Projects It's alive!!! A 1957 Fargo Tale....

There has been many years that it hasn’t been touched. I always said I will never sell it even if I never drove it. My oldest daughter laid claim to the truck as her inheritance today after I drove it so that was cool. It was a pretty good day to be able to actually drive it.


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I really like the Plain Jane Tail End Lights and all...Dodge made wild oddball stuff right out the Factory Door that with a little effort looked the part...

Glad your steps closer to the open road...

I suspect 50 Pontiac a Hotrod Staple might be Smaller in OD but maybe not...



Credit to Photographer, Owner
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It will be a while before anything happens as far as changes go, there is a fair amount of metal work to do on the box but I just want to drive it, shiny can come later


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You mean shiny Metal Flake Green Nudge Nudge......Driven Looks fine by me...

 

It’ll always be green, will likely get flames as well, one day


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That Void in the back panel below the gate would be a great location for the License Plate...You could also make that panel solid right across and add a basic Chromed Period Bumper or Nerf Type Bumper depending on direction.

 

Mounted the drivers seat today and decided what the hell, took it for a quick couple mile run down the highway...another first for me and the truck. Surprisingly nothing bad happened.


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So got the passenger seat done, put the box back on and this happened....


Now don’t expect any great metal working tips or anything, expect some Fantastic half assery and hillbilly engineering. A pro would have at least cleaned out the box first! Taking 9 inches out of the box, I didn’t like the overhang, hopefully I can put it back together...

Before...


Where we are headed...



Notice my beautiful gravel floor and no heat so winter will interrupt at some point...and yes my benches are a mess...





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Looks better now.

 

Had a couple short hours between teenage daughters volleyball and having to pick up and assemble a swing set for a toddler so I decided to repair the removable transmission tunnel. Of course complete with suitably crappy pictures....

Apparently no before pictures...I’ll give it a quick dusting with the sandblaster and have it coated with box liner at a buddies body shop and call it good. If the weather holds out I may get a little more picked away at before it gets to cold. I have a couple lines on parts, I’m waiting to check out a couple of boxes before I do anymore on the one I have.


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Don't know how I missed this. I love the 57 Dodge trucks, almost bought one once, until the guy decided he didn't really want to sell it. In the past I've had a 50, a 54 and a 58, right now I have a 39 and picked up a 49 I'm just getting started on.
I am amazed you have had the drive to endure all the time, keeping a truck you couldn't work on. You sir are a better man then I am! I don't have the patience to wait 28 years before I can do something on a truck, it would have been long gone at my house. My 49 has been here about 6 months and already I've done quite a bit of stuff to it. Its currently on hold until spring, and that is killing me. Even at that I'm collecting parts for its build.

Congratulations on your recent progress. Hang in there, the party for its daily driver status is getting closer. Gene

 

It’s been tough to see it sit but that’s life, I fully intend to drive it next summer, actually drive it.

Oh and I currently have three 57’s, going to look at a 58 and 59 this week that are a project that stalled for someone else. Frustrating that it’s so close now and it’s soon going to be too cold to work on it until probably April or May. April -June I coach a basketball team so it’s busy then as well.


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Well this happened today, pulled it out of my shop to attempt to clean up, it was a balmy -14 Celsius. I ordered all the exhaust parts. Hopefully see some progress soon.


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Any progress is good! Gene

 

Actually have something to update. This past weekend I got the exhaust done from the manifolds to the mufflers, which are just in front of the rear axle, I don’t have pictures because it’s on blocks and I did it all laying on my back.

Now remember, my shop has a gravel floor. It’s all 2.5” with mandrel bends, thrush welded mufflers.

As I got to the back and started mocking up tailpipes I realized that’s hard to do when the box is in pieces, so now I’m on to finishing a project so I can finish the one I started after I didn’t finish the first one.... or something like that.

Also got a new shifter cable for the crappy ratchet shifter but hey I had it, and this is an extremely low budget operation.




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So with high hopes I moved on to repairing the rear pieces of the box, for the two of you that actually looked at this thread last fall, you will remember I am shortening the rear of the box.

Today I started building the pieces to patch the bottom corners.

Here’s where I started this evening.



Here’s the middle of the operation.


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Oops forgot a picture of the finished piece, all bent by hand, I don’t have a brake.

Now, on to the rest of the bottom corner, this one is a little tougher...especially when I have limited talent. This is my first attempt at tuck shrinking and although I didn’t have high hopes for the first try, I think it may work out.

That’s where I left off for the night.

As promised all kinds of half assery at hand!!

I hope it at least provides something to give those of you with real talent some amusement!!

 

Pulled a trim piece off the hood of my parts truck, not sure if I should use it or not, thoughts? Any who, it’s in really rough shape so while my two year old was napping I thought what the hell, surely I can’t fuck it up any worse than how bad it’s already fucked up.

So in keeping with my low tech build theme, using my front steps and a claw hammer I had at hand, I proceeded to beat the hell out of it with massively low expectations of actually ending up with a usable piece.

After a half hour of not so gentle massaging using plastic trim removal pieces and the aforementioned claw hammer, I’m pleasantly surprised and somewhat determined to save it even if I don’t use it.

Here’s where it ended up for now, at the fine pick and file stage soon, get it as straight as possible before polishing. Now the time consuming part starts.





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So as usual I haven’t finished the last project I started but carried on with another, got the interior of the truck painted today, probably over did it, I went and got neutered on Thursday and my wife thought I should sit around all weekend.

Here’s a few before pictures....



Remember this is all done on my fabulous exposed aggregate floor. The advantage is there are lots of rocks to hold the plastic down.

Here’s some with sealer down.


I use Endura paint, I’ve sprayed a ton of it doing industrial stuff, plus it’s tough.

Did I mention we picked up a calf in the backseat of my Mega cab pickup?

Just in case you don’t believe me...



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And some with paint, once I get it outside I’ll take some better pictures, it’s a creamy white color, I’m happy with how it came out, don’t mind the flaws, reminds me I don’t need fancy equipment to build fun cars.






I put down a coat of bright white first, mostly so I could sort of see spraying the final color, my gravel pit lighting isn’t exactly stellar...


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I’ve been following along and the think your work looks awesome. Don’t beat yourself up so much, at least you are doing the work and making the best of what you have. Can’t wait to see it finished.


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Oh most of it is me joking around, I’m capable, not a pro by any means but sorta good at a little bit of everything.

I’m not so worried about trying to make it look perfect, it’s just something cool to drive. Respectable is just fine for me.


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Good start.

 

Interior looks great!
Cute kid, so is the calf. As a young parent, it suprised me the wife could vacuum the kid's rooms while they were sleeping. Yours slept through hammering, I guess. Great job on the ''V". In one of your prior posts, you said you had half ass fab skills. That puts me around quarter ass.

 

Hey thanks, I appreciate the kind words, I’m certainly not in the same league as some here but can usually accomplish what I want.


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Neat truck!

 

Thanks, I love these trucks.


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Went and had a look today, and I’m still happy with it...weird!
Moderately better pictures, it’s cold and rainy today to no outside pictures yet, in fact not even completely unmasking it today.




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Awesome truck man, and that dash is slick it can't be fun up there in all of that snow!! I got cold chills looking at them pictures

 

Thanks man, it sucks being on hold over the winter but we are hard at it now. With spring basketball season cancelled I have more time this year.


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