Opinons on old Ford truck

I have been looking at an old Ford truck that I may wish I never saw. I grew up with one just about like it sitting in the middle seat. My dad would work the clutch and let me work the 3 on the tree. Dads had the 292 and this one has a 6 banger. The interior looks pretty good and there are no dents but a LOT of rust. The owner was the last one to drive it and said he parked it in 2008 cause of carb issues. I asked where the air breather was and he said it didn’t have one when he got it. RED FLAG! The odometer shows 36,000 and the owner said the old man that gave the truck to him said that is correct. Who knows. It still has the old bias ply tires on it. It has the original bill of sale and owner’s manual. But the rust oh my goodness. Someone has weld fish plate into the bed floor so I am assuming it is rotted away. I have him talked down to what would amount to scrap price on it. A good friend that I trust pointed out by the time I fixed all the rust I could buy one up and running in good shape for the money I would have in it. Just thought I would post here and see what you guys thought. I am having a hard time being objective cause when I opened the door I got flooded with old memories and I think I even smelled my dad’s pipe smoke. Lol. Thanks for looking.
Paul
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A lot depends on what level you want to take it to,if you can get it for close to scrap price like you said it will be a fun driver.My son's 2004 is rusted worse than that and he still drives it every day.I think I would go for it and have some fun in it,it looks good to me.Parts for the carb or a rebuild kit will not be a issue,those old 6's were a pretty good engine.
 
After looking at the pics I think it may be a fairly sound truck for it's age. Sure there is going to be unforeseen things but it's better than buying someones hacked up job where it's impossible to figure out what someone was thinking. The tailgate is in the back for what to look for. The price is right.
 
Well if at around scrap price you can't go wrong. You can always just sit in it for old times sake.
You can always later on get your scrap price back.
It's how much you might start dumping into after you own that will get you into trouble ! Maybe budget x amount of dollars to get it running and leave the rest as is ?
 
They make all the repair panels to fix the rust,even the bottom of the door post. If you found one without the rust you would not be buying it for scrap price!
 
like Mike and merlynr have said looks like a sound truck for its age. Up here in Canada that would be an excellent truck to fix as most here would be rusted to the doorhandles! My 2 cents worth (how ever Canada got rid of the penny so we have no seance LOL)
 
i'd save it...would be well worth fixing up to a daily driver/farm use truck....they don't make them like that anymore..besides it is a ford..:)
 
That's one of the least rusty trucks from that era or even 20 years newer that I've seen.

Like anything else if you want it in like new condition it will cost much more than it's worth. As good as it looks I would just re do the brakes, carb, change all the fluids, new tires and drive it. Patch a hole every decade or so and all's good.
 
That's actually pretty solid for a 50 year old truck. Don't let it go to the scrapper. If you don't want it, pass the deal along to someone that wants to save it.
That truck is quite salvageable, but it will require money and effort. Make a list of all the parts it will need....
tires, wheel cylinders, brake lines, fuel pump, carb, body work, paint, etc.
Figure what the parts will cost, and estimate how much time each repair will take. Then multiply the cost of the parts X 2, and triple the number of hours you figure it will take and you will have a very close estimate of what it will cost you in time and money.

Check out some of the rust repairs on metalmeet.com
then you'll see that truck is a pretty good starting place for a project. You'll also learn the correct way to fabricate and weld in patch panels if you hang around on the metalmeet site.
If you pass on the truck post on the AACA, HAMB and Ford truck enthusiasts sites. Someone will want to save it.
 
Check out LMC trucks. They have lots of parts for old pickups. I have seen trucks on jalopyjournal.com that were rusted piles of junk and someone had done amazing restorations on them. I have a 1959 F100 that my Dad bought from his uncle. His uncle used to smoke used to smoke Roitan cigars in it and to this day you can still smell the aroma of those cigars in that truck. My truck has a lot of rust too. The bed floor will have to be replaced. It has a 223 6 cyl. in it. Time, money, and a decent place to work on it is the problem.
 
You must live in the south/west if you call that a LOT of rust!

Over here, we'd label that one somewhere between 'almost no rust' and 'just starting to rust'.

Those are the common rust areas - look up on LMC Truck parts for the weld in patch panels.

Not sure about that year, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't find them.

I'd say as long as the frame is solid, you've got little to worry about.

Yeah, it'll be a money pit, but... what isn't?

It's the usual situation - you'll always spend more on restoring something like that yourself than you would buying one that somebody else restored.

But - how much more? A couple grand?

There's something to be said for doing all the work yourself. Not that you can do it better or cheaper - but you get intimate with the vehicle. You learn ever inch of it, and know it inside and out.

That can make ownership much more enjoyable - when you hear an odd noise you'll know what it is and whether or not it needs fixing.

Where if you bought it restored, you always have that worry - not really knowing what's inside, or what's about to let go...

Bottom line - if you're looking at it as some kind of investment - forget it.

Go into it knowing you're going to end up about $8000 poorer for it (much more if you want a show truck). It's the price of happiness.
 
dang, here in the Northeast that would pretty much be considered 'rustfree' :D

depends on what you want. that year truck to 'show'?
If you have the money, buy one near done or done.

just want that truck for memories and to drive a bit?
and the word 'correct' isn't in your vocabulary?
buy it, get it running, get out the steel and torch and welder and bondo, fix it up.
 
This is a 72 GMC. Same scenario as you describe. I bought it and proceeded to put 25k in it. It might bring 15.

Resale was not the point. I wanted it and the piece of mind knowing how it was reconditioned.
I really couldn't have afforded to spend the 15-20k it would taken to buy one in this shape. I did spend the money over the course of 2 years.
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My son bought this '66 F-100 last year for $600.00. 360ci with 3 speed column shift. Has very little rust. It was a one owner with all the paperwork, including the original build sheet under the seat. Had 63,000 miles on it when he got it.
Only thing major he had to do was rebuild the carb and replace the window crank assembly so the passenger window would go up and down.


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There is not a lot of rust showing but that door hinge area looks pretty serious. The paint could be covering up even more. Could be holes under the floor mat too. Still, if it is cheap enough it will be fun to drive as is for a while until you decide if you want to spend more on fixing the rust.
 
Agreed. I had a 64 F250 for 4 years that I paid $300 for that was in that condition (maybe a little better). It had the 223 I6 engine with solid lifters. I welded a few panels over the rust holes and painted it up. Looked pretty good. Constant wiring issues, grounding issues, eventually replaced the entire brake system after peicing it out the first year. Then the front cab mounts started to settle (rust).

I sold it while the getting was good. It quickly went through 3-4 people as small issues came up that they weren't able to fix themselves and they passed onto someone else. Kids driving it ran the crap out of it - the 4.88 rear end had the engine screaming at 70 MPH. 3 years later it was parked for good - the clutch had burned out, the engine had "lost" compression (apparently checking hte oil wasn't high on the priority list) and the cab had settled to a point that the doors barely opened.
 
No Way would I buy that hidden pile of rust and old paint job.
I was a body shop man for 30 years and seen what kind of mess this will turn into before it's ever NICE!
BTDT more than once and never gonna do it again, live and learn.
 
I got my Dad's 63 running again after sitting for a lot of years. Like your memories of your dad's truck, I have a lot of my own. The trucks will never be much of a collector, but the memories are priceless. Dad's truck is just a farm truck. It has some rust problems in the bed, but the body is sound. If you buy the truck for scrap price, you can still get your money back, as long as the frame is not rusted apart, go for it. If you don't buy it you will be kicking your self for months to come. Stan
 
The hardest thing to repair on those are the front cab mounts. If they are intact the rest is easy. The holley one barrels always dry out from sitting and need a kit. Probably needs a fuel pump also. I would remove the valve cover and make sure all the valves are free before cranking the engine. the 223's will break a rocker arm or bend a pushrod if the valves are stuck(voice of experience).
 
Well, there isn't much left to say that hasn't already been said. The truck still has a lot of good parts on it, (interior, front bumper, etc.). The thing that I would be most concerned about is the cab frame where the door mounts. Just about everything else is available as a patch panel, I'm not sure about that piece though. The six cylinder engine was a tough engine and simple to work on. There is almost enough room under the hood to work on it even if it is raining, just crawl in there and close the hood, LOL. For scrap price, I would buy it and if nothing else, find another and use it for parts. But this one does have possibilities. The "Custom Cab" means quite a bit. BTW, make sure the radio operates. Gotta have a working radio! LOL
 
I'd run. Lots of rust you can't see. And 36,000 miles? I'd guess 136,000, judging from the worn-out seat cover and the smooth brake pedal.
 
I fixed up a '64 Ford like that for my son to drive to school. I'm not a body man, so the patches weren't perfect. Had to do a bit of rebuilding of cab mounts and so forth to make it structurally sound. Rebuilt the old 292 V-8, brakes, suspension, and just about everything else and drove it for 10 years. Not a thing of beauty, but it got the job done. It was a lot worse that the pictures, rust wise.
 
Rebiulding that truck to just fair shape and running would be about 3 times what it would be worth. There's a lot of major body work to get rid of the rust. What you see on the outside could only the beginning of your trouble. I suggest get on down the road and look some more try out. West where we don't use salt on the roads.
Walt
 
Too much labor on rust repair for final resale. Underlying in the seen rust is more future rust . Rust never sleeps. I'm going with the guy that said 13600. Hey, if you need a money spending, labor intensive hobby go for it. Just not for me.
 
I guess I"m showing my age when I read a topic head line about an old Ford truck and start thinking 1930s or 40s. :? :?
 
once owned a 64, 6 cy automatic, wish I had it back. nice truck there but more than I would take on. on a side note, anybody remember those old Ford ignition switches on the left side and after some wear wiggling/jiggling the key to get it to the crank position?
 
The slick 61-64 fords are my favorite trucks. I have 8 or them,from F100-800s. There are a couple unitbodys. I put about a millon miles on a 63 F100 seems like drove every day 35 years. Wore it out while back and thinking about rebuilding one more time.
 
That is a good looking '64 pick up. Should be a 240 cubic inch/135 hp eng. Ours had the short bed w/3.20 rear end. Dad said he usually got 19-20 mpg driving 30+ miles to his construction jobs(70 mph back then) and used it at times to move air compressor at job sites. Go for it and don't look back. That was the last year for the solid beam front axle and it should also have the synchronized transmission. Custom Cab but monaural radio. Those were the days. Share photos of the process.
 
Can you enjoy the truck "AS-IS", without fixing the rust? If you will enjoy it, then go for it.

Your friend is correct, it will cost you much more to fix that truck than to buy one in better condition. With that much rust it will eventually return to its present condition anyway.

To be safe, assume it will only be worth about scrap price when you want to sell it, regardless of how much you spend on repairs for it.

You might still spend another $2000 or more just to get it back into safe driving condition: tires; brakes; master cylinder; brake lines; battery; radiator boil, carburetor overhaul; fluids; and maybe a distributor overhaul are not unreasonable repairs for a 50 year old truck that has been sitting for six years. If the truck will do the job for you and it puts a smile on your face for a number of years, that's a small investment.

Good luck.
 
I'm still driving my '67 F-100 as my primary transport, although that means only one or two trips off the property a week these days. Mine has the 240 straight six, the owners manual states to use regular gas (94 octane), it does run pretty good on premium gas. Mine is at 35,600 miles, I know it's history and original owner, and looks like new in the cab, no wear but has been kept in garages when not in use for most of it's life. People offer to buy it on a regular basis but I don't want to replace it with a more complicated and expensive vehicle. I would say if you want to fix it a little at a time and keep the cost to what it is worth to you, then buy it and enjoy.
 
Miles on a vehicle are like hours on a tractor....great for determining when to perform maintenance but don't have much to do with determining condition.

Since it's been sitting so long that truck will need tires, brakes, battery, fluids and filters, hoses and belts, carb rebuild, fuel pump, tune up, etc...which are all inexpensive items.

I wouldn't be worried about 136K mile on a 223 six cylinder. I opened up a 215 (earlier version of the 223) with many more miles than that just out of curiosity. The crank was like new, the bearings in excellent condition. There was very little cylinder wear.

The OP could buy the truck and have a reliable daily driver for $1800 + or - if he can do the mechanical work himself, then chip away at fixing the rust one spot at a time.
 
If that truck was anywhere near me for scrap price it would be in my yard by now.

You want to talk rust? I turned this.


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Into this.

Huh, can't put two pictures in the same post for some reason.
 

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