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Topic: '70 F100 Short Bed Styleside (Read 12547 times) previous topic - next topic

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

So I have not really brought up my next project as the only thing I did was buy the '70 minus the power train and a slew of small stuff.  I ditched the step side bed as I had decided long before I bought the truck it would be a SWB.

A little background on what I am shooting for chassis and power train wise:
Crown Victoria front IFS swap into the truck (all of it including the sway bar) - 5" drop with the stock CV springs
Fat Man Fabrications four link in the rear with the stock 9" housing
QA-1 coil overs at all four corners
Stock frame boxed where needed, custom trans cross member, and powder coated black of course
5.0 Coyote motor with 76mm Precision turbo and a Ford stand alone control pack (will have to be tuned)
6-speed 6R80 auto trans with a Baumann controller
Existing stock width 9" housing with Torino large bearing ends, Moser axles, Explorer 8.8 disc brakes and the e-brake will function
9" third member with new trac-lok and 3.73 gears

So I have everything minus the power train but that is coming soon as I need to mock things up and get the chassis coated.  I am hoping to have the chassis and power train done this year but this is by far the highest dollar build I have ever done so no rush.  I am working through the body in my head but that will come later and trying to get all of this planned is pointless as I will change my mind.  I have mulled over the chassis and power train for two years so I am settled on that.  Was super relieved that the controllers for the six speed auto came out as I did not want a standard and who wants a four speed auto when a six is available?

So to date the 3rd member is built and all of the rear suspension and front suspension parts are bought.  I have a buddy that can weld pen 15e cans together so he will be doing all the metal melting as I decided not to learn on this one.  We have been working on a time line to install the CV IFS and I think we are going to try it over the next couple of months.  He works for Halliburton field services so his schedule is whacky but we think it will be a weekend to get it in there if I get the frame prepped.  This means gutting the twin I-beam suspension removed which looks like it was riveted in by a 40's sky ser metal worker...lots and lots of rivets.

So here we go, this thread will be updated but it will take a long time to finish (couple years???) so don't be surprised if its weeks between updates.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #1
So why would anyone post without pics, right?  As I mentioned in the first post this truck will be a short wide (SWB) truck.  It was built in the Kansas City plant as a step side and then shipped to Oklahoma City for sale.  I found it near Waco, TX and brought it back to OK so its back home.  The step side bed was removed and punted and the quest for a short wheel base styleside bed began...did I mention this was two years ago?

Little did I know how shaging hard it would be to find a good SW bed.  So I found one and after media blasting I cussed a lot and then when on the quest to find a second one.  The second one was the best I had seen in two years and that was not saying a lot but I thought I could use both beds and make one decent one.  Did some preliminary measuring to see how wide a tire I could run and determined that more is better brosif.  So the wheel wells would be tubbed all the way to the outside of the frame rail.  A buddy of mine referred me to a guy he works with that is known for his metal fab skills (does all kinds of old hot rods and what not) and we sat down and looked at what I had and what was going to be needed.  He didn't like either bed and said he knew where one was in better shape...ha ha ha!!!  He brought it back to his shop and media blasted it only to find out it was not as good as my best one...not paying for it.  I left and he said he would weave it in as busy work.  So here are the first two pictures of what was left of the three beds.

Upside Down:


Right Side Up:


So when I got these two pictures I was a little depressed to say the least and he wanted some $$$ for the work and needed new wheel wells and a roll pan.  So I called my buddy that referred me to him and wanted to fire him as a friend but he reassured me that it was worth it and to press on.  So I ordered the wheel wells and the roll pan and got him a progress payment.  Needless to say I was still mulling over my decision to listen to my idiot buddy to press on when I got these pictures on Sunday about 2-1/2 weeks after the first ones...

So these are all with the front of the bed pointed towards the shop floor (he has other projects going on and had to move it out of the way to finish another car):

Passenger Side Zoomed Out:


Passenger Side a Little Closer:


Driver Side:


The Inside of the Bed (my favorite shot):


So he is not done by any stretch of the imagination but it put a big smile on my face.  I am pretty sure I can get about 16" of tire under there now which with a boosted Coyote 5.0 it will need all the traction it can get.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #2
This is something I can spank the monkey to.
It's Gumby's fault.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #3
Why is it so hard to find a rust free bed it Texas and Oklahoma?
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #4
Nice. I will definitely be following.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #5
Because all of a sudden they became popular to a larger audience and there just are not that many. Bad design lead to most of them rotting out due to holding mud in certain locations as well as the bed floor not draining very well. These trucks have not had the popularity of the late 60’s to early 70’s SW Chevys. They gained a ton of notoriety when the Gas Monkey clowns built a couple and soon all the nice ones were snapped up.

You can litterally buy every piece of a Chevy SW bed and make a new one. You can get just about every part for a long bed 67-72 bumpside Ford but to make it a SW you have to section the front quarter panel a few inches, section the rear quarter panel a few more inches, weld up the center stake hole, shorten the floor in the front and rear the same as the quarter panels, and then weld it all back together. Then there was the issue of only being able to get patch panels for the floor. Now some guy is finally making the wavy part of the floor in one piece but he is the only one. In a few years those that want one or need crash parts might get lucky when more that a handful of places start stamping the SW pieces so the prices come down.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #6
You know, you're not going to be able to fit a sheet of plywood between those wheel wells now!  ;)  Seriously though, that should be a really cool project. I would love to buy one of those new old Mustang bodies and do the same drivetrain as yours.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #7
That is what my F-150 is for, this truck will never see anything in the bed but a cooler with adult beverages in it.

I may want to kick myself when I get to the motor and trans portion of the project but if this stuff was easy everyone would do it.  There are a couple of guys that have done this swap and some LS swaps into these trucks so I am hoping I can reach out to them if need be.  I will pay more with the Coyote swap than an LS swap but I like my projects to stay brand loyal.  Whatever hp level I end up with it will be docile enough that I can drive it to dinner and feel like I am driving a mild street car.

One guy used a 49-52 Chevy gas tank design to relocate his gas tank behind the rear end and between the frame rails to get the fill tube off the side of the tank.  The majority of the guys are relocating the tank with a '70 Mustang tank and just making a fuel filler door in the bottom of the bed.  I am still up in the air on that one but my dad has a stainless steel fuel tank from Rick's Tank with twin Focus pumps for his '69 fastback and it is legit.  If my budget will allow I will most likely give Rick's Tanks a call and have a custom stainless steel tank built with the twin Focus pumps but the '70 Mustang tank is a whole bunch cheaper so we will see.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #8
So wait stuff rusts in Texas/Oklahoma?

I was unaware of the popularity. We don't exactly have many restored trucks/many truck enthusiasts up my way. Unless you count the brodozer guys in the burbs.
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #9
For some reason I have always liked the 67-72 F100's and I just felt like it was time to build one.  There are all kinds of swaps and parts available now with the interest they have generated in the last 10 years so the prices have come down in that arena which is helpful.  I am guessing the brodozer guys are the lifted trucks with the super swampers that are never dirty?  We have them here as well.  They all got upset when I too the 1-1/2" factory lift blocks out of the rear of my F150.  I thought it made the truck look like shiznit with the ass end about 4 inches higher than the front.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #10
And on that note I ran a cross a big brake kit for the Crown Vic IFS that will be installed in the truck.  A couple of the guys on the Mercury Marauder forum (https://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=94024) came up with an adapter (one of the guys machines them), a custom set of SS braided hoses (TCE Performance), and the rest of the parts come from parts houses i.e. OEM parts.  I like the idea in that the calipers, pads, and rotors are readily available.  So last night I emailed the guy that makes the adapters and asked if I could buy a set even though I am not a member on the forum.  Once I know I can get them then the rest of the parts list is as follows:

(2) 2007-2009 Mustang GT 500 front rotors
(2) 1997-2004 (including the 2001-2004 Z06) front calipers with bracket
(1) Front caliper brake pads of your choice
(1) TCE Performance SS Braided brake lines (Mercury Marauder - Zack front only kit)

So after reading that parts list you may infer that Zack is the guy that designed the kit and the guy that makes the adapters is Jerry.  Zack looked at the $1500 Bear kit and figured out what caliper and rotor they were using and then enlisted Jerry to help him with the adapter.  Todd over at TCE is on the Marauder forum quite a bit and dropped in on the 60 page thread to offer advice.  About half way though the thread he and Zack got together and designed custom brake hoses for the swap which truly made it a kit.

If I get the adapters I am going to spend the $$$ and get the EBC RK rotors (plain, no slots and not drilled...gimmicks for the street) and some of their Ultimax 2 pads.  Two reasons here, one is the rotors are not made in China (just about every brand out there is now) and two is the rotors are coated to prevent corrosion so I don't have to fuss with painting them.

I may have the outboard face of the calipers machined with F100, SVT, or something else as there are companies that provide that service but that is a long way off.  Right now I am just hoping I can get the adapters so I can buy the rest as steel prices are going to go up next year (so my pipe sources tell me) and this entire kit will run about $680 right now.  There are a couple of places offering discounts being that is it Christmas which will offset the core charges for the calipers.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #11
Snagged some pics of Jerry's conversion on his Marauder...huge difference.



The calipers are very close to the wheel and some have had to grind the cooling fins and relocate the stick on wheel weights but these are 17" wheels.  Right now the plan on the F100 is to have 18's on the front and 20's in the rear so this should be a moot point for me.



You will notice the "MARAUDER" logo in the caliper which Jerry had done as these are Corvette C5 calipers.  With my truck going pearl white, black frame and black suspension I think the calipers will be black with silver letters if I decide to do the letters.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #12
Found a picture of the caliper to spindle adapters which make all of this work:



Adapter mounted to spindle:



And with the caliper and rotor installed:


83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #13
Quote from: Aerocoupe;464057
I am guessing the brodozer guys are the lifted trucks with the super swampers that are never dirty?  We have them here as well.  They all got upset when I too the 1-1/2" factory lift blocks out of the rear of my F150.  I thought it made the truck look like shiznit with the ass end about 4 inches higher than the front.

Yup. Always clean trucks. If diesel they love rolling coal. Live in the suburbs/housing development. The only off-roading they do is occasionally driving on grass next to a shopping center.

Nice to know you have them by you as well.

BTW those are some big brakes. Should haul the truck down nicely.
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

'70 F100 Short Bed Styleside

Reply #14
Nice, my buddy has pulled his cab off frame and his doing work on it.  He is using the 4.6 with a 5 speed.  He has the front from a crown vic and the rear from a mark viii already installed and was driving around before pulling the cab.  I will text you some pictures when I go by there.