Brian_B
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- January 6, 2005
- Messages
- 2,245
- Reaction score
- 5
- City, State
- Mountain Home, AR
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2000 mounty / 56 f-100
Hi Guys and Gals,
I have been looking for a 56 f-100 for a long time.
Anyway, I found one that I can afford. Pics and info are posted here. Any opinions good or bad are wanted.
No its not a show truck, but then again, I can't afford one.
Here is what I know so far:
How long have you owned it?
My wife bought it for me on my birthday in 1997, so rebuilding it would give me something to do after I retired.
Is this a running, driving, street legal truck?
Yes to all. I've never had it on the road since I got it, it's been garaged most of that time as I worked on it. The guy my wife bought it from, who happens to be my brother-in-law, drove it from Sevierville to Knoxville and back at least two times a week when he had it, about a 50 mile round trip. Based on that I would say it is a driveable truck. I don't have a current license or insurance for it, so all I do is drive it up and down our long driveway several times, a couple of times a month, to keep everything loose and lubricated.
Are the brakes good? (when rebuilt/replaced?)
Brakes are good. New shoes and linings all around. Cylinders honed and repair kits installed in all wheel cylinders and the master cylinder. However, the kit for the master cylinder must have been defective because the cylinder has a slow leak. I have a new repair kit for it, but haven't installed it.
Are the steering, suspension, and front end tight? (anything rebuilt/replaced there?)
They all seem to be fairly tight. The dust covers for the drag link were new, but promptly fell apart and I jury rigged new covers. If I remember right, all spring bushings, pins and studs were replaced. Two spring shackles are new. All U joint bearings are new. The steering box has a very slight leak, just enough to make the area around it wet, and a new gasket would probably fix that. All four shocks are new. The steering wheel has been repainted with black lacquer.
Do all the lights and turn signals work? (I assume it has turn signals fromt he pic)
Yes, all work as does the dimmer switch, and it does have turn signals. The horn also works. The wipers are vacuum type. The vacuum motor was taken apart, cleaned, relubed and works very well. The tail light lenses are the blue dot type.
What is the condition of the electrical system? (generator/alternator, wiring, starter, switches, etc)
Electrical system is good, the generator, starter and all switches work. Starter solenoid is new as is the coil resistor and spark plug wires. All of the wiring under the dash is new, as is the wiring for the headlights and back to the tail lights. Most of the wiring under the hood is new, but some appeared to have been replaced, was in very good condition and was left as is.
What shape are the tires in? (tread depth, weather cracked) Spare the same condition?
All tires, spare included, have very good tread on them, but all have 100's of small weather cracks in them. All are tubeless.
Are the wheels just the stock steel wheels or later model? Hub caps or anything included?
All five wheels are original steel, and four of the five hub caps are the original stainless steel and in excellent condition. I'm not sure what vehicle the cap for the spare came from, but is aluminum does not match the other four.
If it is not running, when was it last licensed?
It was last licensed in 1997 when I got it. I intended to drive it, but found that the brake linings were worn almost down to the shoes, so replaced those. By the time I got things repaired that had to do with safety, (wheel cylinders, master cylinder and several other things) a year had gone by, the license had expired and I never got it relicensed.
Do you have the legal title?
Yes.
What engine does it have? (272 V8 "Y" block)
272 V8, but am not sure if it's a Y block. The number on the rating plate is F10V6A.
What transmission? (3speed manual on column)
3 speed on column. The rear axle is a 3.73.
Rust problems?
Absolutely no rust at all. All of the rusted areas were cut out and replaced with new panels, as in the area of the lower cab sides between the rear of the front fenders and the leading edge of the doors, both sides. The lower front edge of both rear fenders where they bolt to the running boards were badly rusted and those were also cut out and patched. The truck apparently came from Georgia, because someone had previously repaired that area of the left rear fender, using a Fayette County (Georgia) license plate. Some repair!
Known problem areas: lower valance (below front bumper), headlight buckets, leading edge of hood, lower corners of front fenders, cowl panel, drip rails, cab corners, rocker panels, door sills, bottom of doors, running board surface and ends where they bolt to fenders, lower corners of rear fenders, inside bed.
What is the condition of the body in general besides rust? Major dents or missing parts (tailgate, etc.?).
I'd say the body is in excellent condition. No rust at all, but there is some Bondo under the paint on the left front fender. When you feel the inside of that area of the fender, you can feel a slightly bulged in area and a couple of pick dents from the fender being hit and badly repaired, but they don't show on the outside. This area may be 8" x 5" and is right where the fender wheel cut out curves downward. That is the only area on the truck that had any previous damage done to it. The tailgate is not original to this truck and I think it may be from a higher bed F-150. It's about 2" to high for the bed and cannot be locked in place.
What is in the floor of the bed? (original wood, steel plate, nothing?)
The floor of the bed is 3/4" Plyform plywood, cut, milled and installed just as the original Oak was. Plyform is oil impregnated plywood that's used to make forms for concrete work, and is almost indestructible as far as weather goes. All bed bolts are new. There discolored spots on some of the Plyform. For the first two yeas I had it, it was parked in the driveway covered up with a tarp as I worked on it, and unknown to me the tarp developed a leak. The Plyform got wet and stayed wet and discolored, but that in no way hurt it.
What is the condition of all the glass? Cracked, chipped, bubbled, missing?
Rear window is new, both roll down door glass is in excellent condition, vent windows are badly bubbled, and overall the windshield is in good condition, with some slight bubbling along the lower edge and a couple of scratch marks from the wipers on the curved areas where it makes the transition from front to sides. I think these could be buffed out.
What is the condition of all the gaskets? (around doors, windows, etc.)
All rubber seals are new, as are the cab mounts, motor mounts, etc., in short all rubber parts were replaced. The cat whicker runners for the door windows are all new. When I took the rear window and windshield out to replace the rubber, the areas of the body where they install were all cleaned, primed and painted before the new rubber was installed.
What is the condition of the radiator? (factory rebuilt, or aftermarket)
The radiator seems to be original, and does not leak. It was flushed out and works as it should. The thermostat is new, as is the upper radiator hose.
What is the condition of the fuel system? (tank, gauges, filter)
Fuel system is excellent. The tank behind the seat was removed, flushed out and repainted. Flexible and hard fuel lines were all replaced. There is no inline fuel filter, the sediment bowl on the fuel pump takes care of any filtering. Gas gauge works as it should. The carburetor was rebuilt and seems to work okay. I must say that this is the coldest natured engine I've ever seen in that when cold for maybe a minute it takes some care to keep it running, but when warmed up a bit it idles very well. There is a flat spot during acceleration though, but I'm not sure if it's carburetion, timing or valves needing adjustment.
I noticed a set of aftermarket gauges in the interior picture that I have. Do the factory gauges work or not? Speedometer work at least?
All gauges work very well as does the speedometer, and all are very clean. The aftermarket gauges were in the glove box (glove box is new) when I got the truck so I went ahead and installed them, mainly to see just how the charging system worked and how much oil pressure the engine carried. When the engine is hot and idling, it carries about 40 pounds oil pressure. The new ammeter seldom shows much of a charging rate and seems to pretty much match what the idiot light shows, but the battery stays charged so everything works as it should.
From the picture he sent me, the interior looks fine. What can you tell me about it?
The interior and dash were completely gutted. The dash had a radio cut out in it, but no radio so that was patched shut. The dash has been repainted in the same red that the outside would have been had I gotten that far, as have the edges of the doors before the new seals were installed. The metal flooring was cleaned and painted with Rustoleum, then 1/2" foam carpet padding was installed and the new carpet you see in the picture. The carpet runs from the firewall to the back wall of the cab, and the firewall panel is also covered with the carpet. The roof was thoroughly cleaned, painted with Rustoleum and the same 1/2" carpet padding as on the floor was glued on for insulation and sound deadening. A heavy cardboard headliner was made and installed, and over that the same carpet as is on the floor was glued on and it turned out very well. The carpet also extends down the back of the cab to the gas tank, and in the back cab corners to the floor. 1" angle was installed to hold the carpet down at the doors, which you can see in the pictures, and that angle must be removed to get to the master cylinder on one side and the battery on the other. The courtesy light is not original, but was in the glove box when I got the truck, so I used it. The sunvisors are not original, but are a molded vinyl from some later model vehicle. The heater was removed, core flushed out, fan motor taken apart, checked and found to be in very good condition. The heater and defroster work very well. Heater hoses are new. There is no heater hot water shut off valve on the block, as was original. It was missing when I got it and I just left it as it was. The kick panels in the cab are new made and painted a light gray. Other than having two broken springs in the seat back, which I patched up, the seat is in excellent condition. Cowl vent works well.
Has any modern upgrades been done to it? (power steering, power brakes, seat belts, alternator, etc.)
No, no modern upgrades were made to the vehicle, it is completely stock.
What would I need to do to this truck to make it safe and reliable to drive it?
I would say put new tires on it and go, keeping in mind that the radiator, engine, drive train and rear axle are all original, and at 49 years old there may be a reliability factor there.
Sorry to ask so many questions up front, but its too far to drive from here until I know its a very solid truck.
No problem at all Brian, I understand completely.
To add more to it, the odometer has 85059.6 miles on it, and that's supposed to be accurate mileage. The parts of the frame that I could get to were thoroughly cleaned and painted with Coroless, which is a super hard rust preventing paint that's used on oil rigs to keep them from rusting. The underside of the cab floor was thoroughly cleaned and painted with Rustoleum in preparation for undercoating. All four fenders were removed, thoroughly cleaned inside and painted with Rustoleum ready for undercoating. Before they were reinstalled, the areas where they mount were cleaned down to bare metal, primed and painted in the same color as the truck would be. The lower front valance was also removed and treated the same as the fenders. The spot welds on both bed sides at the rear where they attach to the rear cross member were all broken, and when the bed was taken off and apart and reinstalled, all those welds were replaced with plug welds and the bed is now very solid. The truck came with outside mirrors, but they're not mounted, and do not quite match, apparently one had been replaced. They're in fairly good condition, and I had intended on sandblasting the chrome and repainted them with black lacquer. The Ford emblem on the front of the hood is in excellent condition and was remounted with a new gasket. The pot metal emblems on the sides of the hood both have some pitting and corrosion. The hood was removed, the underside cleaned thoroughly and repainted. The hood springs should be replaced, they've weakened and at times don't want to hold the hood up. It needs new wiper arms and blades. New leather gaskets were installed where the wiper shafts come up through the cowl. When I got the truck, it had single leaf lowering springs on the front, and they were removed and replaced with used originals. I have no use for those single leaf springs so they go with the truck, as does the old rubber floor mat.
All exhaust gaskets, intake manifold gasket, oil gallery cover gasket and valve cover gaskets are new. The pin that holds the end of the flat coil spring for the heat control flapper at the right end of the cross over pipe was broken off, and that has been replaced. No doubt the valves need adjusting, but the way the exhaust manifolds are positioned, it takes a special angled feeler gauge to do it and I don't have one of that type, so the valves haven't been checked.
That should about cover all of what was done to it since I've had it, but I'm sure some has been missed. If I think of anything else, I'll send it along.
In case you're wondering why I want to get rid of it, it's mainly because I've reached the point where I either have to go all the way and do a top notch restoration with much money spent, or stop now before I have much more into it than I can ever get out. Plus I want to get a new pickup and need the garage space to park it in.
If you have any other questions or want more pictures, just ask.
Anyone have any opinions? I know its not a show truck, but I don't want one. I love the body style.
thanks,
Brian_B
I have been looking for a 56 f-100 for a long time.
Anyway, I found one that I can afford. Pics and info are posted here. Any opinions good or bad are wanted.
No its not a show truck, but then again, I can't afford one.
Here is what I know so far:
How long have you owned it?
My wife bought it for me on my birthday in 1997, so rebuilding it would give me something to do after I retired.
Is this a running, driving, street legal truck?
Yes to all. I've never had it on the road since I got it, it's been garaged most of that time as I worked on it. The guy my wife bought it from, who happens to be my brother-in-law, drove it from Sevierville to Knoxville and back at least two times a week when he had it, about a 50 mile round trip. Based on that I would say it is a driveable truck. I don't have a current license or insurance for it, so all I do is drive it up and down our long driveway several times, a couple of times a month, to keep everything loose and lubricated.
Are the brakes good? (when rebuilt/replaced?)
Brakes are good. New shoes and linings all around. Cylinders honed and repair kits installed in all wheel cylinders and the master cylinder. However, the kit for the master cylinder must have been defective because the cylinder has a slow leak. I have a new repair kit for it, but haven't installed it.
Are the steering, suspension, and front end tight? (anything rebuilt/replaced there?)
They all seem to be fairly tight. The dust covers for the drag link were new, but promptly fell apart and I jury rigged new covers. If I remember right, all spring bushings, pins and studs were replaced. Two spring shackles are new. All U joint bearings are new. The steering box has a very slight leak, just enough to make the area around it wet, and a new gasket would probably fix that. All four shocks are new. The steering wheel has been repainted with black lacquer.
Do all the lights and turn signals work? (I assume it has turn signals fromt he pic)
Yes, all work as does the dimmer switch, and it does have turn signals. The horn also works. The wipers are vacuum type. The vacuum motor was taken apart, cleaned, relubed and works very well. The tail light lenses are the blue dot type.
What is the condition of the electrical system? (generator/alternator, wiring, starter, switches, etc)
Electrical system is good, the generator, starter and all switches work. Starter solenoid is new as is the coil resistor and spark plug wires. All of the wiring under the dash is new, as is the wiring for the headlights and back to the tail lights. Most of the wiring under the hood is new, but some appeared to have been replaced, was in very good condition and was left as is.
What shape are the tires in? (tread depth, weather cracked) Spare the same condition?
All tires, spare included, have very good tread on them, but all have 100's of small weather cracks in them. All are tubeless.
Are the wheels just the stock steel wheels or later model? Hub caps or anything included?
All five wheels are original steel, and four of the five hub caps are the original stainless steel and in excellent condition. I'm not sure what vehicle the cap for the spare came from, but is aluminum does not match the other four.
If it is not running, when was it last licensed?
It was last licensed in 1997 when I got it. I intended to drive it, but found that the brake linings were worn almost down to the shoes, so replaced those. By the time I got things repaired that had to do with safety, (wheel cylinders, master cylinder and several other things) a year had gone by, the license had expired and I never got it relicensed.
Do you have the legal title?
Yes.
What engine does it have? (272 V8 "Y" block)
272 V8, but am not sure if it's a Y block. The number on the rating plate is F10V6A.
What transmission? (3speed manual on column)
3 speed on column. The rear axle is a 3.73.
Rust problems?
Absolutely no rust at all. All of the rusted areas were cut out and replaced with new panels, as in the area of the lower cab sides between the rear of the front fenders and the leading edge of the doors, both sides. The lower front edge of both rear fenders where they bolt to the running boards were badly rusted and those were also cut out and patched. The truck apparently came from Georgia, because someone had previously repaired that area of the left rear fender, using a Fayette County (Georgia) license plate. Some repair!
Known problem areas: lower valance (below front bumper), headlight buckets, leading edge of hood, lower corners of front fenders, cowl panel, drip rails, cab corners, rocker panels, door sills, bottom of doors, running board surface and ends where they bolt to fenders, lower corners of rear fenders, inside bed.
What is the condition of the body in general besides rust? Major dents or missing parts (tailgate, etc.?).
I'd say the body is in excellent condition. No rust at all, but there is some Bondo under the paint on the left front fender. When you feel the inside of that area of the fender, you can feel a slightly bulged in area and a couple of pick dents from the fender being hit and badly repaired, but they don't show on the outside. This area may be 8" x 5" and is right where the fender wheel cut out curves downward. That is the only area on the truck that had any previous damage done to it. The tailgate is not original to this truck and I think it may be from a higher bed F-150. It's about 2" to high for the bed and cannot be locked in place.
What is in the floor of the bed? (original wood, steel plate, nothing?)
The floor of the bed is 3/4" Plyform plywood, cut, milled and installed just as the original Oak was. Plyform is oil impregnated plywood that's used to make forms for concrete work, and is almost indestructible as far as weather goes. All bed bolts are new. There discolored spots on some of the Plyform. For the first two yeas I had it, it was parked in the driveway covered up with a tarp as I worked on it, and unknown to me the tarp developed a leak. The Plyform got wet and stayed wet and discolored, but that in no way hurt it.
What is the condition of all the glass? Cracked, chipped, bubbled, missing?
Rear window is new, both roll down door glass is in excellent condition, vent windows are badly bubbled, and overall the windshield is in good condition, with some slight bubbling along the lower edge and a couple of scratch marks from the wipers on the curved areas where it makes the transition from front to sides. I think these could be buffed out.
What is the condition of all the gaskets? (around doors, windows, etc.)
All rubber seals are new, as are the cab mounts, motor mounts, etc., in short all rubber parts were replaced. The cat whicker runners for the door windows are all new. When I took the rear window and windshield out to replace the rubber, the areas of the body where they install were all cleaned, primed and painted before the new rubber was installed.
What is the condition of the radiator? (factory rebuilt, or aftermarket)
The radiator seems to be original, and does not leak. It was flushed out and works as it should. The thermostat is new, as is the upper radiator hose.
What is the condition of the fuel system? (tank, gauges, filter)
Fuel system is excellent. The tank behind the seat was removed, flushed out and repainted. Flexible and hard fuel lines were all replaced. There is no inline fuel filter, the sediment bowl on the fuel pump takes care of any filtering. Gas gauge works as it should. The carburetor was rebuilt and seems to work okay. I must say that this is the coldest natured engine I've ever seen in that when cold for maybe a minute it takes some care to keep it running, but when warmed up a bit it idles very well. There is a flat spot during acceleration though, but I'm not sure if it's carburetion, timing or valves needing adjustment.
I noticed a set of aftermarket gauges in the interior picture that I have. Do the factory gauges work or not? Speedometer work at least?
All gauges work very well as does the speedometer, and all are very clean. The aftermarket gauges were in the glove box (glove box is new) when I got the truck so I went ahead and installed them, mainly to see just how the charging system worked and how much oil pressure the engine carried. When the engine is hot and idling, it carries about 40 pounds oil pressure. The new ammeter seldom shows much of a charging rate and seems to pretty much match what the idiot light shows, but the battery stays charged so everything works as it should.
From the picture he sent me, the interior looks fine. What can you tell me about it?
The interior and dash were completely gutted. The dash had a radio cut out in it, but no radio so that was patched shut. The dash has been repainted in the same red that the outside would have been had I gotten that far, as have the edges of the doors before the new seals were installed. The metal flooring was cleaned and painted with Rustoleum, then 1/2" foam carpet padding was installed and the new carpet you see in the picture. The carpet runs from the firewall to the back wall of the cab, and the firewall panel is also covered with the carpet. The roof was thoroughly cleaned, painted with Rustoleum and the same 1/2" carpet padding as on the floor was glued on for insulation and sound deadening. A heavy cardboard headliner was made and installed, and over that the same carpet as is on the floor was glued on and it turned out very well. The carpet also extends down the back of the cab to the gas tank, and in the back cab corners to the floor. 1" angle was installed to hold the carpet down at the doors, which you can see in the pictures, and that angle must be removed to get to the master cylinder on one side and the battery on the other. The courtesy light is not original, but was in the glove box when I got the truck, so I used it. The sunvisors are not original, but are a molded vinyl from some later model vehicle. The heater was removed, core flushed out, fan motor taken apart, checked and found to be in very good condition. The heater and defroster work very well. Heater hoses are new. There is no heater hot water shut off valve on the block, as was original. It was missing when I got it and I just left it as it was. The kick panels in the cab are new made and painted a light gray. Other than having two broken springs in the seat back, which I patched up, the seat is in excellent condition. Cowl vent works well.
Has any modern upgrades been done to it? (power steering, power brakes, seat belts, alternator, etc.)
No, no modern upgrades were made to the vehicle, it is completely stock.
What would I need to do to this truck to make it safe and reliable to drive it?
I would say put new tires on it and go, keeping in mind that the radiator, engine, drive train and rear axle are all original, and at 49 years old there may be a reliability factor there.
Sorry to ask so many questions up front, but its too far to drive from here until I know its a very solid truck.
No problem at all Brian, I understand completely.
To add more to it, the odometer has 85059.6 miles on it, and that's supposed to be accurate mileage. The parts of the frame that I could get to were thoroughly cleaned and painted with Coroless, which is a super hard rust preventing paint that's used on oil rigs to keep them from rusting. The underside of the cab floor was thoroughly cleaned and painted with Rustoleum in preparation for undercoating. All four fenders were removed, thoroughly cleaned inside and painted with Rustoleum ready for undercoating. Before they were reinstalled, the areas where they mount were cleaned down to bare metal, primed and painted in the same color as the truck would be. The lower front valance was also removed and treated the same as the fenders. The spot welds on both bed sides at the rear where they attach to the rear cross member were all broken, and when the bed was taken off and apart and reinstalled, all those welds were replaced with plug welds and the bed is now very solid. The truck came with outside mirrors, but they're not mounted, and do not quite match, apparently one had been replaced. They're in fairly good condition, and I had intended on sandblasting the chrome and repainted them with black lacquer. The Ford emblem on the front of the hood is in excellent condition and was remounted with a new gasket. The pot metal emblems on the sides of the hood both have some pitting and corrosion. The hood was removed, the underside cleaned thoroughly and repainted. The hood springs should be replaced, they've weakened and at times don't want to hold the hood up. It needs new wiper arms and blades. New leather gaskets were installed where the wiper shafts come up through the cowl. When I got the truck, it had single leaf lowering springs on the front, and they were removed and replaced with used originals. I have no use for those single leaf springs so they go with the truck, as does the old rubber floor mat.
All exhaust gaskets, intake manifold gasket, oil gallery cover gasket and valve cover gaskets are new. The pin that holds the end of the flat coil spring for the heat control flapper at the right end of the cross over pipe was broken off, and that has been replaced. No doubt the valves need adjusting, but the way the exhaust manifolds are positioned, it takes a special angled feeler gauge to do it and I don't have one of that type, so the valves haven't been checked.
That should about cover all of what was done to it since I've had it, but I'm sure some has been missed. If I think of anything else, I'll send it along.
In case you're wondering why I want to get rid of it, it's mainly because I've reached the point where I either have to go all the way and do a top notch restoration with much money spent, or stop now before I have much more into it than I can ever get out. Plus I want to get a new pickup and need the garage space to park it in.
If you have any other questions or want more pictures, just ask.
Anyone have any opinions? I know its not a show truck, but I don't want one. I love the body style.
thanks,
Brian_B
from those pics u posted, that truck is not very far from 'show' status.. at least everything is there and running, you just need to spend some quality time with it 
Stupid U-haul...not only won't rent to an explore and carry junk, but they are way out of line on price. 
