1968 F750 TRACTOR

[hotrod ford]

keep us posted.

[FLATBEDFORD]

Do you have Texas plates for it or are you going to register it in NC?

[dolinick]

Can you bolt on an F100 front clip to an F600/F750? I'd like to remove the fenders, radiator support, and grille and attach a front clip from a '67-'69 F100 on my F750. I also would like to install a regular truck bed on it. I measured my LWB F100 and it is 29 inches too short. I could put a toolbox or something in betweend the cab and bed to cover the gap but I think it would look better if the bed lined up with the cab like a regular F100. My other option besides shortening the frame is to swap cabs with a crew cab and then use a bed from a SWB truck. What do you think? If the wheels don't clear the fenders I might be able to put a few inches of lift on the truck. It looks simple because of the solid axles on this type of rig. The end result will be a freak of nature not unlike the "oldschool" monster trucks like the original Bigfoot. Most likely I won't have tires that big on it but who knows...



Dan

[dolinick]

Hey, I drove that truck home with no problems from north carolina. It has been parked in my driveway for a few months. I finally moved out to my little place in the country. I'm building a cabin out there. I already used it to haul a couple of hundred gallons of water for my trees. It's only about 5 miles into town.

I still think it would be cool to have a long bed with a crew cab on the thing. Anyway what is available as for long beds for '67-'72 duallies? This truck should always have duallies on it no matter what I do with the body I would think. If I get a hold of a long bed I'm simply gonna set it on the frame and see what the clearance is like. Yall think it will rub on the tires? I know a flatbed/stakebed is more practical but I just can't get this idea out of my head.

Dan

[70shortwide]

im not sure if it was an option in the 67-72 era, but i have a 73 parts truck that is a super camper special. the wheelbase on those is a bit longer, might be a closer fit. not sure on dimensions though

[rjewkes]

I tbink the dualies back then where afterthought. either left to hang outside the bodie or have something resembling a garden hose hanger sticking out.

[killakobra]

i'm not sure about the bed swap, but i can put my in on the front clip. i resently removed a front clip off of a f600 to use on my 69 stepside (opposite of what you're doing). the way it bolts to the cab is different. the brackets that hold the f100 inner fenders on is different and i don't think the f6000 cab has the holes for it. also, the f600 inner fender length is longer. i had to trim them down to fit on my f100. you'll need to use your radiator support off of the f600 because they mount differently. they are the same width though and the fenders bolt on the same. i'm not sure if the holes are the right height but the f100 support works with the f600 fenders. if i think of anything else, i'll post it here.

[dolinick]

Wow, very good information. I've never attempted to take the front end apart. I am always learning new thing when messing with my bumps. I haven't really worked on them much in a long time though. Yes, keeping my F750 radiator support would make things a lot easier wouldn't it?

I did notice some differences in how some things were attached simply by looking around under the hood.

[killakobra]

the outer fenders have alot of bolts that hold them to the grill and radiator support. yea, keeping the f750 radiator mount helps alot. that way you don't have to fab some mounts for the other one. you may need to drill holes for the f100 inner fenders since the front is a different shape.

[dolinick]

I got to drive my F750 again today. I just drive it into town which is about 5 miles and back to my cabin. I loaded only 150 gallons of water because my 400 gallon tank has too many leaks if I try to fill it any higher.



I put more than 50 trees in the ground since nov 2007. The ones I planted last fall are stressed from the drought. a couple of my pecans, i planted 8, dropped their leaves. These are only about 18 inches high. I couldn't afford that many large trees. My crepe myrtle's have been in the ground longer but don't tolerate the drought that well. They protect themselves by dropping leaves as well or maybe the leaves are just burned on the edges. My Montezuma Cypress is known to survive drought well but it ain't pretty. All the leaves are brown except for a few tiny green leaves on the tips of the branches. I soaked it's roots really well. This is my best tree and I don't want to let it die. Otherwise the 10 large live oak, 10 small live oak, and 10 small cedar elm haven't had water in months and look great. but i digress...



I don't know if my starting technique is the best. I just crank it and give it a little choke. I am starting to increase the choke but just crank the engine. I don't really pump the gase pedal or anything. It kicked over and then I just back off the choke until it is running a little higher rpm. I suppose after a few minutes I should open the choke completely. It has a manual choke if you didn't understand. . I have the truck parked for a week or two between starts. Sometimes longer I suppose.



I intend to remove the fifth wheel and put a bed on it eventually. Right now I just have a water tank sitting on the steel platform behind the cab in front of the fifth wheel. I shouldh have taken more photos.



Did I mention the last time I drove the truck into town I managed to have the belt jump off of the air compressor. I was heading down hwy 181 about to make my turn when I realized that I had absolutely no brakes! I was able to drive it without brakes with no problem back to my cabin. This truck has low gearing and no heavy load on it so with downshifting, engine braking, and the parking brake I got her home safely to find the belt had jumped off. I disabled the warning buzzer because it would just stay on continuously. This is NOT a very good idea for trucks equipped with air brakes!

You can almost see my water tank in this last photo...


okay, i hope you enjoyed the random photos.

Dan

p.s. here's my aunt marie at the tire shop in Falls City, TX. They had this 1973ish GMC volunteer fire dept truck there for some kind of work.

[papabug71]

dolinick, I dont think I would change the fenders/front end out on it. Thats a straight old F750. One of the best looking ones I have seen. Usally trucks like that are run hard & put up wet. Plus they are usally beat all to hell. You could do some body work to it, paint it & put a nice Wester Hauler (or similar) flatbed on it & win the special intrest catagory at shows. Big trucks like that always draw a big crowd at shows....

[killakobra]

around here (western nc) the big trucks seem to be in good shape. the front clip i bought is pretty close to perfect and most of the trucks i see don't have a single dent in them. but then again they sit up high. either way, i do agree that you should leave the front end line it is.

[dolinick]

It is VERY dry here in south central Texas. I began planting trees on top of a small hill on my property in Nov 2007. I haven't been watering them very regular this year but the drought is just to extreme so I finally began hauling water again. Now with a 400 gallon tank strapped to the back of my F750. It still has leaks and I have only filled it about half way so far but I have made it the 5 or 6 miles into town to load some water. Anyway I thought some of yall might enjoy a few photos of the beast...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolinick/t ... 97/?page=2







Dan

[OldRedFord]

Can you bolt on an F100 front clip to an F600/F750? I'd like to remove the fenders, radiator support, and grille and attach a front clip from a '67-'69 F100 on my F750. I also would like to install a regular truck bed on it. I measured my LWB F100 and it is 29 inches too short. I could put a toolbox or something in betweend the cab and bed to cover the gap but I think it would look better if the bed lined up with the cab like a regular F100. My other option besides shortening the frame is to swap cabs with a crew cab and then use a bed from a SWB truck. What do you think? If the wheels don't clear the fenders I might be able to put a few inches of lift on the truck. It looks simple because of the solid axles on this type of rig. The end result will be a freak of nature not unlike the "oldschool" monster trucks like the original Bigfoot. Most likely I won't have tires that big on it but who knows...



Dan

I know it is your truck, but I think you should leave the front clip on there. Man I would love to have a F600 or 750, main reason being the front clip on those trucks. I vote to just fix it up.

[dolinick]

I know it is your truck, but I think you should leave the front clip on there. Man I would love to have a F600 or 750, main reason being the front clip on those trucks. I vote to just fix it up.

I'll give it some more thought. I don't have the means to do any major modifications at this time anyway. It could still use a bed of some kind though. It is running and I start it and drive it a little bit around "the farm". I don't actually have a farm just lots of dirt and open spaces...

Do you know any major differences with the F600 and F750? Is it just the suspension? Anyway it's rather tall. I like it that way. It's fun to bounce down the road in that's for sure.

Dan