1974 Ford Courier Pick-up (Budget Restoration)
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2013
- SHE WAS SOLD so I'm no longer the owner but I'll leave the video up to gloat or inspire others :-)
If you have any questions I'll do my best to respond in a timely manner.
1974 Ford Courier Pickup AKA "Lucy"
From the start my goal was more to make it a safe road runner than to win any beauty contest. I worked within considerable budget constraints but I never sacrificed on the quality of mechanical parts I used. The vast majority of work was done completely by myself, learning quite a bit along the way. The video mentions much of the work I've done but I did forget a few things...
Truck was originally Yellow, but more mustard yellow than the yellow you see here. I removed all body rust and paint (3 different LEADED color layers) and invested a small fortune into Rustoleum Solar Yellow Enamel spray paint. In addition to painting I had to create and weld-in a new cab floorpan. I also discovered the cab had a holes in the center of the roofline. In addition to repairing all leaky body panels I completely sound insulated the cabin with dynomat-like material. I relocated the seat belts so that the truck down has retractable shoulder straps (lap-belt was stock). The single dash speaker was replaced with 2 door and 2 rear cab 3-way speakers. Stock radio isn't functional but the JVC HD-Radio/CD/MP3 w/remote is. The 3 of the 4 tires are actually fiberglass radial white-walls that are quite old (4th is steel radial) but still in very good shape. The spare tire rim (underneath, not visible) is the original spare (still good shape) and the spare tire rim has been refurbished to match the other steel wheels. When I replaced all brake shoes I also replaced all brake cylinders (8 total), master cylinder, and several brake lines. I also added an aftermarket coolant reservoir tank, while relocating the windshield-wiper washer tank. The water pump, thermostat, and radiator also have been replaced. The gas tank has been re-sealed with POR-15 and fuel pump has been replaced. Gas tank floater has been replaced with a refurbish part.
She's far from perfect, but she on her way. - Авто та транспорт
In 1978 I bought a '74 yellow Ford Courier that had a 4 wheel drive conversion that was done somewhere in Kelso Washington. One of the most fun trucks I've ever owned next to my 81 Jeep Scrambler. The Courier had a 4" lift and sported 33" mud tires but the 4 cylinder had no trouble on or off road. Was a sweet ride, wish I still had it, damn.
Thaws did make a 4x4 called a Sasquatch
Good job restoring! I had a 1972 Courier in 1980. I got it cheep becasue it was a roll over total. I put a wrecking yard cab on it and painted it. Had it for 5 years and just loved it. Tinny and flimsy by today's standards, but it was easy and cheep to fix, cheep to run and could and did go anywhere. I rebuilt the engine and transmission. That work was also cheep and easy.
Wow! Outstanding work! The truck looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
My dad got one in 1980. Still sitting in the yard. We started cleaning it up yesterday, my mom wants to get rid of it. Your video makes me want to smuggle it away and make it run again.
Excellent! Dad had a avocado 73.
My first vehicle was a 1974 Ford Currier in 1983 at age 16. I loved that truck. Mine was blue in near perfect condition. I put in custom interior, power windows, wide wheels with low profile tires, lowered the whole truck. Mini trucks were a thing with the teenagers when I was in high school.
I'm very impressed. Is 'wow' strong enough? That's a great job! Well done.
I have one just like this one, same year and color actually. My grandfather owned it and used it as his weekend cruiser/work truck. So many stories of riding around with him. It almost brings a tear to my eye to see one running just like his. You sir did an amazing job with that truck and I cannot wait to get mine back to the way it was when my grandfather drove it. You are definitely inspiring others with this video. I hope my truck looks half as good as yours did. Great job!
Thanks for kind words - sorry for delayed response. I can relate to the grandpa sentiment. Only grandson here and I grew up cruising East TX in my grandpa's 1990 F-150 X-cab XLT... his "Cadillac" of PUs. Unfortunately, I never had the chance inherit it. Bravo to you for keeping your grandpa's truck going. It never ceases to amaze me how tiny these trucks really were. I think most folks today would feed claustrophobic riding in one. Keep me posted on all your work because I'm sure they'll be some as you fight father time.
Same, my grandpa bought one new in '72, way before i was born, it was his daily driver. We would drive to the ranch every weekend from the time i was born. Thousands of rides in that little pickup, all good simpler times.
These little truck unfourtionally had less than superior metal on them, poor grade stainless steel. Only way to keep them from rusting completely away is to paint the underside of the frame, floorboards and walls of the Bread, the underside of the bed itself, everywhere you can paint it to coat it to protect it from road salts and road chemicals that damage the truck completel. And this means doing this at least every couple years and keeping at it all the time.
Nice job. I bought one with 259000 with a bad trans. Put a used one in and drove it from 84 to 89. Sold it with 430000 and always regretted it. Mine was a 78 long bed.
Wow good job dude
I had this exact truck in 1988 I bought it from Bobs Auto world that has been taken over by his son and it's now called Rajin Cajin. the truck threw a rod on me in a major storm left me on the side of the road with all of my tools, had to leave it. was still making payments on it. But Bob was cool he just wrote it off I didn't have to pay anymore money on it. He sold me another truck, a GMC s15, funny that truck just popped into my mind tonight and I decided to look up 1972 ford courier and watching your video. My daughter is 28 years old now so that was 29 yrs ago for me. It's the first time I've thought to look on youtube for a video of this truck. Pretty cool man
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad I was able to bring back a few memories.
It was a lot of fun to put back together... learned so much along the way. I'm sure removing the LEAD paint probably killed a few IQ points but at least the extra 3M ventilator I used working on the truck is getting used now for a new purpose. ;-(
I would have liked to get that truck off of Bob if he would sell it at a discount price, and find an engine for it and repower it with a wet hole new engine. I love thse little trucks, can't beat em!
Good little trucks
I have never heard of the ford courier until I saw some old ford truck commercials and then I had to look it up. Very interesting.
Made by Mazda, stamped with a blue oval Ford emblem on them.
Nice work. Love the color. Looks ready for car shows!
Better than new.
You did a very nice job on this truck. I guess you found out while working on it that sometimes it doesn't pay to look up!
Great job man!
Had a 72' and loved it. So what if it's got 74 hp, RWD and a manual transmission make these fun to drive.
I love these little regular cab trucks. Wish they would come back into existence again. Once gas goes through the roof again, and it's already up to three dollars and over a gallon for gas, hopefully people will get smart and require the car and truck manufacturers to start building these small trucks once again.
Love it man, you don't see a lot of these
I got an 82 B2000, same motor, just a longer stroke for 1971cc. Sounds like your valves need adjusting or you have a exhaust leak as mine idles like a sewing machine. Great job on the interior lighting, I need one as my Mazda Dome light fell apart when I touched it, turned to powder. Very nice indeed.
I want one of these so bad to daily drive!
Nice work...
Nice.
Awesome!!!
dig the dome light too
One of the few things Ford absolutely "knocked out of the park" with design/function. Will say it's crazy how many bulb/wiring variations exist for, what should have been, a very simple dome light.
Sweet!
I have a 1980 good looking thanks
Nice truck. I had a 75 in the same color but with automatic transmission. Kick myself for trading it in .
The stick wasn't a speed demon so I can only imagine the auto (3spd, right?) was probably a bit of a dog... then again have extra leg room in the cab would have been nice im only 6ft and 200lbs and I can say it was a bit "cozy" in there.
Thanks. It's "getting there"
Maybe I'm too critical but I'm currently doing a 75 courier myself practically identical to yours. Looks good and so very few of these left that are even structurally sound. Personally I would have spent much more time on the body work and paint, especially under the hood and door frames. I would have also redone the dash in fiberglass to make it look more authentic. Still looks great for as old and abused as these truck are.
I am pretty sure these were structurally made of tissue-paper and bubble-gum.
I honestly wouldnt recommend restoring one unless you have a passion for the style/size and loads of money (or substitute creativity). I went the creative route but ultimately I underestimated exactly how small these trucks are... they make a VW Bug feel quite roomy.
I wished I'd tracked down a 76+ trucks due to the fact they were a bit larger on the inside. 79+ 2nd gen trucks were bigger still, and had more "impressive" powertrains available (i.e. Pinto 4-cylinder), and parts are 2x or 3x easier to find.... BUT they're ugly IMO.
Need any advice or help drop me a line. Have fun with those brakes! :-) They were a PITA.
I need to find a way to post the before pics.... pretty darn rough.
@@sirradiodude Disagree with the looks of the second generation Ford Courrier. I think they are beautiful looking. I love all the small trucks that were made back then, wish that they were still being made today. We need them.
Dang I wish you did sell her. I’m working on my 74 Ford courier and thought it would be cool once I’m done to go ride together through Washington.
The Ford Courier could have been made in England at the Southampton assembly plant.
+Shane Spencer I believe most that made it to U.S. were true Japanese Mfg imports. This truck was. All Couriers arrived in U.S. w/o beds. The bed (by law) had to be added when it arrive at US shipping port or when delivered to dealer. Might already know it but if not... look up the U.S. Chicken-Tax Law. It's dumb.
@@sirradiodude Mazda trucks, stamped with the blue oval Ford emblem on them. Period.
Here's a game Everytime he says refurbished take a shot
Awesome truck. I have a 72 and I’m having a hard time finding parts. Any suggestions on websites you might know of would be greatly appreciated.
Online: RockAuto is a VERY good source of more common parts. Still a lot of "new" old stock (NOS) parts that are very cheap and acceptable to use. Pick-A-Part "scrap yard" type dealers will still be your best bet for larger parts or trim/ cosmetic pieces. I'm in PNW but from South and I can say these trucks are 10x more common on the west coast... (kind makes sense for Japanese import in 70s). With the advent of 3D scanning and printing, I'm sure newer creative options might exist.
@@sirradiodude Might agree with you, however some junk yards, darn them anyway, will take these little trucks and crush them which makes me want to cry. I love these little Courrier, LUV and 521 series, 620 series Datsun trucks. I like to stick with Ford Motor Corporation though, as Mazda and Nissan are a part of Ford Motor Corporation. The LUV truck is an Isuzu which carried a Chevy label and the Dodge D 50 were made by Mitsubishi motors for Chrysler Corporation. At any rate, prefer small trucks as opposed to these 4 door station wagon trucks that are out there now in days.
I found a 72 courier with a 302 swap that I'm thinking about buying for my winter vehicle.
Wouldn't advise it. Though I love these little trucks, especially Ford Courriers, the salt they put on the road would eat this truck up within a year, two tops, and she'll be rusted so bad, you'll have to junk her. The only way to prevent that is, number one, never drive it in the winter, or nunber two, paint the whole underside frame and chassis of this truck with Rust Olem black paint an try to get inside the bed frames with paint, inside the front fenders, every conceivable nook and cranny with black paint, and underneath this truck and see to it that your at the car wash, washing this truck twice a week, keeping road salts off of this truck. Otherwise, it will rust and fall apart before your very eyes. The engine will run forever, however the rest of it will fall apart because of road salts.
where did you get the carb set up?
Why can't little trucks like these be manufactured again today? Gee Whizz, we sure do need them today, especially with gasoline prices up to 7 and 8 dollars a gallon these days.
Yo I own one of those it's in my backyard and I'm working on it with my dad any tips?
Learn how to weld. The mild steel these are made from is pretty thin... but with stock HP less than 100 it kinda had to be lightweight. 3 safety updates I'd make: 1.) Consider retro fitting brakes to a front disc setup, 2.) Add shoulders belts from newer Courier 3.) Replace sealed beam incandescent headlights with LED, HID, or (at least) Halogen. GOOD LUCK... post a video when you're done. :-)
Needs a 302 Windsor
Yep that what many opt for... just dont forget the $$$ involved in reinforcing frame and suspension to handle that V8... AND then you have to remember that 302 ain't gonna last long w/o a custom radiator. It could easily become a moneypit... a enjoyable moneypit, but a moneypit just the same. Alas I didn't have that kind of money to invest when I had her.
Do you know what color (code or name) is was painted?
i have a 72 and would love to get those headlamps how much and where did you get them
Ebay - can't find seller because it was back in 2013 but I want to say I got the pair shipped for under $35. Bottom running bulbs are led wedge bulbs... same used in dash and pretty much everywhere else on older cars. Dome light was a PITA trying to mount and wire. You'll have to get creative. Despite Ford using that light for years I could never find a reliable wiring diagram. Over the years they changed the size of bulbs used by them as well. You should be able to find a nice salvage one under $20 - the biggest variable will be condition of the chrome finish - i.e. degree of pitting. Good luck on your ride and post vids along the way.
thanks man !!! im doing little things to get her road worthy got some headlamps in now for a rear window . replaced master cylinder and clutch master cylinder now to replace heater core as well and she will be my daily
Does this show 100k miles or does it go back to zeroes
Chingonas las for curier
How did you hook up the throttle I have a 1975 that I am working on today I bought the Red Line universal linkage kit but if you could do a video that would help me out a lot
Sorry I missed your comment. Did you get it figured out? The prior owner was able to effectively handle the linkage issue. The only issue is to get full choke pull you have to slightly depress the accelerator.
sirradiodude no I still have not got it yet I want to do it right but just not sure how to go about it if you could do a video it on it it would really help me out ...I Miss Driving it...Lol ....thank you for getting back to me
BigPhat Stack Looks like I got a buyer for my truck, but before I sell her I made quick video for you. I hope this helps... 1974 Ford Courier - Weber carb functionality
Did you have any holes in your floor pan? I have a few holes rusted through and it doesn't seem likely that I'll be able to get a replacement floor pan for a 74 courier
Well, of course there were holes...I believe Mazda made the cab out of tissue paper. There are no floor pans commercially sold for Courier that I know of. I picked up a $100 HF welder and went at it learning as I went along. My fire extinguisher was very handy. :-) Good luck!
yeah, figures as much. Any tips beyond the standard "grind back all rust, trim hole, cut piece that fits, but-weld" ?
I would also check around the forced cab air vents for rust damage as well. bottom of the vent is the top of the front wheel well having water splash into cabin via that vent would eventual ruin the floorboards/carpet you install.
i wanna buy it what price are you looking for and were are you from?
I have one very nice 1 owner
Mine is a 73 and dash lights aren’t Dimmable
were did you get the led gauge lights are they plug and play still?
Found them on Amazon, still plug and play. The dimmer DID work with them BUT I discovered a short in the dash dimmer caused some of the gauges to stop working (as I mentioned in the video). I disconnected the dimmer and everything works.
The more directional ones (parking brake, binkers) I used "194 168 T10 Wedege SMD High Power LED HYPER WHITE BULBS"
just got one a few days ago thanks for the info now to find out how to remove the factory radio and install an aftermarket
do you still want to sell it?
jared reed Still for sale, but might have a guy coming by this weekend to take a look at it. I'm on north-side of Seattle.
dang i would have fixed the original radio and used it. i dont happen to like when older cars get hacked up like with adding on things that didnt come factory i like cars being factory original when they are old but thats just me
I agree with you. Hate this lowering to the ground stuff and this wagon wheel and thin tire stuff that's going on these days.
@@danbasta3677 true cause it makes things worth less then what they really are. a seller will have a very hard time even selling the vehicle at the price they paid out to do all the mods. even my late father was all bout originality as well and simple. also when showing cars to kids they cant even see what people had back at the time or how it worked out cause of mods.
How is the rpms when cruising at 60+/- mph ?
Don't remember but will say 60+MPH on modern freeways alongside modern heavy vehicles my heart-rate was well over 60.
Ok
do you have the original gas tank?
no I actually never replaced it, just re-coated the inside with POR-15 If I had to do it again I probably would have just sprung for a new aluminum tank... in the long-term that would probably be the wisest choice. Good luck on replacing yours and getting your truck back on the road.
Plz reply. I need a contact for odd parts.. trans housings heater box things like.
sean lewis email matthewkidby_26@hotmail
Ive seen a free one
He’s isn’t taking the motor or trans
What's the price for one of these
+HxHMessi In the US truck prices can vary widely by region. I paid about $1000 USD and she was in decent enough shape to drive 30 miles back to my house from the individual I purchased her from.
I'd say a $800-$1400 price for a drive-able truck is what is most common on west coast of US. Elsewhere it might be considerably higher, just because they are significantly less common. I believe the truck sold better in western US and the Eastern US has harsher winters = more rust.
Dónde.lapuedo.comprar
Is that a mazda engine? If so wich engine code it is? My uncle got a courier crazy cheap but it's missing the engine head and headers can you help me? Not too much couriers here
I believe that is a VC engine. Look on the block under the distributor.
Yes, that was a Mazda engine as Ford was in a partnership with Mazda, and these little trucks are nothing but Mazda with a Ford label on them.
were these offered in 4x4?
No, they were strictly 2 wheel drive from the factory, but I bought one in 78 that had a 4x4 conversion done at some custom shop in Kelso Wa. Great truck.
FORD contracted a few auto shops to do 4x4 conversions... If you find one of them there will be a separate badge in the door jam they were called "Sasquatch" ... If it doesn't have the badge then not an original conversion
@@JKGreene1976 Very much correct. Never came with a four wheel drive option. If you wanted a four wheel drive for this truck, you had to have it put in yourself and as you said, contracted by another outfit to do all the work in putting a four wheel drive transfer case and all other components needed to make a four wheel drive truck out of it.
Would you mind looking at a video on my channel. I have a 1980 Ford Courier and I'm having some problems with it. Maybe you could give me some tips?
Shes cool how much you want ? Lol
I think you've exhausted your quota for the use of the word "refurbish".
Oh no on the Chevy Luv they are ugly. And the Datsun and Mazda motors are better than the Isuzu
I'm not a Chevy fan, however the light Utility vehicle, LUV, wasn't a bad looking truck at all. And, you might also know that Ford, Nissan, Mazda, Jaguar, Volvo, Austin Martin, and Kia are all tied in with Ford. Case in point: A Mercury Villager is nothing but a Nissan Quest. The Datsun 240,260, and 300 they came out with were Ford straight six cylinder engines in them. Ford bought the Z engine from Nissan in 1990 and started putting some of them in their Rangers. The Z engine has 8 spark plugs in it, which burned and reburned exhaust hydrocarbons, even though they were four cylinder engines, they had 8 spark plugs in them, 4 for exhaust, 4 for intake. These engines were put into Ford Rangers that Mazda built for Ford as the Ranger and tte Mazda B 2200 and 3000 are exactly the very same truck, except one truck has the blue oval emblem on it , Ford, while the other has Wings on it, Mazda' s logo on the truck.