I need to find & upload some more pics for a full history, but here's a link to my photobucket album as it stands: My Rusty 63 Pickup pictures by rusty_63 - Photobucket My dad bought this truck back in '89 while I was \away at school. We used it in our landscaping business & my brother drove it a lot, too. The background we got from the PO is that it was originally a military vehicle (where we're from in NJ wasn't far from Fort Dix - and I've found some olive drab showing through in places) and it looks to have been a straight 6 / 3 on the tree combo. When we got it it'd been swapped to the 302/c4 combo in the ad. Funny thing is that the clutch pedal is still there, but the column/box has been swapped out for an auto unit, then later (I guess) the column shifter disconnected and a cheapo shifter was put on the floor. It loved to jump into/out of gear which made the truck fun to drive, especially with the bump-steer of the straight axle & Mickey Thompsons!


The ad from when dad bought it back in '89.



Eventually, we did some body work, painted it blue over the former red repaint, and swapped out the mud tires for some radials (blackwalls out) that handles a lot better. Then we drove it for years. I think it got "parked" 5 years later, and has pretty much been sitting ever since. Of course it came with us when the family moved to FL, and since the building business is slow now (that's my day job Schaefer Homes LLC - Custom Home Builder, Remodeler in Punta Gorda, Florida) I'm enjoying some hobby time & getting dirty, reliving the fun wrench-turning years of my youth. I started in the rear - because it was the cheaper end & also, in my mind, a safer place to learn to weld! I got a set of drop mono leafs & went to town. Pulled the bed, puled the rear, swapped the springs & reinstalled for a test fit. Yup - I needed c-notches so pulled it apart, became one with the wire wheeler, cleaned it all, boxed the frame, cut & welded in the notches & bump stops, then prepped it for POR15 & chassis black.





Threw it all together, then spun her around to get to work on the nose.







Then while looking for parts & pieces last year, absolutely convinced I was going with a fatman m2 front end, I stumbled onto this & a few other sites & found a treasure trove of info! I know you won't all agree with me or the choices I'm making, but here it goes. After much reading & research, I've decided to go with a Crown Vic swap.



I got my donor a few weeks ago. 2004 CV Police Interceptor. Rear ended pretty hard, but it starts & drives fine. I plan to harvest the front suspension, rear end (I know it's too wide but since I've got a rusty flare side, I figure I can easily widen it!), radiator, most of the AC, engine, trans, driveshaft, ecu/harness, booster & master cylinder, and hopefully even the anti-lock brakes. I hope to part out the carcass - front clip, doors, possibly the interior - to help offset my expenses & then scrap the hulk at the end. Now I've got to come up with a plan of attack to disassemble the parts car & get rid of the carcass in roughly 30 days... Wish me luck!

I forgot to post to this site, so bear with me while I get ya'all up to date!

The last week and a half has been a father (dad) & son (me) project of pulling the parts car apart. Here are some highlights:


Un-wired & pulled the doors, disassembled the tail light panel & trunk harness.


Pulled front end body panels, started on the harness.


Watch out for that snake!


Gutting the dash (getting the darned dash off took over a day! Sooo many bolts!


Got the interior completely gutted today.


Engine's pretty much ready to pull. Exhaust & driveshaft out, body harness removed, engine harness all pulled in, vacuum lines off, throttle cable, ac condenser, radiator, trans/ps cooler, etc. Just need to break the fuel & ac lines (special tools on the way), and the ps lines from pump to rack & it'll be ready to come out. And sit on the floor while I get the front suspension into the 63's frame... Fun!!

Sounds like an amazing build!!!!

Would it have been worth it to just cut off the car frame from the firewall forward, and cut the front of the truck off and swap the whole front frame? how does the width compare?

If its good, then everything would be much simpler to swap in. Would be a lot less rigging to get everything to work, and much cleaner and more professional.

Sweet, that '63 aught to have a little GO once you get done..

Interesting build... keep us updated!

Ryan

Thanks! The front crossmember on the 2003-2007 crown vic/town car/grand marquis/marauder (panther platform) is cast aluminum & bolts up to the frame. The engine then bolts to the x-member. So the paln is to pull the engine, pull the xmember (complete with front susupension) and roll it under the 63. Measure 10x, drill the mount holes & bolt her up (not nearly as simple as that, but u get the idea). Great thing is that I got a complete running car for less than what an aftermarket front end setup would cost. And this front end has stiff cop car springs & sway bar, power steering, power 12" disk brakes, and handles 40 years newer than the straight axle it's replacing! And to boot, I get a "free" fuelie engine & od trans, aluminum driveshaft & disk brake rear (with sway bar!). I also plan to bring over the antilock system, most of the ac (going for a repro 65 mustang type under dash unit inside), gas pedal & cable, brake pedal/booster/master cyl & also the ebrake pedal & cables. 5 rims & tires (u do need to use the late model rims with this swap) and 4 center caps (I dig the cop rim look - if I went old school i'd run steelies with dog dish caps). Also using the interior light/map light unit (for whenever I get around to making or buying a headliner). If I can make the seatbelts work, they'll be coming to. Radiator, oil cooler, trans/ps cooler, etc... mind you most of these parts need replacing on my old truck anyways, and if I bought all these parts new it'd be well over $5k. I've seen pics of these finished & they do look pretty sharp! Wish me luck!

Links to other swaps??

Aaron. Yahoo im?

check it, you have IMS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can put up a bunch of links - all off site. Is that a big deal to you guys? Some of the other sites get pretty girly about linking off site. LOL

go for it, were much more lax here than "other sites"

Cool project. Can't wait to see more

I can put up a bunch of links - all off site. Is that a big deal to you guys? Some of the other sites get pretty girly about linking off site. LOL

Offsite links to Front End Swaps

http://fordtruk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10788

http://fordtruk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=95293&highlight=#95293

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/886142-1968-f100-meets-2005-mercury-grand-marquis.html

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/756556-2007-mercury-grand-marquis-suspension-into-a-72-f100.html

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/805294-1966-f-100-project-pics.html

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/866959-61-unibody-progress-pics-crown-vic-ifs.html

Pack a lunch - it took me over 8 hours to get thru this build!! He did the swap & then added a turbo-intercooled Isuzu diesel & was getting over 30 mpg out of it while racing!
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/716058-buildup-06-crown-vic-front-suspension-into-67-f100.html

Progress Update

Well it's been a few weeks since I've posted much here, so here's an update - got the fuel lines & ac lines all apart, pulled the tank (what a bear that was), and finally got the engine/transmission out. We went ahead & cut out the front cross member since it let us get the lift closer to the engine.



Ok, so we started today by pulling the body mount bolts & putting the tires back on. Rolled it outside to clean out the garage a bit, then rolled it back in & got the fuel lines & brake lines out of the way by jacking the body off the frame & sliding them sideways.



Then we dropped the front suspension and rolled it out, & then cut off the frame rails just behind the trans crossmember mounts - the rails are roughly the size of 2x4's here and it made for a nice & simple place to cut.







Got loads of room to work around the rear end now...

Next step will be pulling the rear & the rest of the exhaust....

sweeeeet. Thanks for the update.

Ryan

Dropped the rear axle, e-brake cables, and the rest of the exhaust today. Then spent some time cleaning the garage & sorting tools. It's amazing the mess my garage gets! Lost the weekend & yesterday to yard/house work in prep for company coming to visit (the wife cracked the whip!).

Next on the agenda we're going to start in with the air saw to cut out patch panel steel and I'm thinking about dropping the rest of the frame out from under the body & then hauling the hulk of the body off for scrap.

Then I need to buy, borrow or rent a plasma cutter to slice the bits I want/need off the frame scraps - like misc mounts, brackets & especially the mounts for the rear of the lower control arms. Most guys doing these swaps have a custom bracket made out of 3/16 plate. Hanging out on the creeper under the car, I realized there's actually a plate just like that - already there, held in position inside the frame rail with a locating pin (sticks thru the frame & into control arm bracket) and a star-drive bolt/set screw. I figure why make a new one when I can cut the frame & pull out a FoMoCo original! ;o)

Actually I found one of the local rental centers has a plasma cutter & I can rent it over the weekend (counts as one "day") for under $50. Think that's the route I'll go unless I spot something good on CL....

Minor (very) progress

Ok, so I've spent the last 2 weeks bouncing between working and spending time with visiting family / enjoying "Spring Break"... got some free time today to clean up the garage and create some space to be able to work.



Yeah - now the short-bed of ole Rusty is holing her own front fenders, rad support & grille, the 63 & 04 wheel wells, and all 4 doors from the CV... and the steering column/shaft, and a bunch of bits & pieces. Fun!

I did that so I can have some free space to move things around & get the front end up under the frame rails.



And here's the CV ready for the butcher's knife... not long now & I'll be hard at work getting that front end & drive train installed!

Loving the updates! Keep them coming!

Ryan