Tech: Converting a '55 Ford Pickup front end into a desk

As some of you know, I'm getting ready to start my first year as a
school teacher here in Tulsa. I saw somewhere about someone having
a desk made out of the front end of a car, and decided that would be
a really neat idea for me and my cl***room.

After scrounging and asking for help, I actually managed to find one
on my own - on the front of the old school bus shown below. Last
week, I finally got the okay from my principal, as well as the owner of
the bus, and yesterday I got started!

This is the bus before I began:


We managed to make a family day trip out of this entire ordeal, and
although I had hoped my wife would think to take pictures, we
somehow ended up without any. My daughter (HAMB name is Miss
Behavin) wound up helping me get some of the 50+ year old bolts
loose out in the field without having to resort to the 'fire wrench.'

Here is the Beverly Hillbillies load when I got home, and on the back of
the trailer you can just see the desk that will serve as the 'base' for
the clip to attach to:


After measuring, thinking, and conteplating the next image, I decided
to go ahead and make my first cuts:


I cut the fender wells vertically, and slipped the desk in between the
curved back portions of the fenders.


This picture kind of gives you an idea of how the desk sits from the
front. The beauty of this setup is that the stock fender to fender well
bolt holes just sit on top of the desk, although the fenders are a bit
wider in the back than the desk is. I plan to bolt some angle iron to
the sides of the desk and use spacers to properly mount the fenders
solid without kinking them to force them flat against the top of the desk.


This picture shows where the rear of the fenders will coincide with the
back legs of the desk. I'll use a flat piece of metal plate or strapping
to solidly attach them to the sides of the desk.


This is the look with the hood just sitting in place. I plan to cut an
approximately 3'x2' U-shaped section out of the back of the hood over
the top of the desk. The top of the base desk is 30" tall, and with this
hood top in place, the overall height only jumps to 43", so I should still
have decent vision over the top of it.


Here is the front of the entire setup with the hood sitting in place, but
not yet cut to fit. This will also be about the finished 'stance' of the
front when it is completed. I've got about 3" or so between the
bottom of the core support sheetmetal and the floor. I've also got
enough room to hang a super skinny wheel and tire in the fenderwells,
but I'll have to see how it all fits. I may just wind up using all-thread
to bolt the wheels to the sides of the base desk. I plan to basically
bolt the hood to the fenders once I'm done cutting it. This entire desk
should be movable in 3 pieces (not including wheels/tires)


Now, all if have to do is choose my colors. I'm now contemplating a
burgundy/maroon base with flames or a regular maroon with white grill
and pinstriping accents.

As I get more work done, I'll update with more pictures.

 

Sorry for the size of the pictures. I need to figure out how to make them smaller in my camera.

 

killer! the part of the hood that overlaps the desk a little, you could put some cubbyholes like an old rolltop desk to keep stuff in.

 

Coool!

I've got the whole front of a 49 F1 hanging on the wall in my ba*****t, I have the lights hooked up to come on by remote control.

Rich

 

You definitley need to drop some big wide whites up in them fenderwells also!!!

 

I tried to stuff one of those cheap rollers I got (the ones you didn't take)
up into the opening, and couldn't do it because the trailer's fender was in
the way. Standing next to it though, that 6.00x16 stands almost high enough
to reach the top of the inside of the fender. I'm thinking a 15" with a lower
profile tire - possibly cut in half down the middle - would fit nicely. It'll just
depend on whether or not I can squeeze a mounted 15" wheel and tire
(or a 16") up into the opening and still 'mount' it to the desk itself.

 

cool, be sure to keep the progress pictures coming

 

My HS shop teacher had the front of a '61 Pontiac as a desk, it was really well built. I plan to build a similar desk out of the back of a '60 Plymouth parts car that I have.

I personally wouldn't paint that front clip, leave it as-is.

 

I more or less have to paint it. The white is oxidizing, flaking, and will rub off on my clothes
as I move past it. I also can't have that happen to my students either.

 

i think you should put a custom grillle in it and send that one to me!

 

Use the hood that way you can sleep and they will never see you or build a little bed under it like George on sinfield did

 

No sleeping in cl***!

 

Actually, Fairlane fibergl*** sells "wall art" '53-'56 front ends. They're about 12"-15" deep.

I was thingking about using one of these (one-piece fibergl*** tilt) front ends to make a DJ booth. But I have no way to haul it around to car shows.

Tracy

 

Make a trailer out of it using a dropped axle with the steering locked.

 

That looks awesome.

WHERE DOES THE HORN GO?