I've recently been more productive on my ford so heres a little show and tell on the progress. I started with a cab and bed on the original frame modified with a 1971 camaro front clip, a late model firebird rear and a 1995 full sized chevy van TBI engine and wiring harness. I immediately ditched the wiring harness for a Painless 8 circuit modular and the TBI setup in favor of a more simple Edelbrock performer 2 intake manifold and Holley 750 dp(my only spare useable carb at the moment). After wiring the entire truck i decided a lower center of gravity was in order so I took it all apart and lost motivation. It sat in my garage untouched for a little over 2 years. About 4 months back the urge to get going on it again overwhelmed me and I went back to work. I reworked the frame by welding in 2x3 rails with 1 5/8 and .25" plate x-bracing, hoop and reinforcement under the footprint of the cab. This allowed me to lower the cab 6 inches and returned the original swept down look of the subframe. My neighbor Zach did the main rails (as I am not a pro welder yet) and I wanted it to be warp free and strong as hell. Future plans for the frame is a 12 pt roll cage and some changes to the back half and suspension. I lifted up the suspension from the previous stance to get better suspension geometry and purchased some new rolling stock, future plans call for a 5 link with either air bags or coilovers. The interior is accented with 16ga copper plate and 16ga @ .25" brass plate, .5" rubber floor and the rear bench seat from a 1975 datsun b210. I am rather tall(6'5") and have big feet(14) so I moved the column pitch up to accommodate the 6" lower cab and new pedal position. I just popped in a nos windshield with a custom made copper center post with brass accents... still lots to do in here!
Here is the interior shots and the more finished exterior shots of the truck I drove it to work, a 40 mile success!
I ended up getting 2nd gen f body spares to make it work, I was skeptical about the handling of 165r15 tires on 15x4 wheels but it function quite well. I originally planned on widening the fenders 2 inches to work with my salt flat specials(theres an unfinished pic in my profile with them mounted), just haven't gotten to that point.
Last night I installed new rear glass with a seal from socal and it went in smooth. First I prepped the area removing all sharp edges. I then wrapped a thick kite string around the channel that held the seal cab. I used a mixture of liquid soap and water to lube the strings release from the rubber(pour it in until it spills out both ends). I had my wife hold the glass in from the inside with the fatter edge facing inside(it's larger due to it covering the edge of interior panels). Then slowly pull both ends of the string and knead the rubber around to engage a proper fit!
I got some more work done over the week so here goes I made some new parts from 16 gauge copper: windshield center outer and inner with brass accent and filler panels to go in between the rear fenders and cab. I plan on doing some etching to all the copper once I come up with a good idea. I started putting the bed in and luckily applied some porch paint(tinted dark brown) to the wood before it rained... I still have lots to do back here... I didn't mention it before but when grafting on the f-body front clip the wheel base was stretched forward 2" from stock, making the new altered wheelbase 116". This was done to keep it more drivable as an exceptionally low truck and give it a more pleasing appearance(in my opinion these jailbar fords have an awkward stock wheel placement inside the fenders)
I've been playing with the idea of using a close to stock 38/39 hood for a low profile, vintage hood scoop/snorkel. I like the look of the original hood, but when I moved the fenders up the body it f'd up the belt line. , so it was either pancake and piecut the stock hood or come up with something fresh. I plan on being to open and close it as stock but fabricating new hood sides and a ram air tunnel. I built the truck to be modular, so the bed height and front end can be adjusted up to 2 in relation to the body(this took some pre planning).
I started with that idea but under further consideration of the body lines, I decided on the 48 rear fenders(I feel the stock 42-47 pickups had a front heavy look, but they look great on a 40!) I hope mine gets to be as clean as yours in a few years!
You are right using the 48 rear fenders, way better matching the front fender style of the 42-47. The original rear fender style, matches better to the 40-41's but are the proper match to 38-39's. Another good choice for rears on a 42-47 Ford are 47-53 chevy, there is one sitting in a field near my fathers place with the chevy fenders on it and I've always admired the lines on that.
that thing is knarly, my early concepts were very much like this. If I end up bagging my rig(and some careful fender and front end trimming) I should be able to lay my cab about a half an inch off the asphalt... I still like the simplicity and challenge of a static drop though.
No, I traded it to a guy in Georgia a few years back. I saw it not long ago and it still looks exactly the same.
Projects/desire>time/money Isn't this often the case? Damn, my rear brakes have gone all leaky, time to rebuild or swap them out... I also found out that if I throw a 2x4 down at the base of the curb I can back it into my driveway(some youngster decided to scratch MGR into my DS window while it was parked on the street) I plan on finishing up the bed too while the weather is still right. We'll see...
Man diggin' on the F1 rear fenders big time! I wanted to do that when I had my '42, just never found a pair for the right price when I had the dollars to do so! Keep on working. Oh, and find the kid that scratched the window on your truck and scratch something permanent on him....
Thanks need louvres ?, I really appreciate the positive feedback. I looked around for awhile considering the options and they seemed like the best fit to match the front fenders. After a little time I found these on ebay for a fair to high used price but the description wasn't all that accurate on the condition(multiple rust holes and 3/8" thick body filler in place of good metal work). In the end I had the right looking fenders for the wrong price. Maybe I'll replace them with a better condition pair when the opportunity arrises.
Just put in some replacement rear calipers, just need to fill 'em up with juice with the wifey's help. I went to go start it, but with no spark it was having an awful tough time getting going. It's an HEI so it was probably the module, we'll see with further examination. If all goes well I'll take it to the "Cruise on Central" this Saturday, it should be a hoot!
popped open the distributor and it looked like it took on some moisture. I let it dry and went to half ass clean it so I could get the new ICM in and it started right away. Now bleed the rear calipers tonight and I'm back on the road!
My wife helped me bleed the brakes, got to go on a quick drive and fill up on gas. I sure missed driving the old thing, maybe I'll hit up a car show this weekend!
Here's some fresh pics We Got a little cold this winter, here it is frosted over Heres a couple driveway shots with some of the rest of my brood
The Jalopy Journal
