1968 F250 Project

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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by 1968-f250 »

flyboy2610 wrote:Nice job on that bed repair! :thup:
That truck is going to look sweet when it's all finished. Then all the girls are going to want a ride......... :wink:
Thanks! I sure can't wait until a coat of blue paint is on it.
lennyp wrote:Keep up the good work. Looks great!
Thanks!
hfdco4 wrote:Great work there, keep it up and you will be driving it in no time.
I recently applied for the title in my name and for the plates, so it's all up to how fast the DMV can get me them. Knowing them, probably 3-4 weeks :cuss:
Jacksdad wrote:
1968-f250 wrote:It's slowly getting there, and I hope to have it painted for the Iola Old Car show in July. The theme this year is trucks and dodge chargers, so I would be able to park in the show for free.
Really? Got one of each - my '71 F350 and a '67 Charger. Shame it's 2100 miles away :o

Truck's looking great :thup:
Awesome! I really wish I owned a charger. My favorite year is the 69, but I'm a little biased since my dad had three of them over the years. I wish a would have been around at the time to stop him from getting rid of them. :cry: I actually entered in the show under the old car young driver class, but I still think it is neat that they chose to have a theme about trucks instead of just the usual muscle cars. I've been going there since I was six, and it's really a good time, especially when you can run a swap site.
Busboy wrote:I had a very similar dent in the side of my bed in the exact same place. I ended up cutting an access hole in the inside of the bed. I then was able to pound the dent out with a 4 inch wide brick chisel and a hand sledge. Nothing else worked due to the high crown of the area and the thickness of the metal. I thought about going your route but I think my method was a little less work.
The largest issue with the dents that I had was the fact that they had pushed the body line really far down from where it should have been. Even if the dents would have came out, it would have taken a crap ton of filler to look presentable. Since I had the original box available, I figured we might as well use it for something before it gets scrapped.
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

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Well, I got all of the lights working again. It took me about an hour to figure out that the dimmer switch needed to be in for the headlights to work. :cuss: Not my finest moment... :doh:

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-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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hfdco4
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by hfdco4 »

Looking good, get those front marker lights working and you will be good to go.
Paul
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1970 F250 4x4
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Gone 1997, 1999 & 2003 F150 4x4s
Gone 1988, 1989 & 1991 Broncs
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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by 1968-f250 »

hfdco4 wrote:Looking good, get those front marker lights working and you will be good to go.
Thanks, and the marker lights do work, they only go on when the headlights are off. Is that different from everyone else?
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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flyboy2610
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by flyboy2610 »

1968-f250 wrote:
hfdco4 wrote:Looking good, get those front marker lights working and you will be good to go.
Thanks, and the marker lights do work, they only go on when the headlights are off. Is that different from everyone else?
Nope, that's how they work on these old trucks. Someone did a modification on them to keep them on whenever the headlight switch is on, but I can't find that post now. IIRC, it's just a matter of adding a jumper wire to the headlight switch, but I could be wrong about that.
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Red Green

If you're going to live like there's no hell...............
you'd better be right.
http://theworldasiseeit-flyboy2610.blog ... ee-it.html
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

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Well guys, I guess it is time for an update. I'ts been a little crazy trying to get the truck ready for the show this coming weekend. I've know for a few weeks that it wouldn't be in paint for the show since there was such little time to get stuff done on the truck with my work schedule and other things that got in the way, and I didn't want to rush it and mess up. The truck will be in primer for the show, which is about halfway done with the cab done and the box in progress. As of now, it is only rattle can, but when it comes time to paint a spray gun will be used. Here's some in progress shots of the primer.

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After my dad and I spent most of the day yesterday filling dents on the roof, I was able to shoot the rest of the cab in primer. They must have dropped everything they could think of on that roof when it was on the farm. :cuss: There were dents everywhere, and I know a few of them were from hay bales.

I also got the mirrors mounted, and the dual antennas that I've wanted to put on the truck. I think they look really good along with the marker lights. Looks like a real truck now! 8)

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I ran into a snag with registration, because we titled the truck in my name, and since I am a minor, the application needed to be notarized. We didn't know this at the time, so now, a month later, I got a letter saying there was an issue. It would have been nice to have gotten a call instead of a few weeks being wasted. If all goes well, my dad can pick up the plates at the DMV with a copy of the application and a signed statement from me authorizing him to take the plates from the DMV office. Soo many hoops to jump through. :roll: At least I'm getting closer to driving it.

I hope this will still leave me enough time to drive the truck and work out any bugs before we take it on the two hour drive to the car show. But, depending on the weather we might not go. The forecast shows rain for the whole week and weekend, which would not be enjoyable for the show. I guess it's all in the hands of the weather and the DMV. :doh: That's not a promising statment! :lol:
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
zmonster72
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by zmonster72 »

Looking good and almost done! Good job saving the old girl.
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by flyboy2610 »

Rain wouldn't be real good for the primer, either.
Love the antennas on the truck. I did the same thing with Frodo:
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The antenna is a 4' fiberglass wire wound antenna. It's raked forward like it is so that going down the road the antenna will be nearly vertical. CB antennas are most efficient when they are vertical, so if you find that yours don't seem as efficient at highway speed as they are at rest, that's why.
For a CB, may I recommend the old classic standby, the Cobra 29:
https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/29-wx-nw-st
It's what I had in my Freightliner.
I no longer have those mirrors on him. I found that it is VERY easy for a vehicle coming down a side street to become hidden behind those mirrors, to the point that you don't even know it's there until you hear the "CRUNCH!!"
Be careful and double and triple check both sides when coming up on an intersection.
I'm sure your dad will remember this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VN54M1OXA
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Red Green

If you're going to live like there's no hell...............
you'd better be right.
http://theworldasiseeit-flyboy2610.blog ... ee-it.html
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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by 1968-f250 »

zmonster72 wrote:Looking good and almost done! Good job saving the old girl.
Thanks! I sure can't wait until it has paint on it.
flyboy2610 wrote:Rain wouldn't be real good for the primer, either.
Love the antennas on the truck. I did the same thing with Frodo:
Image

The antenna is a 4' fiberglass wire wound antenna. It's raked forward like it is so that going down the road the antenna will be nearly vertical. CB antennas are most efficient when they are vertical, so if you find that yours don't seem as efficient at highway speed as they are at rest, that's why.
For a CB, may I recommend the old classic standby, the Cobra 29:
https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/29-wx-nw-st
It's what I had in my Freightliner.
I no longer have those mirrors on him. I found that it is VERY easy for a vehicle coming down a side street to become hidden behind those mirrors, to the point that you don't even know it's there until you hear the "CRUNCH!!"
Be careful and double and triple check both sides when coming up on an intersection.
I'm sure your dad will remember this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VN54M1OXA
Yeah, I figured that rain wouldn't be too good for the primer, but it looks like now the weather is supposed to be nice for Saturday, so if my dad can get the license plates tomorrow, we'll shoot for then.
As for the antennas, these are just for the radio at the moment with the driver's side being a dummy, but I do have a Cobra 25 LTD classic waiting to be installed at some point in time. If I can find a CB antenna that is like the ones I have on the truck, that would be great. Although, I do have a pair of firestik whips in the basement. :maybe:
Oh, and I know that song by heart! That's got to be one of the best trucker songs. :drive:

Now, back to the truck. Got a lot of stuff done today. Spent most of the time sanding filler on the top of the box, and still have some spots that need a little more. It isn't going to be perfect, but it will be presentable and 100% better than what it was. My dad and I also made a floor mat for it and it turned out really nice to me. I'll post pictures later.
Also got a new fuel line installed, and the tank all hooked up. No more boat tank sitting on the floorpan! :D Went to the gas station and bought about $20 worth of premium to put in it which ended up being about a 1/4 tank. My sending unit actually works! I can say my wallet will be crying each time I fill up...
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

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Well, I took the truck to work yesterday, which was about a 50 mile round trip, and it performed really good. I noticed the alternator was making some noise, and we ended up replacing it with another one that we had lying around and it works good. I also had and issue with signal lights grounding, but that is also fixed. While replacing the alternator, I saw that the lower radiator hose was collapsed :cuss: . Luckily the truck didn't overheat on the way back from work. So, got new hoses and a fan belt from Napa, and figured it would be done tonight. Turns out the upper hose was too wide. :hw: Will have to get the proper one tomorrow .

Anyway, I put a new cap and plug wires on and cleaned the engine bay up a little bit. It should be ready to take to the car show on Saturday, and it looks like nice weather with no rain and mid 70's for the temp. I hope I can find a set of ranger emblems for the bed and maybe a rear bumper. I could also start looking for a set of doors for the bronco... :hn:
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

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Well, we made it to the car show! It handled the close to 300 mile trip very well and didn't stumble once. I'd have the confidence to take this truck anywhere. It sure was a great time at the show. Lots of people overlooked the fully restored Mustangs and Camaros to look at my truck in primer. I had a picture board to show a few of the stages up to this point. We plan on taking it to another car show and swap meet near Appleton, WI next weekend. Can't wait! :D

On the way...

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Saw a nice Cuda
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and a Stang

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All set up at the show
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Hiding behind an awesome mustang 8)
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Like I said, it was a really fun day and the weather was just perfect. I didn't find the Ranger emblems I was looking for, but I'll keep looking next weekend.

Here's a shot on the way back

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Then I took a little cruise on the back roads later in the evening.

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It sure is fun cruising the backroads!
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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1968-f250
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by 1968-f250 »

Since I last posted, the truck had gone through a few changes. I picked up a brand new Westin FEY step bumper at a swap meet for 100 bucks. I though it was a good deal since the catalog shows them going for around $300. I had to fab up some brackets for it. Here's a few pictures.

Pattern
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Pieces cut out
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First test fit
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Additional gusset
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And welded
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Mounts finished
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And mounted
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And my dad and I mounted a class 3 hitch today. I trust it a lot more than just using the bumper, especially if I'll be pulling a gravity box.

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And here she is in her natural element.
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I also found a set of FoMoCo west coast mirrors. I think they look better than the first set I had on there. Plus, I kinda stole them off my dad's truck anyway... :evil:
Next step... Paint! 8)
-Ray
1964 F100 Short box
1968 F250
1972 F100 4x4
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible (x2)
1979 Ford Bronco (x2)
1956 Ford Thunderbird
When the going gets tough, switch to power tools -Red Green
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by EDVSU »

:shh: moment of silence for all the rust that died during your resto. WOW. You've done an awesome job getting her back up and running. No doubt it's much better now that it was even new! Props to you for taking on such an immense salvation. Good job. Lookin sweet. :clap:
- Martin Gza.
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by sargentrs »

Great work!
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
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Re: 1968 F250 Project

Post by flyboy2610 »

Nice job on that bumper!
That looks like the one I put on Frankie, the ex-'68 F100 that's now a trailer:
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"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Red Green

If you're going to live like there's no hell...............
you'd better be right.
http://theworldasiseeit-flyboy2610.blog ... ee-it.html
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