A friend of mine told me recently that he had purchased a '68 Ford truck. He said he wanted me to come by and take a look at it. I went over there and had a look at it this afternoon. Looks like he got a pretty fair deal to me. The truck has a little rust in all the normal places, but nothing too major. He was told the engine has about 50,000 miles on a rebuild (not sure what size the motor is yet). It definitely has a repaint (you can just see the original paint on the bottom of the hood in the engine picture). It's obvious that the seat was reupholstered. The body looks pretty straight, no major dings or dents. He told me that he wanted to fix it up for his 15 year old son to drive while he was in school. I told him anytime he wanted he could bring it over and I would show his son (and him) how to work on it. Looks like no power steering, manual brakes, and a three on the tree, all those things we love. We would welcome any comments or suggestions. I am going to forward this link to him and offer him a welcome from us, in hopes that one day both he and his son might join us here on this great forum. Thank you.

Now for the eye candy;

 

Nice find and a Ranger shortbed too. Decently unmolested.

It is equipped with an FE.. a 360 or 390. My bet is that it's a Y code designating a 360 assuming it is the same block that came with the truck. As a rebuilt unit, your guess is as good as mine whether it was rebuilt (same block) or replaced (swapped with a rebuilt unit). Visit this page and decode the warranty plate located on the driver's door. Decoding Your 1968 Ford Truck VIN - FORDification.com

I say clean it, detail it, and drive 'er.

Being a gearhead doesn't mean cutting and modifying - the basics start with attention to detail. To me, a well detailed stock vintage ride speaks volumes about the owner. Young 'uns will wanna drop and bag it to be with the "in" crowd. In my opinion, it takes more guts to leave it alone and only do minor, reversable upgrades. They'll also want to install a big-booming stereo but please resist the urge to cut metal door panels or any metal surface - he'll only regret it down the road. Instead, install a "high liner" that has built-in speaker holes. Custom Autosound makes vintage looking decks with modern electronics and have plugs for Ipods and Nanos.

In terms of safety, I recommend power disc brakes from Master Power Brakes (a kit) or the DIY way is to swap in the I-beams, radius arms, spindles, and discs from a Dentside. I'm early in the process of using 75 (booster and MC) and 78 (radius arms, springs, spindles, discs, calipers) components on my 70. I'm lowering mine using DJM I-beams and doing a rear spring hanger flip.

Parts Sources & Information:
National Parts Depot
Dennis Carpenter Reproductions
Mac's Antique Auto Parts
Blue Oval Truck Parts
John's F-Fun Hundreds (John's F-Fun Hundreds-Home)
LMC Truck
Summit Racing
Jeg's

 

My guess (if it's the original motor) is it's a 360. I'll have to get some more info off of it (the VIN #) the next time I am over there. I thought that I had read on here somewhere that there was a way to upgrade to disc brakes.

 

Yes there is: Power Steering & Disk Brakes 2wd 65-72 .: Articles

Or the write-up on Fordification: Installing Disc Brakes on Your 2WD Pickup - Pt. 1 - FORDification.com

... or both.

 

Looks good considering its age. And a ranger to boot. Nice find. I agree with the above. Keep it original, take care of the details, and drive it until the wheels fall off. Then put new ones back on and drive it some more.

Jim

 

Looks good......coming from another fellow 68'er!

 

I think he got a pretty good deal. As with any paint job, you can never tell what is hiding underneath. And for a vehicle of that age, the rust, the fact it was not a garage kept vehicle, and the normal maintenance issues are mostly what I think he is facing to get the truck in good working order and keep it running for another 40+ years.

 

Well done to the dad for getting his son started with such a great truck. Easy enough to work on and versatile enough to hang onto for the rest of his life. Looks like a great deal. Wish I could have found something that nice for my son.

Encourage them to join the forum. They will be a welcome addition to the group.

 

If you want your VIN and Warranty Plate codes decoded, there is no need to go elsewhere. I can decode all of it in less than 2 minutes.

Either post the info here or send it via P/M or email if you want privacy.

 

Nice looking Truck!!!

 

nice snag....... has potential for sure.....if,,, hes wanting to do a disc frontend, i have the complete swap, beams and all brand new with zero miles, beams stripped and repainted silver urethane, new kingpins and metal bushings, new bearings, new rotors, new calipers new hoses,and poly bushings, drag link and tierod ends for 400..... you can see them in my gallery, im in columbia sc so im not too far away....pm me if interested.. ill also throw in a power steering unit... im going another direction....

 

I just want to update. My friend is talking about wanting to sell this truck. Apparently his son and him were not into it as much as I thought they would be. I believe he told me that his son's grandparents ended up buying him a small Ford Ranger. I guess if there is enough interest in the sale of this truck I will ask him if I can post some contact info, or you could always pm me.



I just talked to him and he said it would alright to put his email address here. His name is Jon. JAustinSr@comcast.net

 

Are you sure this is a 1968? This is a 1969 Ranger only grille (C9TZ-8200-A). 1968's do not have the red paint in the center horizontal bar.

2nd pic shows head lamp doors, these are also 1969 Ranger only (C9TZ-13064-E right & C9TZ-13064-F left). 1968's do not have black paint surrounding the seal beams.

 

Lol numberdummy, I noticed that too. I also thought I saw a reflector under the rear tail lights which 68's don't have, but the 69 does. People always change things on these trucks after they own them for awhile, so they could have added the rear reflectors under the tail lights and the 69 grill possibly from a donor truck??? I even think the side rear body reflectors on the truck are upside down as well.

 

Lol numberdummy, I noticed that too. I also thought I saw a reflector under the rear tail lights which 68's don't have, but the 69 does. People always change things on these trucks after they own them for awhile, so they could have added the rear reflectors under the tail lights and the 69 grill possibly from a donor truck??? I even think the side rear body reflectors on the truck are upside down as well.