Hi guys (and gals),
I'm buying a 1967 Ford F-100 off of craigslist and from what I can tell in the photos, it looks to have a sound body and the guy selling it claims that the engine runs but it hasn't been driven in a few years.
I was looking for advice on what to look for and what is a dealbreaker if I go out there and start poking around.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm planning on going out this Saturday (late notice I know!), so if anyone catches this, let me know. I'll be checking the forum throughout the day.
*re-posted from the welcome mat section since this seems to be the most appropriate place* Also, I will probably be going out on the 16th to check it out, so there is a bit more time to get advice in.
Buying a 1967 Ford F100. What to look for?
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Re: Buying a 1967 Ford F100. What to look for?
Recently was looking at a 67 f100 swb 360 3speed for a $1000 , looked a little rough , thankfully I closely inspected the drip rail/roof line , found it was rusted through about half the way around , that was a dealbreaker for me.
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Re: Buying a 1967 Ford F100. What to look for?
Howdy!
Are you looking for a turn-key daily driver, a weekend juakali, a full-on restoration, or a combination of all or none? Cruising the salvage yards here I realized early on what parts are relatively easy to find and what might be impossible to find. As for me, I'm a fair mechanic and an horrible sheetmetal man. I'd say the drip rails on the roof, cab mounting tabs and hardware, and at least most of the safety systems (e-brake, front and rear brakes, lighting, etc) present if not functioning. I'd also recommend an honest appraisal of your intentions, skill levels, and check book before you buy. As an example, something worked loose about a year ago, fell across the fuse box and melted down my in-cab wiring. I was forced to rewire the entire truck. I knew I had the skill to effect the repair, and I'm retired, but it still took $200 for the wiring package and a week for me to install. These boards are full of similar stories and in San Diego I don't really even need a heater or windshield wipers. These old girls are not cheap dates.
So the short version is: Have at least a basic plan and stick to it. Become familiar with your local spare parts situation, and by this I mean salvage yards and local auto parts suppliers. Most of your plan will depend on the spare part scene, even if you have unlimited funding. Finally, be sure to purchase based on YOUR strengths. Most dents/bumps are modular. If you're a welder, for example, you may not have the sheetmetal issues I have, but instead have electrical issues or whatever that you do not have the skill to handle. All of this boils down to a long-winded, hopefully kinder version of "buyer beware" but I hope it helps.
Take care,
Joe
Are you looking for a turn-key daily driver, a weekend juakali, a full-on restoration, or a combination of all or none? Cruising the salvage yards here I realized early on what parts are relatively easy to find and what might be impossible to find. As for me, I'm a fair mechanic and an horrible sheetmetal man. I'd say the drip rails on the roof, cab mounting tabs and hardware, and at least most of the safety systems (e-brake, front and rear brakes, lighting, etc) present if not functioning. I'd also recommend an honest appraisal of your intentions, skill levels, and check book before you buy. As an example, something worked loose about a year ago, fell across the fuse box and melted down my in-cab wiring. I was forced to rewire the entire truck. I knew I had the skill to effect the repair, and I'm retired, but it still took $200 for the wiring package and a week for me to install. These boards are full of similar stories and in San Diego I don't really even need a heater or windshield wipers. These old girls are not cheap dates.
So the short version is: Have at least a basic plan and stick to it. Become familiar with your local spare parts situation, and by this I mean salvage yards and local auto parts suppliers. Most of your plan will depend on the spare part scene, even if you have unlimited funding. Finally, be sure to purchase based on YOUR strengths. Most dents/bumps are modular. If you're a welder, for example, you may not have the sheetmetal issues I have, but instead have electrical issues or whatever that you do not have the skill to handle. All of this boils down to a long-winded, hopefully kinder version of "buyer beware" but I hope it helps.
Take care,
Joe
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Re: Buying a 1967 Ford F100. What to look for?
Ditto, hard to give detailed advice without some more info on the truck, your capabilities and what you intend to do with the truck.
As said above, rust is the biggest deal breaker. Drip rails, the cowl and the cowl to floor seam are the hardest to repair and are deal breakers to me followed by the bed side seam. Pretty much all the floors have rust and front mounts are commonly gone. Check the body lines for straightness along with spending some time under the truck to assess that area.
Mechanically the guy should be able to represent the truck by demonstrating that it works. If it's supposed to be a driver, then it should. If it's supposed to run, then it should.
Good luck and post up some pics once you go look at it.
As said above, rust is the biggest deal breaker. Drip rails, the cowl and the cowl to floor seam are the hardest to repair and are deal breakers to me followed by the bed side seam. Pretty much all the floors have rust and front mounts are commonly gone. Check the body lines for straightness along with spending some time under the truck to assess that area.
Mechanically the guy should be able to represent the truck by demonstrating that it works. If it's supposed to be a driver, then it should. If it's supposed to run, then it should.
Good luck and post up some pics once you go look at it.
'70 F-350 CS Cummins 6BT 10klb truck 64k mile Bahama Blue
Contact me for CNC Dome Lamp Bezels and Ash Tray pulls.
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Re: Buying a 1967 Ford F100. What to look for?
I went out this weekend and it seems that it does in fact run pretty well. The e-brake works but the regular brakes do not. They have push back when the pedal is applied, so I'm thinking that it is more of a replacement of some pads in the drum and we will be in shape. Since the brakes don't work, I'm not going to be able to test out the transmission.
It does seem to have been franken-weenied a bit by the horn setup. Other than that, I think I'm going to pull the trigger. The guy hasn't had any other offers and I think this is a project that I can handle. I don't mind fixing up some of the minor dents in the body and all that I'm looking for is a weekend truck that I might be able to fix up into a daily driver some day. This is more for my personal enjoyment and to turn it into something that is a little nicer than when I originally bought it.
The paint job looks like it was some old whitewash paint that was put on with a regular paint brush. The floor pans had some minor surface rust but after tapping on them with a hammer and checking underneath, there wasn't anything that would be structurally wrong.
It does seem to have been franken-weenied a bit by the horn setup. Other than that, I think I'm going to pull the trigger. The guy hasn't had any other offers and I think this is a project that I can handle. I don't mind fixing up some of the minor dents in the body and all that I'm looking for is a weekend truck that I might be able to fix up into a daily driver some day. This is more for my personal enjoyment and to turn it into something that is a little nicer than when I originally bought it.
The paint job looks like it was some old whitewash paint that was put on with a regular paint brush. The floor pans had some minor surface rust but after tapping on them with a hammer and checking underneath, there wasn't anything that would be structurally wrong.