Donor truck is in the driveway!

[Kurt Combs]

Brought home a 1977 F-150 from which I will remove the engine and transmission to put in my 72 F-250 two wheel drive. The motor and C-6 were rebuilt by the auto shop instructor at the community college (where I work) as a shop project. His plan was to make all repair necessary to put the donated truck back on the road, selling it to recover the cost of materials. The project wasn't completed when he retired almost two years ago and it has been just sitting at the college shop. Unfortunately it has $734 worth of back fines with the DMV. I might try to see if I can swap the blue plates onto my 72 as "vanity plates" but that will be tricky with the DMV. It has a 460 in it and is all stock including the chrome tie downs on the sides of the bed. I was really surprise to see they were a dealer option, but they are on the build sheet. Plans for the engine are, pre 72 timing set, improved advance curve for the distributor and maybe a different intake and carb.

Below are pictures of my 98 Ranger, which I took to the college to have them work on, and also pics of the dent in my driveway.

[basketcase0302]

That's a nice looking dent! I remember your thread on it and thought it would be a rust bucket!

[Kurt Combs]

It is a nice looking truck and I hope I can find a dent lover to take the body off my hands. Problem is the $734 in fees that the state of California wants to register it. Probably have to add another $100 on top of that because the transaction was reported to the DMV when I bought the truck and they will want their tax on the transaction. Most likely the parts I can get off of it are worth more to me than a buyer would pay for it. However, every time I look at it I start thinking about what it would take to put it back on the road. I have to get that 460 out of that truck before I go over to the dark (dent) side and put it back on the road.......

[forrestbump]

Kurt, nice lookin' Dent! Congratulations on the purchase. Kinda like having the entire Ford parts department at your finger tips for everything you'll need to accomplish your swap.

Now when you're ready to start parting out that truck, I'd like to request a price on the O.E.M. Chrome Ford tie downs on the bed sides and tailgate. Please PM me when you get the chance.

You barely get it home and this old buzzard is circling overhead waiting for scraps

[Kurt Combs]

Forrestbump, Don't you need a really nice Ranger XLT eight foot bed with all the chrome and maybe a usable chrome rear bumper? That would include two gas tanks and the stupid locking gas caps! The floor of that bed is really nice. I haven't crawled in to look at it, but it may be perfect with a new coat of paint. How far are you from 95453? And don't you need Ranger XLT trim? Or, what do you have to trade for the hold downs? I need a non-EGR performer manifold, recurved distributor? I'll PM you when I am ready to part with the hold downs, just want to make sure no one wants to drive up here for the whole bed. Oh, the tailgate is really nice!

[forrestbump]

Kurt, I think my Dent days are behind me at this point in my life. I'm just about of an age to start collecting Social Security so how many years do I have left? Starting another project sounds GREAT in my "young at heart mind" but my old worn out physical body has different ideas...

I once owned a 2WD LWB '78 F150 Ranger XLT Lariat that had every bell and whistle on it that Ford offered...I even swapped in a 460 when it's 351M finally wore out. Damn...that was a long time ago...sure goes by quickly...

Yeah I LOVED that truck, I just prefer Bumps now so I'll have to respectfully decline your kind offer on the whole bed. It won't "bolt up" to my Bump's chassis without drilling new holes in it's bed floor to fit and it just wouldn't look right on my Bump anyway.

Bed construction was radically changed by Ford when you compare Bump beds to Dent beds. Bump bed sides are 3 pieces spot welded together and Dent' bed sides are 1 piece. Bump inside bed floors are flat, side to side and Dent inside bed floors are 1 piece and are curved upward at their sides so not much interchange there...

Because 2WD Dent rear frames are 38" in width and all Bump rear frames are 34" in width, your chrome rear bumper won't bolt up to my truck either. I smell a conspiracy on Ford's part here...hmmm...

I'm currently adapting front and rear sway bars from a '76 F250 to my '70 F250 and the differences between the two are glaring but doable...

How far are you from 95453?

I'm in San Bernardino County, 92371 Zip Code. Out in the middle of the Mojave Desert...just me and the lizards...

When I swapped the 351M out for the 460 in my '78, I'd call it a piece of cake just to ease your mind.

Thanks for keeping me in mind on the tie downs. Please keep us all posted on your project...we LOVE pictures!

EDIT: as far as trading parts, let me know what you need as I have access to many Bumps and Dents up here in the High Desert. Performance parts such as intake manifolds, not so much...

[Kurt Combs]

Hi Forrest, I haven't forgot about you wanting the tie downs. I am not going to take anything off they truck until I finish the engine swap. I will probably list the whole thing on Craigslist to see if I can get someone to save it. If not I will make you a good deal on the hold downs. Thanks for all the input and answers to my questions. Kurt