1964 ford unibody truck questions

Just wanted some feedback on this truck. owner says 64' ford unibody truck with a 6cyl engine. thinking of this as my first project. any suggestions...good/bad idea?

 

Two things to check on these trucks. Tailgate as these are difficult to find and are specific to unibody trucks, and they tend to rust in the rear cab wall at the bed since this is only one thickness of sheetmetal.
Otherwise great truck!
BIG REAR WINDOW????

 

They do present some challenges, but all in all great trucks. I've got a '62.

RODDOORS is right about the problem areas mentioned. The intersection between bed and cab can be troublesome, but not impossible to remedy. There's a reinforcing channel underneath that tends to rust out. Also, the lower bed wall, just behind the rear corner of the door, is a common spot for rust-through. Most of the floor panels are reproduced, as are tailgates, fenders, rad supports, etc.

The owner has the year wrong though. Unibody is 61-63 only.

 

That is rare, but the 60 unibody is rarer.

 

Also, typical rust areas...step into bed, the front cab bodymount (both rust tho) and there is an area of the outside of the bed that goes, maybe mentioned above at the cab/bed joint, but most all Ive seen are rusted out there. Great trucks, I had one but sold it. Dont really miss it cuz the straight axle rode like, well, a truck, but Im also a huge pussy and like power steering and modern amenities.

 

Yes, cab mounts are also an issue. And lower door pillars (where the lower door hinge mounts). Both are reproduced.

Lower door pillar carnage:



And some of the in-progress shots of the other areas that needed attention:





I purchased floorpans, cab steps, lower door pillars, and cab mounts and had them installed by a pro.

 

I know Ford only made these from '61 to '63 and Ford never built vehicles after they said they did but, ----- the one I had was a numbers matching "64 with a matching title. It does rust badly behind the cab.

 

all the unibodys i have checked out had dents in the hood. in the body lines above the hinges and rust the front edge of the hood out i had a hard time finding a usable hood.

 

I bought a straight 6,3 on the floor 62 last year for $700.00. Rust in all the common areas, and dont care, not even going to fix them. Have $2000.00 in it total and drive it every day. The big thing is front suspension. Just depends on what you want out of it. But rust somewhere I promise. Also hood hinges seem to be a problem w/these trucks

As for a 64 never heard of that!
Mine

 

Here's a pic of my old truck, sold it a few years ago to a buddy of mine. He's now talking about laying the windshield back about 2-3", which should lower the lid and slide it back. I keep telling him to move the back wall back as well, would make more room for buckets to recline just a little. The louvered hood was an attempt to fix an overheat issue with the 427, which was finally traced to the AC condensor, which has been relocated under the bed. He's since got another hood for it, which does have the typical rust starting up front, so we're talking about pancaking it while it's being worked on.



Another problem area besides those mentioned is the front of the rear quarter where the side of the bed joins, it is another trouble spot for rust.

 

I`ve got a `62 Unibody. The front cabs mounts are rusted, as is the tailgate. Both are easy fixes. I need to do a little patching in the floor as well. My hood hinges are locked up, won`t close. I found a pair on a donor truck that open / shut good.
These trucks also rust out behind the headlights on the core support.

I think the short bed unibodys are great looking trucks.

 

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="<A href="http://www.youtube.com/v/liVmtbsh0pU&rel=1"></param><param">http://www.youtube.com/v/liVmtbsh0pU&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/liVmtbsh0pU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>This is a solution to rust..Ibuilt this one a few years back . Lowlidx50

 

I dont think my linky worked . search youtube for[lowlidx50]or [lincoln town truck] thanks Lowlidx50

 

kool thanks for the feedback. im going to consider after seeing the amount of rust body work involved...its a 63' not 64 as well

 

These lil trucks rock!
Go to www.slicks60s.org for an awesome messageboard bout these trucks...

-Shiny

 

sweet site thanks

 

I just bought a 61 and am excited to start on it. So far haven't found any rust-through. Looks like the tailgate has been patched though.

Is there anything I can use to kill the surface rust's progression that won't change the color of it much? I like the way the body looks as-is.

 

My Unibody has original paint... What do you mean by "rust"??

 

One dog power!

 

Hey fordified1, have those wheels on your 61 been reversed? Must be a bitch to steer if that's so...

 

It could probably just be that the owner messed up on the date of the truck cause they onle made em from '61-'63

 

The VIN plates on 61-66 Ford trucks are on the driver's door, and as far as I know the doors interchange between all years. If someone in the past swapped the driver's door for a new one the truck may well have ended up being titled under the newer VIN.

 

[/quote]
Please educate me, which ones have the larger back window like the one above?

 

The big rear window was an uncommon option that I think was available on any F-series truck 1961-1966. I'm guessing that you had to also have the Custom Cab option as well (fancier trim, instrument panel, upholstery, etc.) to get the big window.

 

Hey, Stu, nice to see you here on HAMB. You and I now have three forums in common!

I think the big window was offered as a standalone option on Styleside (wide bed) trucks only. My '65 F100 isn't a Custom Cab, but it has the big window.

 

Sorry Bill, but your '65 doesn't have the big back window. That's the stock window that 95% of these trucks all have.

 

Yep, nope.

 

My mistake! I forgot about the wraparound big back window. Y'all are correct; mine has the standard window.

 

You, Sir (and your friend), should NOT pancake that hood!

That'll be $0.02. K,Thx.

If you wish me to elaborate on my unsolicited opinion, please let me know.

Beautiful truck, by the way!

 

I thought I had something that described what trucks got the big window option in my files (I own a '66 F-100) but all I can find at the moment is a small reference to it being an RPO option.

You too! It seems like there's been a lot of migration back and forth between the HAMB and PY boards recently.