Making a little progress on the F-1

[av8]

Yeah, it's not a biggy, but it's not bad for an old retired guy spending most of his time doing work on other folks' stuff.

It's beginning to look less like a work truck and more like a speed-shop push truck/parts shagger.

The dead-nuts copy of an F-1 bumper, in stainless, is done by Sacramento Vintage Ford, and it cost less than what it would set you back to have a good stock bumper plated. The stainless grille trim was also picked up at Sacto, but I'm not sure if they are responsible for it or if it's a Dennis Carpenter product. No, the quality is excellent.

The wide-white radials are from Diamond Back. They said delivery would take two weeks; not true, got 'em 12 days after ordering. Excellent quality in addition to good service and price. Concentricity and lateral runout rival high-quality Michelins, and acceptable amounts of weight were required to balance them. I've driven them only about five miles at freeway speed -- and they felt great -- but I'll withhold judgment until I've logged a few thousand miles on them. Everything I've heard about Diamond Back WWRs on the HAMB, however, tells me I have reason to expect good life and performance from them.

I'm pleased with the decision to do the new wheels in body color. A couple of ivory stripes on each one will finish the job.

It's looks like I might need some more-agressive lowering of the front end than the yet-to-be-installed reversed-eye main leaves will provide. Looks like I might need an axle from El Polocko's pal in Phoenix. I don't want to stand the truck on its nose, but it needs to look a little less 4X4 than it does right now.

BTW, I realize this post sounds like I'm shilling for the parts providers, but I receive no favors from any of them, and paid full boat for everything. I just wanted to give them a public attaboy for doing what all merchants should do.

So, here you are, work truck on its way to speed-shop truck . . .

[jerry]

that looks very nice, love the wheels.


jerry

[Radshit]

Mida Que Bonita!!!!

I like it.......very nice!

[Mai Ki-Ki]

Sweetest thing!

Cheers
MAIKI http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Sinister]

Very nice truck! Is that a factory color? I like it...

[hatch]

I just had to do it....

[av8]

Very tasty, Hatch! Don't even mind the restrained chop, although I prefer F-1s to have a full-height turret to maintain a pleasing aspect ratio of the elements above and below the beltline.

Would you mind redoing it as you did except for te chop and e-mailing me a file? I'd appreciate it and would love have that image for my files. I'm pulling this version as well because of it's restraint and tasteful execution. Thanks for the attention you've given the truck.v You're the gun!

[Deyomatic]

Love it. Keep us posted on the changes.

[hatch]

I gotta start using "layers" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif...hope this is OK...do you want to save it from the board or have it emailed?? ...oh yeah...I agree...those bodys cant take much ...if any chop...and still look right.

[av8]

sinister -- Yes, that is a factory color. In fact, it was the color of the very first F-1 to roll off the line at Ford's Atlanta assembly plant in 1948. My F-1 is an early '48 assembled at the Richmond, California, plant.

[av8]

Yes, that's it! Would you please send me both files as e-mail attachments? I like what you've donw, and I have a couple more F-1s in mind including an LSR production pickup plus a tribute to Chuck Porters custom/hot rod F-1.

[hatch]

I need an email addy....pm me.

[hatch]

Sent...let me know if all is OK...hatch

[tommy]

What a pretty truck!!

[Hackerbilt]

I love it as it sits.
Maybe I'd just do the reversed eyes...I'd wanna keep it totally useable as a truck.
Didn't realize how sweet those trucks really are!

Bill

[av8]

I think I need a bit more than the springs can provide, and 3 inches of drop in the axle won't position the hard parts below the scrub line. In combination, the springs and axle will knock it down 4 inches in front and give it a noticeable rake, just about right.

[imfatdad]

Are you going to (or already) put disc's on the front?? Or, do you have any plans for the front binders other than stock??

[klazurfer]

NICE Truck! , Only bad part is that it`s too nice to cut up http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Mike]

The truck looks great, av8. I wish my '52 F1 looked near that good.

Also, I happen to have a nice Mordrop axle for that truck collecting dust in my closet. It's dropped either 2.5" or 3" over stock. I decided to leave my truck at stock height, so I will not use it. I would let it go for a reasonable price if you are interested.

[Kustm52]

Sometimes the beauty is in the restraint.....knowing when to leave a good thing alone. Beautiful truck.....

Brian

[haring]

[ QUOTE ]
It's beginning to look less like a work truck and more like a speed-shop push truck/parts shagger.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sweet. Any plans to add a simple "Speed Shop/Auto Parts" logo on the door? It looks good as-is but would look cool with a vintage styled logo.

[Roothawg]

Hey Mike how bout a removeable push bar for the Bonneville trip?
Maybe a padded push bumper that picks up existing holes in the bumper? There was a 53-56 F100 at the SK500 with a piece of old tire tread mounted on his. Maybe someone has a pic?

I like it. Very tasty F-1 Mr. Bishop. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[C9]

I sure like your little truck.
Guy down the street has a couple of nice ones.
I posted the pic of the running black one a while back.

Are you going to make the varnished oak stake bed sides and paint a speed shop logo on those?

[av8]

klazurfer -- Very nicely redone! Would you please photoshop it with these added changes . . .

4-inch body section

1-inch section of front and rear fenders above character line

2-inch section of front and rear fenders below character line

2-inch section of bed

eliminate bottom grille bar

one version with the tasteful chop you did, and one version with a stock top

TIA

Mike

[av8]

Hatch, Mike -- Check your PMs.

haring -- The truck will be lettered to honor my flathead-building mentor, Ed Binggeli. "Bing's Speed Shop" was a well-known NorCal go-fast emporium for drags, lakes, and circle-track. Here's the logo on a very successful hardtop built and sponsored by Bing . . .

[38Chevy4door]

Mike, that is one nice vehicle!!!

If you can post a pic of the Bing's logo complete, I'll bet it'll be Photoshopped to your delight by somebody within 10-12 minutes!!!

Steve

[Bass]

Wow! That is a really cool logo. The truck's looking great too!

[atch]

av8,

i've been looking for a way to improve on henry's f-1 sheetmetal design since i bought clarence in '73. i used to think that if you sectioned the bottom of the front fenders by the width of the bottom grill bar and eliminated the hump in the lower grill opening that it would look cool. did i describe that well enough to understand? what i mean is that the grill opening would then be an oval (technically a rectangle with rounded ends) instead of the factory shape. then about 7-8 years ago i spotted an f-1 at pueblo nsra mini-nats that had done exactly that. i took a few pix and looked at it for a year or two and finally decided that the ford designers were probably correct and that i liked the factory look better.

i don't know if this is the look you're trying to get with the bottom bar removal or not. if this is what you're getting at let me know and i'll look at home and see if i can find the pix i took.

[atch]

also:

1. rodshop's brother pie-cut his f-1 hood and i like it really well. maybe he could post a pic of that truck if anyone's interested. (rodshop - you on here today?)

2. another look i've often thought of is to "close in" the grill opening to a rectangle (with an inch or so radius at each corner) just around the grill bars; fill in the area around the headlights; and then cut new holes to tunnel/french the headlights in, but a little farther apart than they are now. maybe use another grill bar at the top to eliminate the parking lights where they are now and then put some '48 ford passenger car parking lights tunneled in under the headlights. could someone photoshop that idea for me/us? i'd really like to see what it would look like.

sorry, mike, if i got this off-track. i mean this to be helpful and not unnecessary clutter.

[av8]

Steve -- Here's the logo . . .

[k-member]

aV8, Your pickem up looks realy realy nice, I like it. I like em stock or custom. I realy like the one Klazurfer did up, thats the direction I am going with mine,but heres a chopped one for ya to look at, if shorted a little the chop looks more perportionate......Again looks good..

[RPW]

Mike: That is a very, very nice F-1. Makes me even more eager to get rid of my second car and get a F-1 or F-100 instead (I did set that one up for sale about a month ago with the intention to get a F-1 or F-100 instead).
I like the color of yours as well, Glade Green, right?
That one or Washington blue would be my choice.
Here is a low one, picked up from the web, not photoshopped and a bit rough around the edges, but imagine it with Klazurfers refinements.
http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/2002show/02jdean/img164.jpg .

[fab32]

Mike, Glad you brought us up to speed on the F1. I was wondering if you had made any more progress. I haven't done anything with mine yet other than cleaning out the bed full of junk that came with it at no charge. I've found a drivers side fender and extension and an extension for the right side to replace some less than pristine origonals.
Boy, it sure would have been nice to find one like yours but the price probably would have kept me out of the game. haha!!
Keep up the good work.

Frank

[purple]

<font color="purple"> I spent a little time on the logo for you. </font>

[Mai Ki-Ki]

Bing!

Love the truck!

[hankcash]

Can I play???

HC

[klazurfer]

Hi Mike , Nut sure if it all went well , But this is how it turned out ( With Mai-ki-kìs nice logo-work ) http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[klazurfer]

Hey Hank .. How did you do that ? Way Cool !! Share the secret , ... Please http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[av8]

purple, Mai Ki-Ki, hancask, klazurfer, hatcher -- You guys rock! Thanks so much for all your neat work. The talent on this board just knocks me out!

[timebandit]

Nice truck aV8. Interesting to see different photoshop versions. I like the idea of channeling a F1 to get rid of the gap between the cab and the running boards. But I kinda dislike how slim the hood gets when sectioned. Makes the car look less of a truck and more of a homebuilt pickup out of a sedan. Kind of like a volvo PV 544.
Anyway, here is my channeled version. I would like to try larger headlamps. Not sure what type to look for yet.
http://home.c2i.net/torjesen/bings.jpg

[av8]

Nicely done, timebandit. I've been planning a customized F-1 for about 10 years, based on a perimeter frame that would drop the body down to the running boards and have a step-over sill so the floor would have footwells rather then sit on top of the frame.

[av8]

This is the one that hooked me long ago, Chuck Porter's "shop" truck. No poser, it turned in a respectable 105 mph at Santa Ana with a Max Balchowski-built '53 Cadillac bullet.

I don't like it nearly as much I did long ago. I saw the truck at Bob's Toluca Lake several years ago, fitted with chintzy flares on the wheel arches and painted an unappetizing murky dark color. The present owner told me he had turned down $75K from a Japanese consortium. He didn't look like the sort to pass up that much money, and it was well past the time the Japanese suits were running around SoCal cruise nights with breifcases full of cash.

[av8]

The comparison underscores the massive amount of massaging Porter did to his truck.

[imfatdad]

With all the channeling there it looks "hudson-ish"...

[haring]

WOW, Klazurfer's version looks really cool. The pancaked hood might be a little much, but I like the addition of some chrome to the outside of the reworked grille opening. Neat work.

I have an issue of a scale model annual in which one of the entries was a scratchbuilt Porter truck. The editors said something like,"while it is a very faithful copy of the original truck, some things shouldn't be copied." Harsh commenary! I do think the Porter truck suffers from too much frontal area coming at you without enough interesting detail.

PS: Purple, I'm glad you were able to work up an accurate rendition of the Bing logo. Nice job.

[Tinbender]

Very nice truck. Good thing it found you http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The photo chopping round here is starting to amaze me!

[timebandit]

I have been playin with the thought of getting the channeled look, by moving the running boards
upwards. And then cut some off the fenders where it meets
the running board. That means you have to step the frame to get it low enough, but you would not loose any leg room
inside the cab. Kinda backwards procedure, but I`ll bet it would look good.

[Brootal]

Lookin' good av8.

Maiki's version with the logo is the ginchiest. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Making it too low takes it out of "50s Shop Truck" to 21st Century caricature of a 50s Shop Truck (with broken suspension).

Can't wait to see it all done. I was thinking of doing some Photoshop myself, but it's all been done. Well done guys. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Nads]

I can't believe the stock paint shined up so nicely. Is it still staying pretty healthy? How are you upkeeping it?
I love klazurfer's version, all you photohackers are amazing.
Personally I think that truck's too nice to hack up. The lettering I can dig, especially because it's a tribute to a friend. But things this nice and original come around once in a blue moon.

[av8]

The truck will be given a definite '50s stance with an axle and reversed-eye main leaves in front, good for about a 4-inch drop and a proper nose-down stance. Raise the rear of the truck in Mai-Ki-Ki's photoshop treatment about 3-4 inches and you'll have the final look.

The paint is an inexpensive 20-year-old respray of the original color. Far from perfect but still very presentable and appropriate for what I'm doing.

No cutting planned for on this truck. I think it's more important to preserve it just as it is, and was in the wayback.

[Tackett]

Beautiful truck. I'm slowly working on one as well; one that had a chop &amp; section started when I got it.

In my opinion, if you chop, you have to section the roof over the doors. Take a look at the Porter truck vs the stocker - they seem to be the same height above the doors, but it makes the Porter truck look a little odd.

On mine, the previous owner wanted a 6" chop, but was afraid of having mail-slot windows and a huge bubble above them, so he chopped 4" and sectioned 2" abouve that. That was also the part he didn't finish, and it's going to be pretty damn hard to do (it's my first chop).

I'm building my own frame, so it'll be channeled pretty hard. This is ride height, but I may go an inch lower.

It's rough, but here's the best shot I can find.
http://liberalredneck.org/albums/48-frontend/IMG_0455.sized.jpg

Not trying to jack your thread, just trying to add some thoughts.

Tackett

[k-member]

av8, I wish mine was that nice. My was slapped together with parts from 48-52,all years http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Notice the push bumper, I what to get one of those S/S ones too, they look realy nice.

[Kilroy]

A little whack-a-do off the top?

[johndanger]

here it is again with just the lowering with a bit of rake and the logo on the door , sounds like this is about what you are after , and it looks great .

[48bill]

Mike,

Your F-1 is looking great. I just picked up a chrome front bumper for mine at a swap meet two weeks ago. It will have to wait installation until I change the front springs to raise it a bit. I have Posie's Super slide springs and a 3" MOR-DROP axle. It sets it too low and scrapes the front bumper going in and out of my driveway so I will put the original style replacement spring back on which will raise it 1 1/2" to 2".

All the best.

Bill in Connecticut

[av8]

You're just about there, johndanger, maybe one more inch up in the back and you've got it nailed!

Thanks for your efforts. I get more good images to capture for my files.

[Brootal]

Here's my effort Mike. Probably still not low enough in the front for you, but I think the back is probably whereabouts you want it. I got sick of "cloning" that fence! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Deuce Roadster]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



Hey Mike.........

I know you and Ed Binggeli were friends, did he ever give you one of his speed shop logo tags?

I was going thru some old stuff and found mine (NOS no less)......as I understand it...most were Red and White.....

http://photo.starblvd.net/~DeuceRoadster/6-3-5.jpg














As you must know..........it was made today....... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


.

[av8]

That's as close as I can imagine it will be, Boris. Thanks, mate.

Very funny, Deuce. You had me going for a minute!

[Deuce Roadster]

[ QUOTE ]


Very funny, Deuce. You had me going for a minute!



[/ QUOTE ]


Just having a little good natured FUN.......... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



I work as a sign maker and made it up on my lunch break.........

Scanned the image, cleaned it up digit wise and computer traced it. Cut it on a Graphec 52 inch plotter and transferred it to the tag.......piece of cake......


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Brootal]

So are you going to donate it to the cause?? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif