Rebuilding old pickups is a hobby of Waseon, Ohio mechanic Ron Ankney. When he found a 1966 Ford with an almost rust-free body, he decided to use it to put together a diesel pickup that he could use as his every day truck.

"The original truck was 2-WD 1/2-ton with a 6-cyl. gas engine. All I used off the truck was the body, interior and the electrical. I mounted the body on the 1-ton frame with transfer case off a 4-WD 1966. To this frame I added a Dana 60 front axle from a 1979 F-350 and a Dana 70 rear end from a 1978 E-350. Power is provided by a Perkins diesel which came from a Chrysler-built bread delivery truck.

"The front axle bolted to the original front leaf springs of the 1966 frame. I used a GM 4-WD power steering box which had to be mounted to the frame. The rear axle had to have the spring mounts relocated due to the different width of the 1966 springs. The motor has a 4-speed transmission and I had to make motor mounts. A short drive shaft transfers power to the original Dana 24 transfer case.

"The truck is now a 1-ton 4-WD diesel. The Perkins is 354 cu. in. It has 3.54 gear ratio, 35-in. BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. It has a highway speed of 70 mph, averages 18 to 20 mpg, and has a 30-gal. fuel tank from a 1978 Ford Bronco. The tank mounts in the frame behind the rear axle. I can go a long way between fillups.

"I've driven the truck almost 5,000 miles so far with no problems. It's like a new truck to me and I get a lot of lookers."