I had a pretty nice '51 F1 that I had to sell due to "financial difficulties" over the winter and it really sucked. A few days ago I spotted this little beauty about a hundred miles away. The owner wanted $9K for her and claimed she was a frame off resto last spring. He emailed me photos which showed that he did indeed work his stinker off on bringing this thing back to life (cab is solid, not all bondo, new bed, and the fenders are all aftermarket fiberglass). Since he was desperate to sell her (he was all stoked about a '46 Chevy he had to have right away) I ended up buying it for $8K. My conditions for buying it were that he had to drive it the 100 miles to my house and it had to look like the pics. Everything checked out so I bought it. It has a transplanted '69 Ford 390cu.in. engine with a C6 tranny and a B&M shifter. Overall, not a bad unit, drives like an old dump truck, and just needs a little TLC (and cash). Maybe I overpaid but it's too late now cause she's in the driveway. I know what I want do to it, Install a heidt's mustang II coil suspension (rack and pinion steering) with drop spindles and disc brakes up front, then lower the ass end to match. Rewire the electrical... it's a mess, and toss on a fresh set of whitewalls, repaint the black rims and add chrome center caps and lug nuts, I might even scuff up the paint to give it a worn look (the paint job is okay, basic run of the mill acrylic enamel single stage paint, pretty good job for a backyard mechanic so i'm ruining a masterpiece paint job) It would be a nice truck to drive around town in. Since I'm not too swift, I'd like to know what you geniuses would do to it. Thanks, Wally
Drive it !!!! The money gets out of control when you start tring to make it handle like a Cadillac. Remember it's a truck..
Leave the shiny paint ,,, patina it natuarlly by driving the wheels off it,, start driving it as soon as possible and dont stop till it breaks
Sorry, but you got screwed! Luckily, I'm willing to bail you out and give you the $8k you paid for it, just 'cause I'm a nice guy. I'll even drive to Buffalo to pick it up...... BTW, you did great on it - enjoy !!
I like your idea with the wheels. One suttle change to the interior- Lokar makes a need long auto shifter that would come closer to matching the rest .
Fix the wiring and drive it,put those IFS thoughts out of your head.Leave the rest of it alone. It drives like a truck? It's a truck. I think it looks pretty good.
I think I'd do white wheels with trim rings and small caps of some sort, and keep the blackwalls. Then drive it -
The only thing that jumps out at me is the all black wheels and tires. I would put cream wheels on it with some caps and trim rings and maybe soften up the ride a little by removing a few leaves in the springs. Otherwise it is a cool little truck...........oh yeah, and change that shifter to a Lokar or Gennie. Maybe paint the bumpers cream to match the grille and wheels too. Don
Well, you asked. I can't see the " might even scuff up the paint to give it a worn look " mentality. I'll never understand wanting to fake abuse or neglect. Also, if it drives straight why rip out the original suspension? I thought the mini-truck scene was dying out? Or maybe I just wish it would. Both of those things wouldn't have even crossed my mind, if it were mine. Why do guys try to make trucks act like cars? Why not just get a car in the first place? It's a good truck. I hope whatever you do works for you, but so far, you've lost me. Good luck.
I think it looks good. Like Chaddilac said, lower it and drive it. I don't understand why you would want to scuff up a perfectly acceptable paint job though. When this trendy little "patina" thing is over, you'll still be stuck with that look.
I like the lowered look better (just my personal taste) but my main reason for changing suspension, brakes and steering are to get rid of the existing sloppy steering box (and shitty drum brakes). If the mrs. wants to drive it (let's say I have a couple cocktails at a soirée and she hasn't) her tiny twig arms would fall off trying to turn this thing at slow speeds. I don't mind the shiny look and I understand the manufactured patina would be lame. Here's my vision for a rock bottom (cost) look (as far as tires and wheels are concerned). My last one was lowered, had cragar SS wheels, even power windows, I can't go through building something so nice that I'm afraid to take it to 711 for a slurpee. Wally ps. Great feedback... keep 'er comin'
Run it! If its a cheap paint job and you drive it like it should be driven and don't baby it, it will have "patina" in no time. Hows the chrome on the trim? If its not perfect I would consider painting it white to match the grill and maybe the bumper too, nothing better than a utilitarian truck. Maybe try rebuilding the steering box? My 100lb sister drives a car without PS and its got a 13" Grant GT steering wheel (I'm looking for a replacement) and she does just fine. Ryland
I would get it down a little lower, and either swap the wheels or swap the tires. Those blackwall radials don't seem to really do it any justice. Steelies are cool, but something needs to break up all that black. The taller shifter is a good idea too. My 65 f100 had that same floor shift setup and I used to hate leaning forward to shift. Don't scuff the paint. As mentioned above, it's pointless, the paint will fade, chip and oxidize on it's own, even more so if you drive it and use it like a truck. You also don't know if there is any body filler in it, so there's a good chance you might hit a patch when you're buffing it and you'll wish you hadn't.
Put me in the crowd that doesn't understand people who buy old vehicles then complain that they don't drive/stop/steer like a new car. Sell the truck to someone who likes old trucks and buy yourself a minivan.
Scuff perfect shiny paint/MII/power everything sounds like you think the HAMB trendy central. Get real, keep the truck simple and drive it like a dude.
I would drive it as is. MAYBE put some hubcaps on it, but I would leave the wheels black. Red paint makes its own patina when exposed to sunlight (My Nomad reminds me of that on a regular basis) so let it get plenty of sunshine!
Youknow TD, all the "cool guys" have scuffed up crappy looking paint and not shiny paint. He figures he can't be in the cool guy club with shiny paint even if it is a home garage paint job that looks damned presentable from where I sit. Personally I'm like several of the others, I'd drive the wheels off it this summer while I was planning the chassis changes that I'd like to make next winter. You might build up a bit of arm strength and feel like you rode a hard tail Harley all summer but you will have a lot better plan for what you want to do and be more prepared to do it.
It looks pretty nice as is but as others have mentioned a different colored wheel might please the eye. I would go to a bit deeper offset with a dog dish of some sort. As to the shifter, if this is a driver then I'd put it back on the column. I agree that having an easy driver that the 'little woman' can handle is a good idea. If you imbibe then don't tempt fate, or a DUI... .
Since it is around 90° [feels like] outside here in the center of Connecticut AC is about the only thing I'd really work at..lol....Nice truck..Shifter, some floor insulation/H'depot walkway rug and some weight behind the rear axle to make the steering easier [you probably can adjust out steering play] and off ya go...But it is your truck...
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