1967 F100 LWB Base Project "BlueBeast"

[Petewrench]

What an exciting project! I'm a little jealous!

Cheers,
Duane

Not Much to be Jealous of Duane, The wife isn't too impressed with me at the moment! She Keeps Mumbling something about more Junk in the Yard! Anyway, Made a little progress today, and got a solid Plan in the making for both trucks;
The F-350: Parts for Bluebeast, and eventually a 6BT Cummins, but not until the Beast is finished.

Pic of both trucks for Posterity:



Let The Teardown Begin!
The first Clue as to how long this truck has sat (besides the Rancid Gas in the Tank), is the amount of Wasp paper I'm finding in Everything! every Panel removed, reveals at least one nest!


grill Removed:


LH Fender:


Still had the Factory Rubber Shields behind the fenders, and the Push clips didn't break when I removed them! (Can't say that about the shields though)


The Bottoms of the "A" Pillars, and the cowl look Awesome! And I only Broke 1 Bolt off removing the Sheet Metal (Bottom of RH Fender)




soaked the bolts for the Inner Fenders/Radiator Support with PB Blaster. Going to let them soak overnight, as I've still got to remove the Wiring. I Lube the bolts with WD-40 just prior to removing them.

[Petewrench]

Finished Disassembling the Front Clip Today. Final Messed up bolt tally: 2

I Wonder how long they looked for This Wrench????


Ready to start pulling the Engine/Transmission, and then the 350 Goes into Storage for a while!

[Petewrench]

Well, Friday they were forecasting Rain/Wind(boy, were they right this time!) for Saturday, so I backed the F-350 into the shop to have something to mess with during the storm. As I was hooking the wrecker to it, I just happened to look at the pile of tires that I have to get rid of(I just junked out 15 Ambulances), and what was sitting at the front of the pile???

THESE!!!!!!!


So, of Course, I had to put 'em on, and see how they looked...........



Hmmm........, Looks good, but I wonder..........., Out comes the Cleaner/Wax, and a towel. Just wanted to see if..........,



Man! This truck was LOVED!!!!!!!



Thought about breaking out the Buffing wheel, and then remembered that this isn't the truck I'm building yet! Plus red isn't my color!
Finally, back to what I was supposed to be doing, I began the task of removing the engine/trans to put into the beast, I ran into the Ford alternator bolt syndrome. Yep, heat it a bit, soak it with PB Blaster, put the Impact to it on med.-Low, Repeat. got it to back out enough to take Brackets and all off of the engine.



Once the alternator was off, I noticed the "D3TE" on the side of the block. "Wait a minute!" "D3TE"..........., " '73-'76 360/390!", "Gotta Measure the Stroke"! The next thing that clicked into my head was the funky carb adapter under the 2V carb. Once that was off, I had to measure the Stroke to make sure.



Stick measured 3-3/4" Yep, 390 Baby!!!!!!!!!

[Petewrench]

Finally got the F-350 Stripped down, and put into yard-Ornament status, and now it's time to focus on the object of this thread. So far, Here's the plan: Rebuild the 390/NP-435 pulled from the F-350, and install it into the F100(which means cutting out the floor for the Transmission cover), and getting the Body back to where it was 47 years ago.

I've been looking at keeping the truck basically stock, and keeping the color the original light turquoise, but I want something just different enough to make the truck stand out. after a week, or so of looking at different shades, I came up with this:

It's Light Turquoise 2 Stage, with Violet Pearl coat.

Meanwhile, I'm ordering parts to freshen the Engine/Trans/Chassis, so I can dig in!

[Petewrench]

Yeah, I know! - Quit deciding what you are going to build, and build it, already! after comparing needed repairs to both trucks, The F-350 needs the least amount of work, and I'm already at the point of doing the necessary repairs to the F-350, Sooooooooo, Here's My Thought;

I see a lot of the smaller Bumps on here, but not too many F-350's, So, after finding that the only filler in the truck is a small crease in the roof, and it needs to be not red, this truck needs to continue to exist. the wife likes the teal idea, but said no to the Violet Pearlcoat.

She Picked out her Idea of a paint scheme as TCP Global's "Gulfstream Aqua Mettallic, with a Wimbledon White Roof, and the Blue seat from the F-100. Kinda different for a Flat Bed truck.




I Spent the last 3 days picking the truck apart, and, you are about to see why this truck gets done first.

Cut the Stupid looking Tank/Tool box Off:



Pulled the Doors: Bounced a Framing hammer Claw on the Floors, I need to replace the outer edges of the floor-pan.



Aside from a few little wiring issues ( Wiper Motor, Trailer Brake Controller), the electrical system was in tact, and the rubber plugs for the harness connectors, are still very pliable. The defrost tubes look almost new, as does the glove box!
Note the Lighted Cigar Lighter



Eviction from The Ceiling:


Shiny paint, and Monkey-Doo Sealer under the windshield Welt- I've owned several bumps over the years, and never saw one that DIDN"T have some rust there, until now!


Tomorrow, I will remove the brake Booster, Pedals, and Steering Column, And Try to get the Firewall insulation out in the one piece that it is now!


Yep, Mostly needs Paint, and Rubber!
More to Come,
Pete

[sargentrs]

She looks solid. Great find!

[Fall_of_Olympus]

Killer project! How much of a chore was it removing the bed?

[Petewrench]

Killer project! How much of a chore was it removing the bed?

I Bought her as a Cab & Chassis, But the Title Descripton was VN. I Would assume it once had a Box on it. I see a 12' Flat Bed Body in it's future!

She looks solid. Great find!

Thanx!

[Petewrench]

Not much progress to report, other than fixing "Headache" (Stuff Other shops couldn't fix) cars to make some $$$.
Got my engine Gasket set, Timing Chain & Gears, and Headers this week, so I can start on the engine soon.
for now, the only upgrades I'm going to make are what's necessary to make the truck completely roadworthy, Not Red, and dependable. The frills(Power Steering, Front Discs), will come after the bugs are worked out from servicing it. this weekend, I plan to finish taking the cab apart, and Pressure wash everything. Pics will be here!


Pete

[Petewrench]

Few things ruin your day more than bringing your wife flowers for her Birthday, taking her to her Doctor's appointment, and being told she has SCLC(Small Cell Lung Cancer). So, Yeah, this year I changed my name to Ebenezer! and, after all of this, it's time to move forward one day at a time. Chemo starts in the morning, and we are both apprehensive about it, But a big "Pity-Party" won't cure anything.

For Now the F350 is on hold, as I need to focus my attention to the matters at hand. the F100 will get what is required to keep it roadworthy, and she enjoys riding around in it. Hopefully we will beat this thing, and life will return to "Normal", and I can pick up where I left off.

As I do the repairs, I will still post them here(I don't wan't Y'all to think you're getting rid of me that easily).
More to come I'm Sure.
For What It's worth, Happy Holidays to all!
Pete

[duaneo]

Crap dude, I'm sorry to hear that news. I wish you and your wife the best. If there is anything we can do, let us know!

Cheers,
Duane

[jimmy828]

Hate to hear the news on your wife. hope she pulls through on that.

[lennyp]

Sorry to hear about your wife. Hope everything goes well.

[Petewrench]

Since My last update, Mama completed her first round of Chemo, Which 1 week later put her in the hospital for a week. she's home now, and doing a little better, but still has a long Fight ahead of her. This project is now officially a coping mechanism, and so far I'm liking the direction it is heading.

The 390 ran quite well, and with a new set of heads, and an Oil Pump, would have lasted quite a while. But considering how long it probably sat before the dealer got it, I'd better look anyway.



Old Style Vent-Tube Intake with a Rubber Freeze-Plug in the Oil fill hole!



Pulling the Valve Covers/Intake Showed it needed help- Big Time!!!! (Note the different valve stem heights)



This is a Cam lobe as seen through an Oil drain hole in the block, Notice the heavy pitting. this thing has seen a LOT of moisture!



Yep, Might as well go for a Re-Ring Job!

After tearing the engine the rest of the way down, I found this in the Oil Pan!



Keep in mind, I changed the Oil Prior to firing the engine, but it wouldn't have made a difference..., The damage was Already done!

Cam Bearing:


Thrust Bearing:


#7 Rod Bearing:


Overhaul Kit ordered.

[sargentrs]

Great progress! Keep it coming. Hope your wife gets better soon!