Hello from Chicago

[RONC65SLICK]

Hello, I am a new member and a new Slick owner. I bought my 65 Ford F100 a few months ago and love it.

It has the 352 3 on the tree. It is going to be a work in progress but it's a nice start.

I bought it for $400 and it is running and driving.

I look forward to learning from everyone on this site and If you are in the Chicago area maybe we could meet up sometime.

This is My 1st Slick and I would like to upgrade to Power Stearing, Maybe Auto trans, add a Heater (Old one is gone), lower it (Front & Back), upgrade / change brakes, paint, etc.

I have read alot of great posts on this site but I am a bit confused.

I am new to working on cars and trucks so I am limited unless I get help from a friend.

Since I have so many things to do I am not sure where to start 1st.

Any advice on what I should do 1st or what the best parts are for that part of the project would be appreciated.

Thanks

[jamesdfo]

Ron:

If you search, there is plenty of good info in past threads. In the event you are unable to find info relating to your task, just ask (hey! that rhymes:)

As far as steering & brakes goes, dentsides (1973-79) make great donors for disc brakes, power steering,etc, so keep your eyes open for a cheap on to canibalize:)

Cheers!
James

[61blacklowrider]

Welcome from Northern Nevada. I'm a new member myself and I found out that this is a great bunch of folks. You will be able to find out just about any information you may need. That is a good looking slick and the price is outstanding. Do yourself a favor; take lots of pictures and make notes on everything you do. Refer to them frequently and I'm not kidding when I say; if you wake up at night with a constructive thought, make a note of it. Good Luck!!!!!!
Bob

[ezernut9mm]

welcome to the show ron. first, basics. getting to run and stop reliably. after that it's all the small things. just ask. it's all right here.

[Jerry D]

Welcome from Woodstock Illinois. Not too many of us from the Chicago area. Maybe come spring we can meet up, and maybe find a couple more members as well.

Jerry D

[66fordtrucknut]

Drive it for a while before you completely disable it, when it's in pieces, it's easy to lose focus on it. I had one in pieces for a long time and missed driving it, I ended up buying a 62' SWB uni, pretty much done. I swore then not to disable that truck til I had another one on the road. Welcome from Md's Eastern Shore.
Charlie

[RONC65SLICK]

Thanks for the warm welcome Everyone!


Jerry D,

That sounds great to meet in the spring. I was just in Woodstock a few months back for the Iron Invasion. I also have a guy in my neighborhood who has a slick but it just sit's next to his garage. One day i was going to take mine and go knock on his door and see if he wants to sell it or work on them together.

[1965fordf100]

Welcome from Nor Nev!

[Greg D]

If it hasn't been done, absolutely, positively upgrade your brakes to a dual master cylinder and fully inspect the system.
Welcome to Slick 60s.

[64 f100]

Before getting started, you need to know where the problem areas are, and what these problems cause in regards to driving your truck.

Drivability problems caused by rust and where to look .
Front cab mounts are a leading cause of drivability issues. Bad mounts and the rubber cushions these set on are a leading cause of steering issues and shifting /clutch problems. When cab mounts start to sag from rust then a number of things happen. The cab will tend to move around causing issues with linkage on both clutch and transmission. A near certain sign that your having cab mount issues is a torn rag joint at the steering gear box. As the cab sags from mount problems it puts pressure on the rag joint causing the usually old rotten rag joint to tear. If, you have cab mount problems, and I've seen few of these trucks that didn't in Illinois, this is to be addressed first before you start driving the truck. You can do fast patch of some sort and wait to replace the mount untill your ready to do a better job.The front cab mounts are the Achilies heal for these trucks. Cab mounts will also put strain on fenders , sometimes causing cracks at the bottom of the doglegs , or causing the fender inner bracing to come apart at the dogleg where it bolts to the body. REpairs tempory or permanent are required for safe driving.

The second problem I will mention here is rust in the lower radiater support. Your entire front of the front end is supported by two bolts going thru the support and into the frame. Rust is rampant in the lower part of the support on most Illinois trucks. Most easily spotted by looking thru the fender wells at the area behind the headlights. Can be patched and made solid again with welding skills.

Your truck looks to be a good buy, and a decent start. I wish you a big welcome from southern Illinois. You are 300 miles north of me, otherwise I am ready to help in any way I can.

Rich

[64low-n-slow]

Welcome Ron! That's a good lookin' '65. Enjoy the ride!

[RONC65SLICK]

Thanks for the welcomes and advice, Everyone.

[grump]

Welcome from N.W. Ohio.

[64LL]

Nice job, was that the one on Craigslist? That was a steal. Listed for $500, right? I was scrambling to line up a place to put that thing before I bothered contacting the seller but you snapped it up pretty quickly!

[RONC65SLICK]

64LL, Yes I think that is the same truck. the seller was a great guy and even helped me get the title. I called him the same night it was listed and bought it the next day.

Are you in the Chicago area?

[64LL]

Yes, I'm in Downers Grove. The truck looks really clean.

[Jerry D]

Cool, another guy in the area. At this rate, we may have enough guys locally to have a get-together. We may even give the guys from Texas, Iowa or Pennsylvania a run for their money.

[RONC65SLICK]

Sounds good. Maybe we can meet up sometime this spring or all hit a local car show together. it would be cool to get a few trucks together. Just let me know when & where.

[BiffWilley]

Welcome from Decatur. I'm new to the site and just starting my slick Journey too!

Best of luck, off to a good start just being here!
Cheers,
Biff