So I just picked this up today and it will be my first frame up build. The cab was chopped with the posts laid back. The frame I'm told is from a '46 ford passenger car, it is very solid. My plans are to grind all the filler off the cab and straighten out the body. I am planning on flatening the rear crossmember, changing the front and splitting the wishbones to lower the frame. I will also be channeling the cab. I have been holding on to the old bed in the pictures for a very long time & now I finaly have a truck to use it on. I am considering running a flathead with a '39 trans or something similar. It wll definately have 3 pedals.
Not quite all '48s are tube (if any). I suspect that maybe yours was changed over yrs. ago. I have a '48 coupe and it has lever shocks so it would be safe to say 1946-1948. Nice start on your project.
...I'm guessin the bed mite be late 30's-early 40's International, just a guess; it doesn't matter, that'd make a nice bed for your project.
No question about the frame. I believe it would more likely be a 46. 47 and 48 used tube shocks. I'm in Maine and have parts from both 48 car and 46 truck so let me know if you need anything .
Do a search to see if you can come up with how Ionia Speed Shop flattens the rear crossmember on their chassis and you can lower the rear quite a few inches without spending a ton of money. Frank
Ford made a lot of running changes that did not coincide with a model year change. The switch from lever to tube shocks is a case in point. The only sure way to verify the year of the frame is the serial number, which is stamped on top of the left rail anywhere from the front crossmember to the firewall (usually near the steering box mount), midway along the frame, and on the arch over the rear axle. Check that number against the listings at www.flatheadV8.com (Mac VanPelt's site). BTW, if you want hanging pedals in your truck, a pedal assembly from a '52-'56 Ford car fits the '40-'47 truck cab like it was custom made for it.
I'm not sure yet, it came with a decent nose but it's off a big truck so the wheel openings are too big for my liking. I am considering building it fenderless with a '38 ford truck grill shell.
I definately will do that, looking @ it quickly with a tape measure it looks like I can drop it 6"-8" easily in the rear. I am hoping to put this together on a tight budget. Thanks to everyone else who offered info & advice with this, it's much appreciated!
The bed does not look like my 34 IH bed. The IH beds have a "square" rail, not round like GM and Ford, not sure on Studebaker and Mopar beds.
Sorry, but you are wrong on that. My 48 had tube shocks from the factory. I actually retained the rear frame mount locations and use them with the 8-inch Ford rear end.
Nope, 48 Fords (or most anyways) had tube shocks. The front axle has a hole drilled through each end for lower mounts, the top mounts were brackets that bolted to the lever shock holes. On the rear, that had a cast arm on each side that used both rear backing plate holes to locate them, and the tops are studs on the crossmember (I think) In 1948 for pickups, they also had tube shocks, with the desirable "F-1" shock mounts on the front
I have a mid 30's to early 40's dodge truck bed and yours looks exactly like mine. Studebaker also used the same bed too.
A recent thread with a dodge truck same bed as yours http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=803825
A mate and I just re lowered the rear of my 37 Ford pickup and all we did was cut the rear cross member like you want to. We went down about 7in and it looks awesome. One tip make sure you measure you rails from side to side, so you'll know if you push your rails out. What I did was use sash clamps to hold the rails in place then cut a v out of the top of the cross member about 1in in from the rails and then cut a v from the underneath on both sides where it starts to flatten out in the centre. Once all that was cut out we used a little heat at the cuts to help it relax. Then weld it up and you're done that easy clear as mud. I'll try and find some pics if that would help my explanation. Good luck and nice start.