Being the die-hard Fordie I am, and a college kid with some cash burning a hole in my pocket (I work my ass off) I wanted to venture into the realm of old-truck ownership.
My search was relatively straightforward, I wanted something that ran, had a three-on-the-tree, and in between the years of 1965-1979, with minimal rust and on the cheap. The search wasn't easy, and it took nearly a year of searching to find a few good candidates. I really, REALLY wanted a '65 becasue back when I was growing up in Kansas my dad had one, just as a fun truck. I wanted one for the very same reason. I wanted tool around in an old Ford that would piss off the average Prius owner. After all of this time, I drove an hour out to check out a sweet '68 F-100 Ranger. She originally had a 390, but it was later swapped out for a 302. Bummer, but then again... I am rebuilding a 302 for the Ranger so I have a garage full of parts for it. But not that it needs it, as she runs damn near perfectly. No knocking, no smoking, and a choir of eight beautiful cylinders. The only thing the engine needed was a rebuilt carb and a basic tune-up.The linkage for the three-speed was broken, but I was able to shift it into all gears when I crawled underneath. Even if the tranny needed a rebuild, it wouldn't be hard. I've rebuilt multiple manual trannies. She also has the auto overdrive unit, something absolutely mind-blowing to my young self. So after hearing it run I did another good once-over just to make sure that there weren't any hidden surprises. The body was surprising solid, and the frame looks great. The front driver's side body mount will need to be replaced immediately, but after looking on LMC really quick that turned out to be less of an issue than it really is. $30 + S&H and I know how to weld, so no biggie. The inner fenders and radiator support aren't anything to write home about, but they can wait a few months. Other than that, she was great!
So after a little back-and-forth on the price, I ended up nabbing her for $640.
She came home the next day:
Initial walk-around.
So far I have bought a myriad of parts, but family, a vacation, and some recent unpredictable weather have prevented me from doing what I want to get done.
First thing first, though. I needed a battery. So I just swapped out the battery from my Ranger over to Leah, and bought the Ranger a much better battery so it can handle the extra power that my new sound system requires. Boom! I have a battery I knew was good for the '68 and I got my much-needed upgrade. Win-win! Plus the previous owner through in a very old battery, so I can use that as a core.
Next was the issue of the clogged-up carb. I ain't paying a buck fiddy for a reman'd carburetor. So I just spent $20 on a Motorcraft carb kit and decided I really didn't have much to lose.
So I have power, I have fuel, and I have a key that feels somehow like it is just begging me to turn it. What else is there to do? Start it, duh. So for the first time I pour gas in the carb, since a carb doesn't magically fill up unless the pump is feeding it. She catches, but dies after five seconds. Damn and blast. Here's the vid. Oh, did I forget to mention that she's got dual glasspacks?
So I give her another whirl, pour gas in the carb again and hope she catches.
Here's attempt #2. I left this part out of the video, but I was jumping up and down with excitement. I was the happiest motherlover in the world! That 302 just sounds so badass. On the third try, I didn't pour any gas into the carb, and she fired right up without even trying. I've done a few more start-ups since then, just to make sure that the carb is keeping fresh gas in it. Fires up every time without a hitch. So it looks like the carb rebuild came with much success and I know have a truck that cranks right up on the first turn! Not bad for a first-time carb rebuilder. I just have to set the idle, more on that later.
So now some of you guys may be wondering, how is the fuel been getting to the carb? A truck that's been sitting needs its gas tank cleaned out! To be honest I've been running out of a bottle in the engine bay that's hooked up to the fuel pump. Nothing fancy. I just wanted a way to start her up and do the boring stuff later.
Welp, that was a few weeks ago. Now it's later.
Yep, we all know how that goes. Thankfully it was mostly empty so I was able to take it out on my own.
Next up will be the replacement of the master and all four slave cylinders, of course she'll be getting new shoes and drums. Brakes are something that shouldn't be taken lightly, so working or not it's all going to be replaced. All of the lines will be inspected upon completion, and anything I don't like will replaced promptly.
After the breaks I'll be getting some used tires and she'll be a road-worthy truck after that. Well, that plus the shifter linkage and body mount. Still, for $640 I think I did good. Here are my babies <3
Impressive for a 19 year-old right?
Here's Part 3 - Just cause.
from Massachusetts. Great job.
