F-100 project

[BTHOtu]

I have a guy at work offering to sell me his 1977 F-100 and I've been kicking around the idea of doing new project on an old truck and the C-10's are over-priced. He wants $1,600 for it and I'm not sure if I like it that much. Maybe I can Jew him down.

Pro's
Straight body. Can't find any rust especially on the frame and truck bed where Thes old boys tend to dip down. Didn't see any rust around the A-Pillers or cowls. Bed already has been lined with that "Rhino-Liner" so not much body work needed. It's a short bed, which I like.

Con's
Not much value in ford trucks after about 72. 400 CI V8. Big, heavy, no power, inefficient. The 400 Has to go. I'm thinking I can build a 351 out of it of just order a crate engine and start over. I'll have to research it more. I know there are a million things that can be done with an engine in that generation truck. 2WD. Wiring problems but since I'll pretty much be stripping it down anyway...


Coyote swap maybe? Engine and drivetrain would be last anyway. It will take a year or two to get to that point.

 

[outofyourmind]

Didn't we talk about the 400 engine in another thread???
Seems like a really good engine.
Larger stroke than the 351.
Might have the big heads on it.

This wiki page has some really detailed stuff on it. Ford called it the 335 series engine.
Pretty long read but if it were me, I wouldn't be putting a crate engine in it unless I was going all out on everything.

I'll bet you could rebuild that 400 engine with the right parts and pull an easy 400+ HP out of it, maybe upwards of 450 without any trouble at all other than a basic rebuild and some special parts.

Ford 335 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[BTHOtu]

Yeah, probably be more cost effective to build the 400. It's a pretty durable engine. This truck is almost 40 years old and still running. Well, not running well enough that I would trust it to go very far. i don't know much about the pickups from the 70's and other than riding in them when I was a kid, I don't have a lot of experience with them. I love the way they look and sound. I don't want to anger the car-gods by saying "it can't be that hard" but everything I've researched about those trucks today makes it look like a relatively fun and stress free project.

Not sure if I have the patience to take on a truck project. It may be sitting around for a couple of years with no power plant...looking at @fordman84

I could just blow the 1600 on a new clutch and shifter for the Stang
I'll think about it for a couple of days but the more I read about it the more I'm leaning on buying some beer and getting a couple of buddies over this weekend to help me remove the bed and body panels

 

[BTHOtu]

I'll most likely get the motor torn down and taken to a machinist before deciding on what to do with it. If the block is good it may be a matter of a the right cam, heads and getting the compression up. Intake, carb, and headers would be enough improvement over stock. I don't want this to end up being a money pit. But who am I kidding? They all become money pits eventually

 

[outofyourmind]

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Drop a new long block in there and just tinker to get the h.p. up. It'll be great!
NEW REMAN FORD 400 6.6 LITER ENGINE TRUCKS VANS BRONCO 1975-1979

Get that thing some air flowing and I bet it'll be nice. I'm familiar with the 460 but not the 400. All the same shit I guess. Gotta figure redoing the brakes, exhaust and interior. But with a little help from online sites, I bet that thing will be sweet for $7,500.

That 73 mustang I had looked like shit after sitting for 15 years. I had a guy give it the clay bar treatment for 250 bucks and it was like deep lacquer.

 

[outofyourmind]

The 400 is a tall deck version of the 351.
Ford needed the taller deck height so they could put a longer stroke crank in it.

Some worked 351 Cleveland heads and an aftermarket high lift cam ought to do the trick.

 

[BTHOtu]

The 400 is a tall deck version of the 351.
Ford needed the taller deck height so they could put a longer stroke crank in it.

Some worked 351 Cleveland heads and an aftermarket high lift cam ought to do the trick.

Yeah. I was looking at aftermarket 351 heads and cam. I know some engine guys in Dallas that can get it done right and put it on the Dyno to fine tune it. Might be worth the extra couple grand. They build motors every day.

 

[BTHOtu]

Drop a new long block in there and just tinker to get the h.p. up. It'll be great!
NEW REMAN FORD 400 6.6 LITER ENGINE TRUCKS VANS BRONCO 1975-1979

Get that thing some air flowing and I bet it'll be nice. I'm familiar with the 460 but not the 400. All the same shit I guess. Gotta figure redoing the brakes, exhaust and interior. But with a little help from online sites, I bet that thing will be sweet for $7,500.

That 73 mustang I had looked like shit after sitting for 15 years. I had a guy give it the clay bar treatment for 250 bucks and it was like deep lacquer.

It'll take more than clay bar on this beast. Someone started body work on it before and it is now a multi color truck. I haven't looked at it up close yet. He texted me a bunch of pics of the floor, engine bay, wheel wells, underneath, etc. told him I like it but not so much that I'd put 1600 on it. I'm going to his house this weekend to look real close. I'm concerned about rust in the A-Pillars and the cowls (old ford problem) If it's there, I won't buy it.

I'm supposed to be buying my step daughter a car. I already have two ford racing boxes being delivered Friday and if I bring this home on Saturday I'll probably be on the couch for while. Oh well, guess I need a less expensive hobby.

 

[outofyourmind]

so @BTHOtu did you get a look at this thing.
you going to buy it??

maybe go with the rat rod look on the outside and just leave the body alone.

 

[BTHOtu]

Told him no at 1600. He really wants a new bike but his wife told him to get rid of the truck first. I know he bought the truck for 800.

I'll be in San Antonio for the rest of the week. We'll see if he comes down by the time I get back.

 

[outofyourmind]

any updates
@BTHOtu

how can you go wrong at that price

 

[BTHOtu]

Just got back the other day. Going back to work tomorrow. Still thinking about it. Problem is I have one girl graduating that I have to buy a car for and two more girls getting married in a few months. Money is getting pretty tight. I'll have to Jew him down a little and funnel money away from some of my other projects and the truck will have to sit untouched for a year or so.