Thread: 95 F-350 Make Over

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I know this isn't an old hot rod, but it is a hot rod truck that hauls hot rods and what ever. I built this truck 3 years ago and we've put roughly 180K on it since building it. This truck has hauled trailers to Topeka, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Salina, St. Louis, Chicago, basiclly all over. It was either hauling pulling trucks, my Corvette to races, old tractors, junk to the scrap yard, anything and everything. Haha When I originally started it, I replaced all body panels besides the cab and radiator support. I ran short on time and just primered it. I baught the primer off CL and found out later it really was sealer not epoxy primer. Now it looks hideous. I parked it 3 months ago because the ball joints are shot and the front tires are junk. It is time to get the old girl back to work.

The current plan of attack is to install new ball joints, put my new tires that are on my 72 on this, put my other bed on it, different fuel tank, and add power doors from a cab I baught. I originally wanted to swap the entire cab and box the frame, but I just need it back to work again. I'm going to paint it hot rod black for now to help it be not so ugly. I have to install new engine mounts as this thing eats them. The stock type mounts I used are not real strong. If you're wondering, this truck has a 5.9 Cummins as well. I'll update it as we make progress on it.

When I first started driving it.





Engine pic after intercooler install.



The head gasket I blew hauling a heavy tractor last year.




Poor truck now.

Nice old Ford Ryan!!! If you should trip over a Ford crew cab dually about that vintage with decent sheetmetal and 2 WD, let me know!!!!

now that's a work truck - - - -180 miles in three years - - - you put some of us to shame looking forward to the build thread - - meller

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Nice old Ford Ryan!!! If you should trip over a Ford crew cab dually about that vintage with decent sheetmetal and 2 WD, let me know!!!!

Dave, I actually saw one a couple weeks ago. I'll try to drive by there this weekend and see if it's still out front for sale. There's been a 91 7.3 IDI 2wd crew cab dually for sale on CL in State Center for the last 2 years. Looks to be really clean with no rust. They say it has a bad lifter or something. It's been advertised for $1600.

Originally Posted by MelloYello

now that's a work truck - - - -180 miles in three years - - - you put some of us to shame looking forward to the build thread - - meller

I was driving 19k back and forth to work each year and this truck was known as the community truck for a while. One of my buddies took it to Cedar Point in Ohio, another one drove it to eastern Iowa everyday for work for 2 weeks, and my brothers would take it when ever they needed to go some where and needed to haul a trailer. I hauled my car to a couple NHRDA races with it too. One of which was in Pierre SD and it got rained out. My middle brother Nick used it to haul a 32' gooseneck to Chicago and Byron for races. It got 15-18mpg on his trips. The oil changes were getting real close there for a while. She's no show stopper but it hauls awesome and gets great mileage. Plus it's been really reliable.

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

Dave, I actually saw one a couple weeks ago. I'll try to drive by there this weekend and see if it's still out front for sale. There's been a 91 7.3 IDI 2wd crew cab dually for sale on CL in State Center for the last 2 years. Looks to be really clean with no rust. They say it has a bad lifter or something. It's been advertised for $1600.

Thanks Ryan!!!! Sure would make a nice home for one of them Cummins Diesel's and a 5 speed, wouldn't it?????

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Thanks Ryan!!!! Sure would make a nice home for one of them Cummins Diesel's and a 5 speed, wouldn't it?????

Yes sir it would! My dad has a 91 F350 crew cab dually 2wd I put a 12v Cummins and 47rh in about 7-8 years ago. That was the best thing for that truck. No more replacing Idi's, and you can tow without having to figure out how to get up the other side. His truck actually had a turbo on it but those non psd 7.3s don't like much boost. His truck had two engines lose wrist pins but the third engine has 140k on the swap and had 145k when I bought it for the swap. It's still going strong too.

Things have been slow on the old ford. With working on other people's trucks, there isn't any time for my own junk. I did get all new head lights for it, and a cab corner. My headlights were about like a candle in a frosted over mug before. Haha I plan on getting some low power JID's for it this time. My youngest brother has been removing the front axle and he got it out today. We were trying to figure out how to clean my housing since the seals were leaking for so long, I decided it would be easier to remove it so it can be pressure washed and cleaned correctly.





I went ahead and ordered new spicer life u-joints for it. These ones were okay, but they are greasables, and I would rather have the strong spicer ones in this truck. Anytime it is in 4x4 it is there for a reason. It isn't a mall crawler. I had to order a dust seal for the RH axle so hopefully we can get the axle put back together and have it mobile again before the weekend. Then it will be time to start on the body work and power window door swap.

I got the axle housing all cleaned up. It took an hour of pressure washing and steaming it to get all the sand and grime out of the axle housing. I removed the pinion to clean all the debris from there and to inspect the bearings. Everything looks good. I installed the new seals and put the carrier back in. I got my u-joints and installed them as well. Now I'm trying to find the correct axle dust seals and I can get the front axle put back together.

The progress has been slow on the old Ford. I got a storage box and have been messing with that, a long with shop/yard clean up, and helping my parents get odds and ends done on their house/yard. We did get the front axle all back together and back under the truck. I replaced all the tie rod and drag link boots with energy suspension ones. The napa replacement ones are obviously junk as they were cracked and all the stuff isn't 1.5yrs old. The joints are all still tight, just the boots are crap. While I was under there taking off the drag link I noticed my steering out put shaft nut looked loose. Holly cow, it was real loose. I'm glad I caught that. I put a drop pitman arm on it 4yrs ago and that son of a gun didn't really look like it went on all the way. Must have been some interference and it loosened up. I never noticed any loose steering, so maybe the nut just backed off. Either way, it's fixed now.

The poor truck has been leaking oil like crazy for a while, so I resealed the vacuum pump. Then I removed the bed so I can install a new 38gal tank in the rear tank location. I've had a 40gal side step in the bed ever since I started driving this truck. I got tired of having a 6' bed so now this baby is going in. Maybe I can get the fuel gauge to work too? That'll be nice. Here's the old tank on it's way out. Man this poor truck is getting rusty from these nice winters...............



I may buy another frame and start another truck build with my other cab next summer. Or keep this truck as a beater and build a nice 67-72 crew cab rig. Decisions, decisions.

I also decided it was time to go fix my A John Deere. I pulled the top engine plate off a while ago to find an issue with the PTO and I found the PO had not sealed the cover very well which was allowing water to get in the crank case. I haven't been running the tractor for this reason. So today I dropped the oil and popped the top plate off. I cleaned it all up, added some good sealant, and put the plate back on. Changed the oil and filter, charged the battery, aired up the front tires, and fired it up. Now it can go back to work giving rides to the kids.

You've been busy! (what else is new?!?!)

What's the plan for the pickup? keepin' it a worker?

I love old tractors.. shame that one is the wrong color!

Yep. This truck was my daily driver up until this spring when I got scared of a ball joint popping out. I've had to rely on my brother's truck too much to haul my trailer, and I just need to get it back up and going. I had high hopes of putting my power window doors on it and stuff, but all that will have to wait.

I guess this one is more your style? This is a 53 Super H I baught this spring to mow pastures with. It's been great. I'd really like to get a M or Super M for live hydros. I've been toying with the idea of putting my 460 rear end behind an H engine to achieve this. I'll probably just scrap the 460 and wait to buy another tractor. Fixing up old tractors gets expensive real quick, with way less return if you're going to try to resell them.

Can't you mount a hyd pump between the dist and timing gears??????

Yeah I can Jerry. But that would mean I wouldn't need an M in the wife's eyes.

On a serious note, all of the live hyd pumps I've found around here have been over $450 for an unknown well used unit, so I've been holding off for now.

This morning I was able to get the new fuel tank in place with the help of my younger brother. We had to cut the bolts off the sides of the receiver hitch and remove the RH side to get the tank to go up in place. That was no fun. Now I have to modify the sending unit, and try to figure out what to use to lengthen the lower tank straps as the new tank didn't come with the stuff like it was supposed to.