1959 Ford F100 4x4 Project

Here is some pics of the drivers side floor board. They look pretty bad but from what I am told they are very fixable.

 

If you think thats bad look at one from the mid west,they get so bad they rust off the frame around here.

 

Here is the passenger side.

 

Well, it's chancy at best, but last fall I "rescued" an original '56 312 from a car that had been bought by a scrapper. Had sat in a field since '69! It was stuck. Pulled the heads, there was light surface rust, (not huge chunks), on 3 cylinders. I use diesel with a little bit of A.T.F. and sometimes thin it up a bit with some gas. I sanded the surface rust out with this mix. One piston and rod came right out, but I just soaked everything down with the mix for several days. Don't pound on the pistons, they'll break for sure. You need to use a steady pressure to break them loose and it's not guaranteed that you can save all of them. I was going to make a tool for this but used a head, by putting spacers, I used large bolts, washers etc, between the head and the piston and then CAREFULLY drawing the bolts down, the thing broke loose, only about a 1/16 the first time! If you get it to move even a tiny bit, usually the worst is over!! Soaked for another day, then going to the other side did the same, and pushed it back and forth. Keep cleaning the cylinders and soaking. In other words take your time, don't use brute force, only a short 3/8 ratchet on the head bolts. Also use a wood drift to knock them out, mine all came out, now I want to get the stuck rings off two of them, I believe this engine will save with a light overhaul. Getting those rings unstuck is a another challenge, I'll keep you updated!! Looks like a pretty decent truck!!

 

Need help decoding my data plate on the inside of my 59 Ford F100 4x4. It has the following codes:

W.B. = 118
Trans. = F
Axle = A 02
Color = VF 18C
Date = 28C

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I think the V in the color code is Academy Dark Blue but not sure.

 

Finally some good news. Pulled the seat out of the 59 and found the floor board to be in pretty good shape under the seat.