1971 F 250 4X4 is Back Home

[mkitchen]

Well I thought that Reuben (my 1971 F 250 4X4) was gone for ever when I gave it to my son. Now Rueben is back home again and I now need to finish the build that I started before I gave it to my son. No hard feelings against him, he only has so much funds and raising a family can be a challenge now days.

The truck is in very nice shape with less than 100,000 on it. Just before I gave it to my son, I built a 390 with an RV cam, MSD ignition, Edelbrock manifold and off road carb, off road water pump, ceramic headers, etc. There are still things that need to be done but I wasn't really ready to start another project but Rueben has been in the family for many years and I don't want to see it go to a stranger or get all beat up.

Reuben has posi front and rear with 4.10 gearing. Does anyone know of an overdrive unit that could be put on such an animal? Note, it has a divorced transfer case. Also, is there resources for such an older rig still? I am going to put the original shell on the truck but I would like to find an older, but still in good shape, Alaskan Camper for it. Something that would fit in with the age of the truck. I do not do well with cabovers, so it would have to be the camper without the overhead part.

I am kind of excited about getting Reuben back but geez, that 390 does not do too good on gas. The truck has the main tank and two saddle tanks and I am going to need a major bank loan just to fill it up nowadays. Really, I don't see using it too much since I now use a 2006 Tacoma that is modified with an AT Horizon behind it. But it would be nice to have Reuben home and all fixed up. Open to any ideas. As soon as I figure out how to shrink my photo of it, I will post it here.
Mikey

 

[herm]

an alasken that may be still for sale:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54019&page=2

 

[Rot Box]

True my AK is still for sale and it would fit that truck like a glove. One problem with slide in campers is they are annoying to load and unload from the truck--Where you wouldn't be driving it everyday you could just leave it in the back all the time :bike_rider: (ok that's it for my sales pitch I promise!)

My memory is terrible but if the 390 shares the same bellhousing pattern as a 460 you could gain overdrive with a ZF5 speed out of a later pickup. A 2wd trans could work with your current t-case or you could just swap in a a married unit. Either way it would involve a little work, but that transmission used can be had for a decent price these days.

Those trucks are so much fun to drive and work on--they have charm. I was going to swap an IDI diesel into one awhile back, but I found my 91 and lost interest. Anyway good luck with the project I'd love to see some pics.

 

[mkitchen]

Nice looking camper

That is a nice looking camper and it would fit well with the the age of Rueben. How long is the bed across the back? I am 6'7" and not too sure that the bed would be long enough though. let me know. Any idea how much the camper weighs? It would not be a problem regardless, Rueben has four additional springs front and rear. He rides as if he has cement shocks.
Mikey

 

[mkitchen]

Family Ford Pics

This is an older photo of our Fords. It was taken around 2000 with all of our family trucks from that time.



Left to right; Frog- the green 74, Marla- the orange and white 69, Rueben- the brown 71 and Lucy, the tan 71 2wd.
Rueben is now back at home with me and I am again working on it. Currently, the shell is off but it will go back on as soon as I get it painted and the bed done with a spray in liner.
Mikey

 

[lstzephyr]

The green 74 looks just like a truck I see out in the industrial section in Tucson sometimes. Its got a lift and on 35s or so, but they look identical.

 

[mkitchen]

There are a few that color

Ford seemed to have a real bad sense of taste that year. I have seen quite a few pickups that color from that era. The odd part is all of them have been half tons.

Both the half tons in the photo came with the single speed transfer case. That is another thing that I thought rather odd. Ford put that single speed case in their half tons for quite a few years. That seemed to be a really poor choice.

Not an issue now. The 74 just travels around the city of Mesa and the other pretty much sits in the back yard of my son's house, here in Kingman. Too bad, they both are nice trucks (excluding the transfer case) with 390 engines that run very well. In fact my daughter finally changed out the cam on the 74. It was too much and the truck was putting out 430 horsepower on the chasis dyno.
Mikey

 

[MuleySam]

Not the whole story

I am Sam, Mikey's son. My father and I were rebuilding Rueben together ,him holding a beer and me turning wrenches, when he got a hair up his rear and decided he didn't want Rueben any more. So one day I am under the hood of the truck when Pa pulls up in a brand new Toyota Taco. That is the day he gave me the truck. One part is rite, I am broke as a joke so I haven't been able to put any money into it. To many projects, no money.



So it is Mikey's birthday this weekend so i decided to put the camper back on it for him. Hope you like it Pa and HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Lets see I am 31 so that makes you,

Older than 31.

MuleySam

 

[mkitchen]

Geez, that is a first.

I have never gotten a birthday greeting via a public forum before. Thank You Sam. I thought I did a bit more than hold the beer. Rueben does look better with the shell back on. So much to do and yes so much to spend, but it is going to be fun.
On another note, Sam does have a new project. Being a family man, the truck was not too applicable to family outings, Sam now is building up a 93 Toyota Land Cruiser that can take the family comfortably. It is a really nice outfit.
Mikey

 

[mkitchen]

Back on the road soon

We got the tranny out last night (did it gain weight since the last time I did this some years ago?). We will put the tranny back in with the new throw out bearing and off I go on the next project. God, I love divorced transfer cases.

Next project will be to seal up the cab with some form of sound proofing and rubbber mats. No carpet, even at 40 years old, this truck is going to be going out on back country trips. After that, I want to start the build on the back. I have a good sized shell that has been on the truck since it was new and I want to set up some storage drawers and cabinets to go under the bed and still have room for a bicycle when needed. All in fun.
Mikey

 

[mkitchen]

New throw out bearing

Replaced the throwout bearing, repainted the tranny and all is back in. Only problem is that I now need to replace the u-joints on jack shaft. So off to the parts store and more money gone. Oh well, I am having fun. The last photo is of my son, Sam, after we got the tranny back in and the floor bolted down.
Mikey

 

[MuleySam]

That Sam guy looks like Cooter

 

[mkitchen]

Moving right along

I need to get some new pictures of Reuben. I have gotten quite a bit done but there is little to show from the outside. My bank account certainly shows it though. I have replaced the tires, finished the exhaust (headers are in) and so much more, but mostly mechanical. The self adjuster for the left rear brake came apart and ruined the rear shoe and drum so I went a head and re-did the rear brakes and axle bearings. I now have a dual battery set up that I need to finish this week so I can do the Arizona Old Iron Outing. I have also built a temporary bed in the back but that is going to come back out later this year when I am able to build the bed/storage unit that I am planning.

So Reuben is coming along and some day soon, it may be finished. I am looking forward to the Old Iron Outing. This will be the first time I have been camping in Rueben for quite a few years.
Mikey

 

[shortbus4x4]

Nice truck. I have a soft spot for old bumpside Fords. After all my first truck ride was in my dads 67 on the way home from the hospital, I was three days old at the time.:elkgrin: I still have it too, has a few more dents in it now, some from me.:sombrero: I plan on dragging it up here to ID this coming summer or fall, would make a good winter project.:wings:

 

[1leglance]

Hey Mikey,
Looking good buddy and it will be fun to get out and play in the dirt with all our old rigs.
I don't publicly bash other rigs on the forum as that is against the rules...but I have a feeling we will be having some fun between the Ford & Chevy's