Looks like a really solid old rig.
I wish my 61 looked that good.
I'd personally throw a few newer accessories on it to make it comfortable to use and keep running it.
It actually is comfortable to travel in. The ancient Twin I-Beam front suspension design (new in 1965) actually works well, so the truck rides decently on rough roads. The bench seat is comfortable and not broken down, amazing considering its age. I put a Honda Civic tape deck in the glove box when I first got it. The factory AM radio still works, but it is hard to hear above the road and wind noise. If I do anything to it, it will be to soundproof the cab. It is noisy in there and I have been talking about doing it for years. Just another thing on the list to do. It also doesn't have A/C, so it is necessary to roll the windows down and think cool thoughts in the summer, just like the old days.
man what a story!,i love it,dont you ever ever paint that thing!youve done sensible upgrades re the brakes and axles,those 390s are pretty tough,is it 2 or 4 barrel?
Thanks Dave, at this point I probably won't paint it (maybe clear coat, unless I change my mind). The 390 has the two barrel. So it is pointless to wind the engine out much, but it has torque out the wazoo.
I love the story and the truck! Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks!
What a great old truck Greg, and the 390 is an excellent engine, except for fuel mileage which is prolly around 10mpg.
What type of refurb are you considering?
Thanks Stev-o, yes, right around 10 mpg, loaded or empty. I actually averaged 12 mpg on a trip up to Washington to bring back a wrecked '84 Corvette. It was one of those times when the stars aligned and I had a tailwind in both directions. Murphy usually provides a headwind in both directions, so he must have taken that week off.
The truck is pretty straight so it needs only minor body work here and there. Very little rust. There is a small perforation on the front of the hood, common on the old Fords because it collects dirt in a cranny there that is easily overlooked. The tailgate is dinged up on the top edge where a small tree fell on the truck during a nighttime wind storm probably over 40 years ago. My dad went out in the morning and saw the pickup holding the tree up. That was the only damage and even then it is only cosmetic. It would require cutting the tailgate open then weld it back up to straighten it out. So I have never bothered. Just another piece of history associated with the truck. There is also an egg shaped dent on the hood. It was put there by my grandfather when he backed into it with his '67 F250. It had a camper on the back and the dent was caused by one of the camper jacks. The '65 was still like new then and my dad wasn't happy, (but not unhappy enough to go to the trouble to fix it). They got into an argument about it, my grandfather denying it was him. But the forensics were hard to ignore, what with the green paint on the jack.
And grandpa had a well-known tendency to back into things when he got older. I remember when they finally took his car keys away from him when he got too dangerous. That was not a good day. It fell to me to have the same talk with my dad a couple of years before he died. It is a hard thing to take away a man's independence. I'll try to remember that when it is time for my kids to have the same talk with me and not make it too rough on them. We will see.
Anyway, the dent is just more family history to be preserved, so I'd have a hard time fixing it now myself at this point. Thanks to all who appreciate the old truck.
