'58 F100 drag truck, or: thumbing your nose at aerodynamics!

HA i knew i saw that truck somewhere!!! just couldnt remember the name of the video SWEET truck man..

 

i found some of your other videos, but you tube has ripped out the soundtrack like they did to all my videos.

 

Your signature is exactly how I answerd once when I was 17, the cop was not amused.

 

Made me a proud 19yr old to say that myself...then a pissed one when my 55' pickup was getting impounded(i got it back though so I Win!) geez i loved last year hahaha

 

that truck is lookin awesome mark. Can't wait to see what kinda run she's gonna make

 

Thanks! I can't wait either...I got some updates to post later...

 

Started taking measurments, and figuring for the rear suspension yesterday.
Removed the rear shackle bolts, so I could rest the truck frame on stands, and jack the rear up, allowing the springs to p*** the frame, and get an idea of the crossmember location, the shock location, and the ladder bars.
I am still having a hard time deciding on the stance...I am torn, kind of because part of me wants it to look outrageous, but, I also want it to handle well, and be a joy to drive...unmanageble ****s, no matter how cool it might look. I decided yesterday to settle somewhere in between...
I'm not commited yet, but I left it at this for now:
Basically a later 60's/early 70's stance...slight rake, but very near level.
This makes the rear tires fill the wheelwells, and because of the shorter tire up front, it leaves a fair gap above the fronts...from the front, it actually appears to be slightly nose-high...
I will have some adjustment, after welding everything in place, but, I need to get close, and I'm having a hard time deciding...


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This is the third set of tires I have tried, as well...I LOVED the last fronts, the 26" tall ones, in pix, it looked sick! But, in person, on the 6" Radir's, it looked like O-rings...
These are, admittedly, more tame, but...
They are new, so they are staying, at least until they need replacing or I get given another set for free!


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These are the new rears:
I've got a set of 12x30x15's here, tons of tread on 'em...almost new.
they fit the 8" wheel perfectly, for that "look".
I will bring a mounted set of 10.5x28's with me, and a set of 10.5x29's also, the first time out...gonna play with it until the rpm is right, without having to come back again...

I also got the pattern out, and drilled these wheels for bead screws, while I was at it...6 of 'em, marked them out on one side, plum-bobbed them, and marked the other side...keeping them in line with each other, AND with one indexed at the valve stem.

I hope these don't kill the gear...I like these tires.


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Stance again...from another angle.



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Measured back from the front spring perches to get my crossmember square.
set up my bars, and put all adjustment at half-way, and clamped it in place...In this frame, we need to be just under the rails, so, it will get plated down, and boxed inside, as well as have 2x3" box gussets from inside the frame, and probably forward also...still thinking about this one. Inside the frame would not have allowed them to be parrallel, and in the center of their travel, so, we will drop it, and adjust the hit from there.


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Had to remove the gussets here, to allow for bar travel, they won't have much, but it was close...
Leaving the crossmember, though...it can't hurt to have it!



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Got the tank vent plumbed, and now we have to make a nerf bar...

I need a hood, too, to cover the "modern" ignition, and other components...lol...

 

Any opinions on the stance are welcomed!
I'm not commited to anything yet...

 

This truck is BAD ***ED! Id like to see and hear how that 460 sounds with those fenderwell exit headers. Got a pretty mean one in my 63 and have to figure out what to do with exhaust, manifolds in no way come close to fitting with this wedged in there. Weird how your mounts didn't fit between the framerails, mine fit great in my 63.

 

look back on post 172 for video...


And Mark, I like it with a little rake!!!

 

O.K...Suspension work begins.

<HR style="COLOR: #333333" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and ***le --><!-- message -->Well...I forgot my camera on Monday, so: No action shots.

But, I got ALL the old stuff out, anyway, and mocked up/tacked my crossmember and gussets in.
Lots of crawling around, and torch/air hammer, chop saw....

So, as it stands now...
I went and snapped these pix this morning...

 

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Other gussets will be added to the back...the front is more critical, because the most force will be exerted upon it at launch, but braking forces, and other forces mean tieng this ALL together, for piece of mind.

The loss of the old springs and hangears, in comparison to the new components probably shed another 100 lbs!


In order for the front pivot of the bars to be in the center of their arc, it was neccessary to put the crossmember below the frame, adjustments in ride height, and bar angle will be made from this point.

The side will get plated, tieing the frame, and the crossmember together, and having the bed supports bolt through the plates.



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Spent the rest of the day prepping the rear housing...
Removed everything, cleaned it up, now we can weld the brackets for the bars on, and the back support.


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5 years ago I got this truck, it was unloaded off the carrier from Orange County, CA....It had a Y-block, and a bunch of other **** in the bed.
The brakes on the back axle are shot, so, I figured I'd go back and dig through the pile of stuff that I hadn't looked at for years, and see just what kind of brake parts were there...looks like I might already have everything!
Just gotta compare/match 'em up.


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Oh, yeah...

And purely for cheap thrills:

Green Metal Flake steering Wheel.

Actually, eventually when I get to painting this thing, it will tie in nicely with the Candy tangerine, root beer flake and emerald green I visualize in my head!

I think the wheel change alone was worth 25 lbs!


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DirtyThirty, Your F100 sure is gonna be KILLER and when you paint in the scheme that you visualize, its' gonna be KILLER lookin' too, not to say it ain't Great already!

Nick.

 

Thanks alot!
I imagine it will be a couple years before REAL paint, but I'm going to science it out for a while first...I really want some major eye-candy, though, when its all said and done.

 

DirtyThirty, The way the paint is now, I reckon it'll SCARE the **** outta people which ain't no bad thing!

Nick.