I'm probably not the only one thinking this, sure would have liked to see the cab on the frame to fit the doors. I have watched your build and it is going to be a very nice truck. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Johnboy, yeah you're right, that would be the best for sure. I had the body all bolted together on the frame at one time but nothing was "fit" to each other, I was just trying to mock it all up to determine what was missing. By the time I got the truck to work on, so much was gone that I didn't even know what I had or didn't have. This is my first restoration so I'm learning a lot, needless to say. That's what I said when I first saw them too.
I've tried to follow this interesting but old thread and someone may have mentioned this along the way. Have the frame level, check it for being straight prior to making any sheet metal adjustments. Cab mounts are very important to door alignment on these cabs as the cabs do flex a lot. There is not a lot of design adjustments built into the doors. There are front clip inner panel sheet metal differences between the 48-50 and the 51-53 trucks.
Thank you for the comments oldogy, I'll talk with the body guy and see if he wants me to bring the chassis over. You're right about the flex in these old trucks. I was once told that the flex was designed in to them. As for the inner fender panel differences between the 48-50 and 51-52, I didn't realize how much difference there is between the years. I had thought of using some '52 inner panels on this '48 because they are in much better shape, but now I'm going to try and repair the '48 panels.
I've been working on repairing the original inner fenders which includes closing up some unused holes and fixing some cracks and rust. Here's the right inner fender. I still have the rust holes at the bottom to fix which includes the repairing the access panel. I'll start on that next.
Your steps look good Dave . I like the black . Is the cab coming soon ? Don't know if I can pull it off on my car though . Every time I see someone laying down black I try and convince myself I can do it as well !!!
I can't wait to see this truck all together. What's going on the back? I missed that somewhere in this thread. I love how you are keeping the Budd-style wheels and truck axles. If you are not already into ATHS, you might look into it. What you're building qualifies as a real truck. My dad had an old fire truck that he used to haul hay, tractors, old cars, and as mobile scaffolding to build our house. It had a two speed axle, which would be perfect to get more speed out of your truck. You definitely have the horsepower to cruse and bring down the RPMs significantly. I think that truck is still owned by the friend Dad sold it to 35 years ago and could be bought. It threw a rod and got put out to pasture with only 30,000 miles on it. I reminisce about riding in that old fire truck as a kid now when I am helping my father-in-law make the occasional improvement to his F4. Even though I've never owned a Ford truck myself, I seem to be surrounded by them. I helped a friend haul home this F6. When that turned into storing it in my yard, it became a fixture, and we took our family photos with it.
I know what you mean about black. The only thing I've painted on the truck is the axles and they were very forgiving given the fact they are very textured. Knowing out pitted the running boards were even after I repaired the holes, I was very happy with how the painter smoothed them out. The cab should be coming soon, then the doors and the rest of the panels. I'm trying to stay ahead of the painter but being sick all week has put me behind again. The inner fenders are the worst, which is what I'm working on, so once I get those done the rest should be easy(ier). Here's what's going on the back of the F4, sorry I don't have any better pictures at the moment. A guy on the ford-trucks web site created CAD drawings of his original Ford script bed which I got a copy of which was given to metal works shop. I plan on replacing the visible hex head bolts with carriage bolts so they look more like rivets. The bed will be the last thing I tackle because once the bed is on it won't fit in my garage. I love the story of your Dad's F4 and the fact you still get to tinker on your Father-in-laws. The more I work on this one the more I like it and can see why so many guys like these big job trucks.
That bed frame reproduction appears to be a quality job with apparent attention to detail.. The rear stake locking assembly is not included but most folks don't know what the purpose of that assembly is anyway. . I guess it will be a while before you get the frame installed and painted. When that time comes, be aware the fifty vintage Ford tractors use a script that is very close to that found in the center of the bed rear cross member. The script is available in decal form and as a template from the tractor parts folks. .Another option for the script would be to remove the embossed script from a salvage tractor fender and weld it in.
Thanks for the info on the Ford script oldogy. I've been contemplating what to do because I really want the script. A good friend of mine wraps cars and he made a paint template I used for this clock I made for another friend who owns a 40 Ford Coupe. Painting would be the easiest but I'd really like the embossed script as part of the bed; the script welded on like you said.
I had a business trip to Utah so I decided to visit Ogden Chrome. I must say, I'm impressed. Very customer service oriented. The gentleman talked with me for over an hour; no rush, no sales job, just the facts. I liked that. Here are the pieces I dropped off (it's what would fit in my suitcase). I should get them back mid June.
If the chrome shop can't fix the U shaped piece I think I still have a pair from my '51 F1 project if you need 'em. Got a few other odds and ends too.
I have a couple of questions for you guys. 1) Are the running boards also bolted to the frame? Someone had already removed the running boards before I started working on the truck. Before having the frame powder coated I filled in several holes in the frame and after trial fitting the running boards it looks like they should bolt to the frame as well as the running board mounts. 2) For the flatbead, I know there is a wooden runner/beam (not sure what the appropriate term is) that sits on top of the frame and the flat bead bolts to it. How tall is that wooden runner/beam? 3) Also for the flat bead, do the wooden planks secure to the bed with just bolts or does it have those metal strips that run between the wooden planks like the F1s do? thanks, Dave
a 1 by between bed and frame no metal strips on a factory flat bed i know of a factory bed i can look at and get you pics
SO NICE to see all your hard work coming together! Dave, you got the color just right, too. And with the A/C, you'll actually want to drive around in it from May through September down there in Florida.
Thanks for the compliments guys. It's nice to see the vision in my head become reality. As for the John Deere tractor, my father-in-law is a huge John Deere fan; several years ago I brought him to the owner's shop to see the tractor. When we got out of the car, the tractor was running but we couldn't see it. My father-in-law knew exactly what model tractor it was by the sound. The paint guy should be done with the doors soon so I'll get those hung. In the meantime I've been finishing up the repairs on the original inner fender panels. Boy they have been a lot of work. Driver's side is done. To be honest, while I was fixing the area that bolts to the core support, I warped it pretty bad. I ended up cutting some relief cuts so the metal would lay flat again and welded it back up with better results. This the Passenger side inspection panel. This was the part I dreaded fixing. I ended up cutting a strip of metal and slowly welded it in, bending the metal to match the contour of the panel as best as I could. Once it was welded in I bent the edge down. Then I just cut the excess metal off and drilled the bolt hole (which was done after this picture). I'm finishing up the inner fender panel now which had a similar rusted area where it and the inspection panel bolted together.
The Jalopy Journal
