Technical Getting it running was easy now ...the kicking and screaming 50 F1 build

I don't know who kicking or screaming more....me or it.
Vehicle...
1950 F-1
Engine 1968 Ford 302
Engine up grades
dolled up as a 289. Crane Fireball 294 camshaft ( some claim this is a hydro version of Ford Lemans cam).... Painted Stealth intake....68 4 bbl heads....iron manifolds....Holley 1850....Mallory Ignition....cast flattops...it's been together nearly 20 years and may have 2000 miles on it.
Transmission.....1950 F1 top shift.
Leaks out of every possible orifice....will pop out of gear if you coast too fast in second....you have to know it to shift it well.....2 no gear is a blast....I love it.
Brakes...
1950
Body condition....a solid 6
With 1 being an unusable relic and 10 being a straight survivor....

It runs beautiful.

1965 is look I'm going for.

Why I am lost.... I'm easily distracted.....
Honestly it's fear. ( I'm not really afraid....it just making that step...taking it down some to bring it back up.)
I am in a new place now. For the first time in my adult life I have a real garage with space. Taking one down and having it scattered all over the yard was never an option at my old place. Now I have place where I can do more.

I do not know how to go forward from here. 2 weeks ago I thought I did. 2 weeks ago it was very simple.... Get it running and drive the wheels of it.
I got it running 2 weeks ago after a long dormant spell. I had planned to just patch it up and go...but I want more.


It needs a paint job. It needs a brake job. It needs rust reapair. It needs wiring. It needs a lot.
I want it to be really good.....rustolem is not an option, nor is patina
OK I'll wrap this up.

This truck has to be done before I move on to another project.
I don't think I'm getting anywhere by trying to ...not go too far...
It looks like in the long run it will be less work to take it down a little more than I planned.

Example....replacing the gas tank.
Get under there...master cylinder and the brake lines are history. Seat is rusted tight in the cab so more work needs to be done just to get it out...
Instead of dancing around Trying to keep it together I think I need to take her down a little more.

 

Just drive it. There is too much perfection in our world. If you must, do one thing at a time, brakes, exhaust, upholstery, glass. remember one thing at a time. Keep it drivable.

 

You grow into a big garage real fast... my car is up and running, really needs an interior and paint. But I drive it... and it has problems. Elusive engine oil leaks, a master and clutch master leak.. AND a rear axle seal leak. Mind you that everything on the car is NEW. Frustrating and will address the axle seal/bearing later after work.

 

Make it safe and drive it.

 

Fix the brakes and drive it; fix the wiring and drive it; fix the seat and drive it, fix the structural rust, in steps if necessary, and drive it, fix cosmetic rust and drive it; fix some body damage and drive it; do some more body work and drive it; paint it and drive it; or try to fix all that stuff at the same time and never drive it, lose interest, and there it sits.

 

do you have the patience, skill, time, and money to do all that stuff within a reasonable time, like a year? or will it be another 15 years? If you can get it all done relatively quickly, go for it. If not, fix one thing at a time, get it driving, then take it down a little for each next thing.

Having it scattered, then not being motivated/having time/money/tools/skills/parts gets you in a really bad place. because it's now scattered. If it's mostly all together, at least you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, or the next stop.

 

Always in this order
Make it stop
Make it go
Make it pretty
Always in that order.

Pretty easy to pull the bed and get better access and results.

Easy to pull the cab If if IF you suhave an extra set of hands, a lift and a body cart.

Super easy to get overwhelmed and under staffed, over budget and under funded, and over a barrel and under pressure . Not fun

 

The more I tear apart the lower my motivation level goes. I'm with the one thing at time crowd. Driving it is way more fun than dreading all the stuff that needs done and 1000 times better than looking at it all torn apart.

 

Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr

I have some more photos. more are coming. Somebody did some really good work on this truck years ago. The torch welded fenders.....not so much on the wire nut wiring. I'm not too crazy about the engine mounts but they do work and have been in decades.

 

Sell it and get a better one that has all the stuff that you cannot do, good to start with. Another words get one that just has stuff wrong with it that you can fix, so you don't have to pay someone else to fix stuff that you can't. Buy the best car that you can afford, you will be money ahead in the long run.

 

Got any money? If you're squeamish about seeing your truck's guts all over the garage, maybe hire the big stuff done at a reputable hot rod shop. Concentrate on polishing the mirrors or making a cool shifter handle, eh? No shame in letting a qualified shop help out .

 

Yeah, brakes first!!! All that other crap is secondary....

 

Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr9dnL]Untitled[/url] by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr

F1 fender rot...
You see the body condition. While I was waiting on parts, I thought put I'd a solid cheap color on it....It's all got to come off anyway.
No sir, I could not do the tractor supply thing. That's that muddy stuff on the fenders. I experimented enough to see that's not the way for me to go.

 

Dang, thought we were headed for a rhyme. How about

Make it stop
Make it go
Make it pretty
Spend some dough

 

Honestly...well said and so true!!!

 

Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
This is what did it for me. You cant tell but that floor board is hand made. The work is amazing. This was all done decades ago. Way way before aftermarket support. If I'm going to do anything on this truck it needs to be the best.


The original color of my 50 was either Silvertone Gray or Seamist green it"s really difficult to tell as sometimes the silvertone is greener and the seamist bluer depending on the mix. Both were not that common.
I like both shades though....Really this is what I want...for mine to look as good as that 51.

 

I never had a car as far apart as I did with my Ford. Just keeping track of the parts was work. Labeling envelopes, keeping things in a semblance of order. The old wiring was toast, all new there.

Keep it together is what I suggest, scout up better parts to replace bad parts. I did that with trim and light bezels. Sort out 1 system at a time. No money? Work on things that can be improved without sourcing parts. Got friends? Everyone likes beer and pizza, burgers too. Put some fun into it.

 

As has been said and after seeing the pictures it doesn't look that bad to drive it after you go through the safety items. BRAKES, suspension and steering. DO NOT attempt to drive it with no brakes. Get it running stopping and steering good and drive it along the way work on it. All work and no play, well you know what they say.

 

I've driven stuff that looks a lot worse than what you have there.
Like we keep saying..... make it safe and drive it (I wouldn't even wash it)

 

Or you could be a real head case (like me) that NEVER wants to drive one, just work on them. Once done they're gone. Must be award winning quality but not never have my butt in the seat or take up space in the garage. The fun is the problems, the solutions, and above all else the work.

 

Being able to drive it to go pick stuff up to make it better is a great motivator.

 

Where in Bama are you located F-one? Just wondering if you were close by me, I'm over on the west side of the state just above Tuscaloosa.

 

Squirrel and I mean this will all honesty and not conceit. I can do any pretty much anything. I have always had the talent for it.
Here's the thing though,
I don't.

That's a problem, and it is in some ways tragic.
I have a bad temper. There always seems to be some kind of BS ( non auto related) that comes up usually involving the wife with some kind of more important task I must do.
I get started....she bitches....I get pissed....move on to something else.
It's not all her fault but I have no help....never have....and I mean more than car stuff.

 

Thank you.
I can do anything....It's just doing it.
I had a really good car it needed minor things. This F1 came up. At that time the idea was to sell the car get the F1... use the money from my car to do the F1....
So in a round about way......sold the car to fix this truck.....A month later the money's gone car is gone..... some BS was paid for. That was nearly 20 years ago.
Hopefully those days are over.
The truck is not really that bad.

 

Oneonta in Blount County. I used to live north of Birmingham in Pinson until last year.

 

WHAT HE SAID!

Ben

 

This was a very good thread on a truck similar to yours being done on a tight budget. I really liked his end result.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1948-f1-rattle-can-rebuild.599025/

 

If you haven't found it already go to fordtruckenthusiasts.com They have a subforum devoted to the F series trucks. I had a '48 about 50 years ago. A 289 and auto trans got me down the road just fine. FTE members will inform you of the best or least expensive or easiest way to do any mods. Often the posts involve Pick'nPull parts.

 

I totally agree with Jim,do a little at a time and enjoy the truck while your working on it. HRP