Projects 37 ford pu project.

This will be my on going build album for my pick up. A lot of the parts im using are left overs from other builds, things I have saved or found. This is a low budget build trying to make something fun to drive with what I have on hand. I will be posting as many pics as I can. I know that a lot of this wont be period correct or have the "look" you think is should but its just a fun pick up for me.

Couple of weeks ago I took a partial frame I started on a few years ago to work and put it on the frame table. Finished the front rails. Machined up some adapter plates to mount some energy suspension SBC mounts to the 256 y block and tranny. Front and rear are out of a 39 ford.

So to start with a week or so ago I came across the member Hot Turkeys thread on his 32 and really liked his rear mounts so I took it and added my 2 cents spent way too much time on the mill and today and this is what i have so far. also pics of a 32 shell i made and my first pin stripe job from years ago.

 

I will post some cab and frame pics tomorrow

 

more pics

 

Spent some time working on my trailing arms today, i originally had planned on using box tubing but switched to i beam that will be drilled (actually cut with a water jet). like the front axle will be, a few mounting tabs and some holes drilled and im set. i know its over kill but i like the way its gonna look.

 

Cool stuff! your a very talented guy! Take care! tt

 

Wish I had ONE of those grills, haha. Looking good.

 

Thanks TT its been a long time since we have talked. maybe I will make it over to the metalshapers chat tomorrow if its still up and running.

 

wow nice truck, I was woundering what that first pic was.

 

Good to see you are among the living, I had asked Tony Sanchez about you, see how you were doing. Glad to see you with a project I can relate too! Ever since Terry Cowan had passed on, Metalshaper's has faded, unfortunately. there is something about a group were some have to be in control and can't do for the group betterment. But that's life. There are many metalshaper's and metal meeter's on here maybe we should see how the Hamb chat works. Take care! tt

 

simple update. I put the cab on the frame the other night to check where im at and to get a good look of everything going on underneath, Found some rust so fabbed panels soon to come. Today i made a new drivers side sill plate/jamb. Amazing how quick this thing went i think with all the welding and grinding and machine work it was under 1.5 hours. as soon as I get my better camera back i will take better pics of the pieces . the lower portion is spot welded on just like factory. the top portion of the stock panel has a 1/2 inch dia radius and then jogged at the bottom inside corner. would have taken me hours to reprodouce it exactly but i got it close with my method. i have a little trick to flush mounting sheet metal to tube. I set up the tube in the mill find the center and on one half mill a notch down the length of tube that is the depth of the thickness of the sheet metal this will recess the sheet to the height of the tube right at the radius tangent point. I use this same trick when making fabbed bed sides. It also works on bent tube as well (just have to machine it first then bend it) I will post some better pics of the process soon.

 

Nice! Wish I could do half of what you do! Im impressed with how you replicated the step for the cab!

 

Looks really good!

 

That's going to be a cool truck!!
Keep us posted!!

 

love the engine choice ! nice fab work on the rockers too , whats up with the second 32 shell looks a little shorter and seems to be a seem in the splash pan did you make part of it ?

 

The black 32 shell is a glass one that was given to me, the shorter secondary one is one i made from scratch from scrap aluminum about 6 years ago. i had planned on using it but now that the cab is on the frame with a motor it just looks silly so i will repair the original 37. the aluminum shell was my first aluminum shaping project.

 

Hey baggs, keep us posted on the sill plate install, I was about to start doing the exact same thing this weekend.

Almost feels like the HAMB gives off mind reading waves////// you think about a project/idea and posts about that same thing just start to appear!!!

 

damn , hand made , nice work !

 

Your choice of using the original 37 grille was a good one. Those later trucks just don't look right with earlier flat grilles.
You have a really good option on grille bar patterns, just stay away from spider webs, iron crosses, and other rat stuff.

 

The original shell has had grater screen welded into it and is a little beat up. at the time i had just finished making the aluminum shell and was all jazzed about it. I have recently found a huge love for making brass trim so i have a feeling the original shell will have its dants knocked out and get a art deco type center bar with some nice stainless woven mesh to back it. atleast thats the plan as of now. that could change in 5 min haha

 

cool project!

 

i hope to get the pass side sill plate fabbed up today and possibly put them in tomorrow. I am tryin to get the cab mounted so i can finalize suspension mounts. the lower rocker has the profile of 1 inch round tube so i will be using this as a new stronger rocker. I have a crazy idea of how its all going to come to gether, just hope it works

 

any updates/pics?

 

Nice job so far.

 

I'd like to see how the rear arms turned out.

 

Sadly all the pics i took of the sill/rocker install were lost when my cheap digi camera somehow got ran over by the forklift. Good news is i have to do the other side and i will make sure to take some real detail pics of the process for you. as far as updates, Compared to the first pics of the body on the frame i have channeled the body another 2 inches over the frame and still keeping the stock floor height. i have replaced the whole rocker/lower body line from the front of the cowl to the back of the cab. Replaced the inner sill and added some real bracing. Built body mounts and located the cab on the frame. Since the rear body mounts are located behind the seat i wasnt worried about pocketing the bolts. The fronts i made dies and pressed round 16 ga doubler plates. Saturday i welded up all bracing/tube structure for the drivers side floor and fabbed up and installed the drivers side seat riser that is an inch and a half shorter than stock and the floor as well as the toe board. I hope next week to get to the other rocker and get the floor done and the tranny tunnel made so i can jump back on suspension. I really wanted to get the cab mounted in its final resting place before i mounted the front end. I will have pics for sure tomorrow.

Thanks, Im just trying to make this a simple build but some times i lose sight of that and the ocd of making everything "perfect" kicks in.

The rear arms are out getting holes waterjet cut into them i should have them back in a "week" or so im told.



Its nice to finally work on something of my own again. Once the truck comes off the frame tabe i have countless hours of sheetmetal work and fine tuning to do.

 

Looking forward to the pics of this, I have started on the drivers side inner sill also and am a but stumped on bracing the cab, I am leaving everything stock, so i am making patterns out of everything and transferring them to sheetmetal, but am concerned about bracing, unfortunately my cab was pretty hacked and had no floor so I want to make it stranger than it was.

BTW thanks for the post, your pics really motivated me to dive into my cab.

 

Here are some updated pics. still needs some clean up/finish work but you get the idea.

 

Nice craftmanship!!
I like the floor!!

 

Thanks, next week I hope to get the rest of the floor and tranny tunnel made alond with the rest of the mounts and inner kick panel bracing.

 

This is great work!!! The seat section looks unbelievable. Curious as to how you did that, shrink one end/stretch the other? I think I am going to cheat and use a commercial gas tank I have to do what you did with the seat, I dont have all the tools to bend sheetmetal like that.