I began using some property my grandfather has to store vehicles (projects, cars we bought to part out, etc) and noticed this truck he had sitting there. 1968 F350 DRW, 360, NP435.

Thieves stole the flatbed, one rocker arm assembly, all the bolts from the carb (but not the carb itself) the exhaust, the oil drain plug, both master cylinder nuts (?) the alternator (and wiring) and pulled (but didn't steal) the radio, steering wheel and blower motor.

This post is as I found it, hood up and all.











Yeah, I fixed up the trailer too

 

So I decide I can make it run. Not planning a restoration or anything, I just knew where I could get a 390 and figured I'd use it to push cars around on the property if I could fix it cheap.

Then grandpa starts talking about painting the engine bay. Then power steering Then disc brakes. Powder coating the wheels and snap rings. Calls me up one day and suggests Cherry Bombs and stacks for exhaust... We're going build a nice truck out of this

So one day a week for the past three weeks we've worked on it. This post contains Days 1 (motor pull) 2 (clean/prime engine bay) and 3 (paint engine bay and sit around discussing plans for truck)











Grandpa climbed in the engine bay and did all the prep work.

 

cool, have fun

 

Did that motor even turn over? I've seen some bad engines, but that one looks like every moving part was froze up! Yikes!

Sounds like theives in your neck of the woods have unusual tastes, a flatbed? Rocker arm?? Carb bolts??? Oil drain plug???? Sounds like that thief had some problems in the head! You might check the suspension and such to make sure he didn't take the nuts/bolts out of any of that!

Sam

 

No chance it would turn over I bet. Even the chain was frozen solid.

Thieves also took the rear window from our '77 F600, and the PTO driven hydraulic pump from it.

Needless to say, I'll be going over every inch of the truck. It's getting all new suspension and brakes anyway.


Yesterday I had a aerosol can of Rangoon red mixed. Gonna paint the firewall this week.

Also dropped the recently rebuilt 390 off at the machine shop, going to have him do a few oil mods, clean the block/head castings for pain, and glassbead the intake, valve covers, and timing chain cover. It's going to be gorgeous in blue in the fresh black engine bay in a week or two

 

Picked up some Rangoon red to do the firewall with, and some primer/Ford Blue/Clear coat for the engine. Also snagged a bunch of body work stuff, funny hammers, Bondo, dent puller, etc. We're going to fix the slight damage to the top of the cab. Hopefully, we'll find a door and a hood soon.

We're ordering everything we can conceivably think of today (minus body parts) so I'll have it running in no time. I have a feeling once it's running, grandpa might just have it painted. We'll also recover the seat, and buy a flatbed for it.

Next week I hope to have power steering, and the week after that disc brakes. Only after that will the motor go in...

 

This week we painted the firewall Rangoon Red and the following day clear coated it.



I picked up almost every part I can think of for this project (mechanically) except rotors (those arrive tomorow)

Also mock-installed the shifter boot I got, which I actually really like given that it only cost ~$9.



I also started tearing down my '79 I-Beams for the disc swap. Can't wait to get them cleaned up and installed.

No day off this week (lost a employee last week we're all working OT) so progress will be little. Grandpa plans to spend a hour or two a day doing whatever he can, he wants to tape off some of the engine bay and clean up the paint near the firewall, got a little red on the black.

I plan to get the ibeams apart, and clean and paint them (using rubber undercoating) before I replace the bushings and install them.

Grandpa also had me order a radiator for my '69 Mustang. Thats going to help get it running asap...

 

You work fast! That truck is coming together pretty nicely.

Looks like you have a few other projects in the background, is that a crew-cab I see in there?

Sam

 

You are doing some great work there!

 

Progress has been stalled looking for two parts.

Need a motor mount pedestal for a FE w/ power steering and I need front hubs from a '75-79 DRW F350.

Probably some other small stuff, but I want to do disc brakes and power steering before I start installing the engine.

I have a few, yeah. That CrewCab has been crushed, the rust was so bad, there was no chance of saving it. It was also on a '79 frame. I tore what would be useful for the '68 off it (and anything people might need) and crushed it.

I also have a '69 Mustang (under restore) and a '70 Mustang. Amongst other less interesting stuff.

Thanks. I've been working on my '69 Mustang or years, it's pretty easy to make major progress when someone else foots the bill.

 

I got lucky, and snagged a disc front end from a '78 F350 DRW locally on craigslist. Tomorrow I'll tear it down and maybe have the kingpins replaced (already have new ones)

I'd like to spend the whole day working on it, but I also encountered a '86 F350 CC DRW while picking up the front end. I want to go pick it up, and then swap my '85s 460 into it.... yea....

I also found out that my 390 has a cracked block. So now I'm hunting for a block with a good STD bore...

 

More photos-

Exciting news from the machine shop-


Little glass beading looks nice-


Lots of parts-

 

Bummer about the block.

It looks like the the FE accessory parts cleaned up nice.

I have to say you've got one impressive collection of new parts there!

 

Block is a Aluminum Head Welders in Auburn, WA to be repaired. We'll see how this turns out, but my machine shop recommends them...

Still need to get the heads apart to be hot tanked. The keepers just don't want to come out....

I ordered the motor mount pedestals online, I probably overpaid but I was in a hurry. Tomorrow I will order the long tube headers, probably a set of Hookers it looks like, and a set of 50" chrome exhaust stacks.

Minor progress- but it made me feel good...



And yeah, I clear coated the cap

 

Looks nice! Looks like you did a bit more professional job on your master cylinder, I just coated mine with grease off the oil pan! But hey, it works good, and keeps the rust away! And it was free of course!

By the way, do you live around auburn? I live just 40 minutes away, I used to have family there.

And just out of curiosity, what do the brake rotors look like on that truck? I've heard they have a large spacer/adapter cast in for the extra deep dish on the dually rims, but I've never actually seen one.

Sam