'65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

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Blanger
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

This topic is about replacing the chassis on a 1965 Ford F100 and swapping it with a 1996 Buick Roadmaster, this is a complete chassis swap including drive train and electrical, basically a body swap, keywords...... Ford F-100, Roadmaster, Chassis, Swap, Crown Vic, I'm adding this text to help with SEO (search engine optimization) so the thread - topic is more easily found from a google search.

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ryanjay11 wrote:Sorry, I've been out of town for a few days. Looks like you are already off to the races.
Lol...yeah, a slight change in course though.

ryanjay11 wrote:I switched to the 67-72 lenses and housings, that have the additional space for the backup light. It sounds like you have a 67-72 lens on a 65-66 housing. If you are going to led's, you can probably just drill a hole the size of the bulb in the back and fab something up if you don't want to buy the newer housings.

Here is a set for $35: https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Ford-F100- ... 2O&vxp=mtr

Thank you, that's about what I thought, we'll add them to our list of parts we need, the Roadmaster chassis/lighting will be different than the CV so we'll have to wait till it is apart to see which direction to go.

Thanks again!

Jon
Last edited by Blanger on December 26, 2017, 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Blanger
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Tear down (part 2)

We spent Saturday morning building another dolly to put the cab on, I drilled reference holes in all four door hinges then removed the doors.

We used the board through the cab and a cherry picker method to pick up the cab, I had some reservations about doing it that way but was more balanced and really easier than I thought it would be, guess the cab isn't as heavy as I thought.

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After the cab was off the frame we rolled the frame out the door and right on a waiting trailer....

We spent the rest of the day stripping out the cab removing the heater box, instrument cluster, steering column, wiring.

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Sunday I spend a few hours cleaning the firewall scraping years of dirt and grease, looking at the metal it's a little worse than I originally thought, nothing like the '62 was but still it will need a drivers cab mount, drivers floor pan, passenger lower A pillar repaired, passenger lower hinge pocket replaced, of of course both rear cab corners.

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Monday, I guess I never said that Monday is my day off...lol after years and years of working 50+ hours a week I now work 4-10's tues thru friday just 40 hrs in 4 days and I get a 3 day weekend every week which is why I can get a lot done on projects, three days in a row really makes a difference.

Anyway, Monday I got the passenger A-pillar and the lower hinge pocket repaired - replaced, luckily I had one of the hinge pockets left over from the '62 so could get that area of the cab taken care of.

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Before I quit we pulled the glass out of the truck, both rubber seals were hard as rock and it took a lot of effort to cut through it (without hurting the glass), of course the windshield didn't matter and I used a 4" putty knife that I sharpened the edge and drove down from the glass side with a hammer to cut the gasket away, the rear glass we just used a couple razor knifes to cut enough away so the glass could be pushed out of the gasket.

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Saturday afternoon I did pull the Roadmaster in the shop to look around underneath, it doesn't have air ride (good thing) and the exhaust is a DIY job with cherry bomb mufflers that stops right in-front of the rear axle (illegal in our state for a passenger car), but it looks fine and will work to get through the build and can be replaced down the road, converters are still in place which is what I wanted to see.

I did notice the water pump is leaking...lol which is probably why the guy sold it, it's not a big job but a few hundred dollars if you can't do it yourself, the LT1 is the first design that GM used a reverse flow cooling system (all LS motors use this design) and of course has to have the air bled from the system to make it work correctly, no big deal since it will get replaced along with a good tune up while the body is off the chassis.

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Tear down (Part 2.5)

A couple things to note:

Saturday while I was checking the underside of the Roadmaster out I also scanned the ECM to see why the CEL was on, I had mentioned in another post that the cold air intake the previous owner had installed was going to save us a little money.....wrong.

There are two types of LT1's that were put in Roadmasters, basically early and late models the early models didn't use a MAF (Mass Air Flow) they instead relied on a algorithm in the ECM to calculate the volume of air entering the motor along with readings from the MAP, O2, TPS and RPM this type of injection is called "Speed Density" and the algorithm basically controlled the injector pulse width (on and off time (dwell)).

Early on GM tried to make a injection system that used a MAF and they failed, they had to recall a lot of cars and delete the MAF and flash the ECM to use the speed density programming, a few years later they finally got it right and today everything uses a MAF sensor (hot wire type).....by '96 they had it right!

So back to our Roadmaster, scanning the ECM it has two codes one is a MAF code the other is a air temp sensor (also for the injection), so I open the hood and there isn't a MAF.... digging around I find the connector tucked under the bottom of the old air box, the air temp sensor is connected and after clearing the codes only the MAF returned.

So doing a little research the cold air intake he bought is for a early LT1 that used speed density, I guess when he installed it he couldn't find a place for the MAF so he just unplugged it and threw it away with the old air cleaner housing. Now I wish he would have just left it alone because none of it is usable since the correct cold air intake tubing uses the MAF sensor and we don't have the original air box.

It's amazing that it runs as good as it does, but it has to be suffering since it has no way to know how much air is entering the engine and it was designed to have that data to get the proper air fuel ratio mixture, modern injection systems are always trying to achieve a air fuel ratio of 14.7:1 supposedly that is the optimal air fuel ratio for internal combustion engines, if you watch live data on a injected engine the air fuel ratio is always changing and the ECM is always adjusting timing and fuel based on engine load and O2 readings to achieve that perfect 14.7:1 ratio.

If anyone is interested in any of this here's a link or two.

http://support.moates.net/theory-speed-density/

http://support.moates.net/theory-mass-air-flow/

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I left out pics yesterday of loading the old frame from the '65 on the trailer, my wife's nephew wanted the motor to put in a old Fox body Mustang he is trying to piece together, then he will sell the rest or take it to the scrap yard but is going to either sell the wheels or bring them back. At this point I could build another truck after this one, it's just as likely that I will as that I won't ... but if I do build another one something will have to be sold. We have already sold the old '94 CV that we bought originally for the '62 and sold the '92 GMC that I use to drive but we will be keeping the old green '95 GMC 4x4 that you prolly have seen in the background of some pictures as a backup, the wife is really serious about driving a slick and has had her Kia for sale for awhile now .... So I won't say this is the last one we will build because that will eventually bite me in the ass when I have to start another thread on a different project...lol

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We are still trying to come up with ideas for the exterior of the '65, like the front bumper for the '62 that was new and I had to try to make it look old we are considering a lot of different angles on just how to achieve the look we want without letting it just age for 50 years. We have thought since we can't use any of the existing paint (neither of us want a green slick) that it is a opportunity to two tone the truck but we are still formulating a plan. I'll warn all of you I'm not a painter or body man, I can do some of the work and have a good working knowledge of what needs to be done, we don't want a super nice paint job but I fear that like the bumper for the '62 it'll be harder to make something new look like crap on purpose but we'll see what we come up with.

Our plan is that the week after Thanksgiving to tear the Roadmaster apart, between now and then my wife has several jobs scheduled that she'll need our shop for, other than sheet metal work on the cab there really isn't a lot I can do until the body comes off the RM, then the fun will really start and the endless on and off mocking up stuff but that is when you can really get a idea of what it's going to look like, we have a vision or ideas but unlike the '62 even though we have now seen a couple builds on a RM it's still kind of a guessing game as to what we will have to do to make it all work.

Between now and when we pull the body off I'm slowly acquiring the parts for the RM like the AC compressor delete, water pump, MAF, tune up parts, etc, I want to do this work after the body is off which will make it so much easier. At that time I'll probably delete the AIR pump (that's A-I-R) and it's plumbing off the engine, it's old tech that really isn't needed anymore, if you don't know what it is it was a way for manufactures to cheat on their EPA certification by introducing fresh air into the exhaust stream at the exhaust manifolds diluting NO2 and CO emissions, it made no difference in the amount of pollution emitted over all but did reduce what was detectable at the tail pipe in a given time frame, just another way consumers got screwed into believing something was that wasn't!

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Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Metal replacement (part 1)

Some theory......

So let's talk about panel replacement / repair for a moment, I'm sure a few of you looked at my A-pillar repair on the '65 and wondered why I didn't cut the old metal out, treat the inside of the pillar with some form of rust preventive, then cut-fit new metal into the pillar butt welding it to keep the original couture and look .

I did that on the first pillar repair on the '62 because I believed it was the "right way" to do the job, the reality was that the surrounding metal that wasn't rotted through that had to be welded to was thin and no matter how low you set the welder it would either blow through the metal or not get good weld penetration. Granted if you are replacing a body panel it has to be done in a way that is either flanged and installed from the rear or butt welded so you don't need a ton of filler to get your replacement panel at the proper level with the rest of the body.

Doing the pillar repair not only is hidden but is structure not cosmetic like a body panel, my only concern is to put the strength back into the pillar while trying to stop moisture from getting into the area from the outside (from the front tire)(I mean the cowl is open at the windshield so just how much good can you actually do?).... most of you will know that when it comes to the cowl and pillars on a slick that it is a losing battle because the cowl drains across the top of the firewall into the pillars then out the bottom of the pillars onto the ground.

There is no amount of work you can do to a old slick to stop the damage that 50 years has already taken place in these areas, it's going to be rusty inside that pillar and in my opinion cutting out the rotten metal is just a exercise to fill your time if you have nothing else to do. On the '62 I cut a lot of it out and painstakingly made new pieces to fit the openings, yes it looked better but once the fender was installed no one can see it, yes I know I did it "right" but at the end of the day it really isn't going to help anymore than just putting metal over the affected area.

My theory is that doing this type of repair is it's stronger to weld patches to the outside of the pillar and recreate the shape while sealing it up. If you have ever done this type of work on your slick you will notice that the cowl - pillar design is pretty lame on Fords part, the drain holes are several inches above the bottom of the pillar and because of the shape it is prone for debris to lay in there blocking the drain and eventually rotting it out.

When I started on the '65 cab both pillars were full to the air vents inside with leafs, both drains were plugged with dirt and rotting leafs, the fresh air tube going to the heater was also full of leafs, it's just a poor design that is always going to be a weak spot or problem area when fixing these trucks. So in my mind it has taken 50+ years for the pillars to get in the shape they are in, the patching I did will probably add another 30 years to the life of that area maybe more since the metal I used was heavier gauge and the areas repaired are the failure areas. truth is I'll be long dead and gone before it is a issue for someone who is scratching their head saying what kind of idiot did this...lol

Floor pans are another area that is troublesome, on the '62 when I replaced the passenger floor pan I butt welded it and again the surrounding metal was just too thin and easy to blow through welding so I had to stack welds then grind it all off it was really a mess, on the drivers side I left about a 1/2" of old floor to lap the new pan over, drilled 1/8th inch holes, used clecos (greatest invention ever!) to hold the pan in place and it welded like a champ. Looking at the underneath side of the cab floor the drivers side looks great but the passenger side I had to lay on my back and grind garbage welds down so it wasn't as embarrassing if other people saw it.

While I'm not a "bodyman" I have been around it all of my life and have done a fair amount of panel replacement, I guess the proper way to classify that statement is that I'm not a finish bodyman, I can do the rough-in work but not the finish work to make it all look as good as factory and of course with both of these projects we are not looking for anything that is high quality as far as refinishing the exterior, it's just how we want things.

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My point in typing this post is to give a explanation as to why I do some things the way I do instead of what others may feel is the correct way, we all have different goals and needs in what we build, and different end objectives we are trying to reach, both of these builds are daily drivers not show vehicles and are more utilitarian in purpose therefore they need to be durable and safe but not necessarily pretty in any aspect.

Anyone looking at our '62 with a open mind can easily see what we were trying to achieve, the truck checks all the boxes for safety and reliability, it may look like a rolling junk pile to some folks that give it a casual look but on closer inspection it changes their mind rather quickly, others look at it and get it, they understand and see the value and cool factor of building something like it....we like it so well that we are building the '65 the same way but it will be different and better....wait and see.

We (everyone on this forum) build and restore vehicles because it gives us satisfaction, it's so very different to us than it is to just go out and buy an old restored vehicle that you just own but never actually built, what we do is a labor of love not just for the vehicle we are building but for the work we do, few things in life are as satisfying as building something with your own two hands.

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A short story:

So going home a few nights ago I was sitting at a stop light on a 4 lane highway, next to me was a Dodge Challenger (no not a SRT) just a plain ol' Mopar, anyway the light turns green and I'm in the left lane (fast lane) and the Challenger wants to get in front of me he nails it and I stay right beside him he keeps accelerating and so do I after about a 1/4 mile he gives up and tucks in behind me to get though the up coming traffic, looking in the rear view mirror there is no one around us for quite a few car lengths he had plenty of room to just get behind me after we left the stop light but no, I guess he figured the '62 was just a rolling junk pile that couldn't accelerate and he would just jump out in front of me, nope.

Have I told you folks just how much I like my truck?

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(sorry for the long post, sometimes I just have a lot to say, and I don't use tl;dr....lol)

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by SteveCanup »

Love the story....smoke the punks at the stoplight.... :D
1964 F-100
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Blanger
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

SteveCanup wrote:Love the story....smoke the punks at the stoplight.... :D
Steve,

It's really hard to express just how much I like and enjoy driving the '62, it's getting to be a standing joke when I get home to tell my wife how much I like the truck....lol

Of all the vehicles I've owned over the years it is hands down my favorite and I really had no idea when we were building it that I would feel that way about the truck, but it is just a very enjoyable - fun vehicle to drive everyday, it's different and unique appearance-wise from what you see going down the road but drives like a CV. I made a few mistakes building it that I'll correct between the two trucks (swapping parts) but all in all it is really close to ideal for my wants and needs in a daily driver.

Back when I drag raced I always had the idea of taking a ex-drag racing door car that had a tube chassis and full cage and making a street car out of it, never got the right opportunity to do that but doing the chassis swap with the '62 kinda' in a way filled that desire I had, yeah it's basically a stock CV underneath but I'm a old dude now and a lot of horsepower under the hood that has to be tinkered with constantly isn't on my list of things to do anymore.

It's hard to really explain but easier just to say it would take a lot of money to pry the '62 out of my hands at the moment, the '65 might change my mind a little but hey that is my wife's truck not mine, she is calling most of the shots and making most of the decisions on how it will wind up looking when finished, if she continues on her current path it will blow the '62 away in looks!....lol

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Metal replacement (part 2)

First a short rant:

I've never understood why in the automotive world manufacturers, distributors, and re-sellers use the term "right" or "left", let me explain, when dealing with autos there are two perspectives that are used one is from the perspective of sitting in the drivers seat which makes right right and left left, but there is another perspective and that is from under the hood or looking at the front of the vehicle which makes right left and left right from the seat perspective (confused?). I've dealt with this all my life and never really understood why they just can't use the terms "drivers side" or "passenger side", some do, but others do not, then sometimes they mix the two together which is really confusing, then throw in someone writing descriptions that knows nothing about what they are writing and it quickly becomes a cluster.

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The description above is why I have a passenger floor pan and not a drivers side floor pan.....

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But I do have a drivers floor pan on the way....lol

So moving on..... I got the passenger floor pan replaced over the weekend, the center floor bracing under the cab cut out on both sides (at the rockers) and that area patched.

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For those who don't know what clecos are here is how they are used.....

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Panels all welded in....

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And seam sealed....

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While I was patching the floor I filled in the hole for the old floor shifter.

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And went around to the drivers side and patched the area where the center floor brace was rotting through.

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Since I didn't have the drivers floor pan I did go ahead and cut the drivers cab mount from the front of the firewall so when it comes in and I cut the floor pan out it will come off without a lot of effort.

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With the drivers floor pan that will complete the cab as far as the floor, the firewall will be another issue that has to be dealt with once we figure out where the brake master cylinder, steering column, and other items are going to be installed, I plan to cut out portions of the RM firewall like we did on the CV to use as samples to mount components or where to cut holes. So we're moving right along, I have to say that the cart or dolly we built to put the cab on has worked out nice, it's at a good height to sit on a brake stool and work and it's sturdy enough to sit on the floor or door sills without it tipping on the dolly.

Tomorrow.......another surprise and twist to this build....stay tuned..lol

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Parts and more parts...

Some of you may remember that the '65 needs a windshield, along with the windshield it needs other parts to fit with what the wife wants, one of those things is hood side emblems like the '62 has instead of the twin I beam fender badges that a '65 would have (we don't have them anyway). So Joe the guy that we bought the '62 uni from had a used windshield that we could have bought but like I said we needed a few other items.

A new windshield is around $200 plus shipping ($125 truck freight), the emblems she wants we cannot find anyone who makes them although you can find used ones on eBay for $30-$60 apiece, so we have been looking for parts locally just to see what we could find.

We also had a few people looking for us, neither my wife or I do social media, never really cared about Facebook, for me not only do I consider it a huge waste of time but I really don't need to tell the world every aspect of my life or a blow by blow account of my daily bowel movements...lol (no offence intended to anyone who finds it useful, it's just my personal opinion)

So along with CraigsList apparently there's this thing called Facebook Marketplace that is I guess really popular and the new way to sell stuff, one of our relatives was looking at it and found someone selling a '62 F100 SWB stepside bed, cab, and front end so this is a basically a complete truck sheet metal-wise, complete dog house (no inner fenders), cab, and bed, no frame or steering which we don't need anyway.

The guy had removed the body from the '62 frame, sold the frame and was going to mount the body parts on a '77 4x4 Ford or GM frame (he wasn't real clear about that) but decided it was going to be way more fabrication work then he wanted to tackle, luckily he hadn't cut anything up yet, but had set the cab on the '77 frame and found out that the frame was too wide because of the slicks cab steps (I guess, he just said it wasn't going to work out), but anyway he abandoned that aspect of the project and listed parts on the FB marketplace (BTW this is where we found the RM or was told about it being listed).

In the end we bought the whole thing from him (all the '62 parts) for $500 delivered and he had to make two trips, we had to call a friend down the street with a tractor with forks on it to off load the cab and set in front of our shop (thanks Ryan).....

The new arrival has good glass in it, a great dog house with nice fenders, the hood is ok but needs a little repair (but has the emblems she wanted), the bed has a thick plate of steel welded to the floor which makes it weigh a ton, but it has basically good fenders, tail gate and steps, not really a bad piece. The cab is rough but could be savable and other than the cab floor, steps & risers this body is not bad but has seen plenty of use and road salt.

So it's fate at the moment is a source of parts (does have the heater box still hanging under the dash), it may in the end get built, I really don't know the answer at this point but it's likely that after the '65 I'll start on it and really assess the amount of work and money it will take to build it, the other great thing is that it has a title that is good and matches the VIN tag so it is buildable in that respect without jumping through a bunch of legal hoops.

Here's some pictures....

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Sunday I took the time to tear the dog house apart, and jack up the bed off the ground and block it up so it's not sitting on the ground pushing on the steps and fenders, then put tarps over both so to kinda' keep them somewhat safe and out of the direct elements till we get to them, my plan is that once the '65 cab is off the dolly for good that we'll pick the '62 cab up and put it on the dolly and it can come in out of the weather, the windshield can be removed to put in the '65 (it would have to come out anyway since the rubber gasket is shot), and a good assessment of what we will wind-up doing with it.....like I said the floor is pretty bad and would possibly need a complete floor (which is way too much money) but there are always options in that regard depending on what we do with it.

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It's funny that so few of these trucks that you find for parts have the grill that is the right year in them, this '62 (so the title sez) looks to have a '63 grill in it, the '65 has a '66 grill in it, I know they are all interchangeable and after 50+ years most have been wrecked at some point of their life, it's just odd that the grill is something that Ford changed just about every year and I guess still do to this day....but I guess there are always end of model year production vehicles that have different parts or share parts with the next model year.

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Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving...

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by unibody madness »

Great read, what I have found is you have to go by the production number to figure out model year, for instance I have bought two vehicles ordered from factory, the last was my dodge dakota which was a 2002 model that was built Sept. 2001: reg. reads both dates so when sold or re registered it would be a simple thing to list year built rather than model year on the new paperwork.
John
Turk build thread at:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=18944

It does not matter what you think, it only matters what you do about it!
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by mercuryv8 »

Awesome build thread. Thanks for putting so much detail in.

I think the words we should start using for right and left should be "port" and "starboard" . Not that I know anything about boats. I live on the prairies. Those words avoid left and right perspective problem and the which side of the car the steering wheel/driver is on problem.

That being said... it will never change. People in the future ordering floor pans for their 2052 F-150 that rusted out will still be ordering "Right" and "Left" pans... LOL

And the Americans will still be using inches. :twisted:

Nic
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

unibody madness wrote:Great read, what I have found is you have to go by the production number to figure out model yea
Thanks John, we try to do that but it's always after the fact....it's not a big deal just something I've noticed.
mercuryv8 wrote:Awesome build thread. Thanks for putting so much detail in.
Thanks Nic, in some ways I felt bad because I started posting about the '62 uni after I was well into the build (actually rounding the corner to finish it) I've been a lurker around the forum for a long time just never joined, and when I did decide to join I was pretty deep into that build so couldn't share a lot. I know other members here have a interest in doing a chassis swap so I decided that this time I would take the time to photograph everything and try to explain everything I'm doing....and sometimes why. lol

Doing this one we will learn together because I can't find build info to help me or to get a good grasp of what to look for, I have a good idea from doing the CV but there are lots of other people who have done that swap so lots of info is available to read up on or watch videos about, not really the case with the Roadmaster, I know it has been done, but no one has really made a build video or thread that I could find for guidance. ( I ain't scared!...lol)

So to me sharing this info is kinda' important to maybe help other members of the forum or really anyone else that stumbles on my threads, I enjoy doing the work, building something has a lot more satisfaction to it than just fixing something that is broken, it gives you the opportunity to put your "spin" on the build although I'm not in control of this build my wife is. (I'm just doing labor and offering suggestions when appropriate)

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Metal replacement (part 3)

Hey look.....I got a drivers floor pan!

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So the weekend project was installing the drivers floor pan and cab mount, when Ford redesigned the interior I guess in '64 they changed the cab floor getting rid of most of the step-up (cab steps) and the risers on the truck, in doing so they redesigned the cab floor making the drivers side a little wider, the drivers floor pan in several inches wider than the passenger side.

Replacement was pretty easy but took a couple trial fits to get enough of the old floor pan cut out so the new pan would fit in the opening. Since I had previously cut the cab mount from the front of the firewall the floor pan and mount came out as one piece.

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I mocked up the floor and cab mount together to get the proper placement of the cab mount using clecos to hold everything in place on the pan and mount, then started tacking the parts to the cab.

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Then started welding everything in place....

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Ground the welds down....

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Seam sealed..

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I didn't close up the hole for the old clutch rod yet, if I would have closed it up I would need the hole for the RM swap, but if I leave it open I won't so.....

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I also closed up the old fuel filler hole in the cab....

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So the cab is basically ready to sit on the RM frame when we get to that point, I was surprised to see that the new cab mount didn't have a mounting hole in it to mount to the frame (body mount) in it, not a big deal but was kinda' odd.

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Tools

We are always on the look out for additions to our arsenal of tools, my father-inlaw was getting rid of a few things out of his shop and sold us a old '72 Craftsman 15" floor drill press....

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Great piece of equipment that was probably made by either Delta or Rockwell back in the day, a lot of the old Craftsman tools like this were really made to last a lifetime, I've found over the years that some equipment like this drill press or table saws are better to buy old used than new, my table saw is a Delta 220v that was made in '80 that was cheap ($100) but will out saw anything new unless you spend thousands of dollars for a cabinet saw, most everything sold today is for casual use, made to hit a price point, and just really cheaply made.

We also a few weeks ago bought a horizontal band saw to cut steel, this is of course a cheap Chinese saw, it's sold by Grizzly and can be used with the base as a chop saw or portable as a two handed saw.

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My old Makita chop saw works ok, but isn't real precise cutting....

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More tomorrow....

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Cab Prep (Part 1)

Since the floor is repaired the cab is basically ready to do the mock-up on the RM chassis when we get it's body off, but I'm in a holding pattern on that aspect till my wife does a couple jobs that she'll need the shop for, so while I'm waiting I decided to work on the exterior of the cab sanding the old gray primer off. The people who put the gray primer on didn't do any prep or sanding beforehand so there isn't any bond between the primer and the original Ford green paint, it comes off easily and of course all of it has to be removed.

Sunday I spent most of the day sanding the cab, I had noticed some bondo above the drip rail in the front above the driver side, so started grinding that away to see what was hiding underneath....

To my surprise there is a considerable amount of rot hiding up there, so I grind it all off all the way around the drip rail area of the cab and find more and more, just a couple areas are bad but small pin holes in a lot of places.

As much as I'd like to cut the areas out and replace the metal that is bad I just don't see a feasible way to do it, so it'll get a fiber glass repair, not sure if I'll use fiberglass mat or not, the area isn't that tall so it will probably just get the Everglass filler which is like bondo but has fiberglass strands in it and doesn't shrink like bondo does.

Here's a few pictures....


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Sunday I also tore the '65's heater box apart, the heater core has been frozen at one time in its life and is leaking so it'll have to be replaced, the blower motor runs and seems fine, so I can just clean and paint the box, replace the heater core and it'll be ready to put back in the cab.

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Monday I dedicated as a cleanup day, the shop was getting pretty dusty and it had been a couple months since I just walked around putting things back in their place, I do try to keep the mess at a minimum, I always sweep the floor and try to vacuum up dirt while I'm making it...lol

The type of work my wife does dust and dirt are a big problem so I'm constantly trying to keep it under control, and both of us like a clean shop so every now and then you have to just stop and take the time to clean before it gets out of control....heck we even hosed the floor down and squeegee'd the floor.

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A few weeks ago I got the OEM air intake for the RM from the salvage yard, my wife ordered off eBay a cold air intake that is correct for the RM using a MAF so between the two we should be able to put together the proper air intake that will work in the truck.

I think I've also amassed all of the repair - tune up parts for the RM which will get installed after the body is off, we still need to decide on which method we will use to defeat the VATS system because once the body is removed we will need to do that mod to probably make it run again....but everything is slowly moving in that direction and I'm excited to see what we will have to do to make this all work like the CV swap.

I really don't think it's going to be that much different, there are a lot of similarities between the two vehicles, some ways I think it will be easier but others might be a bit more of a challenge...we'll just have to wait and see.

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A slight diversion.....

So we all probably watch YouTube videos and of course have our favorite channels, one of mine is this guy from Canada, his channel is very informative from a technical point of view but yet he throws in his own brand of humor which takes awhile to get accustom to, but the thing is he explains things in a way that the non-technical people can mostly understand. A fair warning if you watch any of his videos there is language that some may find offensive just keep in mind this is the guys garage/shop and he is talking to the audience from the perspective of a few guys hanging out in the garage having a beer or two shooting the shit. The nice thing about his channel is that he buys equipment disassembles it and tells you the good and the bad about the product which is helpful if your looking to get the most bang for your buck.

His channel..... https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil/videos

Enjoy....a sample.




Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

On the topic of the cab roof...... I have a question that I've asked some of the local body shop suppliers and that is what type of sealer is/was used to seal around the drip rail? I have yet to get a answer, most of the answers are well that's pretty old (the guy wasn't born then...lol) so I'll have to get back to you.

What have you guys used to replace that sealer, the stuff I removed was rock hard and bonded very well but has cracked over the years.....

I know the regular seam sealer I use inside isn't the right stuff.....but what is?

TIA

Jon
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MY OL 66
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by MY OL 66 »

Blanger wrote:On the topic of the cab roof...... I have a question that I've asked some of the local body shop suppliers and that is what type of sealer is/was used to seal around the drip rail? I have yet to get a answer, most of the answers are well that's pretty old (the guy wasn't born then...lol) so I'll have to get back to you.

What have you guys used to replace that sealer, the stuff I removed was rock hard and bonded very well but has cracked over the years.....

I know the regular seam sealer I use inside isn't the right stuff.....but what is?

TIA

Jon

The seam sealer I have been using on most places around my cab is the 3M Controller Flow - 08329

The seam sealer (I was told) that should be used on the roof gutter seams is the 3M Self Leveling - 08307

I am getting close to doing my roof gutter seams, so I have not yet used this...
Steve F
1965 Mustang Coupe
1966 F-100 Shortbed CC/Ranger
2010 Mustang GT Convertible
2010 Shelby GT500 Convertible
Blanger
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

MY OL 66 wrote:The seam sealer (I was told) that should be used on the roof gutter seams is the 3M Self Leveling - 08307
Steve,

Thanks..... the thing I read about the self-leveling is that it can or could run out the end of the drip rails (and down the cab) if you don't temporally close up the ends of the drip rails while it's seeking level, not a big deal while the cab is on our dolly because I can raise the rear of the cab so it's somewhat flat, but once it's mounted on the RM frame that won't be a option. Of course the stuff I was reading about might not have been 3M either.

Thanks again

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Cab prep (part 2)

This weekend was suppose to be the weekend we tear down the RM but plans always change, when I got home Friday this was sitting in our shop....

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Customers always come first because without them we couldn't do any of the fun stuff...lol

So the van was here for my wife to wrap and while I can't show you the finished product because of customer confidentially and all that legal stuff that goes with graphic design it's easier to say that it was Monday before we got started on the RM...lol which I'll post tomorrow.

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While my wife was wrapping the van I did fix the top of the cab around the drip rail, a couple coats of fiberglass filler and a lot of hand sanding, it turned out pretty nice.

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I'll let it sit a week then if it doesn't shrink I'll do the finish sanding and shoot some primer on it.

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I also got the heater box cleaned, painted, and reassembled..

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Then started sanding on the dash....

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What a PIA that was, hours of hand sanding to get the old black paint off just the top of the dash, I still have the front or face of the dash to do and I'm not looking forward to it, I'll have to give my fingers a good rest before tackling it..lol I had to use a combination of 60 and 80 grit sandpaper with a wood block to get all the black paint off, I'll have to go back and smooth that out so it's ready for paint later.

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Tomorrow we attack the RM.

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by SteveCanup »

Jon....just a suggestion on the dash and paint removal. Have you considered paint stripper? The gel type stays on vertical surfaces fairly well, let it sit about 30 minutes and run a plastic (or even a metal) putty knife over it and the paint comes right off. It will certainly save your fingers...I know, I have arthritis in mine from hand sanding cars over the years...lol....

Steve-
1964 F-100
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

SteveCanup wrote:Jon....just a suggestion on the dash and paint removal. Have you considered paint stripper? The gel type stays on vertical surfaces fairly well, let it sit about 30 minutes and run a plastic (or even a metal) putty knife over it and the paint comes right off. It will certainly save your fingers...I know, I have arthritis in mine from hand sanding cars over the years...lol....

Steve-
Steve,

Honestly I hadn't thought about using paint stripper and that would save a lot of work on the front of the dash with all the holes for controls.... thanks for reminding me. I have that same arthritis, wrists, ankles, fingers, it's the price we pay for being older...lol

Thanks

Jon
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Re: '65 F100 SWB - yes another Crown Vic swap

Post by Blanger »

Tear down (part 3)

The Roadmaster....

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Taking a car apart can be fun or a royal PIA (it's a combination of both), it's all really straight forward you unbolt stuff and set it aside piece by piece dismantling the vehicle, there are a lot of parts to disassemble and it all has to go for our version of a chassis swap.

A couple things I'll mention is to save everything you even remotely think there might be a use for even if it isn't for the current project, more than once I've went back to my horde of CV parts to use a item that I could have thrown in the scrap pile. You really can't rip and tear things apart everything needs to be disassembled either in assemblies or individually.

It's a given that you are going to label every wiring connector so have some masking tape and a good sharpie ready, and you're going to want to do this even if you're not reusing the entire harness like we will be doing because at some point you will have to mate some portion of the old harness to new wiring....by labeling every connector you have options and you can see what you're dealing with.

You're also going to want to save all the screws, nuts and bolts you remove, we just use a box that everything gets dropped into that can be sorted through at a later date....nothing sucks more than to need something that you threw away and all of it can be tossed after your done with the project.

Take your time....don't break stuff to get it out of your way, it doesn't take that much longer to just figure out how the factory put it together and remove things in that way, of course you are going to run into problems like stripped fasteners, broken blind nuts, and you can deal with them however you think is appropriate but I'd save the cutting torch or plasma cutter as a last resort you don't want to set your project on fire or cause more damage than is necessary.

Safety glasses and gloves are good protective options that I highly recommend........

You should also have a plan to dismantle the vehicle, you want to leave the battery connected as long as you can so that things like power seats can be moved while your unbolting them, as long as you're not cutting wires you won't be hurting anything just unplugging connectors and most of the vehicles major components can be removed with the battery connected....but if you are going to cut wires disconnect the battery first because there is no sense having to chase down blown fuses at a later date when you are trying to figure out why something doesn't work.

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I normally work at the back of the vehicle first and work my way forward, since my wife was helping she started on the interior while I took the rear apart, I helped her get the doors off when she had them ready then went back to whatever I was working on....after the rear was apart I moved to the front.

I also try as things come off the vehicle to sort them into piles of scrap metal or junk plastic - interior that will have to be sent to the garbage...it just makes it easier to load the scrap metal if you don't have to sort it as your loading.

So this is where we are at Monday afternoon, we are down to the hard parts of pulling the dash, steering column, removing all the body bolts, pulling the wiring out of the car, then deciding where we will cut the body up into small pieces to make it more manageable, you don't want to damage brake , fuel lines or really anything underneath that isn't seen so you need to look really close before you cut things up.

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Ideally removing the entire body in one shot would be the easiest, safest, and quickest way but your going to need a good way to lift the body off the chassis that is safe and secure, we don't have that luxury without calling in another favor so we'll cut it up into manageable pieces.

Don't forget to cut out the front of the firewall for patterns later.....

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Some Fact and Theory.....

There are so many different ways you could do a complete chassis swap, I've seen people reuse the donor vehicle firewall and dash cutting out the slick firewall and dash, or keeping the donor firewall and HVAC system but using the slicks dash, I prefer to try to keep as much of the original slick cab as possible and don't mind converting the wiring to use the slicks controls, to me it has a more original look....but the skies really the limit as to the amount of modification and fabrication you can do if that is what you choose.

Personally I've never liked the builds that cut the firewall from the slick and use the donor firewall and dash, they just never look complete and look a little hacked up (just my opinion) but there are few limitations to what you can do as long as you have the space or room to work with and the desire.

AC is one of those issues that a lot of people want or need and that is a contributing factor in the build, refitting the donor HVAC unit under the slick dash will leave about 2/3rds of it hanging out under the slick dash, it looks unsightly but I have seen builds where people have made a lower dash panel to extend the dash to cover it and it looks ok. Of course the best option is to just use a aftermarket unit that was made for the truck but you're going to drop between $1500 -$2500 to use that option and in my builds it's more than I want to invest in a HVAC system.

Actually I have found for my usage in the '62 that I like the one knob control the heater has. pushed in it blows out the floor, pull it out and it blows out the defrost, twist the knob and you have your blower speeds...simple, I did put a manual shut off valve in the heater hose to block the water flow during the summer and it worked out great. There are plenty of air vents in the '62 so unless you're sitting at a stop light it's pleasant even on the hottest days here.

But none of this changes the fact that you have lots of options in your build, it really comes down to what you want out of the build and to what lengths you are willing to go to achieve that goal.

I've covered the wiring before but again there are several levels of integration you could use from a brand new stand-alone harness to adapting the existing harness like we will be doing, I saw the other day where Jegs or Summit was selling a stand-alone complete wiring harness for any vehicle that is using either a LT1 or a LS GM motor, this was a complete harness with fuse panel, lighting, accessories, and engine connectors to wire any vehicle....they start at around $550 and go up to around $850, they also are selling a harness for 5.0L and 5.8L Fords with EFI which makes transplanting a modern engine and transmission in a old vehicle basically plug-n-play as long as you already have a ECM, these were made by Painless so other manufactures can't be far behind and will be at a better price point. ...but that's again too rich for me, since I have a harness that is already proven to work I'll be using it just like we did with the CV.

I guess I'm just trying to give you folks ideas if you're planning a chassis swap in the future, not really trying to justify what we are doing but show that there are lots of different ways to accomplish the same task based on what your wants are and the amount of work you want to do.

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This weekend we will pull the rest of it apart.

Jon
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