Projects The Big, Red, Longbed Sled

In November of 2016 i found this old turd on Craigslist. After a couple weeks, and a lot of help from friends in the area, i made the 100 mile trip into the country and picked it up.

For what i think was a good deal (subjective, i guess) i was the proud new owner of a title for a '63 F100 Longbed Flareside. It had the special order option 262 I6 and a Borg Warner T86 w/R10 OD (which i would learn eventually was totally fried).



The truck pretty much sat for a little over a year. I did small cosmetic and maintenance things like swapping mirrors and oil changes. Nothing groundbreaking. I had just gotten engaged so my (now) wife and i were in full wedding prep mode.

After the honeymoon, i was fully committed. I spent a few months scouring the interwebz looking for information and parts to get started.

Eventually, a family friend hit me up with a deal i couldn't pass up, a fully rebuilt '66-ish Mustang 289 mated to a C4 trans.



Ok then, i know where to start. I spent about a month or so tracking down a Crown Vic K Frame. After looking all over Texas and eBay, turns out a salvage yard 15 minutes away had exactly what i needed... lesson learned. For $350, i picked up a Police Interceptor K Frame with all the bits and pieces.

Now, i'll spend the next month or so collecting the final touches for the motor and trans and then let the games begin.

I have a lot of plans for this thing throughout the year. I'll be updating all the progress here for anyone who's interested.

 

sweeeet

 

That’s a rare bird...don’t see many step sides, let alone a long bed. One of the guys in our club has a ongoing project with one where he sectioned to bed to get it to flow into the cab better. He also channeled it. Looks sweet long and low

 

That's my goal by the end of this year. Before the winter holidays, this thing should be riding pretty good with the CV front and the 289. After its road ready is when the air suspension work starts. Already have a general idea that it'll have Elevel (that's what i run on my daily, so just keeping it the same), a parallel 4 link and some concoction up front to put air on the CV K Frame.

Right now i'm getting my hands on the few electronics that my new motor needs, and locating a new flex plate and torque converter for the C4. I think i need pulleys too, but not a very long list of parts still needed.

One thing i haven't figured out yet is what master cylinder to go with and what power steering pump...

Any recommendations from the Gurus?

 

Congrats - remember that air ride & late model suspension are controversial here

 

Yea, contro here. But I'd still like to see the frame laid (uh, oh, ...didn't mean that!)
er, SET onto the Crown Vic cross member, with all the aluminum pieces.
Recall that suspension is too wide for '53-'56, marginal to '60...but this '63 should fit just right.
Caution: Place the wheel centerline in the center of the fender well, some set them too far back.

 

Thanks for the note! There's tons of people talking about the twin I beam and lining it up with the old Kingpin, but not a ton of info on doing this swap on a straight axle front. I have a feeling a lot of it will be measuring, measuring and more measuring

 

Going to be a fun project. as suggested above, a section job on the bed bringing the top bed rail down to the bottom of the side window would really improve the "flow"

 

I never even thought about that until you guys brought it up. Looks like it'll make its way onto the to-do list during the suspension work that shall not be named

 

Nice old truck,the title of the thread made me look and I'm glad I did. HRP

 

So i have just about everything figured/planned out for right now.

I do have 2 questions though.

1. What power steering pump to use? This will be for the CV rack and pinion and should be engine mounted on the 289.
2. Will i need to change out the stock master cylinder to another one and will i need to add a booster? If so, any recommendations for what i should put in?

Thanks fellas, hopefully one of you has an idea.

 

YouTube will have the answers to your questions.

 

Also check out the Ford truck enthusiasts website. Lots of good info there considering the path you are taking with your truck.