1979 Ford F-350
| Owner: |
79supercab (All of this user's registries on SuperMotors) |
| From: |
frostburg, MD, U.S.A. (Other registries in MD) |
| Year, Make, & Model: |
1979 Ford F-350 (Other Ford F-350s) |
| Avatar: |
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| Nickname: |
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| Mileage: |
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| Engine: |
Engine- 1971 460 bored .30, balanced, Elderbrock RV cam, Holley 750 double pumper, police interceptor timing gear set.
L&L Fender well exit headers
L&L Motor Mounts
L&L Flywheel and Clutch pack
Custom Alternator and Power Steering Brackets
K&N Air Filter
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| Drivetrain: |
Rears- Dana 60 front and back 3.55 gears, power lock differential
Transmission- New Process 435
Transfer Case- New Process 205
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| Notes: |
MY BARN YARD FIND
It all started a couple of years ago when I needed a truck big enough to pull my 16’ car trailer and or my 24’ goose-neck trailer along with the capabilities of hauling the wife and all three of our children. I previously had four Ford F-250’s, all with big blocks. I fell in love with the power, the feel and the sound that a big Ford engine will produce. I knew I wanted a super cab or a crew cab with a 460 or a diesel and where we live in the mountains of Western Maryland I defiantly needed a 4 wheel drive.
I began my search at the local car lots, newspapers and eBay but to buy a 10 year old Ford F250 or F350 with 100,000 miles they all were 15,000 to 20,000 dollars. After a short discouraging search, I decided to find and build a 73-79 series Ford. So the search was on.
I found a truck in a scrap pile on a farm several miles from my house. It was very rough but it had the frame and rears that I needed for a good foundation to start with. It was a 1979 Ford F350 Super Cab 4x4 minus the motor and any usable sheet metal. Years of farm abuse and a tornado made sure that there was nothing salvageable but the frame and the lower mechanicals of the truck. When I asked the farmer if he would sell it, his reply was “what do you want that piece of (%#*&) for ?” When I told him that I wanted to restore it, he thought that I was nuts and asked that I bring it back when it was completed for him to see it. I made the deal, moved about a ton of scrap by hand (while fighting bees), bolted on some tires (while fighting bees), hooked up a chain to a back hoe (while fighting bees) and drug the F350 carcass out of its scrap pile resting place (while fighting bees). We pushed it onto my trailer with the back hoe and I headed for home.
I pulled in to my driveway with my new prize, grinning ear to ear only to meet my wife on the porch. She had a look of horror and said “YOU PAID $300 FOR THAT PIECE OF (%#*&)!” She just couldn’t see what I saw every time I looked at my new truck.
Over the next 2 years, I gathered truck parts. I bought any ford trucks I could find, keeping any good parts that I could use on my truck. I sold everything that I didn’t need and scrapped the rest. I was able to support my truck with my new hobby and got some good used parts in the process.
My truck fund was growing from selling parts and scrapping out the junk and my good parts pile was growing. It was time to begin building.
I stripped the frame down of everything that would come off and took it to the local welding shop for a good sand blasting. I sprayed two heavy coats of Rustoleum Red Oxide Primer along with two coats of Rustoleum Gloss black paint. I wanted a little bit of lift so I installed some old 74 High boy front springs and added a couple of leafs in the back to level it up. I installed new bushings and some Rancho shocks. I found a 79 super cab with a Dana 60 Front axle at a local junkyard and worked out a deal on the whole truck. I robbed the front axle along with the gears from the rear for my new ride. I went through both of the rears installing new clutches and seals along with all new brake parts for both the front and back. I then moved onto the drive train installing all new u-joints, seals, oils and gaskets.
Moving on, we tore down the motor and installed all new gaskets, seals, plugs, wires, a new carburetor and fresh coat of ford engine blue. With the help from the guys at L and L Products in Texas, I got motor mounts; clutch; pressure plate and flywheel along with a set of fenderwell exit headers. With the frame, engine and drive train complete, it was time to start on the body work. The cab I intended to use needed new floors and corners welded in. Before I welded in the floors, I located a truck that was just driven from Texas to nearby West Virginia and parked. I’m a project manager for a construction company so I do a lot of hiring and firing at work. I hired a young guy from Texas, who was hurting for work and money, and after about 2weeks, he asked me if I knew of anyone who would be interested in an old ford pickup. When I asked him the details about the truck, he said that it was a 77 F250 that he drove in from Texas. I thought that this was too good to be true but when he said that it was a Supercab with no rust, I just about lost it. He set a price and asked when I wanted to take a look at it, my reply was “I’m going to follow you home.” I worked out a deal that night and took my practically rust free truck home to be cannibalized of all of its sheet metal. The cab was almost perfect except for two thumb sized holes in the back and a small hole in the passenger floor.
We stripped the cab of everything, took the floors, both inside and out, down to bare metal and then applied two coats of Industrial primer and paint followed up by two coats of undercoating. We loaded up the cab and headed for my buddy Mike’s paint shop.
Our attention was then directed toward the doors, fenders and bed. The doors were rust free from a 76 Ford Ambulance and the fenders were from an old super cab that I ran as a daily driver for several years prior. For the bed I decided to use the bed from Oklahoma although the bottom was rusted completely out and there were 47 holes drilled randomly on the top of the bed sides. Some rocket scientist decided to screw a bed mat down which left no moisture that got in no where to escape. We replaced the bottom with 1/8” diamond plate and plug welded all the holes. Like the cab, we took the bottom of the bed, inside and out, to bare metal and applied the industrial primer, paint, and undercoating to match the cab. I was planning from the beginning to use the truck for pulling my trailers so I removed the center two cross members and fabricated a custom gooseneck hitch from some 3” tube steel I had laying out back. We loaded everything up and headed for the paint shop. We dropped the parts off and loaded up the cab to begin reassembly.
We bolted the cab on with new bushings and a 2” body lift. I installed the wiring, heater and dash. For my seat, I went to the local upholsterer to have my original seat recovered. I told him what I was looking to do and he said to just wait a minute. He went across the street from his shop to an old storage building and returned with some fabric that he claimed was 1979 Ford fabric. I really liked the material so I took my headliner to him to be done in the same pattern as the seat. To keep the same look, I inlayed my door panel inserts as well.
I knew I wanted to do something special with the hood so after looking through several old catalogs and a couple of old Hot Rod magazines, I decided to build a cowl induction hood for my new old truck. I brought in a hood that was severely rusted and with a zip wheel, a sawzall and some 3” painters tape, I built a proto-type of what I was looking for. I did a 2” riser on one side and a 4” riser on the other. After a lot of discussion and a few beers, my buddy Tom and my brother-in-law Hank talked me into the 4” rise. If I may quote the two “If your going to use a 302, go with a 2” rise for the cowl, but if your going to build a man’s truck with a 460, 35” tires and headers hanging out of the fenders then you need a 4”rise.” After that conversation, it was a no brainer. We started by cutting up two hoods to get the pieces I needed and then started to tack weld the pieces together. We fabricated 4 ovals for the air intakes, and cut and bent some sheet stock to create the inner structure cover panels. After many hours of engineering, fabricating and beer drinking, our joint effort had come up with a focal point unlike anything that I had ever seen on a 73 to 79 F-series pickup.
I dropped off the hood at the paint shop and picked up the remainder of the sheet metal. Over the next several weeks, I finished the assembly of my new old truck. I buffed, polished and installed all of the race track trim, grill and the glass. My truck was coming together nicely and I was really getting excited.
My buddy Mike called from the paint shop and said that my hood was done and ready for pickup. We rushed to get it and get it bolted it on; we made a few adjustments and WOW! My truck went from really nice to WOW! The hood was the missing piece.
My truck was coming to completion along with my truck fund. I needed bumpers, tires and exhaust. For the exhaust, I called the guys at Flow Masters, told them what motor, horsepower and sound I was looking for and they recommended 40 series mufflers and 2 ¼” exhaust. I picked up some stainless steel pipe and with the help of my three kids, we bent and installed my exhaust. For tires my choices were limited due to I wanted to use an old set of 16.5”x10 Aluminum Hurricanes so BF Goodrich All Terrains were about the only tire in a radial to choose from. The last parts I needed were the bumpers and I was out of money in my truck fund. I had a pair of straight bumpers that had the paint and chrome peeling off. I had some paint left over so I sand blasted the bumpers, called on my painter one more time and had a new look for an old truck. The blue bumpers complemented the race track trim and the entire paint job.
Over the course of several years of gathering parts and about a year and a half of assembly we were done. On a dirt floor garage, with the help from my brother-in-law Hank, my buddy Tom and a handful of friends, Steve, Pete, Tony, Lee, Russell, Tim, my father-in-law Warren and my Uncle Larry, we transformed a piece of junk pulled from a scrap pile to a truck that draws attention regardless where it goes. So far I have taken 3 Third Place finishes, 2 Second Place finishes and a Celebrity Pick Award at the Carlisle All Ford Nationals and the Carlisle All Truck Nationals, a Second place at the Western Maryland Truck Show as well various awards from many local shows.
When I started this project, I wanted a nice old truck that I could take my family in, haul my ATV or pull either of my trailers. What I ended up with was a restoration of a classic that help build Ford to what it is today. I really need to thank my wife Alice, my kids, Betsy, Ally and Ronnie, along with every body else who helped. Without my family and friends, this truck could be a washing machine, a Honda or some re-bar by now.
One more thing to mention, after the truck was complete, I drove to the farm where I found it. The farmer was in his shop working on a tractor when I walked in. I asked him if he remembered me. After some small talk, I asked him if he wanted to see the truck that he sold me several years prior. He stepped outside, walked around my truck one time and mumbled to himself as he walked back into the shop, “I knew I should have kept that damn truck.”
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| Last Updated: |
1/23/2010 |
| Hits: |
9570 |
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1379 hits | 65.35 KB | Posted: 1/23/10
Ending result...
 Image002.jpg
1117 hits | 46.25 KB | Posted: 1/23/10
What I started with.
Picture 080.jpg
1379 hits | 65.35 KB | Posted: 1/23/10
Ending result...
Image002.jpg
1117 hits | 46.25 KB | Posted: 1/23/10
What I started with.
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