Recently had a friend call me and say he was giving up on his shop truck project. Just didn`t have the time to devote to it. He offered it up and I bit having just sold my `39 Tudor in process to another good friend in need of a sedan. I had sold my `51 F1 a few years ago and built a `36 but `30s trucks are tight for a big eater and I regretted selling the F1. Pretty solid truck originally from California. The only rust found was the typical front and rear fender brace areas and at the running board mounts. Cab and doors are damn near perfect and the truck isn`t beat up. He had already bought a stack of parts and I`m going to utilize as many as I can. The plan is for nice suspension, brakes, fuel injected 302/AOD/9" rear, A/C and a comfortable interior. Not painting this one. Gonna weld up the rusty fenders and scab the color back in. I don`t want another shiny truck I have to babysit whenever it sits somewhere. Been there, done that too many times. So here`s some pics of the project so far and more to come as I proceed. So far I blew the truck apart, cut all of the brackets and crossmembers not needed out, pressure washed, C notched and painted the frame and installed JW Garage IFS and Super slider rear springs. Next is clean & weld up the firewall, mount the fuel tank, run brake lines and install a swing pedal assy.
Subscribed. I am kinda disappointed that you're not painting it. Your color choices are always "spot on".
I had a color in mind but the build goes so much faster when I can leave the patina and I use my shop trucks a lot. Also when I move on to another I can`t seem to recoup the paint costs associated with a high end basecoat/clearcoat paint job. I`m not so far along that I couldn`t back up and paint it. We`ll see. A pic of my last build:
So a little progress. Brakes, rear axle, rear springs and front suspension are all in. Fuel tank is mounted. The firewall is welded up and painted. All of the fender rust is cut out, welded up and in prime along with the fuel filler hole. Pretty much stopped until I get the engine & trans in place. I need those in place to mount the steering column and brake pedal assembly. Next is straightening the running boards, stripping and painting them while I wait for the drivetrain to arrive.
Brrr! It finally turned cold so no work outside. Got a few items sorted out and moving along slowly it seems. Firewall is insulated, the pedals are in and extended, steering is done, engine and trans are mounted and fuel system/brake system is plumbed. Gotta figure out if the shifter can be modified a bit forward so I can use my bench seat I just recovered.
It has been a chore to get time on the truck but I solved that by retiring this Spring. So I`ve been hitting it hard and it`s coming together fast. All that`s left is taking it for exhaust, alignment and then some sorting. Engine sounds great thru uncapped headers (B303 camshaft) all 5 forward speeds operate as well so I`m itching to drive it. Hats off to a couple of local buddies for assistance in some of the details and chores I`m not fond of. Steve Hohl donated and cut all of the kickass walnut boards used in the bed, Virgil Butler spent several hours wiring my dash and does an awesome job and Randy Sanford helped keep me on track with the project. He does know his Ford motors. Thanks to all of them. Nothing like having great car buddies around. I`ll give a report on how it performs soon.
You're 1000% right!!! That thing would not look any better with shiny new paint. It looks simple and usable - which is what a truck should appeal to. Excellent workmanship!! Awesome truck !!!!! PS - what size wheels and tyres did you use - they look nuts on!
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