Projects No Chops or Bags Here, Just an Old Truck

After more than 6 years I decided to start a build thread.
I wanted an F-1 forever. Ive always been a truck guy. While people are fawning over the hot rods in old photos, Im looking at the trucks that brought them there and pushed them down the tracks.

Fast forward to September 2007. I'm driving along with a light case of the butterflies on my way to my first night of Grad school when I spot the F-1 sitting at a repair shop. I swung a hard left u-turn and pulled into the lot.
The truck was a heap, the asking price was laughable. The shop owner came out and told me that the owner had just sunk a considerable amount into the truck to get it running (battery, generator, fuel pump, gas tank boiled and cleaned, some wiring, etc.) I wrote down my name and number after fumbling through a test drive with the non-synchro four-speed, along with an offer.
Shortly thereafter, the owner called me. He roundly rejected my initial offer. It was very important to him that whoever bought the truck didnt simply rip the motor out for a hot rod and junk the truck. It was a clear case of 'I dont really want to sell, but Im being forced to'
He explained that the truck was originally purchased new by his great uncle, who sold it to his uncle in 1964, and then the uncle gave the truck to him a few years back to use on his farm. It was obvious that the truck was special to him, so I stated my case once again, with a promise that I wouldnt junk the truck or do any crazy modifications and made another offer. He accepted and not long after, I had the truck home.
At the time I was living near my grandparents. My Grandfather is a retired body man who had hoped to enjoy his retirement, free from body work and welding, or at least he hoped that I would have the good sense not to drag a rusty heap home. I let him down on both counts.

 

The truck served for many years as a shop truck for a small machining shop. There was all kinds of crazy shit welded to the back and elsewhere.

Hours were spent smoothing dents out of the back of the cab with dollys, pick hammers, rasping files, and a small screwdriver I modified to help with small and hard to reach dents. My computer took a dump a few years ago, so I lost a ton of pics of this

 

I ended up getting a little Hobart 220 Mig and got to welding. The truck wasnt my first project, but it had been some time since I welded or did any sort of body work, so it was a bit of a learning process.

We welded up the rear fender, and I sourced a somewhat-okay passenger side fender from down south that still needed a patch here and there. I was dead set against going the fiberglass route, but eventually had to for the lower fenders.

 

Added a used bumper and hand lettered a used ebay tailgate

 

Eventually we got most of the major welding over with. I found a few more junky fenders and my grandfather made one good fender out of three.

The economy eventually crashed, and I got this really brilliant idea to buy a foreclosure. The truck kind of took a back seat, but I managed to do all the brakes using parts from Napa, and I got a set of decent 650-16 tires with nice Ford caps off a guy who was turning his truck into a street rod, and best of all, I got it registered and driving.



Best part about my house? Not having to work in a dirt driveway anymore.

 

At some point the previous owner welded in a smooth sheet of sheetmetal over top of the original steel and wood bed, so for years everything that was in the bed slid forward and hit the front panel. That caused the panel to rub against the cab, and eventually wear a hole in it.

Naturally, I can't find any of my 'after' pics, but the hole in the cab was fixed with solid metal. The cross members were also replaced with new ones, and everything was painted Rustoleum black. Also spent a considerable amount of time repairing the rust on the inner bed frame.

 

New front panel added to the bed, cab fixed and pained green behind the bed, new running boards and tailgate from Northern Classic Trucks.

You can see my shitty welding job on the front panel. I tried mig welding in spite of being out of gas. I should have stopped myself. Still need to fix this.

Also added a sheet of diamond plate over top of a high end piece of oak plywood to bring it back to the stock height.

 

So, what the hell is the point of all of this?

Because I wanted to start from today forward. Life has gotten good. We had a little boy back in March '13, and after years of working in a dead end NASA related job chock full of furloughs and cut backs, I ended up getting a better job at a different company.

For the last few months, every thing I've been looking for to build the truck the way I want it has fallen into my lap.

I finally found my 3 speed heavy duty trans so I can finally kick the old spur gear to the curb. An old friend of mine gave me an F100 rear, and I was able to source some F2 shock mounts, so Ill be documenting the swap whenever it happens.

 

congrats on the good fortune. truck coming along nice. looks good.

 

These are the kind of build threads I like. Look forward to seeing the progress

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Today was a great day.

Finally pulled the trigger on swapping to 12 volt. I was living with the 6v for the past few years with relative indifference since all the components where new. Last year at a car show the truck was stone dead. I got a jump and made it home, but I decided it was time for a change.

A few years back, I rewired the truck with a stock harness from Dennis Carpenter.
I'm a total bumblefuck when it comes to electrical stuff, but after reading LITERALLY every thread on the HAMB, the Ford Barn, and about 7463 other sites, I felt that I could handle the task.

I put all my parts together today and the old girl fired right up.

This is what I used, it may be helpful for other F1 owners who want to do a 12V conversion:

Napa Echlin Voltage regulator for 1956 F100
Napa Echlin Coil IC14 (this is an internally resisted coil AND it fits in the original coil holder)
3 Runtz diodes
I had actually bought a 12V starter solenoid, but didn't install it. Still using the 6V
And had my generator rewired at a local shop to the tune of $100 out the door.

Oh, and don't for get your bulbs.
1155 for parking lights
#57 for the dash lights
#53 for Hi beam indicator (my indicator stays on full time now, need to figure out why)
1157's for the taillights.
6014s for the headlights if you can find them. Napa gave me a halogen equivalent, whick I'm a little leary of with the stock headlight switch. May put in some kind of relay

 

Thanks guys!

 

Switched to radials. 215/75/15 fronts and 235/75/15s in the rear on Vintiques Gennie wheels


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Ham fisted the last post. Took the truck out today as it was decent weather. Switched tires over the winter.
Built a motor over the past year or two. .125 over, stock stroke. French crank and rods, zephyr springs, Schneider 254f cam. Finally had a chance to mock up the heads and check for clearance. Plenty of space


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I too like the F1's. Looks like things are coming together. New motor looks great.

 

Been plugging along over the past few weeks, splitting my time between detailing the new engine and doing body work. After probably 30 hours worth of picking out dents, heating and shrinking stretched metal, skimming, filling, and blocking, I finally have the back of my cab to where I'm satisfied with it.

 

Same here. Keep it coming and congrats on the boy and on the new job.

 

I think your uncles would be proud, nice job on the truck.

 

Good looking truck,I had a '48 several years ago but let my son-in-law talk me out of it and shortly thereafter traded it for a off topic car.

I was livid because I was suppose to get a shot at buying it back if he lost interest,didn't happen. HRP

 

Awesome story, great start to a long overdue build thread. Subscribed...

 

Don't know how I missed this. Great work. I really like how you've retained the character of the truck.

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

We finally got my friend's 56 International running and driving after a 20-odd year slumber. Very clean, super low mile truck.

Getting the ol' Binder on the road made room for my truck in the shop.

Rolled it in last Friday and got to work.

 

A couple more shots of the greasy mess

The clutch disc is down to the rivets, so Im getting the flywheel surfaced and waiting on a new clutch, cleaning up and swapping parts from the old motor to the new one

 

Love your truck and you're doing a great job on her! Good for you!

 

Attempting my first post on HAMB 7 via mobile device because I like to live dangerously.

After a few weeks, a king's ransom of nickel and dime parts, a shit load of Purple Power, a few good friends and a dozen cases of beer, my new Flathead is in and running!

I still need to button up a bunch of little things and hook up the driveshaft. Here's a quick snap. Ill post more once I get my sea legs on the new site

 

Looking good

 

Not a lot to post, just a lot of boring sanding and priming. I dialed in my motor last year (in my avatar) totally different and far more fun truck now.

 

I decided to pony up the cash for a new Dennis Carpenter steel fender. I hadn't seen any real reviews of anyone using them, so I flew blind.

 

The fender is very nice, and actually exceeded my expectations. I just kind of slapped it on in the last pic without tightening it down, that's why there's a bit of a gap.
I'd been working with a 51-52 style fender. It wasn't a great fender to start with and the gap was too weird.
Still, I can't help but have a touch of buyers remorse because of the cost. The 53-72 fenders are half the price. I'm assuming I paid for R&D and the fact that the fenders cover 4 years of trucks, not 19.
I know I'll feel a lot better when the truck is all done and painted. This fender will get me to that point way quicker

 

I love your truck! Its beautiful and you are doing Great. My grandpa bought a new 1950 F1 and traded in his 1937 Ford pickup. It didnt take long and he went back to the Ford dealer and got his 37 back. (its in my garage) Of course he kept his shiny new F1 for going to church and to town but he wanted the 37 back to drive over the plowed fields and around the farm. I remember the green F1 and have some pictures of it. Of course they are black and white pictures.