Since we’re wallowing in old Ford dump trucks, how about a little pictorial on one that showed up at my house demolition party this summer? A couple of days late actually, to haul off the big chunks of logs from the two trees that had to come down. We could have used to to good effect yanking on the steel cable to take down the stubborn structure. Yes, living is Eugene is a bit like living in Havana, so when a half-century old truck shows up for work, it’s just another day in CC paradise.
This fine veteran was bought by its youngish jack-of-all trades owner fairly recently, and for a song (I’ve forgotten now; it was last summer!). Maybe $700; or $1100. And it’s been earning its keep, as I see it plying the streets from time to time. So let’s take a quick tour, and check out this jealousy-inspiring rig.
The owner told me this F600 was a 1962, but that didn’t square with the grille,
or the manufacturer’s plate. 1964 F-Series trucks began the model year with serial numbers of 445000; this is a ’64 indeed.
That non-stock hood ornament’s origins escapes me just now, but I know one of you will enlighten us.
Under it lies a 292 cubic inch (4.9 L) Y-Block V8, rated at 153 (net) hp at 3600 rpm. No, the Y-block was not known for its willingness to breathe and rev, but it’s a solid old lump, and acquits itself aurally very nicely indeed through its two shorty pipes and glass-pack mufflers.
“Ace” has a Custom Cab, no less, trimmed with lots of chrome on the grille and in other important places. Someone paid good money for those flourishes in 1964. Pride of ownership.
Let’s slide in and get (re)acquainted. The Custom Cab option means some additional chrome on the dash, but other than that, things are pretty spartan.
There’s the fun stuff: big long shifter for the four or five speed transmission, and the little red knob that affords so much pleasure when twiddled with properly. Splitting up-shifts cleanly, without just a quick let-up on the throttle, is an effortless joy. Split downshifts, unless done right, will give a tell-tale grind from the two-speed rear axle. That chrome lever is for the trailer brakes. No time for texting while driving this rig.
Of course, there’s a few more levers on the floor for the PTO to drive the hydraulic dump bed, as well as to actually control the lift.
I couldn’t help but notice this little air filter on the cab floor. Hmm?
I’m 99% certain he told me it was for the hydrovac brake system, a more powerful vacuum-assist commonly used on mid-sized trucks without air-brakes.
While we’re under there on this nice warm summer day, lets peel off a shot of the hydraulic pump for the dump bed, which is driven off the transmission. Need to put in neutral, and release the clutch, after pulling on the right pto lever in the cab.
Here’s the other end, with the wires to the solenoid-activated two-speed rear axle.
That concludes our tour. The F600 is ready to roll, hauling the big log sections to the Urban Lumber Company, where they will be turned into something useful. The Ford’s barely-muffled exhaust can be heard for several blocks before the background noise swallows it up. Summer’s calm returns, and it’s time to clean up the brush.
Ah a monkey on the pole lift throttle to break torque lock shift diff apply throttle/torque to lock in, tricky to learn Paul, but just like one pedal driving a road ranger immensly satisfying once mastered.Cool little tipper my sandpit had a buddyL of similar proportions many moons ago.
uh?
First bit – sequence to shift the 2sp diff. A road ranger is a heavy truck non-synchro gearbox with 9-15 speeds, and notoriously tricky to use.
The only similar truck I’ve driven was my grandfathers 1980 International Acco 14 ton GVM which had a 150hp 358ci Neuss diesel, I think a 5sp box & 2sp diff – and a 20′ tipping tray (not many of those around), also a stock crate carried over from his previous truck with a fold-down second deck so it could take cattle or sheep. Top speed was 50mph but that hardly mattered when the longest trip it did while he owned it (that I know of) was 120 miles one way.
Still see lots of trucks this vintage used on farms for harvest, also a few restored, I saw a nice F700 a few years back. I like the look of these trucks with the pickup cab & hood with extended wheelarches to cover the larger tires.
A real work truck, I love it! The 292 V8 really puts things into perspective, considering the size. I recall a conversation recently with someone who was really struggling to decide if the Ford 5.0 had “enough power” for a F-150, or if he needed to upgrade to the EcoBoost. For what? Who knows.
In my lowest powered truck, I did the most work – a 1992 Ford F-150 with a 300 I-6 and a Mazda 5 speed. I actually wished for the old 4-speed with the granny first, as several time it required a bit of clutch magic to overcome the highway geared rear and the 5-speed’s first gear.
Gearing is what it’s all about… my ’50 International L-170 (18K GVW) has all of 89 HP, but with a “low-low” 11:1 ratio, you could pull Stone Mountain anywhere you want to go. Of course, in “high-high,” you’re going to max out around 50-55mph, but that’s practically “ludicrous speed” with any kind of a load (and with those brakes).
Brakes your Lseries has brakes my AL110 didnt it had the pedal and a booster but no real effect when stomped on
Man, that’s a absolutely awesome crawl ratio. I have fond memories of my grandma’s old “farm truck”, a ’70′s vintage F-250 that my Dad first showed me the benefits of a low ratio gear when pulling a old cattle.. thing (filter?) out of the pond. More like crawling. I still kick myself for not buying that truck when they auctioned the farm off when I was 15.
I do wish manufacturers offered two speed non-4wd axles. My Dakota, for example, has a 5 speed auto (545RFE) and a 3.55 rear, but still has the lame 3.00:1 first gear as Chrysler just used the extra ratio for a lower 5th/overdrive. I wish they would have gone with a 4.62-ish rear axle (like in a diesel with the 65RFE), or spaced the gearing out a little better.
I have a 93 F150 with the I6 & 5-speed Mazda transmission; by the time I got it, diff had been changed to 3.71(?) from 2.41(?). It’s still pretty high-geared; I can’t imagine what it must have been like with the silly-tall diff.
I’m reminded of what it must have been like- it feels like the clutch “almost” is worn out. I have “almost” replaced it.
When I had it, I always wished for something a little taller. Mine had the 3.08′s and I did go through one clutch specifically due to towing. In that case it was a 1968 Galaxie 500 fastback with a big block and a C-6 on a nice huge heavy car trailer. Just a litttllleee over capacity that truck was
. It actually handled the load commendably on the road, but when it came to maneuvering the load into a garage, that’s when I mostly fried the clutch (it lasted another six months.. barely) as the gearing in both reverse and first just wasn’t low enough for low-speed maneuvering in tight spaces, incline, and that heavy of a load.
I really miss that truck, and still find myself looking for ones like it on Craigslist. I’d love another one with something in the 4.11+ range in the rear, and I’d even keep the Mazda 5-speed as I prefer the ’92-’96 F-150 body style over any other truck (including my current one), ever. I wouldn’t mind swapping in the old 4 speed manual to get the granny first, but similar would be accomplished by upping the rear ratio with the Mazda.
It’s funny how long those clutches will last on almost-fried condition. Mine had 100k on it when I “cooked” it moving that Galaxie, and being young and poor I had to live with it until I saved enough to replace it. It was a good six months until it just finally didn’t have anything left – I had to do some creative tranny work on the last two days before going in to the mechanic
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Great old truck. I spent quite a few years pulling wrenches on iron like this for a living.
This one is pretty deluxe for the time period, as it appears to be equipped with power steering as well as the fairly rare custom cab equipment. I wouldn’t mind taking the old girl for a swing around the block just for old times sake.
The combination of the orange-with-black-hood paint job and the relatively small dump box argues for an ex-state or county rig. Otoh, the custom cab option doesn’t. I also note that this rig has way big enough wheels and tires – it’s not under-tired like so many public-use trucks. I suspect it was spec’ed out by someone who knew what he was doing. A very cool truck.
I also noticed the dichotomy of a fancy trim level and what the Orange and Black Paint Scheme that says Government Service.
Could have been sold from a dealers stock to a City or County or upgraded by a 2nd or 3rd owner.
Apple picking season here at pres and some old trucks are out and about must try for some pics
I haven’t seen an old Ford with a cross over exhaust pipe in front of the engine like that since high school in 1984 when I worked in an auto repair garage as a parts getter/helper. An old Ford pickup of early 60s vintage came in for an oil change with that exhaust setup.
I guess that shouldn’t surprise me – off topic, but my old ’71 Ford Custom 500 with a 351W 2 barrel had a little hot air pipe coming from the exhaust manifold up to the carburetor for the automatic choke control. Up until then I had only seen GM cars that used coolant to control the choke on the carbs.
I think the pipe/duct you’re referring to was to allow the engine to breathe pre-warmed air, for better combustion during the engine’s warm-up period. A little thermostat in the air cleaner intake nozzle opened up to let cool air in after it warmed up.
Paul,
You’re referring to the hot air pipe that goes from the exhaust manifold into the air cleaner snorkel – as you say to help with warm-up. I was referring to a small little metal tube that also ran from the exhaust manifold, but about the diameter of a small drinking straw, and into the carburetor itself where the automatic choke had its metal coil that opened the choke when warm. That chintzy little tube was rusty when I bought the car and wouldn’t let the choke open like it was designed to do. So I sent off for a modified auto-choke opener from JC Whitney, in 1983, and it kind of worked – sort of.
The mudflaps are off a 70s-80s era Freightliner that belonged to Gordon Trucking and/or passed through the dealership that they own in Pacific WA.
I notice that Ford was able to keep these from rusting.