Rebuilding this 1963 Ford F-250 4x4 took two decades. But it was worth every second.
1. Real Labor of Love
Most of us have at least one labor of love in our lives, and often times it's a Ford truck. But even the most devoted among us have given up on at least one pickup over the years. Typically this happens after we bite off more than we can chew with a project that turns out to need a lot more work than we initially anticipated.
But Ford-Truck Enthusiasts member Buzz44 is clearly more dedicated than we are because he spent a full two decades restoring his beloved 1962 Ford F-250. And thankfully, he shared that journey with us right here in the forums.
2. Getting Started
It all started 20 years ago when the OP purchased his pickup for the paltry sum of $800. At the time, he didn't even have a garage or other covered space in which to work on it - only his backyard. And as he started to tear into the truck, it quickly became evident that this was a much bigger project than he thought it would be.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
3. Bad Body
Turns out, the body and frame had a ton of rust. The body was so bad, in fact, that the OP decided to replace it with one from an F-100 he found locally that had a bad motor in it. In the meantime, he spent the entire summer getting the frame cleaned up and painted.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
4. Halted Progress
He proceeded to attach the "new" body to the old frame, but that's pretty much where progress stopped. He simply drove and enjoyed the old pickup from this point on, and many years passed before he would pick up a wrench again.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
5. Picking up Where You Left Off
Then, in 2010, he got the itch to start working on his old pickup again. This time, he wanted to complete the frame-off restoration he intended to do all those years ago. So off came the body once again, and the truck was soon completely blown apart.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
6. The Right Stuff
This time around, however, the OP had some space to work on his F-250 and the appropriate tools. And he also scored a '65 F-100 parts truck to pull stuff from. That old beater had lived a hard life on the farm, yet wore the body panels that Buzz44 needed to resurrect his old pickup.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
7. Decisions, Decisions
The plans this time around seem to have gotten a little more ambitious, too. The OP wants to keep his truck mostly original in appearance, but add a short bed or flatbed in place of the long bed. But when he found a short bed in nice condition, that decision was made.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
8. Cut, Weld, Repeat
Soon, the welding started. And then the OP found a nice core support to replace the rusty original. Next up on the list were the floor pans and some various pieces that would convert the 2wd cab into a proper 4wd piece.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
9. Beginner's Luck
As it usually does, the bodywork persisted for months. And even though the OP insists that he doesn't have a ton of experience with this kind of stuff, it's pretty hard to tell. So far, his work looks pretty spectacular.
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
10. Never Give Up
Unfortunately, however, the OP decided to put this project on the back burner for a while as he's now working on a '65 Ford truck. But you better believe he isn't done with the '63 just yet. "I was a lot younger when I started this journey. I won't give up or quit until this truck is back on the road and running." And you can bet we'll be keeping an eye out for that!
>>Join the conversation about Buzz44's 20 Year Labor of Love right here in Ford-trucks.com.
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.
