My '63 F100 build (pseudo-rat)

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Sam_Fear

Brother Rat
Joined
Oct 11, 2008
Messages
12,478
Location
Dixon, IA
My real rat is gonna be my Olds, but I figured I'd put this build up here too. I'm not going anywhere fancy with it, it's my Daily in non-salt weather, and I use it as a truck. I've been kind of a 'gold-chainer' on this by buying some stuff new, well really just patch panels mostly, so maybe I'm just a Tin-Chainer':rolleyes:.

Anyhoo - It's a 1963 Ford F100 long bed.

Farm stock when I got it. Drove it 300 miles home hoping it would make it - it did except the exhaust.
 

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This is after I painted it, found some Chrome dash trim, and ground some WWWs. Tore the rear gears out of it - rebuilt that. Rebuilt the 292: big valve heads, bigger cam, a progressive 3x2 carb set up, and headers. And a pic of where it gets stored in the winter (for you southern 'boys', that is snow I keep it covered in for protection.)

NOTE: After I covered the rust spots with left over paint, I came out after getting a beer and realized it looked like a clown car. Next day I rattle canned it all black!
 

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This is where it is now. I dumped the modern mirrors for some West Coast Jr's and a few other mechanical things somewhere along the line - disk brakes (safety!), removed 300Lbs of diamond plate from the bed, rewired front to back, tach, new floor pans and front cab mounts. Had a guy put on a nice exhaust - hated it - went back to my burned out cherry bombs!

Tailgate I got off e-bay for .01$ and a 'new' '65 bed - body lines match. (original '63 factory bed lines don't match cab!)
 

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My finished cutom tailgate. Cut and rewelded the letters onto the PO's custom tailgate (which I also finished). And a pic of my new suicide knob and shifter (old door knob).
 

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Good job on the truck Sam Fear. I really like the engine.

Thanks for clearing up the photo with the white stuff in it. I was wondering what that was. :D
 
good lookin old ford-my first ride was a '66 f-100 i had always wondered about that 63 bed/cab thing......until i was informed about how bad the "unibody" trucks had been received and ford "threw" a 57 style bed on as a quick fix

anyway sorry about that rant and that y-block w/3 2's looks REALLY sweet!!

thanks for the pics! HRP
 
Cool truck!

Sam,
Really nice truck and you've done quite a job on it. Love it blacked out too and interior is awesome.

ISore
 
THANKS FELLAS. I had planned on painting it different at one time, but it's staying flat black now - I don't even like to wash it cause it might ruin the patina that s forming!

Thanks for clearing up the photo with the white stuff in it. I was wondering what that was. :D
That white stuff is 'character builder'.
Gotta love a 292! Nice truck.
I never thought about swapping it out after I heard it for the first time. Every morning on my way to work I get on it a little just to hear it sing...well, sometimes a lot.;)

This winter: Deck the block (because I didn't get it right the 1st time), a few other motor tweaks, and combine both beds into one.
 
Great lookin' truck! I'm a Chevy guy by nature, but have a soft spot for any truck of the '60's. My first truck was a green '68 Ford 250 with a 360cuiV8. It pulled anything I tied to it.

Anyway, I noticed your exhaust out the side. I had the same placement on my green 250. Gearhead10 rigged up the exhaust stepped from 2 1/2" through the bend to 3" out the side...no packs or mufflers...loud as all heck. The only significant problem with it was the soot it left on the body-which was extremely visible on the green paint. You probably can't see it on the black, but I'll bet it's there!
 
Thanks Moront,
I like about any pre-70's truck except a few years of Dodges around 1960. The Chevy Apaches are a favorite for me.

I hope to pull it into the garage tomorrow - pull the engine to get the deck height milled right and gonna fab my two beds into one. Can't wait to get started. :)
 
I gotta call the shop Monday and see if my block is done - starting to get the feeling I scrambled my phone number on them. (Hey, I never call myself!)

Anyway, got some work done on my bed bob this week. Got the 65 bed on the truck. Cut 13" out of it - which was longer than my 57 bed by about 4". I'm going to use the old 57 wheel openings and lower rear section. This is mock up - haven't started welding yet.

NOTE: The giant Valentines Day card in the background kinda matches my truck right now! That reminds me....
 

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Thanks Gt - I was afraid I'd chopped it too short by 2", but I think it'll be OK. Looking back at that last pic I'm wondering if I should drop the bottom edge of the fender behind the wheel a inch or two. Guess I'll play with it a little more before I weld that part up.
 
Time for an update. FIRST- I had engine nightmares - got it all buttoned up and made chocolate milk - uuhhgg!:( Right head gasket didn't seal - also found out my torque wrench failed at some point. Fortunately everything checked out OK torque wise up to the manifolds. So may not of got the head torqued right, but the steel gaskets can be a pain too. Anyhow cleaned the milk out and replaced right head gasket - extra seal around 2 problem areas. (and a new torque wrench) Runs great! :) Left head has bad coolant seapage. :( Replace left gasket. Still a very slow seap - about a drip a minute. :mad: It's an external leak so I decide to run it like this for now. Went out to the garage today - no leak! :) Have to see how it goes.

I did cause a penalty for over use of gasket seal - since I had the intake on and off several times, it looks like a drunk monkey did it - hope I don't die or something before I get that fixed right - how embarassing would that be?

SECOND - the bed bob. I'm combining a 60 and 65 bed. I like the mismatch 60 bed wheel wells and tailgate. I like the 65 top and rear body lines.
Pic1: 65 bed (blue) with the wheel wells of the 60 bed (black)
Pic2: sectioned 2" - flattened the bump out a little
Pic3: shortend the 65 bed 13"
Pic4: match up front well corner
Pic5: sectioned rear quarter lower
 

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So now I've got the sides almost done. I have one more patch to fit where the body contours from the 2 different beds need to be fit and then its on to the back end.

My plan there is to mirror the rear light section of the 65 bed so it is wider like the old bed - The tailight openings will be welded up and I'll be using the old 60 round tailights.

Here's a mock up. (forgot to wipe my camera lens!)
 

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The body work you did to that box looks great. When you just had it mocked up wasn't sure it was going to look that good but turned out .
 

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