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.
Been awhile since I've posted here, so I'll start a thread for my 78 F150. I'll try to get pics loaded soon, they're all on my phone, and currently on my laptop. Can peer over at my website to see my build thread there complete w/ pics.
I've known the truck most of my life, as it was owned by my Best Friend and his family. Been trying to buy it from him for years, and sadly due to the loss of both his parents in a 3yr span from Cancer, and the truck sitting for 5yrs, he let it go. He knew I'd love the truck and give a great home, and get the use and attention she needs.
He and his dad had it for the last 25 or so years. It's been sitting for about the last 4-5yrs, so working on getting it running again, and on the road. Over time I'll fix the typical ford-rust areas, mostly in the bed.
Specs:
Short Bed
4x4
351M, 2bbl, Automatic Trans
33x12.50 Yokohama Geolanders
Damn good interior
Plans:
Repair/Replace rotted metal
2.5" Leveling kit or potentially 4.5" Lift
460 Swap
Complete Rewire
Repaint.
My buddy's neighbor peering under hood after my initial purchase. Working on identifying areas of attention to get truck running after 5+yrs
Pulled it out of the weeds
With a 5g gas can & long fuel hose drove it the 800 ft home.
My oldest helping remove old tags
My oldest helping remove the bent running boards
Working on cleanup of 5+ years of dirt
Teaching my oldest how to “turn wrenches” working on fuel tank cleanout & replacing sending unit & hoses
Ol girl’s first bath in nearly a decade! The wife & our oldest helped scrub the moss & algae off her.
I picked up a 77 F150 LWB 2x4 in Dec, due to the rebuilt 460 sitting in it. Truck was stripped down and started as a 3" chop-top build by original owner's son-in-law. Due to time constraints he sold me what he had left of the truck. This was rolling chassis w/ the rebuild motor, trans, cab with 3" chop and about 75% of body work finished on chop. And some boxes of parts. I couldn't pass up the price. Learned motor is a 0 mile, not even ran for break-in yet. When his father in law took truck to shop to rebuild motor, he passed away as they were wrapping up. So son-in-law picked it up and brought it to his shop and began work where it then sat for last 5-6yrs.
The 77 is pending sale/pickup this week. I'm gaining a new/reman grill shell for the 78, and cash.
Plan to take the 460 and strip it back down just to verify internals, and condition of work, since it's sat w/o oil. Motor does turn over freely without any sounds of rust/scale buildup from sitting, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I'm also picking up another 460 this weekend. D3 block w/ C9 heads and all the parts needed to complete the swap into my 78.
77 loaded up & heading to my shop.
Motor pulled & put on cart for storage
2nd motor w/ Alum intake, 73-79 4x4 conversion mounts & rearsump pan setup
Over the summer had to rebuild the brake system. Rear wheel cyl blew & lost brakes. Also learned how bad the axle & wheel bearings were!
On stands ready for brake overhaul
What was left of the RH wheel bearings when pushed out the hub
Rotors were still meaty, so had them turned
Cleanup scale off the hubs
Freshly turned rotors installed on repainted hub assemblies
Back onto the spindles w/ new bearings, races & calipers
Upon disassembling rear axles, i pulled bearing of DS first & noticed a good bit of old bearing material burned into the shaft, also took 2hrs to get race out of that side... someone had ran axle empty & burned out a bearing that someone replaced. Problem is the excessive heat warped the housing end. I opted for complete rear swap.
Repainted rear bumper to black for time being.
Distant pic but taped off lettering & painted white.
Hard to pass up a built 460 if the price was right. Sucks that it say for 5 years... Fingers crossed.
Subscribed. We like our pics, so keep em coming!
Thanks. since motor was stored indoors, I'm hopeful. I've turned it over to remove it from truck, and there was no rust/scale resistant, only compression.
Once I dive into the rust repair and motor swap I'll have a lot more pics. Right now I'm in parts collection mode. Over the last 20yrs of building vehicles, I've come to prefer getting them running so I can enjoy them while I collect all necessary parts for either cosmetic or mechanical restoration. That way the down-time during rebuild is far less than buying as you go along. I've sold a lot of projects I've become bored with because of trying to track down the parts needed to get it going again.
Right now I'm torn between 2.5" or 4.5" lift kits... Trying to find pics of a 73-79 with 4.5" and 33x12.50s. as my tires were brand new when truck was parked, so would prefer to run them til they're gone.
Yea... Most around here tend run around a 35-37 with 4.5" lift. I may just order a new set of 35s for my 84 CJ7 that I've put a great deal of work into lately, and pull the 35's off it for the 78.
I know it's not an F Series, but here's my Bronco with no lift and nearly bald 35's. It's probably closer to what new, full tread 33's would be than 35's. If you think 33's would look silly with 4.5"'s of lift, you should see this thing with no lift and 235/75r15's (29") tires.
I know it's not an F Series, but here's my Bronco with no lift and nearly bald 35's. It's probably closer to what new, full tread 33's would be than 35's. If you think 33's would look silly with 4.5"'s of lift, you should see this thing with no lift and 235/75r15's (29") tires.
That would be a sight on some 235s. Hah. My 96 Bronco runs 32x11.5s on the factory 15x7 alloys. Has just enough clearance between the body panels and the tires. My 78 though, as can be seen in an above pic when redoing the brakes, has some wore out suspension components. Someone put steel spacers/stiffeners in the front coils, they're pretty well collapsed. I need new suspension components one way or another, especially with a 460 about to be dropped in this spring. It's got the factory blocks in rear, so I've debated just ordering a set of MOOG replacement front springs and seeing how that helps, until I figure out funds for new tires. My Jeep really needs new 35s, the BFG KM2s on it now are ok for the street, but I use it as an offroad toy also, and they could be better in that aspect.
Was looking to change up the looks a bit, picked up some black D-window wheels, then center caps, new lugnuts & wide trim rings... sadly when test fitting the rings on the black wheels, it was a no-go... so I tossed them on the white wagon wheels alreafy on the truck...
Not really digging it, then again my wheels are filthy...
I put those same Dodge spoke wheels on a 75 Bronco once, looked pretty good.
Not that it matters but if they chopped that and then thought they could get a windshield...well that's probably why it didn't get finished. You have to cut down an windshield FIRST and chop the truck to fit it.
I put those same Dodge spoke wheels on a 75 Bronco once, looked pretty good.
Not that it matters but if they chopped that and then thought they could get a windshield...well that's probably why it didn't get finished. You have to cut down an windshield FIRST and chop the truck to fit it.
Eh,a good glass cutter can measure and cut to fit. We've got a few guys around here who can do it. The guy I got it from is probably in his 50s and works full time as a body guy at a small local shop. They keep busy, and one thing I was told years ago, that's held fairly true, is if you do it for a living, it'll suck the fun out of it, or desire to do it at home. One of the main reasons I never went into the business of building cars for people, I enjoy building my own too much. HAHA
01-30-2018, 08:48 PM
