Abandoned 1964 Ford F-100 Gets First Wash in 25 Years, Is Ready for a New Life

This dirty and rusty F-100 is part of the fourth-generation F-Series, which Ford produced from 1961 to 1966. This generation saw Ford roll out a massive mid-cycle upgrade that included an all-new frame for the 1965 model year. This frame soldiered on through 1979, covering two more generations of F-Series trucks. Since it's a 1964 model, this F-100 left the factory right before that upgrade.

Once viewed as disposable workhorses, fourth-generation F-Series trucks have slowly but surely developed into classics over the decades. The haulers won't break the bank in stock, well-maintained shape, but their values are rising, much like it happens with the first-gen Chevrolet C/K (1960-1966).

So, there are plenty of reasons to save an abandoned F 100 from this era. Whether it's restored to original specification or converted into a restomod with modern tech and a crate engine, a Concours-condition 1960s F-100 could fetch anywhere between $25,000 to $40,000. It could cost even more with the right drivetrain. Assuming the abandoned truck is cheap and in good condition, such a project could return a nice profit.

Business aside, if you're building it for yourself, you can end up with a nicely restored vintage truck or a rubber-burning hot rod.

But this is where you start. Before you can evaluate a barn or yard find, you need to clean up decades of dirt, leaves, and whatever else may end up on that carcass from prolonged exposure to the elements.

This truck's last registration dates back to 1997, so it's been sitting for almost 25 years as of 2021. It looks really rough at the beginning of the video, showing signs of rust and so much dirt that you can barely see the white paint. But it all comes back to life once most of the grime is gone. Sure, it still looks like a vehicle that's been sitting for decades, but the clean-up reveals a salvageable body.

The owner can't say the same about the floor, which will need new panels due to rust (see the second video for that), but the truck doesn't need a huge amount of work to get back on the road.

This F-100 hides a 4.8-liter Y-block V8 under the hood. Discontinued in 1964, the year when this truck rolled off the assembly line, it was rated at 170 horsepower from the factory. It was the second most powerful V8 offered in the fourth-gen F-100, bested only by the 5.8-liter FE V8, good for a solid 208 horsepower.

So what would you do with this truck? Would you restore it to its original specification or turn it into a restomod by dropping a Coyote crate engine under the hood? Let me know in the comments.