1972 F100

[stepper459]

Hi all,
I just bought this '72 for the same as its original retail price at the dealer - $3200. I grew up driving my dad's '79 F100 and I'm psyched to have my own now.
I'm thinking about whether or not to paint it; of course I can't change the original color. There are a few spots that need repair but overall its in good condition, for being mostly original, as far as I know. Considering the original bill of sale from the dealer is in the glove box, that's a good sign, I think.
Any good ideas on how to get some of the dirt out of the frames on the hood? The moisture in there is rotting the metal from behind.
And should I have it painted?
Also, the clutch feels less than great, how complicated is the replacement on that? I think the '79 got a new clutch recently, for not too much. Are the parts fairly easy to come by?

Thanks for the advice!

Morgan

[fordman]

if your talking about dirt between the hood and the skeleton of the hood i would think you could do that at the car wash. as far as a clutch they are available and not hard to put in. you will need to clean up that rust on the bed side and reseal it or weld it solid to get rid of the bed seam before you paint it. what is that in or on the tailgate they look like bullet holes. other than that it loks rust free and straight.

[tynall44]

nice truck,,,id worry about the drip rail rust first mine messed up bad right there

[stepper459]

Yeah, I think that rust along the dent line on the bed needs to be dealt with... I think with the other imperfections it's worth having the whole thing painted. I'll get some estimates on all the work and see what different shops say.

The holes in the tailgate are just drilled holes where something was bolted there. There's also a cut-out panel on the passenger's side of the bed near the cab, on the bottom, someone cut in a hinged door like for storage, but there's nothing behind it. I'm torn between putting something in and making it go away.

Also, anybody know about that bumper? I don't like it... is it original?

[averagef250]

Not a bad looking truck! That things not too bad for it's age and apparently original paint. It does appear it has some rust issues that need to be addressed before they get much worse and the truck isn't worth much anymore. A quality paint job would include sandblasting the rust from the bed seams and bottoms of the doors, welding in patches on the doors and epoxy priming with good stuff.

[ToughOldFord]

Congrats!

I don't think that bumper's stock, but it's not uncommon. Mine has something really similar, only not as straight. Mine sill has the tag from the after market manufacturer on it.

Before you run out and change that clutch go through the basics first, check the adjustment, the condition of the linkage, the return spring, etc.