'60 effie opinions.......

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slacker1965

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
12
Location
charlotte, nc
I recently picked up a stepside '60 f100 that I am going to do a (hopefully) quick build on & test the market for a safe, reliable old truck here in the SE.

it's raining, so no pix, I don't feel like getting my truck stuck in the mud to go shoot photos....

it's a decent truck with good patina, & some rust in the usual areas... the box & fenders are in great shape, someone has welded in a metal floor. I personally don't like stepsides, but the matching patina is there.... I do have a somewhat rough short fleetside box that I can use.

I have to sell this one....kinda hate to since my 1st truck was a carolina blue '58 swb with a 292 & 3sp.....I put 100k on that thing

my question(s) for the group is that what do think the best way to go on suspension/drivetrain is- I want to lower it at least 3-4", make it stop & steer, be dead nuts reliable.
1)dropped stock axle(sid's) disc brakes & 'yota box, either a 302/c4 or 350/350.....I own both motor combos
2)s10 frame or clip that I own, currently has dropped spindles & the aforementioned 350/350 combo(2wd blazer)
3)find a s10/ranger with a running injected v6?
4)other donor chassis/drive trains?

I have spent some time reading builds & searching the archives....

I am a decent fabricator with access to all the sheetmetal/fabrication tools that I need.

I think that the dropped axle/kingpin/disc brake, 'yota box deal is gonna cost 1500 or so?
I have seen running s10/rangers for that.....but it will take a lot more work to install & time = money

looking forward to opinions & experiences

thanks in advance for your time
kevin
 
thoughts

option 2, the S1O is easy to drop, parts are readily available and SBC are reliable and easy to get parts for also.

please stick some pics as soon as possible, we are a visual bunch & that would help us.


sucks it's stuck in the mud.


Later :cool:
 
You said (hopefully) quick build That means option 1. I have done chassis swaps, option 1.
 
two cents worth

You might sell quicker with it being all ford and option 1 dropped axle front and flip the rear, no cost but perches. [;)
Have fun with it and good luck :rolleyes:
 
I flip a few cars and I have a theory I call the rule of diminishing returns. The more dollars you invest, the less profit per dollar invested. Then there's your labor which just magnifys the theory. Second is how much typical rust? Those trucks always rust under the floor mat and in the foot well plus the lower front of the cab behind the fender. The more rust, the less likely for a prospective buyer. The body style is called the orphan years because of the historically weak following (although it's my favorite Ford truck body style). Do your home work.
 
Option 1 for sure. Clips/Chassis swaps usually end up a butchered mess when it comes to reinstalling the doghouse/core support etc. Not to mention all the extra time involved. More importantly, the S10 is WAY too narrow for that big fridge ford. The track width will be goofy as hell. If that wasn't enough, any of that stuff is going to seriously hurt resale value.

You have the right plan with a Sid's axle - stick to it!
 
Option 1 for sure. Clips/Chassis swaps usually end up a butchered mess when it comes to reinstalling the doghouse/core support etc. Not to mention all the extra time involved. More importantly, the S10 is WAY too narrow for that big fridge ford. The track width will be goofy as hell. If that wasn't enough, any of that stuff is going to seriously hurt resale value.

You have the right plan with a Sid's axle - stick to it!

if I do go with the s10, I was going to use wheel spacers to get the track width where it needs to be....anyone got experience with these? I imagine it fargs up scrub radius among other things?

it hasn't dried out enough here for me to dig the truck out of storage & take pix.....funny we had a drought all year until mid sept or so
 
S10 and F100 do not mix well. Don't bother. At most a front clip swap, not a frame swap. Dakota, Crown Vic, MII, Volare, Jag... there are a lot of IFS clips that will work way better than a S10. If you want to use ot as a truck, go with the Dakota. Do a search for El Polaco F100.
 
S10 and F100 do not mix well. Don't bother. At most a front clip swap, not a frame swap. Dakota, Crown Vic, MII, Volare, Jag... there are a lot of IFS clips that will work way better than a S10. If you want to use ot as a truck, go with the Dakota. Do a search for El Polaco F100.

I wonder if he still has that truck? I haven't been on the HAMB much for several years, just moves too fast for me. You start a thread and it falls off page 4 in a couple hours.
 
I wonder if he still has that truck? I haven't been on the HAMB much for several years, just moves too fast for me. You start a thread and it falls off page 4 in a couple hours.

Dunno about the truck, but he was making and selling Dakota style front suspension kits for F100's for awhile too. I just figure searching his name will probably dig up a lot of good info.
 
He's a member here, too. Haven't seen him on either in a long time. Lots of folks never go to the HAMB anymore after the last upgrade. Some of the mods have gotten so delete and lock happy you never know if a thread will be there next time you go back.
 
pix

yep leanin towards a jag ifs ......just missed out on a whole xj6, it got sent to the crusher @ 3.5 cents a lb

I like the idea of a sid's dropped axle, just too expensive by the time you add disc's & come up with some kinda modern box for it.....

plan is to take care of drivetrain, steering & suspension....get it running & driving & see if somebody wants it more than me....

if the cab mounts are junk like these are prone to be, I will fix them, but gonna leave the rest of the patina/rust as is
 

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Another thought, i put a Ply. Volare in my 56 F100, very much like the 60.
Four bolts and the steering link keeps in and it's one piece, transverse torsion bar (adjustable height), power steering, disc brakes, can find them around here for under a $100. [S I welded my in, frame width was just right.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do.
 
Don't let the cheap buy-in fool you. By the time you properly rebuild a 30+ year old IFS you are going to have as much or more in it than a dropped axle, not to mention the time of install, alignment, etc. You did say you wanted to make this a quick flip right?

A modern steering box isn't necessary, and that truck will stop just fine with some properly adjusted drums. No need to reinvent the wheel here, especially if time and money are your driving factors...
 
The latest issue of Canadian Hot Rods Magazine has a feature on a similar F100 using the late 2003 up Crown Vic front suspension, a very easy bolt in, all aluminum crossmember, rack and pinion steering, big brakes, etc. It is wide though, being designed for deep offset wheels, I think 17 or 18" wheels are needed to clear the brake calipers.
 
box

I would think that the stepside bed would be better for resale. Also less work and time to leave it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

440shorty
 

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