Inside, the interior was actually in decent shape. The dash was split and would eventually be capped by an ABS cover. The seat cover hadn't split yet, but it was on the verge. There was no carpet - just rubber mat - so it was easy to see that the floor pans (at least the driver's side) would require replacement. It appeared to have come equipped with either factory or dealer-installed A/C. Other than than, there just wasn't much to the interior of one of these trucks.

The engine and transmission had already been removed prior to our client taking possession. He had already taken them to an engine shop for a rebuild. But, we were expected to do the final installation so we could present him with a complete package when we were finished.

The tailgate was easily the most heavily damaged component - as would be expected with a work truck. Given the depth of a few of the dents and their location (right at the top), we elected to use lead to fill these areas.

Everything - the cab, bed, front clip and interior - received a coat of etch primer before bodywork started. Following the initial bodywork, the exterior received 3-4 coats of high-build primer and was left to cure for several weeks before block sanding. The front clip's inner fender wells and core support were stripped (via sodablasting), metal prepped to stop any remaining rust (minimal) and then coated with POR-15's rust inhibiting coating.

The entire interior (excepting the center section of the floor) was treated to the same Rangoon Red PPG base and clear coats used on the exterior. The original firewall insulation fell apart during disassembly, so a new one with an ABS shell was installed. The original steering column was disassembled for reinstallation to eliminate the need to cut a slot in the new firewall pad. While disassembled, we discovered that the turn signal switch was broken and that the shift linkage mechanism had been incorrectly assembled at one point. So, we took the opportunity to make things right and paint the column assembly black to match the new interior. A new steering wheel and horn pad round out the column restoration.

Reproduction upholstery for the original green interior does not seem to be available. So, the client opted for basic black. No upgrades are planned for the interior.

We had expected to receive a completed engine and transmission - with all the accessories mounted and ready to drop in with not much more required of us other than to maybe bolt the engine and tranny together before slipping them into the chassis. But, getting it this way means that we can prep, refinish and assemble all the externals the way we like. It just took us a bit longer since we had to clean and refinish everything ourselves and then sort through unmarked bags of brackets and fasteners. We've done enough work with Ford FE blocks in the past, so whatever we didn't recall offhand was easily be found in our photodocumentation library from past projects.

Aside from upgrading to a Pertronix electronic ignition, headers and a new Edelbrock 4-barrell carburetor, no other modifications were done to the engine. Of course, the headers required fabrication of a new dual exhaust system with Magnaflow headers.

The inner fender wells and radiator core support had been painted as an assembled unit early on, so the front clip went together pretty quickly. Final alignment will be saved for after paint is applied. Unfortunately, the bed and tailgate can't be mounted until after paint. Fortunately, our paint booth is large enough to accomodate everything at once - which helps to ensure that we have a consistent finish over the entire body.

After giving the clearcoat a few days to cure, we commenced with colorsanding to remove nearly all traces of orange peel and other imperfections. The color sanding was done by hand - wet-sanding using 4 progressively finer grades of paper and allowing the painted surface to outgas overnight (or longer) between each round of sanding. Once the sanding was completed, the entire body was machine polished through two stages of compound (again allowing for overnight outgassing between rounds) to achieve a high luster. The final polishing stage was saved for after final assembly.

All but 5 pieces of the trim ("F O R D" tailgate panel, windshield & rear glass trim, and the corners of the front hood trim) are new reproduction parts. The trim surrounding the windshield and rear window are not available as new reproductions, so those were sourced used (after months of searching) via eBay. The entire grill assembly and both chrome bumpers are new reproductions. The only chrome or stainless steel trim items that were reused from the original truck are the aformentioned corner pieces at the front of the hood, the "F" "O" "R" "D" letters at the front of the hood, the sideview mirror and door handles. One important note regarding the stainless steel trim pieces: Most all of the reproduction trim pieces are made overseas and the quality varies widely. So, don't expect the first shipment to be of acceptable quality - particluarly with regard to black-out paint trim and dents. Also, these pieces are made using a thinner gauge metal than the originals, so not only are they more susceptable to dents, they also are not held on as securely by the mounting devices provided. Be prepared to utilize some out-of-the-box thinking to ensure that everything stays securely mounted.

We discovered that - as with other vehicles of the era - the F-100 body was not truly symmetrical. The rear quarter panel sections of the bed - behind the rear wheels - are slightly different. In most cases, this would go entirely unnoticed. But, since we had to mount the new trim pieces where there were no mounting holes, we had to determine the proper locations. Surprisingly, the rocker panel trim pieces for those areas differed in length from one side to the other - as did the overall length of the wheel opening trim pieces. At first, we assumed that the differences were due to shoddy reproductions. But, when the left rear rocker panel trim was dropped down about 1/2" so that it would match up with the longer wheel opening trim (which extends further down in the back than does the one on the right side), it miraculously fit perfectly and extends rearwards to the same point as does the right side rocker panel trim. Viewed from each side, the rocker panel and wheel opening trim pieces look like they fit just as you would expect - even though the left side is actually mounted a bit lower than the right side. This is an example worth remembering when doing any restoration because other asymmetrical body examples are bound to exist in other vehicles built before computer-aided design and manufacturing - such as '67/'68 Mustang front fender lengths. The lesson to be learned: Don't force symmetry between sides of a vehicle's body unless/until you've verified that all trim pieces will fit.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a copy of a wiring diagram for a 1971 F-100 anywhere on the planet - or in cyberspace. Diagrams are available for preceeding and succeeding model years, but not 1971. Fortunately, little seems to have changed between 1970 and 1971, but there were some inconsistencies that provided a bit of a challenge. With some extra effort and after tracking down some wiring that led to switches that weren't on the truck when we got it and replacing some failed components that we weren't able to test before disassembly (one of the "gotchas" inherent in taking on a partially-disassembled project), we were able to get all of the electrical components and features operating - including the original AM radio.

After we finished assembling everything, we trailered it over to Performance Lube and Muffler in Princeton, TX where they fabricated a new 2 1/2" dual exhaust system utilizing Magnaflow mufflers.

The end result is a very solid and presentable truck. While we were never asked to deliver a show-worthy restoration, with all the new trim, 5-footer paint job, fresh engine, detailed engine bay and new interior, it could very well drive away with a trophy from a local show. If nothing else, it's bound to confuse a few Ford truck enthusiast with all the Ranger trim on a truck that still retains its "Custom" trim-level badging.