67 crew driving project

[67fordtruck]

I have a hair brained idea to call my 1967 crewcab to daily driver status. Over the last 4 months or so I have been doing little small things to get her ready like fixing some of the funky wiring, installing an ignition switch, fuel sender and hood latch and a few tires.

A little back story goes like this-looked for a 67 crew for about two years, finished my 75 CJ5 project last year just in time to hop on this 67 when it popped up back in Febuary. I cleaned up the crew, did a little tuneup and tuning on it to make it run and since it has been hibernating in the garage.

This has been a very rough year financially and although in starvation mode more often than not I never considered selling the Ford-that is until last month I finally decided I needed something more streetable and comfortable than the tattered soft top clad CJ5 during the nasty PNW winters. I listed it on craigs and while a few folks came by to take a look at it, I was disgusted by the lack of apprecation for the truck. So once work picked up, I decided getting the crew up and running would be cheaper and much more fulfilling than selling and buying something more plastic clad (newer). So I pulled the ad and got to work.

Yesterday I got plates, a few tires and a wheel, and a few misc parts and made her a driver. Ran around town for a bit, then ran her down to Portland. I can not convey how great it felt to be back in the saddle of a 67 bump (67F100 stepside, 351c, fmx was my first truck, had for about 11 years). Here are a few observations
-Runs down the road great! Rides like a forklift but no viberations, noises, or considerable wandering.
-Strong motor and firm shifting tranny, may have a shift kit. Both look to have been rebuilt in recent history.
-Tons of tool/gear storage in the back seat. I thoroughly love this!

Issues and upgrades needed.
-PS stops working intermitently and often. Usually at idle, parking. Maybe needs fluid, but probably a new gear and/or pump...
-Oil and Temp gauges don't work.
-Needs thermostat. Shooting the housing after about 30 minutes of driving with my infared dealeo reads about 135-140.
-Brakes work but not great. Will be replacing the MC and booster, checking all the lines, brake hardware and wheel cylinders.
-Will need front tires some time in the near future.

Once I get the "Needs" taken care of I will dive into the "wants".
-radio and CB
-Window tint for rears to keep curious eyes at bay
-rekey door locks
-start buying and swapping body parts as finances allow.
-Make a headliner, with some insulation.
-Start cutting out and patch paneling rust spots in rear doors, bed and floor pans, again as finances allow.

Eventually I will do a FWD conversion. Far in the future will be a 12 valve and 5 speed. In the mean time, here are a few shots for you visual folks

This has been the daily. The back window is so bad I had to roll it up-brrrr

<a href="http://s130.beta.photobucket.com/user/w ... 8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p241 ... 174108.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket Android App"/></a>

And this was when I first picked her up


And here is today

[460tzilla]

Very cool truck you have there, I will be watching you thread for future improvements..

[sargentrs]

Great truck! Looking forward to seeing more.

[67fordtruck]

Thanks guys, I am really looking forward to diving in as well. This will likely be a very long term project unless I hit the lottery, but thus far just being able to drive it on the street is a win for the home team.

Side story-when I moved to this house this summer, I packed the cab and bed full with belongings and headed for the new house, about 4 miles away with my buddy on my tail in the uhaul and a chain at the ready since that was the first and only time I had driven the rig. There was no hood latch, ignition switch, fuel sender and the redneck 35" tire on the pass side (as seen in the pictures). When I pulled up to the new house in a pretty nice neighborhood (think HOA) I had to hop out, remove the bright orange cargo strap holding the hood down and hit the toggle switch attached to the core support to kill the ignition and pulled the ground off the battery while the new neighbors looked on, silently judging-hahaha

[67fordtruck]

Got a little work and some testing done today. I noticed she was running so cool that after a run down the interstate, I could put my hand on the radiator. I shot it with my infared temp gun and it read 135 on the thermostat housing. Turned out there was no thermostat in it, so I put a 180 degree one in. That seems to have solved the slightly rough cruising speed condition and the heater is actually producing heat.

I put about 100 miles on it today, making a quick run to Longview then back to town for the company Christmas party. It was a great run but there were a few issues. The power steering is really twitchy. Sometimes you can take your hands off the wheel and it runs straight and true while other times it feels like the Power steering is trying to pull to the right if that makes any sense. This makes it really interesting when in a turn and hitting a bump. I am pretty unfamiliar with the bendix box which I believe I have on here.

Anyway, that is all for now. Merry Christmas folks!

[67fordtruck]

Ok one quick update. I am convinced the steering on this thing is going to get me pulled over for DUI. It really has a mind of its own and I have half a mind to convert it to manual. Start turning into a corner, hit an expansion joint on a bridge and it is anyone's guess where it will go. Sometimes it tracks true, sometimes it does not to say the least. I can say it is true what has been said of the bendix box.

In other news I was reminded of why I love these old Fords so. I went out the other night to pick up an ice scraper (it has been pretty cold here in the PNW and I realized I am tired of scraping the windshield with an old Bon Jovi tape case) and she would not start, just clicking. Within about two minutes I had the batt voltage tested at about 12.7, arched the solenoid to fire her up and was headed to the parts store for a new solenoid. She turns over much quicker now and fires up like she should. All in all, win for the home team.

At this point I am spending the night in a hotel room in Longview Wa (tweekerville US) peeking out the window every few minutes as I am reminded that I still do not own keys to the doors....

[basketcase0302]

67fordtruck on Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:37 am
Ok one quick update. I am convinced the steering on this thing is going to get me pulled over for DUI.

This is a good project and will be an awesome truck when your done with it. Don't give up so easily with your PS box as it might not even be the box. Most of our trucks have driven like yours at one point or another due to the age and dry rotted rubber bushings a lot of times. I'd take it to a front end shop and get an estimate and opinion on the steering before changing to a manual box. And from expierence you won't like the manual now that you've driven the truck with PS-get ready for a real...workout at slow speeds and especially when backing up!
A simple anti-theft device on our trucks is to install a hidden toggle switch inline on the ignition switch wiring.

[Youngfordkid]

fix the power steering, that is a great thing to have on a truck like that. my 67 is not a crew, but a lwb and is a pain to drive in parking lots. tie rod ends probably need replaced, which would take you a step toward tighter steering linkage. brake parts should be availible at the nearest auto zone, or you could opt for the rebuild kits, which are a few dollars cheaper but require a hone.

keep up the good work, and dont give up!

[abyars111]

Great truck. I plan to put my crew on daily status very soon.

[67fordtruck]

Great truck. I plan to put my crew on daily status very soon.

Hey that's the spirit! Even as ugly as it is I still get comments on it a few times a month.

My laptop and fordification have not been getting along but it seems fine now so here is an update.

I finally found a master cylinder that works for it. It does not seem perfect but it works, from a 67 cougar. I went through the front brakes and bearings back in Feb. I also replaced the alternator and regulator, installed a cd player, and replaced the points again.

Since the new year I have put about 6000 miles on her. I was working 7 days a week through most of the winter and both jobs were 30-35 miles from my house (different directions, typical...)The ole girl has done great, getting about 12-14mpg depending on how often I let those glasspacks sing.

This month I have a ton of work to get done though. A buddy picked up a parts 68 f100 so I went half with him. Ill be pulling the rear bumper, tow package, grill, valance, nice dash pad and some other knick knacks. I hate to put a 68 grill on but it is much nicer than the one I have now. I am also going to replace the steering gear, pump, go electronic ignition, and replace the front tire that didn't come apart on me already...

The plan is the middle of next month I am using this to tow the CJ5 down to the Rubicon in California. I have been planning this trip since last year, but between a move, work and getting the Jeep built up (new axles, tranny, t-case, disc brakes, ect) I have not done nearly enough to the tow pig. So this should be a fun month for me...

[67fordtruck]

Hey, just got back from a trip to the Winchester Bay dunes! 230 miles done and done!

So here is the story: My bendix steering gear was acting up so in the name of making the dune trip and see the family (big annual trip family reunion type thing) I found a guy in town with a 67 to buy a manual steering gear from. Well it turns out he had a bunch more crap that I needed! Picked up a pretty nearly perfect 67 grill, pass door, seat, rubber floor CORRECT f-250 HOOD EMBLEMS!, horn ring, wheel and tire to replace the last odd balled 16.5 wheel, and some other knick knacks for $350 (pictures to come).

I also picked up an electronic ignition (pertronix 1). Anyway, worked like hell all day Monday to pull the parts, drive an hour back to my place and put the essensials on. Long story short, left town at 9pm, pulled into camp at 2am and although the manual steering is a bear just like I remember, she drove straight and true down the road. As luck would have it I happened upon a Sheriffs deputy about 2 miles from camp and after some bs'ing, turns out he had a brand new bendix steering gear ordered from napa, never installed on an old 68 he got rid of. $60 and a day later, he dropped it by camp and I am more than ready to get the PS back on her. My flaps has a a PS pump and lines in stock for another $60 so tomorrow I should have all new steering for probably $140.

Another side note, that electronic ignition netted huge gains. My mileage was down to about 11.5 before. Avereged about 14.5 on this trip.

Also note to self:how about not procrastinating fixing the bailing wired exhaust until it literally falls off running down Interstate 5... Ya, this happened. It was pretty late so I was lucky, but after backing all the way back to the missing piece, there is no saving the muffler. Exhaust job it is...

Ill snap a few shots of the goods and post them up tomorrow.

Also if anybody in the Vancouver wa area needs a pretty near perfect 68/69? grill let me know.

[Calfdemon]

Congrats on the parts score!! I love reading about the progress on the crew and the fact that you use it regularly. My crew is still getting its frame-off restoration done and is out of my hands because I have no ability when it comes to body or major paint. But once I finally get it back, I will start throwing it all back together. And while my truck will probably be show quality, and I plan on showing it occasionally, I also plan on driving it regularly and using it as a truck. So threads like yours keep me motivated!!

[67fordtruck]

Congrats on the parts score!! I love reading about the progress on the crew and the fact that you use it regularly. My crew is still getting its frame-off restoration done and is out of my hands because I have no ability when it comes to body or major paint. But once I finally get it back, I will start throwing it all back together. And while my truck will probably be show quality, and I plan on showing it occasionally, I also plan on driving it regularly and using it as a truck. So threads like yours keep me motivated!!

That is really funny, I have been following your build as well. I know my boss gets peaved with me for driving a truck like this daily and around the ranch, but that's what they were built for. Good luck getting the body and paint knocked out on your's, looking forward to seeing it progress!

As promised, here are a few shots.

the door, with one little dent at the bottom.

Horn ring

Emblems

And the main attraction. Had to bang out one ding, and still some straightening to do


Also picked up a power steering pump, pressure hose and fuel pump(since it's accessible with the ps pump off). I think power steering appreciation week should be over tomorrow

[Alstoyz]

NICE SCORE!!!

[elgemcdlf]

All you guys with crews are doing is making me want 1 as well! NOTE TO SELF: Quit looking at threads about crews.