66-73 Ford f350 restoration

It's been a while since I've been on here guys, but recently I stumbled across a barn find I felt was worth sharing with you guys.

I was bored a couple days ago, and decided to go explore an abandoned lot that I hadn't checked out yet, for some reason. Behind the house, in a beat up old shed, is a late 60s-early 70s ford f350. It has a flatbed on it with 3 or 4 foot wooden sides all around. Hydraulic lift. Initially thought it had a 460 in it, but lo and behold I finally got the hood latch undone, and it actually has the venerable ford straight 6 in it. I believe it to be the 300 rather than the 240. Paired with it is a manual transmission (I believe the borg warner t18 4 speed) but it could be a 5 speed. The only gears I could get it in and out of were 3 and 4. This truck has been sitting for 15-20 years. The shifter is stiff, but moveable, and surprisingly enough, the clutch appears to be functioning as well, but I'm not too sure of that. The engine is not seized up. All 4 of the tires are the old stiff walled tires, so they aren't squashed and cracked. They probably still hold air, and aside from being a little brittle, are in decent shape. The final (and best part ) this truck is completely rust free. I repeat, rust free. I think the odometer read 30K, so it can be assumed it has 130K on it. The interior is in good shape as well, except for the missing drivers seat.

Currently I am trying to locate and contact the owner of this property. I don't want to do anything to the truck until I have permission, and i sure dont want to remove it from the property, even though it's clear no one would notice it gone, or even miss it.

Even though I can't do anything to it yet, let the planning commence!

I apologize for the lack of pictures. I don't have a strong internet right now.

I doubt the owner will let that thing go but it would be great if they did.

You'd be surprised. If the guy who I think owns it actually does, it's the sister of one of my buddies moms at school, or my friend's aunt. I've never met her, but supposedly she's pretty nice. I just want to get this thing back to life. It's a shame to let it sit

Hey guys,
I know no one has really replied to this thread, but for those of you watching :
The truck is actually a 61-64 ( I noticed the turn signal lights and badging on the hood and grille were different )
It does not have a 300 straight six, it actually has the rarer 262 straight 6, paired with a Borg-Warner T-98 4 speed tranny
I have located the owner of the property, and it turns out, The uncle of one of my good friends at school owns it, and while I have never met him, the chances are decent that he just turns it over to me. Of course, I would have to go through legal hurdles to be able to license and insure it, but I really want to get this mint old truck back on the road.
The truck itself being worthless even more tips the odds in my favor. While the f-100s were worth something, there isn't really any market for trucks that size of that age.

If i get it, what should I do with it? Keep the straight 6 and 4 speed? Swap a 300 six in it? 460 swap it and put a 5 speed in it to make it more driveable? Put just a 5 speed behind the original engine (The 262 has the same bellhousing pattern as the 300, and in its later years, the 300 was available with a 5 speed) do a bolt on overdrive (I don't really know how those work)

I do a lot of interstate travel. Currently, I have a 2006 f150 that has definitely seen better days. I can't license and insure both vehicles, and while the straight 6 would probably get better fuel mileage, can this be a daily driver?

honestly I would try to get the drivetrain that’s in it working and go from there. I could see this truck being a daily driver.

Really? I bet with the 4 speed it doesnt go any faster than 60mph. I do a lot of interstate driving. I would use it on the farm, but it's such a clean truck. putting it on the farm is just asking it to get run into and beat up

I say 12 valve cummins manual swap it. Could probably get something for the drivetrain in it now if it runs or at least turns over. Then a rear axle with a better ratio out of a newer HD truck

CraftsmanQuad19 wrote:

I say 12 valve cummins manual swap it. Could probably get something for the drivetrain in it now if it runs or at least turns over. Then a rear axle with a better ratio out of a newer HD truck

No way. People swap the 5.9 into everything, it's been done to tears. I say keep the good old inline gasser that's in it and maybe give it couple minor performance mods.

Yeah, no cummins!

I'm not denying that they're good engines, because they most certainly are. I'm just tired of seeing them swapped into stuff is all.

I like the good ol inline 6's. Somewhere down the road though, I might end up swapping it for a 300, especially if this one has something wrong with it, needs a rebuild, etc. Parts for the 262 were hard to find to begin with, and it definitely isn't getting any easier. The mounts are the same, the bellhousing pattern is the same, it should swap no problem. The only issue i see is notice how the plugs are on the left side, and the intake and exhaust are on the right. This is opposite from nearly every google image and truck on C-list that I have seen.

Shoot. My bad, I forgot I hadnt posted pictures yet.

Ooh nice! Haha. Also I'm pretty sure you're right about the intake, exhaust, etc being on the opposite side on the 300's. Probably wouldn't be too much of an issue though

Ooh, now I'm jealous!

How about narrowing the flatbed, getting rids of the duals in the rear, and putting on smaller mirrors to make it more daily driver friendly?

I vote for a 300 swap, and a transmissions and rear end or gearing change to make it more of a daily driver suitable for the interstate and not a farm workhorse.

Nice find! Pretty decent shape for its age.

I don't think the flatbed would really need narrowed. It sticks out maybe 6 inches on either side, max 8. It's even a short kinda bed. I don't think it's quite 8 feet, but it isn't as short as 6. It actually doesn't have duals. The back tires are wide, but no duals. Some new rear gears are definitely in order. If it's a 62, like I think it is, it has a timken B100 rear axle, with either 5.13 or 5.89 gears. The timken is a weird axle too. The diff bolts in half and separates in the middle. A dana 60 or 70 might be in order to simplify finding gears. Swapping the tranny isn't going to be easy. The t98 is only about 11.7 inches long, and the tranny tunnel stops just after the tranny. For anytbing else, the entire tranny tunnel and following floor would have to be cut out. If I can get the rear axle reduced to 3.53s at least, I think the 4 speed would be manageable

Yeah that's a pretty low ratio in that diff. I would just swap in another rear axle to get some highway ratios in there and not worry about the transmission swap.

I should mention late 50s to 62 f350 trucks were built with the timken b100 axle and those two gear option. 63 and after was shipped with a Dana 70, with 4.88 gears in it. Since this truck is between 61 and 64, that pretty much splits it straight down the middle.

I'm debating between dailying it, and turning it into a show truck. While I live in the country, I do a lot of town and interstate driving, which poses a lot of risk for a truck like this one. People drive like blazing idiots in town. But, i don't want to nor can I afford to license and insure both vehicles. A truck it's size in Indiana will cost about 5-800 to license, and another 800 for insurance, since I'm a teenager. If I make it strictly a show truck, I'll drive it on backroads at least once a week, to school every now and then, but namely in the local parades and such. That way I don't have to license it.

I also think I'm going to keep the 262. Since any external parts will swap from it to a 300, I can do things like a 4 barrel intake manifold, straightpipes, the like. The stock manifolds flow really well. The way the exhaust manifold is designed makes the application of a turbo easy as well

This option makes the most financial sense to me right now.  Maybe when you're older you can afford to license and insure two vehicles but for right now I would make this a project truck.  Make it a sweet show/project truck and just work on it one piece at a time and don't spend all your money on it at once.

Hey guys. I've got some bad news. The barn that this truck was in had hay sitting in the back corner, under a pile of wood and other random stuff. Well, the hay got wet, and we just had a hot spell here in Indiana, and the barn went up in flames. The truck is a total loss. the heat melted the tires, warped the panels on the cab, and some falling truss from the shed flattened the cab. Just figured i'd update y'all on this development.

Sorry for your loss... RIP ford.