What modernizations have you made?

[bigtrip460]

You know what would top all of these modernized things? Getting a new Ford fullsized truck and just using the whole chassis and running gear and wiring, lighting, etc but just put our bodies on the chassis to fit. It would be a nice reliable and like new truck but have the old truck look. Someone up for the challenge? I sure am not. :p

You can actually stick your hand down in the engine compartment and have room to turn a wrench. Modern vehicles you can't even fit your pinky in there anywhere. Tune up requires pulling the engine, etc.

the drivers side of my engine compartment is so tight in spots i almost have to drop the brake booster to tighten the headers and get to the 7 and 8 plugs.


oh yeah on topic i have shoulder belts too.

[bobenhotep]

most of my modernizing is stuff that would not make sense to go original on,like...

radial tires
unleaded gas
synthetic oil

i also have am msd 5 module to make the points last longer. the stainless steel bowl over the paper air cleaner is not original either

the inline pcv valve is for a 390 police interceptor...

[Shawn F.]

Well someone did the 66 thing huh? Pretty cool I guess but not my type. What I meant was the chassis and drivetrain but that guy went all the way with the bed and interior, etc. I don't like to change the old look of the truck just the handling and engine wise. Don't get me wrong I like the old 6 cylinders a lot too and yes they are very reliable. I am the same way with the engine compartments being big and open and SIMPLE. Sure A/C is nice and power windows, steering, brakes, etc but then again it's so nice to see an engine compartment with very little wiring seen and no hoses all over the place with the huge compressor and power steering pump, etc. Like they say, there's an ass for every seat but I still admire everyone's vehicles and trucks whether I like it or not.

[ICEMAN6166]

You know what would top all of these modernized things? Getting a new Ford fullsized truck and just using the whole chassis and running gear and wiring, lighting, etc but just put our bodies on the chassis to fit. It would be a nice reliable and like new truck but have the old truck look. Someone up for the challenge? I sure am not. :p

To be honest I wouldnt want it. Part of the beauty of these old trucks is that I personally can work on them. You can actually stick your hand down in the engine compartment and have room to turn a wrench. Modern vehicles you can't even fit your pinky in there anywhere. Tune up requires pulling the engine, etc.

I love the simplicity of these trucks, which is the way I want em. Any modern upgrades to me would be as simple as possible and true to the theme.

---- Edit -----

Oh yeah and since I've had my '62, my stepfathers 1 year old $45,000 Dodge got stranded up in the mountains, needing a $700 tow job that the warrenty wouldnt cover, and was in the shop for over a week. The entire time I happily drove past his house every single day in my lil' ole 62 Ford Inline 6 So much for new trucks reliability

i tried to just buy an engine and frame back in the late 80s to do that, but they would not sell me one.said i had to buy the whole truck.

nothing about the new trucks excites me anyways, the slicks and bumps are far easier to deal with, especially if you have a roadside breakdown.

only thing i think needs to be done is the dual mc.
everything else is for convenience
my trucks steer and brake the same running or not
ps and pb die when the engine stops running
makes it harder to stop and steer than if you had manual.

[Uncle Skip]

Personally, I tried to build my truck as close to the way I would have had to do it in the early 60's.
Thus, resto-rod Nadine.
I graduated from high school in 1963 and the XL-100 was the Holy Grail for me.
My only exception is disk brakes, 3-point sholder harness, sway bars, etc. Every thing else is period and all the running gear has a "C" part number on it including the exhaust headers and 3x2 intake.
The wheels are from a 70's Dodge Ram truck but other than that, its mostly all Ford.
Do it your way, make it safe, enjoy it.
U@ss

[Lowell]

Mine is pretty well stock too, except for cd-mp3 radio and under dash brake light switch. im not against doing something to improve safety liike disc brakes . i will at least upgrade to dual master cylinder ,but probaly not until i have to replace the old one. I also put on radial tires if that counts

[Uncle Skip]

Uh, Lowell, I never claimed Nadine was stock....................
U@ss

[joeymac64]

on my 64 i removed the straight axle and put 66 twin i beam under the front end chevy s 10 power steering box late model disk brakes removed the 292 and granny 3 speed in favour of 390 and toploader 4 speed 94 ford e 250 van aluminium driveshaft (bolts right in) kenwood am/fm cd new 66 outer chromeall glass is new side and back window have tint right in the glass and are tempered 55 t-bird gas tank in rear filled at original neck on cab a few changes all worth while oh yeah front and rear sway bars late model bronco

[jkimbrel65]

Nadine stock? Guess that make mine stock too!!

[Johnny Canuck]

Oh yeah and since I've had my '62, my stepfathers 1 year old $45,000 Dodge got stranded up in the mountains, needing a $700 tow job that the warrenty wouldnt cover, and was in the shop for over a week. The entire time I happily drove past his house every single day in my lil' ole 62 Ford Inline 6 So much for new trucks reliability

That D word after you said $45,000 is your first clue

[ICEMAN6166]

$45,000 is too much to spend for a vehicle that is depreciated as soon as you get the key to it.

for that $ i could have a big all metal shop with a concrete floor and in floor heat on the next lot over from ours and that includes buying the 35,000 square foot lot.thats a worthwhile investment of $45K.

[cdherman]

Ice -- in floor heat -- you should go for it. Rig up a wood fired boiler, run antifreeze in the system, some X-linked pex piping. Surely wood is cheap in AK, or are you over the tree line?

Just my idle thoughts. Wish I had dropped some pex into my slab, at least these days. Warm floor beats warm air.......

I forgot another modern feature -- the Pertronix setup. Doing well at 3 years......

[ICEMAN6166]

cd,
we have lots of wood, the treeline is several hundred miles north.
a friend built his shop/house on a slab with in floor heat.he made all his own steel trusses, the walls have 12" insulation,ceiling 24".shop is lower level, house is upstairs. he uses oil to heat the boiler, and has a small oil heater upstairs he rarely turns on.he used about 2 gallons a day in the coldest part of the winter.he spent a lot on insulation but it paid off.all that heat stays in and heat rises so its always warm upstairs.

he parks his f9000 diesel towtruck in the shop, when he needs to go on a towing job, he starts it up , pulls outside and in the time it takes him to close and lock the door is ready to leave.no block heaters, no glow plugs, just a warm shop.

[Shawn F.]

It sure would be nice to have all that money to build a shop with heated floors and a house on top. Heck, I could even have the shop with no house and still be happy and even sleep in the darned thing. :p[/u]

[ripsnorter]

heh that is precisely what I'm going to be doing

we have a 37ish foot trailer that we're living in at the moment, I'm building a 20x40 shop (broke ground on finally! woohoo!) which I'm going to be sleeping in and living in the corner of while miss ripsnorter gets the trailer (not properly miss ripsnorter yet)

Plans are actually to hopefully increase the shop to 40x140, but thats a year or two off if all goes well.

[castruck_1964]

Hmmm where do I start
full nascar style suspension including Penske shocks and Alcon 4wheel disc brakes
351windsor with richmond 6 speed trans
bucket seats, vintage air and stereo system