Keep Your Cool

Chad Tyson’s farm-fresh 1963 Ford F-100 unibody is almost completely stock from nose to tail, from the 292-ci Y-block V8 to its granny-geared 4-speed and drum brakes. Compared to modern trucks, it’s slow and doesn’t stop well. But a driver can compensate for that by just leaving more room and never being in a hurry. Trucks like this are about enjoying the ride, right?

But summer is here, and if you want to actually use your old car or truck, you can’t avoid modern, slow-moving traffic. Creeping along in freeway gridlock on the way to a car show will have both you and your classic boiling over in no time.

So it’s time to address that vital cooling system and make it work better than it did when it was new — and that’s exactly what we did to this old workhorse, while attempting to maintain a stock-ish look that won’t stand out compared to the rest of the rig. Here’s how we did it.

Summit Racing Parts List

• Derale rigid fan, P/N DER-17318, $33.97
• Evapo-Rust Thermocure 32 oz., P/N SUM-TC001, $19.97

Other Parts

• Prestone antifreeze, 1 gallon, $12.47
• 2×4 Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF), $7.42
• Bondo fiberglass resin, 1 gallon, $37.97
• Bondo fiberglass hardener, .74 oz., $5.77
• Bondo fiberglass cloth, 8 square feet, $6.97 (2)
• 0.7 mil plastic dropcloth, 9×12, $4.97
• Gloss black auto enamel, $4.10
• Paint primer, $5.27
• Stretch fabric, 1 yard, $6.99
• Brushes, paint cups, gloves, $15

Time spent: Six hours
Difficulty: 2/5

1. Back on the farm in Wyoming, this truck’s original cooling system was probably sufficient. But that four-blade fan spaced way back from the 54-year-old radiator isn’t going to cut it in modern city traffic, and an electric fan won’t look right and will tax the original generator-based charging system. Our solution: a bigger mechanical fan, a custom shroud, Evapo-Rust’s Thermocure treatment and some fresh Prestone coolant.