I thought I would post up a few pictures of a 65 I have had for a few years. Money has been tight but I am finally getting it going. I pulled the 240 out of it and will be installing a 302 in its place. I will try to drive and enjoy as is for now and get on with the bodywork and paint this fall. Here is a picture of it today. I also included some motivational pictures I got off of the internet of another 65. Jason
I am just outside of Jackson Ms.. I may be the 3rd owner. I got it from a nice couple that started working on it but gave up. The truck originally came from the La. Delta which is about an hour drive from here. I recently bumped into a family friend of the original owner. He recognized it by its unique back bumper which he said he welded and built for the guy. He said the original owner is still doing well and nobody there thought that he would ever sell the truck.
I spent a little while today pressure washing the 302 and the truck's undercarriage. The 302 was running good in my parts truck before I pulled it so I will give it a "spray can rebuild" before I drop it in.
I put the motor and transmission in the truck a few weeks ago. I need to finish the exhaust and to make a bracket so that I can mount the carburetor linkage to the intake manifold. My progress has stalled since it has been raining almost everyday this month!
I also have a coworker that is going to the Pate swap meet. He will be on the lookout for me some seat covers and hopefully the correct 65 F100 fender emblems.
I finished the throttle linkage and fired the truck up. I still have to install the radiator and clean up the wiring. The 65's engine and turn signal wiring harnesses are a mess. I have a 66 parts truck with good wiring that I hope to be able to swap into the 65. Are the turn signal and headlight harnesses the same between 65 and 66?
Below is a shot of the 65's interior. I will try to dye the console. If the dye don't work out I will just paint it when I paint the dash. Can anyone tell from the second photo if the hazard lights switch is factory or aftermarket?
The 65 and 66 harnesses should interchange. The 64 and earlier have different connections. That does not look like a factory flasher. As you get into the interior, the bronco parts houses have the right seat covers for the ranger/mustang seats. Great looking project to start with. I have a similar one but a long bed and a combined camper special/ranger package.
FLASHER SWITCH? I see the Ford clearance lamp [ICC] blink switch, which 'blinks' off your roof clearance lamps. Mine is located on the dash bezel [ both of my trucks/factory ] but you have a cc cluster and dealer or ? mounted it there. Your hazard switch should be to the left of the choke knob.
F7BIGJOB, that switch may be for the roof lights. I will have to get behind the dash soon and follow the wires to be sure. I installed the radiator and have been driving the 65 on my property. My co-worker had a good time at the Pate swap meet. He scored me some seat covers and dropped them off yesterday.
Somehow I managed to locally come across a nice straight set of chrome factory front and rear bumpers. I went ahead today and pulled most of the stainless, aluminum, and etc parts off of the truck. I will probably pull the bed off in a few days. I want the truck to be drivable for as long as possible so that will probably be it as far as tear down for a while. So far I have been pleased at the condition of the truck's body. The radiator core support has a little rust spot on the lower passenger side as seen in the picture. The cab floor and kick panels are rust free. I plan to put the shifter back on the column later in the build.
I have been fighting bronchitis this week but I did manage to get the bed off. I got lucky and all of the bed bolts came off easy but one. I got it cut off in no time with the electric saw.
I am still slowing chugging away on the truck. I removed the (2) cab roof lights and the accessory hood ornament. I then welded up and shaved the holes. The truck's body is in pretty good shape but does have its share of small dings here and there from being driven and used over the years. I will try to get the dings on the cab taken care of this month and get started on the bed next month.
orangeRcode, I have to pull the 3spd column out of my 66 parts truck soon. I am just not ready to deal with the wasps just yet!
390fastback, I feel for you guys up there. We have rust here also but it usually depends on how well the prior owners took care of them. Then we have the Katrina and gulf coast cars........
orangeRcode, here is a photo of the back bumper you asked about. It is the white metal one. It is hollow inside and made of heavy steel. The original owner had air fittings added and was used and as air tank. The top chrome bumper in the picture is what will be going back on the truck. I will try to get some better pictures of the truck up soon. Here is a photo of the driver's door where I had to do a little welding where the metal was somehow torn above the armrest. I added a little bit of body filler and am in the process of smoothing it out. I have repaired most of the little door dings on the truck's body. It looks like a spotted cow for now. Once I get everything block sanded I hope to start painting in a few weeks.