Projects "the desert express.1951 ford coe pick up"

[iwanaflattie]

I talk A LOT of CRAP,but I aint no couch tater'.
My name is Seth im 27 and I make such good potato casserole we could lay on it on the bed...well that's my eHarmony intro but...
First I would like to apologize for the crappy pictures,Sorry about the workmanship,sorry about the work environment.
Sorry.
This my first time attempt to put something together that resembles a car or truck of some sort,I wish I could show you a 32' with a big ass flat head and a 1,000,000 dollar shop and equipment but this is all I got.

This truck sat on the desert sand in death valley for along time before I started inquiring about it.
It was my Bud's dad's.
I didn't know what it was but I knew it was cool and I liked it.
It was just a cab,doors,and front clip(sheet metal).
No hood and no frame.
I asked about it several times during a 4 year period but the answer was always "no".

I finally gave up last year and went and bought a 51 ford f1.
Months after that my buddy calls and asks if I was still interested in it...hell yeah I was.

I paid the man and got it home in a very unorthodox method.
I started researching asking stupid questions and joined the HAMB.

I needed to get a donor frame/running gear.
A smart person would get a running and driving donor and swap everything on the donor and call it done.
The dumb,poor,cheap bastard that I am,went and got a "free"chassis from my wife's uncle.

Its a 1982 Chevrolet c20.
I been slowly working at it for almost a year but I only got serious the past couple of months.
I work graveyard,get off in the morning take a nap,work 6-8 hours on the coe,take a nap and come to work.

Thanks for all the help and the people who have donated parts and info,you know who you are.
I still need a lot of stuff but I been getting them slowly.
Im in about 1500.00 dollars on this project and I wanted to start under 2000 but reality is a bitch and I know it will be a bit more than that.
This is a budget build and It helps that everything is 100 miles from here.
1951 ford coe
1951 ford f1 widened bed
1951 ford f1 rear fenders
1951 ford f1 tailgate (widened)
1982 Chevrolet C-20 especial deluxe chassis
SBC/TH 400 (I know yuk )
1957 GMC bus front bumper in rear of coe(shortened)
Wheel Base is 100"
1965 f500?? running boards (modified)
1965 f500?? RB brackets
Undecided between 1965 white freightliner steering wheel/column vs stock.
1982 C20 hanging pedals with ford f1-f6 pads.
198? ranger seat homemade brackets.
1951 coe gas tank.
Tilt bed(homemade brackets,hinges etc)
Steel wheels and white wall tires 16" (hopefully soon)

STILL NEED:
SBC
radiator
wiring
booster
shocks
Hood(should be in Ca soon)
DS window glass
Speedometer
Bed floor
Finish welding the axle pads(flipped axle)
Finish hanging pedals and reinforce the firewall
finish welding the bed and the tilt bed brackets and stuff.
Lights
Install windshield
little odds and ends.
wheels/tires
I accept donations hehe.Specially wheels tires and engine.

Tools:
hf 4"grinder
reciprocating saw
110v century wire feed welder
220 Lincoln stick welder
buncha hammers
buncha wrenches and socket wrenches
buncha man power
Gallons of jack and coke.

ME 6 YEARS AGO AND MY DESERT FIND:

[iwanaflattie]

Bringing it home:

[iwanaflattie]

Donor Truck and Cleaning stage:
Can you believe there was horse crap in there???
I hope it was horse crap!

[iwanaflattie]

Mock up stage:

[iwanaflattie]

More mock up and other random crap

[iwanaflattie]

Buy welder and start throwing buggers everywhere:

[iwanaflattie]

Cnotch and bed subframe:

[iwanaflattie]

Tailgate:

[iwanaflattie]

Steering wheels:
Stock vs Freightliner.The second is a HUGE BITCH! but its cool and it give me some space on the floor.

[iwanaflattie]

WHERE IM AT::
Its difficult to stay focused on your build when you have friends and other people (who have never done this kind of stuff either)telling you how you should build it and how to do things!
Their idea of customizing is putting 20" chromed rims on any shittiest POS they can and their fabrication ideas is duct tape and drilling holes.
(sorry I had to vent)
The drawing is what I wanted it to look but it will take too much to get there.
Will I paint this coe or keep the over abused "patina"?only time will tell

[iwanaflattie]

As soon as my hood gets here I will roll her out to take a better picture and it will no longer be The MJ special...It will become :"Dirty Hairy"
(MJ special because its nose fell off)
Thats all folks.

[Rocky Famoso]

Interesting...Good luck with your build. I think that you have the name for it right on your doors, the "Desert Express".
...

[iwanaflattie]

the golden days.

[brian26]

The doors have the right name for this interesting build! Pretty cool

[iwanaflattie]

WHY YOU HEFF TO BE MAD?






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpnd...eature=related

[outlaw256]

well i like where your going with it.i also like the name on the door.i can see the coralation between the truck and jackson but that name brings up some bad images in my mind.lol oh yeah swap the front and rear wheels around makes the truck look like it going backwards.lol but i still like it.

[pasadenahotrod]

Very interestink' project! Love the US Postal Service with the WWII Bundeswehr markings. Could have used the Afrika Korps palmtree rather than that Nazi Eagle on the side.
Your doing it right so far.

[xxzzy999]

Great job!

I like the rear bumper... 3 inch exhausts through the bumper guards might look good on this bad-boy.

Also, I vote to keep the patina since it is uniform and especially since it has some original lettering.

Regards,
X

[damagedduck]

all i say is WOW!
now quit reading this & get your ass back to work!

[iwanaflattie]

well thanks,I got my 2 hour nap and Im pumped up,I want to work.
I want to put tail lights in the guards but I am not sure If I want to keep buying lenses..
I dindnt realize it til now but my son is inside MJ in the pics!