Mods
Added a 1966 390 and steering wheel, a 1968 F350 PTO hydraulc dump and Brownie Box (aux 2-speed), a 1978 frame, suspension, power disc breaks, and power steering, a 1990’s Chevy dualie rear end, an auction-sourced 1990’s flat bed, a 1950’s Edsel 4 barrel intake, a swapmeet Edelbrock carb, an ebay HEI distributor, Craigslist long-tube headers, a new 3-inch exhaust with a Summit X-pipe, a four-rattle-can flat black paint job, and new upholstery as a gift from my brother.
Build story
I started with Earl, a 1965 F100 that I bought for $350. It came with a badly smoking 352 and an extra 360 in the back. I put in the 360, ran it for a year, then bought a parts truck, changed out the steering wheel, and upgraded to that 390, which is still in it. In this state, Earl was my daily landscaping truck for about seven years. Then in 2019, when I had broken two sets of motor mounts and twisted the drive line in half with the big ole 390, I decided to finally give myself my long-awaited dump truck. I carved out some of my winter downtime and put together the various parts I had been collecting into a more durable and fun whole truck. I spent nine days under a tarp in my driveway, because there was another project truck (next year’s entry!) in the garage, and no other work vehicle available. Other than the 390, the steering wheel, mounting the tires, and a little prep work on the frame, all those mods happened in that nine days, a combination of hard work, and a mostly patient wife as well as help and morel support from Jeff.