Projects '48 - '52 F1/2/3: Are these rear fender bolts "bolts"? How to remove?

Sideways. Interesting. Where's the filler? I like this idea, since I don't want to remove any crossmembers. Sorry for any hijack.

 

What's the capacity?

No prob havi about the hijack - I'll even help you! LOL!

~Jason

 

Capacity? Freaking lots! The filler neck is right at the back, a few inches to the right. I'm not sure if I'll leave it there or run it out to the side. Depends on how I finish the box. You can see it good in this picture.

 

I was looking back through a few old mags and found an article on replacing those studs. Here is a link.

http://www.classictrucks.com/tech/0810clt_ford_f1_rear_fender_replacement/index.html

 

While you guys are on the gas tank tangent.......Another option I found when looking for a gas tank is an early bronco auxilliary gas tank. I placed mine between the frame and the driveshaft on the drivers side. The nice thing is that I was able to use the stock filler location on the cab and just welded together some exhuast pipe to connect the filler with the spout on the gas tank.....keeping the stock look.


Here are some old pics from when I was mocking it up.







here you can see the stock filling location.




The only downsides are that it is only an 8 or so gallon tank and that due to the bend in the rubber filler tube you can't fill it up as fast as you would a normal car....you have to run the gas pump half "throttle".

 

Thanks rollinlow&Slow!

Here it is for the rest of y'all!


Ford F1 Rear Fender Replacement - Rear Fender Rehab
Replacing Damaged Rear Fender Hardware The Right Way!
By Ryan Manson



Dealing with rusted, damaged, broken, or otherwise unbecoming hardware on an old truck is never a fun experience. Oftentimes, you're left with more work in replacing a sheared bolt or stuck nut than whatever the actual job you were tending to in the first place. Sheared bolts rusted in hinge plates, body mounting hardware that's impossible to get to, frozen suspension parts soaked in Marvel Mystery Oil and heated to the temperature of the sun that still won't break free-we've all had to deal with these problems, and they're the things you just can't avoid when dealing with old trucks. The only solution is to be patient, attacking the problem while creating as little damage to the surrounding area as possible, and replacing all that old, rusty junk with new chrome, zinc, or stainless hardware.

When it came time to start patching up the rear fenders on one of our projects, we concluded that it would be best to do all the metalwork with the fenders installed on the truck to minimize any warping or distortion that could result if the job was done on a set of sawhorses. The fenders had already been removed from the bed, and in the process many of the welded-in bolts from the factory had sheared due to rust and age getting the best of them. It was obvious that before any more progress was made, the old hardware would have to be dealt with.

The folks down at National Parts Depot (NPD) and Totally Stainless helped us get the body mounts sorted as well as a few other items when it came to mounting the front sheetmetal, so it seemed only natural to see what they could recommend to replace our old hardware. Turns out there are basically two options when it comes to replacing the original bedside hardware: weld-in or carriage bolts. The carriage bolt option sounded like it might be the way to go, as it seemed slightly easier and would allow the bolts to be removed when it comes time for bodywork and painting the bed. On the other hand, with carriage bolts you need a couple of extra hands to hold everything in place while the fender is installed. Having spent many a late night locked up in the garage without an extra set of hands available, I try to make everything a one-man job if at all possible. For that reason, I opted to use a weld-in bolt kit from NPD with the corresponding stainless fasteners already on hand from the complete body kit we ordered up from Totally Stainless a month back or so.

The first job was to remove all the old fasteners that were welded to the bed. Each bolt received three spot welds from the factory, and since our new fasteners would be utilizing the same, stock holes, care must be used when removing the old fasteners. The first step was to cut off the majority of the fastener on the fender side of the bedside to reduce the amount of material that would have to be removed later. A pair of perpendicular cuts is then made in the head of the bolt on the inner bedside. This works to effectively weaken the bolt itself. With a stub of a bolt left and a nice flat surface to work with, the fasteners were then center-punched and drilled out with a small pilot hole followed by a drill bit the same diameter as the fastener. This reduces the fastener to basically four small pie-shaped pieces on the bedside. A few careful strikes with a hammer and chisel, and the spot welds are broken and the fastener falls free in a half-dozen pathetic pieces.

Installing the new bolts went quicker than I thought, with each hole being filed to fit the square shank of the fastener before a pair of tack welds was applied to the fender side of the bedside. Once all 12 fasteners were in their place, the fender was slid on and tightened down. With the fender installed, it's now possible for us to move forward with the sheetmetal work on the back half of the F-1 and get that much closer to final bodywork and paint.

 

When the rear fenders were removed, a number of the original fender bolts sheared in half due to fatigue caused by rust. These bolts are basically carriage bolts that are tack welded to the bedside at the factory.

 

Here's a close-up of a pair of bolts, one sheared and one complete. Obviously, the sheared bolt is unusable, but the rusty one isn't necessarily acceptable either.

 

The first step in removing the old fender bolts is to cut each one as close to the bedside as possible. We used a cutoff wheel on a high-speed die grinder.

 

On the head of the bolt, we made two perpendicular cuts with the same air cutter...

 

...This will help the head of the bolt break away.

 

The next step is to drill out the bolt. An automatic center punch is used to punch the exact center of each bolt.

 

When drilling out the center of the bolts, a small pilot hole is drilled first, followed by a bit the same diameter as the bolt.

 

Once drilled, a chisel is used to remove what's left of the bolt head. You can see here that the bottom half of the head fell off once the center was drilled out, thanks to those perpendicular cuts made earlier.

 

With the bolt completely removed, you can see the three spots where the bolt was tack welded to the bedsides. These will need to be ground down so the new bolts will fit flush against the bedsides.

 

With safety gear in full effect, we used a 3M strip disc on an angle die grinder to remove all the rust and paint in the area surrounding each bolt hole. Remember that the new hardware will be welded to the bed permanently, so sanding and cleaning the surrounding area won't be as easy once the new bolts are installed.

 

The area around every bolt hole was sanded down to bare metal on both sides of the bedside in anticipation of the new hardware.

 

Here's a pair of the weld-in stainless fender bolts we'll be installing. Note the square shank below the head.

 

That square shank requires the existing mounting holes on the bedsides to be reamed with a square file until every bolt fits perfectly flush against the inner bedside.

 

You can clearly see how the hole has been reamed to fit the square shank of the new bolt and also the two dimples left from the factory tack welds that held the original hardware in place.

 

Here's a view of a properly fitted bolt from both sides of the bedside...

 

...Notice how the square shank actually protrudes slightly from the surface of the bedside, while the head is snug against the opposite surface.

 

The new fender bolts will be welded to the bedside similar to the stock items. A magnet holds the head nice and tight against the inner bedside...

 

...while the bolt is welded to the outer bedside. A small weld on both sides of the two on the square shank area ensures that the bolt will not shear away from the bedside. The weld is small enough so as to not interfere with the mounting of the fender and retains the stock look inside the bed.

 

Here are all 12 bolts welded in place. Don't forget to install the one on the running board, too!

 

With the new hardware installed, we can now fit the rear fenders back on the bed and do any repairs necessary to the rear sheetmetal without worrying about it becoming too distorted. Don't forget to always use antiseize with stainless hardware.

 

By the way, if you can get the stock bolts out, these guys have replacement, stock bolts for .50 cents: http://www.northernclassictrucks.com/

It makes reaming the hole for weld-in carriage bolts unnecessary.

~Jason

 

That's a great idea!

I was considering the van tank - it's like 30 or 40 gallons, AND fits between the frame rails!

~Jason