Vehicle Description
Despite what the TV shows may say, you can still get cool vintage
iron for not a lot of money these days. Take this 1964 Ford F-100,
which features a unique and purposeful patina finish, a stock
interior, and spirited 292 V8 power mated to a 4-speed, all for a
very attractive price. If having fun and turning heads in a vintage
truck is your goal, there aren't many more budget-friendly ways to
do it than this cool short bed Ford.
After Ford's unibody design trucks didn't gain much of a following,
a new Styleside design with a separate cab and bed replaced the
rather strange 'integrated pickup' F-100s from years prior. That
simple change was among many wise decisions made by the Blue Oval
that turned the F-Series pickups into the most popular haulers in
the world. Trucks like this '64 F-100 helped spark the sales
wildfire, with an iconic design that sold record numbers for the
brand. Today, they have a great old truck vibe without being so
archaic that the styling doesn't translate, and nothing proves that
point further than the popularity of the patina look so often seen
on vintage builds today. From afar, this truck looks like Poppy's
old beater, but close-up you can see that it was all done on
purpose. The faded-looking white paint and 'rust' colored
undertones mimic decades of character and wisdom imbedded inside,
and it was all buried underneath a thick layer of clearcoat to seal
in the look for years. Most of these 'patina' vehicles actually
have real rust on them somewhere, but from what we can tell, it's
all smoke and mirrors on this one. Aside from a small dent on one
door and an even smaller blister on the other, this truck is
actually really solid, with most of its 'wounds' being
self-inflicted for the sake of the theme. Love it or hate it, it
certainly attracts attention wherever you park it. No, it's not
perfect, that would be contrary to the point, but it's way nicer
than you'd expect at this price. Instead, you get loads of
character, and a solid bed protected with a full rubber mat that
can still get to work. Most of the bright stuff was given the
patina treatment as well, including the bumpers (although the rear
is largely unblemished), the door handles and badges, and even the
front grille that includes integrated turn signals - a popular
design that was discontinued after this year. Even the red 'Ford'
lettering on the tailgate was made to look like a faded survivor,
finishing off the look perfectly.
'Survivor' would be the apropos way to describe the interior, where
the cab was largely left alone for decades and shows real-world
patina and wear, not the kind conjured up in the paint booth. An
upgraded bench seat with an updated black cloth-and-vinyl cover is
the cab's only obvious deviation from stock, but it too looks like
it's logged several thousand 'dirty denim' miles. Rugged and very
spartan inside, it's still a cool place to log a lot of miles, with
a big, original steering wheel that feels great in the hands of the
driver. Ahead of it is the original all-in-one round gauge that
actually still works (although accuracy might be called into
question periodically), and some time during the Nixon
administration an AM/FM/8-track was added in the center dash,
although it likely hasn't worked since the Carter administration.
Old school hot rod fans will be happy to see that tall,
old-fashioned shift lever that juts out from the transmission
tunnel as high up as the steering wheel, and it's topped with a
custom knob embedded with the venerated image of Our Lady of
Guadalupe. Canonically coronated images of the Blessed Virgin Mary
aren't included under the 'Options' part of our website, but the
Sisters at St. Casimir's would rap my knuckles if I failed to
mention this particular part of the interior. Less pious components
include the bare metal door panels with accompanying aftermarket
speakers (ready to go if the stereo is repaired/replaced), a heater
that actually works, and thick, black vinyl floormats that cover
the floors.
The engine is a familiar 292 cubic inch V8, a reliable small block
that served reliably in the first Thunderbirds. Topped with an
upgraded 4-barrel carburetor, it's still torquey and smooth and
remains quite prepared for regular use. Like the interior, the
engine bay needed no fa�ade to look dusty, old, and original, as
there's plenty of surface rust and signs of use throughout. Look
closer and you'll see that those are correct 'Ford' valve covers,
the air cleaner has a vintage oil-bath look, and there are even
still some old remnants of Ford Red paint on the block. It's not as
though the truck's been untouched though, as there are signs of
maintenance as well like a newer battery, some newer wiring, and an
upgraded radiator up front that keeps the engine nice and cool. The
4-speed manual transmission shifts cleanly and doesn't' have any
bad habits, so you can drive this truck pretty much like any other
vintage hauler, and you can see from the photos that it's
remarkably solid underneath, albeit not sparkling clean. The dual
exhaust with glasspack-style mufflers is an obvious, and it gives
the V8 the perfect soundtrack up and down the throttle, without
being overbearing. With upgraded shocks fore and aft and a
heavy-duty rear end out back, you shouldn't be afraid to grab a
load of lumber from the local supply store, although a load like
that might cost more than the truck itself. Rolling stock includes
patina steelies adorned with purposely faded hubcaps and beauty
rings that match the theme of the body, and they come wrapped in a
set of 235/75/15 whitewall Hankook radials.
This patina F-100 covers more than just the basics and is a lot of
fun as-is, or could be the foundation of something truly amazing.
Call today!
