Hi I am somewhat new to this forum and just wondering what everyone thought. I recently bought a 1957 ford f250 that was put on a what looks to be mid 60's 4x4 frame. I has a 351W which doesnt knock and runs good, could use some carb work and exhause. and rear main seal, the driveline is out of a 85 f150. The guy I got it from was a farmer, so he welded some stuff on to make it fit.( i have a divorced transfer case for it.) The truck overall is there but could use some body work as in front fenders. I doesnt have brakes cuz to be quite frank there is no brake booster or anything. Would I need to put one in to get the brakes working? and where is a good place to find body parts for this truck, i wanna make it into a nice old pickup. Any info would be great. I'm 18 and found this truck for 500 bucks. just looking for some info on these old trucks, nobody seems to appreciate them anymore. thankyou.

 

Welcome to this forum. Regarding your truck was it drivable at one time? The master cylinder sits on the firewall on driver's side. Those early trucks have a single resevoir master, I would recommend putting a dual one on for safety. Sheet metal is pretty sparce, but they do sell patch panels. Since it is a 57, only fenders from 57-58 will fit, 59-60 are different. They are pretty cool old trucks. One idea, if you run into a good parts truck, this could save in trying to find parts. Good luck and let us know how it is going.

 

So, is the front diff a solid axle or the independant "TSS" type that most 86s would have had? If it has a married T-case and you are keeping the engine/tranny, I'd stay with it. The only real advantage to a divorced one is the choice of engine/trannys if you want to do a swap but otherwise they hang down low and are a clearance problem and also expose the front driveshaft to damage.
Sounds like you have a good project. My advice to an 18 year old (if you are like most of us were at 18) is don't get carried away tearing stuff apart. It's 100 times easier to rip one apart than it is to rip it back together. Get it running and start with simple fixes and upgrades. And don't run out and spend a bunch of money on tires and wheels until it is ready to drive and needs them. OK, sermon over, glad to see you having a cool truck. I have access to some parts trucks so pm me if you need help with anything.

 

It has a solid closed knuckle dana 44, also a 1 ton rear axle outta a duelly. The motor in it is a 351W and runs good , my biggest concern was the brakes. could I get a booster and master cylinder from a 70-79? my plan was to make the front clip all one piece so it would be easy to work on. I'll post some pics so you guys can see what im working with, its not the prettyest truck. But she is a beauty to me. haha after all it is a wisconsin truck. I would like to get new quarter panels for it, and the panel below the grill, are those hard to come by?

Thx, Mike