Projects Hot Rod Heavy Hauler: 1948 Diamond T

Since I haven't really gotten much done, thought I'd do a build thread for my DT pickup. It's been in the shop for a year, mostly acting as a place to toss junk, but today I cleaned up the shop and got ready to start in earnest. I'll update this as I go.

I bought a sheet of tempered Masonite to mock up the box, thinking I'd do double wall sides, with a square tube frame work, the outer and inner skins mounted to that. Immediately, it was apparant that won't work with the narrow Dana 70 rear I have, if I make the interior of the box 48 1/2". So, it'll geta conventional looking box, with a angle break at the top, and single wall sides. I can make some stake pockets and have some cool hardwood racks this way anyway. My initial thought was a 7' or 7 1/2 box, and I trimmed the left side to 7 1/2'. It looks unbalanced, with the long wheelbase, so it'll be 8'.

I hope to get the box sides made up this week, a buddy has a break that'l take 8' stock. Now I have to decide whether I want a square detail at the top rail, or have him break an angle, and weld some round tubing to the edge. I like the round idea.

 

Here are some pics which kinda wrap up what I've done so far. Doesn't look like much...

 

that looks like a diamond in the ruff

 

There's one like that over near me. The guy works at a Body Shop in Placentia. I'll get a pic when I can...

 

what are the rear fenders?? could you push the bedsides oUt and split the width of the fenders with the bed sides?? it would give you a "inner fender to deal with.. but might look better (given that the bed will otherwise be narrow and long

 

Sawzall that occurred to me too. The fenders are Auburn Speedster. It'd be easy take a big slice out of them and make a new lip to mount on a wider bed, but I kind of like the, "roundness" of the cross section, for want of a better word. I also don't really want wheel wells in the box. If I weren't going to use the truck to pull our trailer, I'd shorten the wheelbase and make the box look proportionate. But, I want the wheelbase long for stablity pulling the trailer, and a short wheelbase stiffly sprung one ton truck isn't going to be very comfy.

It looks very "truck-ish", but I still like it. After all, it's a big, brawny, one ton truck, and it's going to work hard. Plus, it looks WAY better than the flatbed that it had worn since new. I think widening the front fenders, as shown by the gap between the cab, hood and fender line, will sort balance the length. These were always fitted with 8' boxes, so it'll look like it would have had a box , rather than a flatbed. Except wider, lower, faster, and more comfortable.

 

I like the Diamond T's with the huge truck beds. Saw an amazing one at the Greenwood car show in Seattle this year with hand formed fenders. I'll see if I can get a better picture some time soon, but I think it's likely parked inside the guy's shop out of view. Here are a couple I took, but you can't see the fender almost at all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/v8media/3665557715/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v8media/3666362430/

 

I just painted one of those. Two other guys handed me parts, I painted them(the parts) and they ended up bolting all together, they had the wrong piece for under the grille, I had two days into making that fit.
I know the old guy could really use a starter though, his doesnt appear to belong to that truck

 

cool project. I have seen some Diamond Ts turned into some really cool haul trucks.

 

Yeah, that's cool. He's on this board, with photos of the build. That's a 404 I believe, with the longer front end. The front fenders are wider as well. He cut up a pair of fronts to make the rears for that. Nice.

 

Here's the look I'm going for. These are photos of a 37 Model 80, which looks similar enough to mine to give the idea, although the cab is a bit shorter and lower. A 201 is scaled up just a little. Anyway, I "photoshopped" this with siccors and copy machine, as I'm "old school"!

The fenders are Auburn speedster, which I have. The photo is with an express delivery box, which is quite high, coming to the belt line character line. In the second, I've cut down the height, and kept the canted the tailgate. This is the version I like. The length would be 8'.

Since I'm up early, I just went out and looked at my mock up. I can easily move the bed sides out about 4"per side, as with the express delivery. Doing that I can still do my double wall box, and use polished aluminum diamond plate on the inside, my original idea. I'll have a little fenderwell in the box, as sawzall suggested. The fender can be trimmed and make a new mounting lip (they need extensive work anyway to be useable), it'll keep the "pontoon" look of the very graceful fender. A little more work, but I think it's where I'll go. It helps to sleep on an idea...

 

Thanks to "Sawzall" here for making me think, I went out this afternoon and re-thought the box/fenders of the DT. I took the mock up apart, and swapped the left and right sides. The right side mock up was just flat, no angle at the top and a full 8' long. This I clamped to the stringers across the frame so the edge of the box was just even with the roll at the back of the cab. This put it 3" outboard of where it had been. The fender then was clamped to the box side, and I scribed a line 3" from the box, and cut the fender in half at the mark.

The result is a MUCH better looking box and fender line. It doesn't look as bulky, as I canted the rear of the box forward at the top 15 degrees, copying the photo of the original DT express utility and adding a little extra for the swoopier Auburn fenders. I'll move the box side up 2 inches from the mock up mounting so the top edge lines up with the character line on the cab, and make a filler panel to go between the fender, cab, and running board ahead of the fender at the bottom edge.

I'm thinking that a stainless "grab rail" would look cool mounted on little curved stantions bolted to the upper rail of the box, at about a 30 degree angle out and up from the top of the box. The end at the rear of the box could have a little bullet light for a third brake lights. That'll dress up the upper edge box, which would look too plain otherwise. My metal fabricating buddy should be able to set me up with that.

The cut off inner part of the fender it turns out will make perfect wheel wells for inside the box, so nothing gets wasted! Now, off to ALRO steel for some 2x2 thinwall tubing, some 18ga sheet, and lets build a box!

Oh, and the Auburn fenders, standard issue with Auburn speedster body kits, are less than 1/8" thick! The seller told me I was only the second guy to complain, after 600 sets sold. My guess is I'm one of two guys who knows any better...

 

It's looking good!!!

 

here's mine for reference.
i recommend 12ga for the bed. i did it in 16ga first and it was too flimsy.

 

ok... Now.. consider this..
take your wood mockup panels and arch them OUtward.. away from the centerline of the long axis of the bed.
basically create a radius in the bed side similar to that of the back of the cab.

 

Hmmm, rather like the arc of the trucks doors. Like, maybe just an inch or so, right? Verrrry eeenteresting... That would make the box look less, well, boxy...

 

John, your truck is cool, I have a copy of one of your other photos up the wall in the shop for reference/inspiration! I'm making a framework of 2x2 tubing for the "utility express" style bed, the sheet metal will just skin that, so I was thinking 16 would be OK. My plan for now is to leave the framing exposed, and have the exterior panels attatch to a lip with button head fasteners, just to be different. A top rail, bottom rail, end and center uprights, with sheet metal panels between, flush mounted. Interior I have pictured in diamond plate polished aluminum, teak or mahogany floor.

Brian

 

A friend of mine was just discussing the idea of a Diamond T pickup truck build. I like your Auburn fenders, they seem like a surprisingly good match. What are they made of? They're not originals, are they?

 

From what I gather in the one post, they're for one of those speedster kit cars, fiberglass, whatever they are they're thin - 1/8" inch or so.

 

yes.. exactly..

the one and only instance when I could be persuaded to prefer "less BOX"

 

Yes, Auburn Speedster rears. They are so thin they're not useable as is. If the bodies that go with these are built the same way, they are not buildable. It's horrible quality stuff. I can save 'em, but it'll take several yards of mat and resin. Basicly, building a new fender inside the gelcoat.

 

I have enjoyed your threads in the past and this is no exception! Please fill us in on the chassis work previously done, or post a link to a thread I must have missed.

 

Brian , you always do so right.....

 

Your photoshopping skills are similar to mine. The truck looks really good with the lower bed.

 

Just got back from ALRO steel with a truck load of thinwall 2x2, some 1x1, 1x1/8" flat stock. Now, to lay some out on the shop floor and figure out where to start cutting! Seems like it'll work...

 

Love the truck. They have a look all their own. Its bad ass. Allmost evil. I saw one where he had cracked side glass tinted flat black flat deck.

 

Pretty much everything else is in a thread titled "Diamond T, Big Mothertrucker", or something like that... I'm off to ALRO steel again today (I always underestimate how much material to get!) for stuff to make the tailgate and finish up the bed stringers. It's roughed in, and looks GREAT! I'll put up some photos this afternoon when I get the rest of the framing done.

Brian

 

After 2 trips to ALRO steel for more stuff, and one to tractor supply for more wire and C02/Argon, I've got the box framed in for the Diamond T! Yahoo! It's all 2x2 thinwall tubing. I'm got a bunch of 1/8x1 hot roll I'm going to cut into pieces and weld to the rails to make mounting flanges for the side panels both outside and inside the box which will be fit inside the framing, with the framing just proud of the side skins. These fasten with stainless button head screws. I'll drill and tap the flat stock flanges. Inside panels are going to be diamond plate aluminum, the outside I think I'll use some 10 or 12 ga. plate, and have the steel supply shop shear them to size.

I decided bowing the sides of the box would be very difficult to make look like an even bow, since I'd have to cut kerfs in the tubing. It'd also make fitting side panels and the fenders more difficult, and since I have enough trouble just building a square box, I didn't want to put myself in a trick bag.

I'm pretty proud of the tailgate, it's made of the same square tube, with the top being a piece of 4" DOM tubing I had sliced up, and a piece of 7 ga. to make the inside of the roll. It'll hinge on drop on type hinges I'm copying from my Silverado, and I'll use barrel bolts on the inside as latches.

Another HAMB'r is providing a pair of Diamond T hood plaques, I'll use one on the tailgate to mimic the hood treatment, along with some expanded aluminum or some more diamond plate and some moldings. Thanks Bob!

 

I thought you might appreciate the picture of the bed of my buddy's (ex) Diamond T.

He since had to sell the truck (and another T) because he had to relocate to Germany for his job. But, he'll be back by spring & I think he's going to end up with another T, with more custom aspirations in mind. The bed was probably a fire truck application. If you view it from the top, it's "U" shaped...very elegant, with all those rivets. The junk yard that we got it from was running a special..anything you could carry over the line, you get for $10. The two of us did manage to do it (very heavy). although he hurt his shoulder. The truck (a 406?), by the way, was shortened by three feet, because his wife forbid anything that couldn't fit in their garage. Ha..he showed her!

 

Thanks Fleetside, that's pretty similar to the look I'm after. Industrial, heavy, exposed fasteners and framing. Very cool, and kudos to you two for hauling that brute out by hand!

Brian