The Coffin Arrives

This blog is created to follow the transformation of my 1958 f100, from a 20/20 cheesed over 80's modern "old" (and downright dangerous) truck, to hopefully a cool vintage ride.

Day 01
Fresh off the truck from Costa Mesa, Ca.

Now, when I say "20/20"(1)--
I really mean it.
Originally manufactured in San Jose, Ca, and purchased by myself with a Nevada bill of sale, it's been in the southwest exclusively, and is pretty solid overall for a 50 year old truck.

You can see more pics here:
http://www.ecreative1.com/galleries/58_F100/index.htm


.......but that's where the good news meets a dead end, and something more like a "Deathtrap" begins to reveal itsself. No joke.






























After several starts and stops, and no more than about five trips literally "around the block", the following surfaced:

1) No gas cap (OK- I spotted that while in LA)

2) Positive battery cable shorting on the pass side exhaust manifold (sparks, melted cable- all that)

3) Interior of carb so varnished with stale fuel that float sticks open, spilling puddles of fuel onto the intake manifold. (see #2)

4) Two out of four tires are so dry-rotted that they separate- one literally blows apart in the driveway after I get out of the truck.

5) Additional short in the ignition circuit that drains the battery.

6) Brakes so poorly out of adjustment that it barely stops from a speed of 20 mph without pulling the wheel out of your hands. One of the front brake shoes ends up disintegrating inside the drum while coming to a stop in front of my house.

7) the ignition Resistor on the firewall gets red-hot and melts down an attached wire-smoke and all.
Turns out that it isn't even needed with a modern 12V fully electronic system. I replace the wire from the ignition to the distributor and install a new distributor (see below).


8) Then, a few weeks later the Master cylinder fails completely-pedal to the floor.






BUYER BEWARE:
Consider this:
The previous owner told me on the phone, when asked about transporting it back to Phoenix "Yeah- well, yeah you could get on the highway and do the speed limit or so. It would be OK. Yeah, you could drive it"
AGAIN- ALL of these mechanical/electrical failures took place within less than 2 miles of travelling from my driveway-combined!!

I have a message for Mr. David Paige of Newport Beach, Ca( also goes by
"James Park") :

Repairs
>I found a Gas Cap at local NAPA: $7
>Rebuild Kit for stock GM 2 barrel carb at NAPA: about $15
>Billet HEI distributor (ebay): $65
>Battery and battery cables(Autozone): $68
>Remove and flush fuel tank, and replace all soft fuel lines, fuel pump, and fuel filter: about $50














The truck runs great at this point, with a rebuild of the Rochester 2GC carburetor, a new HEI distributor, and fresh battery.
But is till nothing less than dangerous on the road. More to come....


(1) "20/20" refers to "Twenty feet away at twenty miles an hour". In other words-- looks good from a distance.