Is this truck worth trying to get back on the road? I'm thinking out loud... It is a '65 F100 with a 352 three speed. I'm trying to decide if I want to bring this thing back to life. If you guys were to take on this project would you rebuild the 352 and three speed and leave the suspension relatively stock with a lowering kit or would you put a big block in it and update the frame with a lowered crossmember and IFS. Sorry in advance if this is not HAMB friendly. I sincerely want to know if this truck is a good candidate for resurrecting and what would be the best route to go? The bed floor is gone due to leaves sitting in there for years but the floor of the cab has just a few small holes. Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
From the photos, it looks better than one I have in a barn waiting on its turn. You can bring back anything, it just depends on how much effort and money you want to put into it. Looks reasonable to me. I would rebuild the 352. The FE is a good engine.
Definitely not a "lost cause" after some of the rusty nightmares I see people on here working with. The underside doesn't even look half bad considering the deterioration of the bed itself.
If a truck like that is what you are looking for. I would take a drive a couple hours south and west of you. Trucks like that are sitting all over the place. And most can probably be bought. I think you can find one in better condition and be better off.
Im with "Stick Shift" on this one, yea its great but for a Texas truck its pretty rusty. If you were going to lower it quite a bit and plan on making it your own then go for it, my 64 was in more rough shape and i ended up driving the wheels off that one.
The picture of the bed floor made me jump back, but the rest of it doesn't look too hateful. Seems worth fixing if you like those. As far as engines, the 352 IS a big block. It's an FE, but the 352 was a low horsepower truck version. If it were mine, I would either go with a 390 (bolts in same as the 352) or a 302 or 351 Windsor. I would also use an AOD.
looks like a good truck to me. take it all apart, bring everything to bare metal, then put it all back together painted. like a big model kit. one good thing I see is that it looks to be original condition, as in original dents and rust, and no shit for brains repairs have been done on it.
in nashville at goodguys, seen a lot of trucks that look just like that.cool wheels ,lowered,loud pipes having a blast.just sayin
Well I have to say it's good to hear some encouragement ha....cause I bought it today for a few hundred bucks. I have a '66 C10 on bags that I drive daily and love. I have always loved the mid 60s F100s and got a call from someone who was going to scrap it. I couldn't let that happen so... It looks like I have a good weekend of tearing it apart ahead of me. I agree that it is good that the original dents are there rather than fill. I think my dent guy can get the body back in shape and a little elbow grease with take care of a lot of the surface rust. Thanks for the feedback.
That's a pretty decent looking truck, besides the bed floor, but I'm replacing the floor in my 59 f100 with another floor, no big deal really since I'm lowering it and putting a notch in it to get it down!
I've got a lost cause sitting in the street in front of my house, and before the trans blew it was the owners daily driver. That one of yours looks like a good start!
You're a mensch for saving that truck from the crusher. Good job. That's damn near a driver for a lot of guys around here. Stick around for a while, you won't believe the skills of some guys on the board when it comes to taking something truly rotten and turning it into an incredible ride. Have you tried seeing if it runs yet? FEs are tough motors.
^^^ No I didn't want to try and start it. I wanted to get it home and do some serious cleaning this weekend. The interior is trashed and the engine is filthy. I wanted to at least change the oil and clean it a little. I wasn't sure if it was safe to try and start it or not. I guess at this point it couldn't hurt.. I saw some really great trucks at the Roundup a few weeks ago. Actually some of those F100s are what made me really want one. I love my C10 but those Fs do something for me. Especially the slammed ones with big motors. I'll let you guys know how things look after I get into it and try to start it up.
Spend a few bucks to get it running or find a 302 or 351W for it. There's plenty out there cheap. You could probably gut the bed floor out of just about any pickup in the junkyard and piece it into that bed. Stepside beds were the same from 53-79 basically so you could always keep your eye out for one of those.
It looks better than the one I'm doing, rust wise. I'm putting a 302 aod in my 64. Gas is high and I'm past the go fast days.
Funny,I was gonna say, "here in BC, thats a keeper, if I were in Texas, I would probably keep looking." It really depends on if a '65 F100 short box is what you want. I really like those things. But if you are just after it because you want "something old", and you found this for the right price, probably not.
I would keep looking. Trucks like that are everywhere here. That one looks like they stored spunges in the bed down here you are able to be picky about pickups. Most folks around here still park farm trucks when they are done with them. We pig hunt places that have tons of old trucks on them. And most can be had cheap.
Yeah I hear you but I wanted the truck and the body is in good shape considering I got is super cheap. I'll play with it for a while. I actually did want a F100 so it was good timing.
I might could could find you a new bed. I run a landfill that is right down the road from the scrap yard. And I see tons of old pickups gi in there all the time. Old trucks are so common most care nothing about them.
It's not too far gone, especially if you got it for a good price. I've been looking for one myself here recently, and that's pretty much exactly what I'd like to find. The last one I bought was a nightmare and it ran. It was just so cobbled together by the previous owners.
From what I saw, the bed looks like the major issue. Pressure wash the dung out of it, get it running, and look for a bed. Vintage short bed truck? Not on every corner. You can redo the interior with some seat covers and a couple rattle cans. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Ceetus- if you want to sell contact me... i have a friend specifically looking for one of these bodystyles
The Jalopy Journal
