79 ford plans/suggestions

[Warner]

Hi all, Im new here and wanted to get some thoughts on my project.
A little history, Its a 79 ford f100 4x2 purchased new by my father. It was used until 2006 at which point the original engine gave up at 385000K (300 6) at which point it was givin to me. I had a new motor put in and it was used as a weekend truck for 6 months until someone ran a red light and t-boned the bed right behind the cab. I couldn't give it up since Im sentimental AND it had no frame damage and a nearly new motor.
It has sat in a garage until a few months ago when I purchased a 79 body with no motor for parts and have been working on it in my spare time.

Ive stripped the bed and replaced everything from the cab on back.

#1 I need information on where to get the lower trim strip(its a 2 tone) for one side of the bed since the doner trucks was damaged

#2 the best place to get oem style bumpers

#3 I am thinking about taking the entire dash out of the doner truck since it has AC and mine doesn't and I believe all the parts are there. Is this to difficult of a task for an amateur to handle?? Or just a bad Idea since most everything works on my existing dash?

#4 I have rust on the roof rails what Is the best way to deal with that? Im going to have the bodywork done by a pro but I want to know the best way this should be handled and an idea of what I should be paying for the roof rail work.

Oh and the goal for the truck Is usability/weekend trips to lowes or the lake however, what I have done or do myself I want to do it correctly the first time


Thanks for any Info

 

[DNFXDLI]

Hi all, Im new here and wanted to get some thoughts on my project.
A little history, Its a 79 ford f100 4x2 purchased new by my father. It was used until 2006 at which point the original engine gave up at 385000K (300 6) at which point it was givin to me. I had a new motor put in and it was used as a weekend truck for 6 months until someone ran a red light and t-boned the bed right behind the cab. I couldn't give it up since Im sentimental AND it had no frame damage and a nearly new motor.
It has sat in a garage until a few months ago when I purchased a 79 body with no motor for parts and have been working on it in my spare time.

Ive stripped the bed and replaced everything from the cab on back.

#1 I need information on where to get the lower trim strip(its a 2 tone) for one side of the bed since the doner trucks was damaged

check with Dennis Carpenter...they make the parts from the original Ford tooling.

#2 the best place to get oem style bumpers

Again, Carpenter...there are other places such as LMC that have them but for the most part they are Chinese copies at lesser quality...also look on Fleabay


#3 I am thinking about taking the entire dash out of the doner truck since it has AC and mine doesn't and I believe all the parts are there. Is this to difficult of a task for an amateur to handle?? Or just a bad Idea since most everything works on my existing dash?

It's a good deal of work as everything must be changed....not only the dash but the controls, vacuum system, condenser, compressor and the like....it's doable, but not a walk in the park

#4 I have rust on the roof rails what Is the best way to deal with that? Im going to have the bodywork done by a pro but I want to know the best way this should be handled and an idea of what I should be paying for the roof rail work.

Hard to say...really dependent on what costs are in your area.


Oh and the goal for the truck Is usability/weekend trips to lowes or the lake however, what I have done or do myself I want to do it correctly the first time


Thanks for any Info

If you want things done correctly and right, it isn't cheap...I know that sounds kinda obvious, but it needs to be said. People do so called ground up restorations and use LMC parts..

 

[Big Jim F150]

Try LMC Truck for your bumpers, for they are an O.E.M. Style bumpers for that 79, their web address is http://www.lmctruck.com and you can access their online catalog, and you can get just about anything you want or need for your truck, you'll need to request their 73-79 Ford truck catalog, it covers the F-100, F-150, F-250, and some F-350 items, and they are really reasonable price wise, and also check your local wrecking yards. I'm assuming that you have the racetrack style molding, check out my avatar, the red 78 F-150 Ranger Lariat, that's my truck, and you'll see the moldings that are on mine, and is that the type of molding that you're looking for, or is it the the wide molding that is in the concave upper body contour or "dent" that's why they call the 73-79 Ford trucks Dent sides or Dents, they're referring to that upper body contour. That's what they call the 6th Generation trucks, which is the 73-79 trucks are. By the way, you might try LMC truck for your moldings, and maybe eBay as well. Good Luck, and have fun with it, and don't give up, you might take it to a few car shows and cruise nights in your area after you get it done, you'll find these trucks are a lot of fun. Hopefully you find this helpful to you, you might be able to change the dashes around so you can have the A/C in your rig, but I've never done it and bought my truck with factory A/C. By the Way welcome to Ford Truck Fanatics, you learn a lot about the 6th Generation trucks here.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Please do some internet research and reading before going with LMC...for a daily driver where quality isn't a real priority and you want something that will fit the bill, then LMC isn't a bad thing..if you want something that is on par with your original Ford truck, then either Carpenter or search FleaBay for NOS items.
NOS ain't cheap...but it is original.

 

[fatherdoug]

Please do some internet research and reading before going with LMC...for a daily driver where quality isn't a real priority and you want something that will fit the bill, then LMC isn't a bad thing..if you want something that is on par with your original Ford truck, then either Carpenter or search FleaBay for NOS items.
NOS ain't cheap...but it is original.

The truth has been spoken!

 

[Warner]

Try LMC Truck for your bumpers, for they are an O.E.M. Style bumpers for that 79, their web address is http://www.lmctruck.com and you can access their online catalog, and you can get just about anything you want or need for your truck, you'll need to request their 73-79 Ford truck catalog, it covers the F-100, F-150, F-250, and some F-350 items, and they are really reasonable price wise, and also check your local wrecking yards. I'm assuming that you have the racetrack style molding, check out my avatar, the red 78 F-150 Ranger Lariat, that's my truck, and you'll see the moldings that are on mine, and is that the type of molding that you're looking for, or is it the the wide molding that is in the concave upper body contour or "dent" that's why they call the 73-79 Ford trucks Dent sides or Dents, they're referring to that upper body contour. That's what they call the 6th Generation trucks, which is the 73-79 trucks are. By the way, you might try LMC truck for your moldings, and maybe eBay as well. Good Luck, and have fun with it, and don't give up, you might take it to a few car shows and cruise nights in your area after you get it done, you'll find these trucks are a lot of fun. Hopefully you find this helpful to you, you might be able to change the dashes around so you can have the A/C in your rig, but I've never done it and bought my truck with factory A/C. By the Way welcome to Ford Truck Fanatics, you learn a lot about the 6th Generation trucks here.

The dents explained...thanks and thanks to all for the info. I see i have alot of reading and research to do

 

[bucks77ford]

Things to consider with the drip rail rust repair is that there isn't any replacement roof panels made and you'd have to use a donor cab and cut from that or have someone fabricate the metal themselves which is much more costly than using a donor cab. In many cases, it's less work and money to find another cab depending on the amount of rust there is on the roof. Is there any other rust on the cab? Things like cab corners and floor pans are much easier to replace than roof sheet metal IMO, so if you found a cab with say rusted cab corners but has a nice roof than it may be better to replace cab corners. But, it really is hard to say. I've seen guys do some amazing sheet metal work with things that should have been scraped. Pics would help, but just pure guessing, the roof repair could cost anywhere from $1500-$2000 just in labor. Rust repair usually is just labor intensive rather than material cost.

 

[Warner]

Things to consider with the drip rail rust repair is that there isn't any replacement roof panels made and you'd have to use a donor cab and cut from that or have someone fabricate the metal themselves which is much more costly than using a donor cab. In many cases, it's less work and money to find another cab depending on the amount of rust there is on the roof. Is there any other rust on the cab? Things like cab corners and floor pans are much easier to replace than roof sheet metal IMO, so if you found a cab with say rusted cab corners but has a nice roof than it may be better to replace cab corners. But, it really is hard to say. I've seen guys do some amazing sheet metal work with things that should have been scraped. Pics would help, but just pure guessing, the roof repair could cost anywhere from $1500-$2000 just in labor. Rust repair usually is just labor intensive rather than material cost.

i Have a whole cab off of my donor out back with virtually no rust. The corners on my truck seem fine just by looking, the rails are the worst part by far unless something horrible is lurking but I dont think so. It was purchased in PA but we moved to SC in 83 so just a northern winter or two

 

[tjcustomranger]

i would almost switch cabs, that way you have the ac systemand take care of the rus t problem. then i would just swich out any bad interior/dash components with the ones from your original cab.

that might be easier than rust repair and cheaper.

you could also coat the frame and the bottom of the cab while you had it apart as well.

 

[Warner]

i would almost switch cabs, that way you have the ac systemand take care of the rus t problem. then i would just swich out any bad interior/dash components with the ones from your original cab.

that might be easier than rust repair and cheaper.

you could also coat the frame and the bottom of the cab while you had it apart as well.

yep the thought had crossed my mind. Im having a hard time deciding where to stop though. It would have been wiser to put my motor in the donor but once again its the sentimental attachment to the truck I grew up in that has made it hard to make a decision. Im sure I could get a decent modern pickup for what im going to put into this one but i guess thats not the point for this project. Ill be getting some estimates this week if I get time, see how bad they are and go from there

 

[tjcustomranger]

i think the sentimental value would overthrow the price of that truck.

my dad and i aren't very close, and don't get along that great but if he was to pass or something and i got his truck i couldn't let it go for anything. i grew up in it. he owned it twice. he bought it from a guy for 700, sold it to his buddy for 1000 who then sold it to another guy and my dad bought it back. then he did a body swap because it was badly rusted out, and had it since. i remember riding in it before the body swap i was probably 4 or 5 then.

 

[80f150]

Yes u can get a modern truck for what you are going to put in this truck, But, it wont be the same, fix the ford, when my dad past away i was offered to finish paying for his truck that he was buying, i told them no, i can kick myself everyday for not buying it. So please fix the ford you will be glad you did in the long run.

 

[Warner]

Yes u can get a modern truck for what you are going to put in this truck, But, it wont be the same, fix the ford, when my dad past away i was offered to finish paying for his truck that he was buying, i told them no, i can kick myself everyday for not buying it. So please fix the ford you will be glad you did in the long run.

yea Ive thought about it for the past 5 years and Its going to happen one way or another. Its just hard to draw a line of where to stop or where to start for that matter.

A local guy came out and quoted $5500 for paint and body work(drip rails and one dent where the rear bumper hit the bed in the corner about the size of my open hand) Im going to get more quotes.

Im telling them that I want it done correctly so i dont have to do It again in a few years but have absolutely no intention of showing it If fact I would like to be able to haul top soil in it and use it around the house.
Is there a better or quicker way to explain to these paint/body guys what I want? This guy looked at me like I was stupid for wanting to fix it up for actual use, it didnt make me feel very comfortable with him

 

[keithgonzales]

Take your time and shop around. You will find fixing this ride will be rewarding. The newer trucks just don't have the styling or the work ethics of the older units.

 

[Warner]

I found some 96 15 bullet hole wheels in good shape Im planning to pick up tomorrow. Ive done some searching and supposedly they will fit.
My question of the day is i have the option of buying the tires that are on them which are 255 70 15 in great shape and cheap will the tires fit without issues?
According to my research they are under an inch bigger in both directions then the 235 75 15 that are on it now

 

[fatherdoug]

I found some 96 15 bullet hole wheels in good shape Im planning to pick up tomorrow. Ive done some searching and supposedly they will fit.
My question of the day is i have the option of buying the tires that are on them which are 255 70 15 in great shape and cheap will the tires fit without issues?
According to my research they are under an inch bigger in both directions then the 235 75 15 that are on it now

That should not be a problem. A 255 70 16 is only 30" tall and 8" wide. I know you said 15", but I found dimensions of a 16" tire. The 15" would be even less of a problem.

I run 31 10.5 15 on my truck with no rubbing, lock to lock, and plenty of clearance in the wheel well. I used to have 33 9.5 15, but can't find them anymore.

It will affect the speedometer and odometer reading slightly.

 

[Warner]

That should not be a problem. A 255 70 16 is only 30" tall and 8" wide. I know you said 15", but I found dimensions of a 16" tire. The 15" would be even less of a problem.

I run 31 10.5 15 on my truck with no rubbing, lock to lock, and plenty of clearance in the wheel well. I used to have 33 9.5 15, but can't find them anymore.

It will affect the speedometer and odometer reading slightly.

Ok I think Ill go for it if they are as clean as the pics indicate...Thanks!

 

[DNFXDLI]

I guess it depends on where you live...$5500 seems pretty damn cheap when you consider a shop rate of say $75 per hour.
I have a truck that has nearly zero rust on it and to get it to the quality that I want it is over 3 times that.
Good bodywork isn't cheap and cheap bodywork isn't good.