further.

Since my parts truck bed is not worth fixing, I was back to square one - the bed being the critical component. So I have decided to put dentside bedsides on this 87 bed. The 87 bed is rust free, albeit well used. Just picked those up.

My local junkyard got a 77 in stock with a pretty darn good cab. So I nabbed that this week, and it will be the first part I end up fixing since it takes up so much space.








It's getting floors on both sides. Going to dig into it in the next couple months. The parts truck will still be useful in providing A/C parts to outfit this cab, as the original truck did not have A/C.

This project has already snowballed. I still intend to use this as a truck, but I have a hard time not doing something the "right" way.

 

I could never take on a project like that.
I don't do body and paint and don't have the facilities to remove cabs and beds or keep the truck in one place for a long term project.

I do admire those of you who do "restoration" work like cutting out and fixing rust.
I originally bought mine because I never took my camper off my other truck so I basically didn't have a pickup to use for all the other stuff you use a pickup for.

Do you have any idea when you'll have it to where you want it so you can use for work?

 

The key to my timeline is to enjoy the process, so I will work on it as I feel like it. My original plan was the bed first since that's a big eyesore, and maybe that would take a couple months of free time.
But now this cab is here and I need to do something with it first. Since everything forward of the bed has to come off for that, I suppose it would also be best to get that stuff while swapping the cab. Would like to have this cab done sometime by mid June. Not sure how that will go, but I can have goals!

 

You certainly have enough to keep you busy before priming season, but you have the makings of a really nice truck. I thought the area looked familiar, trees, mountains, etc .... Moneta huh? As a kid got to see a few long freights go through old way as we sat in a car waiting ..... I see a sweet looking pampered Mustang in there too.

 

Hello tbear,
I think we have spoken through grandmarq.net? And yes, the "Rustang" lives a pampered life now. It's a 68 coupe, 302/T5 I restored from 2014-2020. I took that car as close to "concours driven" level as I could. I hopefully won't go that crazy on this truck because I still need to to do truck things. Contrary to how tucked in the Rustang appears, it got driven this past weekend! I try to drive everything once a month.

 

Though this might be helpful to see where the actual panel joints are. And here is a great thead on how to remove bed skins.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...made-easy.html

 

Yes on grandmarq.net likely. Still have our '01 too. Wife has a '08 GT, both stay under a cover and under roof. "Rustang" sounds familiar, maybe was on a Mustang site, you maybe told me that was up 122, but I think I maybe thought towards Big Island?

Take care ................

 

Oh this is taking forever. I hope I am not in for another seven year project.
Got the right side floor replaced. Highlights include the replacement pan not having a necessary flange to attach to the kick panel area, so I had to make that. Used a lap joint on most of this with an indent so that it fits flush from the outside. Kept the original cab mounts.

 

Can't seem to find patch panels for the back of the cab at the bottom edge. Guess I am on my own to make something?

 

Oh yeah ..... "The Big Hole" in the firewall, I scrounged parts from two AC donors to put AC in my non AC truck in 1986, used scrap cardboard to mark out a template of that hole in one as the engine was gone, somehow managed to cut mine by it ... and it actually lined up! Scary day, drilling the start hole, then finishing with a Craftsman sabre saw and pack of metal cut blades. At the time I could see camping and other road trips to far places in the future with it, my Wife, our Dog. In years since, the seals let my R-12 out too many times, the hoses rotted in places, it is a good vent now and that is fine here. Same deal with dash holes, but they were smaller.

On the cab rear floor, I had decided if needed, I was gonna just get a local metal shop to brake bend me a sheet metal long piece of "angle" to put on inside but it wasn't needed.

Floor looks good, 7 years will pass fast.

 

You need an a/c block off plate? Ah yes no one makes/repops those kind of patch/repair panels or the lower part of the cab either. Same for the back of the cab below the back glass where the seal is. AMD nope...https://www.autometaldirect.com/vehi...92hQj1cKnD0YX8

Thank you James Meyer.

 

The parts truck is supplying the factory A/C. Hope to get it working, but that's about the last thing on the to do list!
I wouldn't mind staying with the heater only setup that this truck originally came with, but since the "new" cab and parts truck are so equipped, I think we can make it happen.

I'll try to find a metal shop that can make a cab patch, or come up with something myself.