The 66 Ford F100

Derr5151

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So as you all know, I'm selling the DV-72 to fund part of the purchase of a classic truck. I have not decided on what one. Most likely a mid 60's F100 or Chevy C-10, I have no allegiance to either. I wen't and test drove it today. My thoughts and pics to follow. Hopefully you guys can chime in on some things that I should have been looking for. I have no experience with classic cars, but I did stay at a holiday inn last night so..... I will be learning alot if i do decide to buy one. Plus i live on a Army base with access to a great DIY car shop on base. My intent with this would be to have a fun weekend cruiser that i can work on and learn, pick up my wood from the lumber yard. I will not be doing a 20K restore or anything crazy like that so keep that in mind.

Here is the details:
2 owner Farm truck from NJ
66 Ford F100 Long bed
240 Inline 6
has aprox 115k
3 on the tree
Says its all orig.

I have never driven a vehicle with no power steering or brakes. Yikes, gotta stop early thats for sure. Truck is very basic which is good i guess, no ac no radio. At some point it has had some paint work done to it. Orig it was a sahara tan color i think. Based off of the VIN Code. Paint and outside body work looks pretty good. a small bit of bubbling around the roof tops. Like with guitars you never think about what you wanna take pics of until you get home. Plus i felt a little uncomfortable poking around to closely. Its like taking the neck, bridge and pick-guard off a vintage tele or start to check dates, unless your ready to pull out the cash after it checks out its kinda taboo. Truck started right up, ran well. I took it for a spin around the block no issues with the 3 speed. Didn't stall it out so that was good. All i could think about was i hope i don't have to stop quickly. Had some rust on the floor pans. I would probably need to replace those at some point. The interior had to have been repainted as well and seems to be in good shape. Im sure you guys can spot some signs of shotty work, if they are there. From what i have read these trucks are great because they are easy to work on, parts are plenty, and the interior is small.

Any tips on pricing, he is asking 5k or best offer.
And now for the pictures
Thanks for looking and for any feedback!








 

S100

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Looks pretty nice. Is the long bed your preference?
 

davismanLV

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Pretty bare bones but then 66 was a long time ago. It's a really nice looking truck, but.... I'm out of my depth here. You were considering a Chevy too? A specific one or ..... ??
 

Derr5151

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No preference on long vs short. I was looking at the Chevys as well. I love the look of the wood beds in the Chevys.
 

gilded

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Negative review from a man who has lost a lot of money on old trucks:

The paint looks nice (now), but I can't imagine that a New Jersey truck wouldn't have significant rust issues under that non-factory color paint job. From the firewall color, I would guess the truck was originally white. I can also see what looks to white paint on the front side of the bed in one pic (look between the edge of the bed and the body in a pic of the right side of the truck in the first pic) . Bubbling? That ain't good, means it wasn't prepped right. If the floor pans have trouble there's a lot more going on in the bottom of the doors and the fenders and the body. The more I look at the truck, the more surface rust I see, on door hinges, the ash tray, metal in the engine bay.

If it literally stayed on a farm, it wouldn't have salt-from-the-road-in-winter-rust-issues, but it wouldn't be that straight body wise. Doesn't look like they worked the truck. From your photo, the bed was originally red. So, maybe the bed is straighter than the body, because they replaced a beat-up bed!

115,000 miles? Really, on a 48 year old truck? Somebody only drove it 2,300 miles a year? I doubt it, man.

I think you're buying a 1-2 year old $1500 paint job on a $1500 truck. That paint ain't gonna look so good in a couple more years.

For value, look at completed and sold items on eBay for 1966 Ford F100 and see what they are really going for. Sure, some go for more, but a lot of trucks in better shape than the one you have pics of are going for less. Try and get a rust-free truck from the South, South-West, or California. They are out there, brother.

By the way, short wheel base trucks sell for more and are easier to sell! Long wheel base trucks ride better, though.

Chevys? I like 'em, but they get rusty, too. See all of the above. You want a great truck? Start with something original and build it.

Good luck!
 

charliea

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What gilded said. That thing's got some rust. On the other hand, it's a truck. I drove a '64 stepside swb for years. Had a 223 in it. I would expect the 223, or maybe a 262 in the truck. Wonder if the 240 is original? It was a good ride, and actually would stop. You just had to push down hard. The only weak link I remember was the steering box. They tend to fail, though not catastrophically. You feel it coming. The truck you're looking at has a nice, clean one so maybe he's already been to the junk yard, and saved you the trouble of replacement.
 

Bikerdoc

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First off; While I'm partial to the '56 Ford F100, I personally like the truck. As for the mileage, it's possible that a farm truck (if that's what it truly is) wouldn't be loaded with mileage. You'll find that rust around the doors will be the worst pain and will require the most work; finding the extent of the rust, cutting out, welding, patching, etc. The good thing is that rust can't migrate to the bed. I don't think the underside (frame included) looks all that bad. You can replace the bed for around $2,500 if you think it needs it ( I do). I'd take it off to really inspect it and the frame. You can easily restore the frame if the bracing is alright. If you or a friend can weld the bracing fix wouldn't be difficult or expensive. The frame then needs to be coated with a POR-15 restoration coating (great products). Once the bed is off check it over really good. I didn't see a pic of the wheel wells but I suspect by the looks of the outside you're going to find some rust. Minimal you can work with but it would be best to simply replace the bed. The underside and wheel wells of a new bed should also be coated with a POR restoration coating. And whether or not you touch up paint or completely paint, a coating of POR prior to painting is advisable.
I would conservatively say:
Replace the bed......$2,500.00 (including paint job)
Frame restoration......$400.00
Rust around doors and interior pans, firewall etc........$1,500.00
A decent but not necessarily first class paint job of the cab..........$1,000.00
So conservatively I'm thinking around $5,000 in a restoration that will give you that decent looking week-end cruiser.
Then there's the mechanic end of it......don't let the original motor scare you. It's an easy motor to keep running if the block isn't cracked. Still, easy as it may be, I'd count another $800.00 to be sure.
You don't want a 20 grand restoration, right? I've been conservative but you could be looking at 12 to 15 grand plus the cost of the truck. I'm thinking the guy will probably get $5 grand from someone for that truck. But if you really want to do a project I'd offer no more than $3,500. Or, you can check out this site: Hope you get what you want. I know I'll not get that 56 Ford I want but I've got motorcycle priorities ya know?

http://www.oldride.com/classic_trucks/ford_f100.html
 

Scratch

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Vintage Ford pickups are the rage around here, and as Harry mentioned, the short-bed version is in high demand. An Internet journey to eBay motors is in order!

Good luck in your quest and thanks again for your service.
 

JohnW63

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I don't do paint and body, so rust scares me. Perhaps too much around the bottom of the door openings for me. As clean as the outside looks, the engine bay LOOKS a lot older. I'd say someone did a freshen up paint job not long ago, and the rust is showing through again. 5K seems high to me, but I don't know the market for that truck.
 

NEONMOONY

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I've had a few old cars and trucks and I'm with Gilded. When you are looking at a vehicle that old, you really have to look HARD. Don't let the outside shiny blind you to what is really there. You are not looking at something new where you expect the resale value to drop soon as you get it. Can you sell it for what you pay for it? A word of advice form my horse trader relatives, you need to be able to walk away form it if it is too much. Don't fall in love with it before you've haggled or you'll pay too much.
 

rampside

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Over-all, that truck looks pretty good. Looks straight and solid and all the body parts line up well. Very basic and easy to work on and you have a great place to do your tinkering.
Sometimes, less is more when it comes to old trucks. If you're gonna' drive it and use it, it doesn't seem to need more than some fairly easy fixes and cleaning up. Of course, this is coming from someone up here in rust country. Price wise? Don't know what the market is where you are, but find out what he's willing to take. Might be a good truck to start with if you can get back what you have into it.
 

Derr5151

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He was asking 5000I made him an offer of 3500 which he accepted. I should be picking it up today or tomorrow. Looking at ebay sold listings and some other sites I thought it was a fair price. Its not gonna be a show truck, but a great opportunity to drive something fun and usefull for picking up stuff. Good excuse to gain an understanding on classic car stuff. Plus have you priced a new truck lately? The prices are insane.
 

Ross

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Love those older pickups. Don't know Fords, but I had a late 60s Chevrolet 3/4 ton (C-20 I believe). Wooden plank bed, 292 6-cyl engine, 3-speed. Solid & reliable, despite plenty of rust (this was in Montreal, where rust is a given in any used vehicle). Bought it in '76, packed everything I owned in it when I moved west in '78, sold it in '80 for almost what I paid for it.

Whatever you choose, enjoy!
 

Geo

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Here's my new truck.

1953 Chevy 3100. I traded a 1957 Harley for it.

53Chevy_zpsfff12087.jpg


1953chevy2_zpsa8b399f9.jpg


1953chevy1_zps7982d8a0.jpg


George
 

adorshki

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He was asking 5000I made him an offer of 3500 which he accepted. I should be picking it up today or tomorrow. Looking at ebay sold listings and some other sites I thought it was a fair price. Its not gonna be a show truck, but a great opportunity to drive something fun and usefull for picking up stuff. Good excuse to gain an understanding on classic car stuff. Plus have you priced a new truck lately? The prices are insane.
Dang, got here late. Was gonna say "Always find the best body you can because that's where the most money gets spent if it needs fixing."
Was also gonna suggest some good television to get more "education":
Check out in particular some episodes of "Fast'n'Loud" (Gas Monkey Garage) just to get an idea of some of the surprises these guys run into on what they think are good candidates for restorations and hardcore hot-rodding, they do a fair amount of trucks. Richard loves '60's Fords.
Another good set of TV shows is on "Spike Channel" on Sunday mornings, the "Power Nation" block of 3 shows aimed directly at the do-it-yourselfer. Just a lot of good tips and insights, I watch it just 'cause I'm a gearhead. Stacey David's "Gearz" and "Two Guys Garage" on Maverick channel feature a lot of truck builds too.
Even the car build episodes shows have lots of generic bodywork and brakes/suspension tips.
What makes those older vehicles so desirable is that almost anything can be fabricated in a worst-case scenario, compared to all the plastic and electronic boxes found in modern machines.
I used to be a hard-core "factory stock" kind of guy, but I'm a lot mroe sympathetic to the "resto-mod" concept now, where reliability and driveability upgrades like modernized ignitions (or even whole engines) and disc brakes and suspension upgrades are added to machines that retain their vintage bodywork.
Congrats and good Luck!
 

dapmdave

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Sounds like you will not be bored over the next year or so. Broke, maybe. But not bored (a joke, son).

Back in the day I had a '66 C-10 SWB with a 327 (325 hp) in it. Cool truck. The only thing holding back was the three-on-the-tree. Man, those glass packs would rumble.

I lived in Alabama at the time, so having a truck was kind of mandatory.
 

Scratch

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He was asking 5000I made him an offer of 3500 which he accepted. I should be picking it up today or tomorrow. Looking at ebay sold listings and some other sites I thought it was a fair price. Its not gonna be a show truck, but a great opportunity to drive something fun and usefull for picking up stuff. Good excuse to gain an understanding on classic car stuff. Plus have you priced a new truck lately? The prices are insane.

Tinkering around in the garage is a great way to pass the time. Congrats and have fun!
 
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