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Thad in AR. 
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Arkansas
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 Topic: New project
Posted: 03 Dec 2024 at 7:29pm |
Jenny is quite impressed(NOT)  I bought a 1981 F250 4x4 It came off a ranch in Kansas. Cab is bad, no bed. Was a camper special and has front and rear stabilizer bars. Has a Dana 60 rear and Dana 44 front. I’ve found a very solid rust free 1979 F150 body I may buy to put on it. Haven’t decided yet. Always wanted to put a 66 body on one. 66 has a shorter wheel base and will require a frame shortening. Haven’t found a good 66 and look quite often. I’ve also found a very straight and clean 1983 body that will fit perfect with no alterations. I just prefer the older ones. I recently bought a new to me truck and don’t want to use it for work. I still have my 1983 F150 as well
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FloydKS
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: S E Kansas
Points: 8157
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Posted: 03 Dec 2024 at 7:55pm |
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Since you got it in Kansas, it has to be good... .. ... you could maybe make Jenny happier if you put the 'easier to put on' newer body which would give you more time to spend with her. Whatever you do...enjoy, that is why we do this stuff.
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Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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Posted: 03 Dec 2024 at 10:13pm |
Well, Thad,,,you ain't the only'ist one thats always wanting to make modifications that the trk Mfgrs should of made when they rolled em off the assembly lines,,,, I have had my eye on a 1976 short wide 4X4 with,,,,,with all the Race Track Trim and maybe even some extra pieces,,,, It had a bad 400 M with 4 speed and posi frt and rear. I stopped and visited with the guy and the sign across the Entrance gate said it was the R***** Ranch,,which happens to also be MY last name,,,AND I pulled my wallet and showed him and his 3 Brothers,,,Chit they all shook my hand as if we was kin,,,,!!!,  The brothers kept bugging the younger dude to sell it to ma as he was not ever gonna finish it...!! The dude took my number and said he would call me when he made his mind up. All that chrome is like new and has great polish He had taken out the 400M and had set a diesel from a Dodge trk abut hasn't touched it again in over a year,,,Maybe,,,,maybe,,,,??
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Greg (Hillsboro, OH)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Hillsboro, OH
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Posted: 04 Dec 2024 at 6:25am |
Do the easy swap for now, retaining frame wo mods. So if and when you find a 66 body to put on it, you don't have other issues to modify a second time. Do the easy, and then keep on lookout for the ultimate body later.
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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Posted: 06 Dec 2024 at 8:01am |
I always liked the 65 and 66 body style as well,,,, A guy here in town has an orange one with a pretty stout 351W,,,and I love to hear that thing with the old style solid lifters and a lumpy cam,,,just love the clattering lifters,,,, I think he likes the clattering too as he leaves em at about .030,,!!
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Ted J
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Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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Posted: 06 Dec 2024 at 10:31am |
Just remember Thad,,,,,,,,,,if Mama's happy, everybody's happy. I'd go with whatever you decide....
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"Allis-Express"
19?? WC / 1941 C / 1952 CA / 1956 WD45 / 1957 WD45 / 1958 D-17
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
Points: 22722
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Posted: 06 Dec 2024 at 10:48am |
no.. if mama's happy , ONLY she is happy... YOU ,just have to grin and bear it.... I have 11,001 reasons why I said this.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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Posted: 06 Dec 2024 at 12:09pm |
 jaybmiller wrote:
no.. if mama's happy , ONLY she is happy... YOU ,just have to grin and bear it.... I have 11,001 reasons why I said this.
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Thad in AR.
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Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 07 Dec 2024 at 6:11am |
Momma ain’t happy with old trucks in the yard. She don’t think I get enough carpentry work during the week. She thinks I should do house projects on my time off. But then when she works on the road I seem to get led astray to some ole hillbilly place with some old junk trucks.
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DMiller
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
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Posted: 07 Dec 2024 at 9:43am |
There is NO Way Out of that!!!
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Tbone95
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Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 07 Dec 2024 at 11:15am |
jaybmiller wrote:
no.. if mama's happy , ONLY she is happy... YOU ,just have to grin and bear it.... I have 11,001 reasons why I said this.
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Jay you just need to work on your mindset. Learn to see less miserable as more happy. You’ll be happier! 
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Thad in AR.
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Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 11 Dec 2024 at 5:44am |
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I been giving the cab on this ole Ford a good lookin over.
I’ve been looking at replacement floor pans as well.
I think it’s worth saving.
I need to clean it better and take a wire brush to it to see how bad the rust actually is.
Anybody experienced in floor pan replacement?
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plummerscarin
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
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Posted: 11 Dec 2024 at 6:20am |
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I'm not. But there is a YouTube channel by Kevin Tetz that covers a lot things like this. His current project is a Camaro but there are a lot if takeaways from it.
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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Posted: 11 Dec 2024 at 7:55am |
Well,,Thad,,I followed ole DMiller's restoring of his Ford trk on here not too long ago,,,,. It became quite extensive when he kept finding more and more rusted panels and that should be a something you would want to know beforehand if possible. I've done it before and it does involve LOTS of work in cutting, FITTING, trimming,,,more trimming and welding and finishing,,,but since you got lots of free time,,,,, 
Edited by desertjoe - 11 Dec 2024 at 7:56am
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ekjdm14
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Joined: 20 Aug 2024
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Posted: 11 Dec 2024 at 11:16am |
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Or alternatively, you could give Dalton at Pole Barn Garage a watch. That guy's a consummate professional when it comes to doing it wrong, right... (TEK screws & license plates are heavily involved). That'd get it to where you could get some use out of it & decide whether the underpinnings are worth proper repair/cab swap or just trade on as a beater/project.
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tadams(OH)
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Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Location: Jeromesville, O
Points: 10236
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Posted: 11 Dec 2024 at 12:38pm |
Yes, I got mine from LMC.com truck parts
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Thad in AR.
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Location: Arkansas
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Posted: 13 Dec 2024 at 8:26pm |
tadams(OH) wrote:
Yes, I got mine from LMC.com truck parts
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Looks like a pain in the tail but I think I’m going to go for it. What did you put on the underside when you were done?
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tadams(OH)
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 8:22am |
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I think I got some undercaoting in spray can
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DMiller
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 8:44am |
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Replacing Floor pans requires bracing the internal cab structure to proper square, then cut away the old stuff. Welding them in takes patience as MUST tack at cross points LIGHTLY but enough to hold then weld in stitch patterns at intervals to not warp the entire panel or attached to panels.
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Steve in NJ
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 8:53am |
Joe, you have it good wit' them ole Desert no rot bodies. Around here, nothin' can survive ole' Mother Nature. Everything rusts and goes back in the Earth. Anytime I look for a new project, its always a Western vehicle. AZ. CA. NM. Love them dry Western bodies wit' no rot. Out East here they sell Bondo in the 55 gallon drum...... LOL! Jo Jo's 55' T-Bird is from Fresno, our 31 Victoria is from AZ. and the 26' T Coupe was also from AZ. The 67' Nova Wagon was a Garage find in PA. Sat in a nice dry garage for 35 years. Got lucky finding that one! Still has the original interior in it. One little rip in the drivers seat about a half inch long. Yup! Just can't beat them Western old cars!!
Steve@B&B
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39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
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Posted: 14 Dec 2024 at 9:18pm |
Hey Steve,,,It Really Great to hear from you,,,!! Yeah,,my 55 Belair HDTP (2 of them) are perfect examples. When I bought the Santa Fe car, it was originally from Chicago and had been taken to Santa Fe just shortly before I bought it . My fault I did not crawl under it for a closer look,,,til I got it home,,and I was so friggin sick of all the rust that I shelved it for 4 years looking for a better candidate,,,then one day I was driving around in Carlsbad, NM and there behind a transmission shop there was this 2 door HDTP just waiting for ole Joe,,,,!! I thought,,"What the hell" and went and asked if it was for sale. The guy could not believe I wanted to buy it as he was fixing to haul it to the dump,,,!!! He tells me he will take $100 for the body as it was an ex drag racer with no seats, engine or tranny or hood,,BUT,,,,BUT,,,there was not a speck of rust anywhere,,I mean anywhere,,!! The car was originally from Arizona and had every option available including A/C, P/S, P/B, P/W and Easy Eye glass all around. Heck of a difference where those cars spend their lives in all the snow,,,and SALT,,,,!! You take care of yourself and Ms Jo Jo,,,
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: 15 Dec 2024 at 7:23pm |
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I cleaned out the cab on the project truck today.
The rust is fairly serious.
I was hoping to not get in to the rockers or firewall. Both have bad spots along with the floors.
I’m going to keep looking at cabs.
I have a 66 in mind still.
Edited by Thad in AR. - 23 Dec 2024 at 5:48am
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: 23 Dec 2024 at 5:56am |
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I took a drive to Grandview Arkansas yesterday.
A 79 Ford truck followed me home.
I’ve given this project lots of thought.
I live looked at several 65/66’s I’ve looked at a lot of 73-79’s.
After much consideration I decided on a 73-79.
I’ve looked at several that were just plane junk.
I saw this one on market place and went to have a look.
The bed is junk but the cab is very nice. By far the best cab I’ve seen.
The project may end up with a flatbed.
All depends on what I find between now and then.
I need to get rid of my WC project to make room for this project. Anybody need an unstyled WC project?
I have a whole lot of hours invested in it but it needs to go.
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 23 Dec 2024 at 6:55pm |
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don’t cut the floors out or take the doors off till you’ve put new rockers on. Get the rockers and inner rockers and cab corners if needed tacked in first make sure the doors open and close correctly with good gap then cut the floors and section new cab mounts in. It’s not that hard just time consuming. Use as much of the original metal as you can. Cut to close lay over then cut both in short sections and but weld. Grind and seal.
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: 24 Dec 2024 at 4:58am |
Dakota Dave wrote:
don’t cut the floors out or take the doors off till you’ve put new rockers on. Get the rockers and inner rockers and cab corners if needed tacked in first make sure the doors open and close correctly with good gap then cut the floors and section new cab mounts in. It’s not that hard just time consuming. Use as much of the original metal as you can. Cut to close lay over then cut both in short sections and but weld. Grind and seal. |
Good 👍 information The new cab I bought is rust free. I was able to pull the carpet and look close as well as get under it for a close look. Gonna be plenty of fab work to make it fit well.
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: Yesterday at 5:35am |
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First progress on the project.
Last weekend I bought the 79 ford f150 2x4.
Has a clear title and very solid cab. Bed is junk.
I got home early on Friday so I worked on the 81.
I got the front clip off .
Fenders, doors, hood core support all removed.
Saturday I missed some drywall then went after the 81 again. Got the wiring all unhooked, steering unhooked , removed and saved rear window, removed and saved the steering column and got the cab unbolted and ready to remove.
I then went to the 79 and removed the seat and carpet and cleaned it out. The cab is very nice.
I’m glad I went this route.
It’s still on my trailer. We’ve had lots of rain and the yard is a swamp.
Next chance I get I’ll start pulling the front clip off of the 79 and getting the cab ready to pull.
When the weather clears I need to take my high-crop C and WC project out of the shop and give the shop a good cleaning.
Then the 81 running gear and 79 cab can go in the shop to work on it.
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desertjoe
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Posted: Yesterday at 6:10am |
HEY GOOD BUDDY,,,,Dang,,you up and at em early,,ain't you,,?? Well,,at least you got a Nice shop for working on them classics. Have you got any bites on the WC? Did you have it when I was last up there,,? I'ma gonna give you a call in the next day or so,,,Take care,,,!
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: Yesterday at 7:02am |
desertjoe wrote:
HEY GOOD BUDDY,,,,Dang,,you up and at em early,,ain't you,,?? Well,,at least you got a Nice shop for working on them classics. Have you got any bites on the WC? Did you have it when I was last up there,,? I'ma gonna give you a call in the next day or so,,,Take care,,,! |
No shop to work in yet and no bites on the WC. I need to paint the rear wheels and put the tires back on it. Then I guess I need to buy front tires and tubes for the front. They’ll cost more than it will bring.
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desertjoe
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Posted: Yesterday at 7:21am |
The Marketplace has a big audience in your neck of the woods and should be a good bet you can locate some good usable caissons good enough just for sale of the WC.
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Thad in AR.
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Posted: Yesterday at 7:46am |
desertjoe wrote:
The Marketplace has a big audience in your neck of the woods and should be a good bet you can locate some good usable caissons good enough just for sale of the WC. |
A good idea.
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