I did it again .....Empire '69 F250 ranger

[briansbronco]

Haven't been here for a while but I picked up a SUPER nice 1969 f-250 Ranger PKG 4x4 in Empre yellow. A friend is also a ford nut and mentioned wanting to part with a project he has been working on to fund another. I had never seen it and so we discussed and I drove over to take a look. What he had was a really clean old truck and I just couldn't pass on the price. The only thing I'm not terribly happy with is the bed. Which is a different color and just set on the frame. He included a literal pickup bed of parts he had purchased for the truck. Everything on the truck works as original. I was really surprised.

So here is where he left off.
Rebuilt 360 ( new parts to make it 4 barrel with headers)
Rebuilt 4 speed with new clutch/PP/ linkage
Rebuilt Dana 24 with new joints at every location
New hubs/brakes
Bench seat recovered and then covered again with protective "Indian Blanket" seat cover.

PTO output for 4 speed and Ramsey PTO winch. Not sure if I want to put this in the front or the back but it looks like new and I gotta use it.


Questions: Nice original beds are very hard to come by where I am. I am thinking a custom flatbed is in order. I did this with my previous build and for my mountain lifestyle it works best. Anyone seen any nice custom builds lately?

Anyone put a PTO winch setup in this vintage truck? Looks pretty straight forward I was just wondering about aesthetics.

Bucket seats. This truck is very nice but I really feel the need to install buckets. I plan to drive it a good bit so My comfort is utmost. I am much more comfortable In a bucket with a center console.

Lots of PICS to follow. This is the text portion.

[briansbronco]

I am also seriously considering converting to duals on the back. More for load distribution than anything else. I live and drive in snow/Ice everyday here in Montana. I have some concerns about a Dually in the snow but there are lots of them running around. I know that the only 4x4 duallys were Napco conversions but I am also a fan of the look for sure. I have a set of lock ring Dually rear wheels from my 67 f-350 that I could use on the back to keep it stock appearing.

[Manny]

Have not seen and custom beds here lately. Yes there has been pto winches on these trucks but they are kinda a nightmare with the shafts and hanger bearings a such. You might find a electric to suit you better. Dually on the back sounds cool. Can't wait to see this thing.

[briansbronco]

Yeah I know, I was going to post some pics bu they were really crappy and dark. I'll have some tomorrow that hopefully do it justice.

[Manny]

Yeah I know, I was going to post some pics bu they were really crappy and dark. I'll have some tomorrow that hopefully do it justice.

Killing me smalls.....

[hfdco4]

Sounds like you got a steal!

[briansbronco]

Put the new master cylinder in the old girl, slapped a set of factory wheels I had here and some 235-85-16's and took for a drive up the mountain. Yeah.....carb needs some adjustment at this elevation for sure. Wasn't bad just sluggish and not terribly responsive. That's ok, it will soon have the new Holley truck avenger and aluminum intake.

[briansbronco]

The 360 in this truck has less than 100 miles on it. My buddy rebuilt it, drove it to the back of his LARGE ranch here a few times in the snow and back. It was never taken on the highway until I brought it home. He calls that "spankey New"....

[briansbronco]

So today I installed a new master cylinder, bled and adjusted all the brakes. Removed the crappy white wagon wheel and slick bald tire combo and installed a set of factory wheels and retro tires. Finished up by a new set of Mile Marker hubs and new grease in the front axle.

Tomorrow I am thinking I'll change the fluids in the drivetrain and grease everything. I really need get that ugly dang bed off as well. It's hurting my feelings. The cab,interior and under hood on this thing look so nice.....then the bed.

[briansbronco]

Starting to gather some thoughts on the bed of the truck tonight. I have a good amount of 2x2 square tubing in the shop. Maybe half as much as I would need to get a flatbed started. I think tomorrow I might go ahead and pull the bed and lay out some dimensions for what I want to build. At this point all I can think of is under bed storage for a few jerry cans for extra fuel. A box large enough to hold my backup chainsaw, tire chains and various extraction equipment. Partial side bodies to carry a few long handle tools and my HI lift jack. I really think I want an over cap rack on this one. Never done it before but it's a great place to put stuff that doesn't get used much and also provides a great place for off-road lights.

On a side note my buddy that I bought the truck from came by today with another load of parts. Brake parts, wheel cylinders, air filters and the like....just spares as I have not found any of that to be a problem. I remembered I had a Badlands 9k winch new in the box in the back of the shop. I really like the idea of having it up front behind the factory bumper and the PTO winch out back. Not sure how to mount it hidden like that in the front but I'll look at it more closely tomorrow in daylight.

[Manny]

Well that thing looks great!! You did get a gem for certain. Need some Yellow or build your flat bed. As for the carb it's gonna be a treat to dial a carb to run 6,000ft to 10,000ft! You will teach me on that before its over with. The motor looks spiffy in y block red. Need some chrome valve covers? Finally that motor not being broke in fully it may loosen up and get to running better. Go load it up and work it break it in right!!

[briansbronco]

Gotta go get tags for it before I get too carried away with driving it around. Up here there isn't a public road for 20 miles but if I head to town, that's a different story.

[hfdco4]

That is a very nice rig you got there!

[briansbronco]

Well that thing looks great!! You did get a gem for certain. Need some Yellow or build your flat bed. As for the carb it's gonna be a treat to dial a carb to run 6,000ft to 10,000ft! You will teach me on that before its over with. The motor looks spiffy in y block red. Need some chrome valve covers? Finally that motor not being broke in fully it may loosen up and get to running better. Go load it up and work it break it in right!!

When I pull the intake for the performer and Avenger upgrade I will either paint or replace those primer valve covers. Buddy that built the motor said the same thing. He didn't worry with painting them as he was planning to replace them. With the new master cylinder that makes everything under the hood brand new. Except the windshield washer tank and it's cracked. Guess I need one of those to complete the set....

[briansbronco]

Sounds like you got a steal!

We worked out a fair price for it. 2k and I do all the welding for his project truck flat bed. Considering the amount of parts that are with the truck it's certainly a steal for me. He will be putting a power stroke in his 71 f250. He found an excellent low mileage donor truck and needed the money to buy it.