In 1986 my father died and I have had his 1975 Ford F150 Ranger since.
It has spent some years in storage and needs a lot of work like:
either a new engine or it rebuilt,
new tranny or rebuilt,
electrical,
plus a couple of other things.

It is going to be costly and extensive ?
I actually don't want it restored to stock, but rather a custom job.

Does any one have any idea what would be the best type of motor for this model?
Right now it has a standard Ford V-8. It doesn't have to be cherry, just a good motor. I am not entering it in any truck shows but I do want to bring it back to life again.

What are some ideas for a restoration job that I should know before I start ?

If anyone wants to know more they can ask me questions and I will respond. Would like someone I can correspond with about restorations.

 

Welcome to "Bring it back to life central" Does this thing run at all? When was the last time it was driven? What V-8? Why do you need a rebuilt or new tranny and engine? Generally after they sit awhile just change the fluids, some new ignition components, some fresh gas, and maybe a carb rebuild (if it has been years since it ran) to get it hummin again as long as the engine actually spins. As for best type of motor, what do you want to do with this truck? Tow/Haul, drag race????

 

It has been about 3 years since it last ran but we believe that the motor has froze up.
It needs a new or rebuilt engine because it has bad rings and it may need a new or rebuilt carburetor ,It isn't in great condition.

I need to have someone look at it to see what it really needs.

I know it needs a new or rebuilt tranny because it has faulty seals and I am not sure what shape the tranny is in now because of it sitting for so long.

It is the original engine and tranny.

It also needs new wiring because electrical parts don't work.

It has set for about 3 years in the elements in storage. It sat for a while before we had it worked on before that.

Also while in storage, some people we knew who had cars in storage too there might have stolen some parts off of it.
We don't know what shape it is in.

The motor won't turn at all and when we started it, it smoked because of bad rings. I am not sure of the brand name of the V-8. I am not too familiar with these kind of engines, but it was the original engine Ford put in it in 1975.
How can I tell what kind it is?

I want to restore it and drive it for personal enjoyment, also to haul things or move things for myself or people. Eventually after I get it hummin' again I want to get the outside looking good too. It is two-toned green and gold. I wish I had a picture but I don't. Maybe I could get some. It is in Sacramento now with my nephew who wants to work on it in his spare time. If he can't do anything I am going to have to have it brought back down here, but that means storage again - URGH!

The truck has been worked on by several incompetant mechanics through the years so who knows what they have done to it. I know it seems to be more trouble that it is worth, but it is the last physical piece of my father left. It still smells like him. It is the sentimental value of it too. One thing I love about it is that it has glass packs exhaust pipes and sounds tough. It also has a metal bar on the front where I can put a winch if I wanted to. When my father was alive he had an auxillary tank put on it, but I need to have that checked to see if the wiring still works.

The only other problem is that the latch in the tailgate was broken so the tailgate can't be opened. I may need to get it fixed somehow or get a new tailgate. It is also set up for a place where a toolbox once was.

Sorry so long. It just means that much to me. If you want to get back to me I would appreciate it. I can find out whatever you need to know about the truck. Thank You.

 

If the truck is an '75 F150 it could have 360, 390, or 460 V8. Probably a 360, maybe a 390 or least likely a 460. But it could be either of them. If you look under the hood on the valve cover you will see a sticker. That will tell you the engine size. If you aren't near the truck but know the vin number post the 4th digit. This will be the code for the engine size.
There are many options and different paths when fixing up one of these old trucks. It may take a few bucks just to get it roadworthy (i.e. tires, belts, hoses, brakes, etc.). But these trucks are fairly cheap as far as parts. As you move on to restoration of the engine, body, and interior things get a bit more costly. But it depends on how much you want to spend.
If it means a lot to you by all means hold on to it. And fix it up as time/money permits if this is the case. But as you are finding out, these trucks deteriorate rapidly when allowed to sit in the elements for a while.
Post us the engine code and we can start from there. Lots of help and information on here.

 

Man You got a long road ahead of you but just about every part you will need is available, someplace. I started with a truck that just ran good and leaked everything it could leak with a bed about to fall off. It's been 6 years and its no where near done or even looking good, but it's getting better, very slowly.

 

I remember that it has a 360 V-8 engine. It was also made for leaded fuel, but I heard that all leaded fuel did was act as a luberacant to seals and certain parts in the engine. Is that true? I have a nephew who turned an old truck engine of his into an unleaded fuel engine. If I had the engine rebuilt, would I have to put leaded additives into it? If you have any other questions I would love to answer them. Thank You.

 

a 75 should already be set up for unleaded gas, but if its not alls you have to do is have hardened valve seets put in it and get new valves, good luck

 

Your '75 will already have hardened seats for unleaded gas. The reason the '75 F150 was advertised as burning "leaded" fuel is because they came without catalytic convertors. The gross vehicle weight was over 6000 pounds and they weren't required by law to have convertors installed from the factory. They can burn leaded or unleaded. Pretty much all Ford engines after 1972 had "hardened" valve seats for unleaded fuel. If the motor needs rebuilding you may find that some/all of the valve seats need replacing anyhow.
I've heard that even most pre-'72 vehicles will run fine on unleaded. The exception being a vehicle that is driven hard (racing, heavy towing, tractors, etc.) My '71 LTD has had a diet of unleaded fuel for the past 15 years. And at 180,000 miles the untouched 390 still runs like a top.

 

I got a 69 351W in mine and I haven't had any problems with unleaded gas

 

It's tough to say how much you'll be looking at to restore to a good driveable, useable condition. I'm not sure how much an engine and tranny rebuild would be, but I'd say you're definitely looking at around $1500-2000 bucks if you can't do any of the work yourself. If you plan on getting it painted I'd let the person that paints it probably fix the tailgate problem. If it isn't a structural problem with the body the problem might show up when the tailgate is dissassembled to be painted. You can spend what you want with the truck for paint. $1000-$5000 depending on the shape of the body. It's tough to get a good paintjob these days on an older vehicle. I'd say if the body isn't rough you could get new paint for 2K. There's a ton of variables though........Tires...wheels.....interior.....I'm in the same situation as you....my grandfather bought mine in '76....then my dad had it in '85 'til he died in '99....I got it from my mom in 2002 and I've been working on it pretty hard and heavy since last year and I've dropped about $4K or more in everything...it's starting to come together. I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money. Like you said, it's probably one of the only physical things that you have left, and you can have a part of him live on with you.

 

I think it is awsome that you are going to fix your truck up that was your dads.I have many parts,your more than welcome to call with your needs.Ijust bought a very nice 75 f250 camper special extended cab two wheel drive,we also have 79 f150 4x4,78f250,79 f150 short box two wheeler.they are great trucks who cares how much it takes to fix them up and the gas milage.good luck to ya.

 

Hey! Im working on a 75 F-150 Ranger also that was my grandfathers. It sat for about 12 years. In the last few weeks I have replaced the water pump, master cylinder, alternator, battery, starter, solenoid, plugs, and plug wires. I cranked the motor by hand first and it turned fine. When I try to start it it just clicks. On the old starter there was small thin peice of metal that looked like a jumper maybe. The old starter was tested but only worked with that peice. Of course that is the only peice that I can't find now. No one seems to know what im talking about. My buddy is a mechanic and he said that this truck is different then all the other fords he looks at because there is a solenoid on the firewall and also one on the starter itself. Im hoping you know what im talking about, and maybe you have that part. The truck only has 60,000 original miles and was running perfect when it was parked. Im really frustrated!! Hope you can help.

 

It sounds like a ground for the starter solenoid. You could probably make one easy enough with some wire and a couple ring terminals.
I'm not sure why the 'solenoid' on the right fender is refered to as such. It is really a starter relay, but a soleniod is what everybody calls it. the actual starter soleniod is what sits atop the starer and engages the starter gear to the flywheel (or flexplate).

 

Thanks bro! According to everyone I have talked to and the F-150's I looked at at U Pull It my starter and the way it's wired is different than every other Ford starter.?.? Im not worried about it now seeing as how we got it to crank today. Woo Hoo!!!!! We did exactly what you said. We soldered a couple of ring terminals together and it did the trick. And believe it or not, several beers later, we got it to start with only 7 plugs...because my "mechanic" friend forgot to plug in the #1 plug. He was happy as **** with himself because it started as quick as it did and ran with only 7 plugs. Anyway, we need a little timing and we're good. AC is cold, heater is hot, and this is 16 years later. Im totally stoked!!!

 

Glad that worked out. I have found if you have fresh gas and a clean carb just about any engine will start even though it has sat for a long time.