About once a year I like to take on a car project. Last year it was my '67 GTX with 572 cross-ram hemi. The year before that, it was a 1968 Charger (father-son project/gift for him). This year's project was my 1965 F100 pickup, which just finished a frame-off restoration. This pickup was a gift from my father-in-law. It was purchased around 1969 or so by his brother, who died many years ago, and then the pickup went to my father-in-law. They drove it around their family farms for years, and then my FIL started to restore it in the early 1990s, but then lost interest or something, and then it was parked in a field for a couple of decades. Anyway, he decided that if somebody didn't fix it up soon, it wasn't going to be worth fixing up before long. So, he gave it to me, knowing how I love to make foolish financial decisions with vehicles.
The shop that did all of the work was Muscle Car Creations, in Tea, SD. They did a fantastic job! The only problem is it is almost too nice to drive now. Almost!
Out of respect for my wife's family, I didn't want to go too crazy with mods. I wanted a truck that looked almost completely original, at least to the casual observer. Of course, I couldn't resist adding a few stealthy touches to increase the performance, so the original 352 (largest engine available for this pickup in 1965) received the crank and heads from a 428 (so now it is a 410 cubic inch engine), and a four-barrel intake manifold/period correct carburetor. I love the way the engine builder machined the original oil-bath air cleaner to house a new-style gauze filter and 4-bbl carb, so I don't have to mess around with the oil-bath, and it still looks original. Now I wish we went with a bit bigger cam, but even so, it now dynos at 325 hp/ 425 tq (a respectable jump from the 208 factory hp). I made a few other concessions- dual-reservoir master cylinder for safety, dual exhaust, and power steering. Pretty fun to drive now, with the old three-on-the-tree transmission.
The shop that did all of the work was Muscle Car Creations, in Tea, SD. They did a fantastic job! The only problem is it is almost too nice to drive now. Almost!
Out of respect for my wife's family, I didn't want to go too crazy with mods. I wanted a truck that looked almost completely original, at least to the casual observer. Of course, I couldn't resist adding a few stealthy touches to increase the performance, so the original 352 (largest engine available for this pickup in 1965) received the crank and heads from a 428 (so now it is a 410 cubic inch engine), and a four-barrel intake manifold/period correct carburetor. I love the way the engine builder machined the original oil-bath air cleaner to house a new-style gauze filter and 4-bbl carb, so I don't have to mess around with the oil-bath, and it still looks original. Now I wish we went with a bit bigger cam, but even so, it now dynos at 325 hp/ 425 tq (a respectable jump from the 208 factory hp). I made a few other concessions- dual-reservoir master cylinder for safety, dual exhaust, and power steering. Pretty fun to drive now, with the old three-on-the-tree transmission.
Last edited:
