Technical 1932 Pickup Rebuild Thread UPDATED 1/11/16

Looking good! I'm sure this is a newbie question, but where did you get your new brake hardware from? If they're new, that is.. And the parking brake cables?

 

1. JEALOUS
2. Congrats!
3. Still jealous.

 

I got a coupla questions teacher...
1. It looks like you removed spring leafs 2,3,5,& 7 from the front spring, yes?
2. Couldn't you just take those leafs removed and stack them under the main leaf as spacers so that you could use the stock spring centerbolt, and stock u-bolts, and save you from making a custom spacer and custom u-bolts?
inquirin' minds.....

 

Dennis, Simply a professional job of documenting all the work that goes into doing a job right. This will be a reference thread for years to come. Great job!

 

I have a question as well. Are the bump stops you used above the rear the same bolt center and size hole needed as stock riveted ? Mine are toast and I'll order some later when i have a larger order or the dollar improves. Id like to paint beforehand. Thanks

 

source for studs,, inquiring minds want to know,,
I wish everything you did was in a book,

great job.. Now Can you HONESTLY TELL ME YOU LIKE IT BETTER WITH NO FENDERS,
Make at least two old men HAPPY, and put the damn fenders back on AFTER you have had a little fun, like next month ?

 

he already sold the fenders

 

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SH_tting me..

And I am the only one on our block that loves FENDERLESS cars,

SOB,, Sigh !!

 

I voted for fenders too! Makes em look lower,and more graceful.

 

O!! its was beautiful !! Now it looks like soooo many more...
I understand boredom, I have had over 300 cars..
I hope Larry is pullin' my leg..

 

Thank you, everybody for your comments and even criticisms throughout this project!

Anything and everything early Ford brake related we stock and sell as 1932 - 1938 Ford hydraulic brake conversions are our number one specialty. We are also dealers for MT Products reproduction Lincoln/Bendix brakes, hubs and brake drums. We also stock virtually everything chassis related for those years.

Those removed leaf numbers are correct. I end up with the main leaf + seven. I very well could have cut all of those removed leaves down to about 3 inches long and used them as spacers (amounting to about 7/8" thick) and utilized the stock U-bolts, BUT!, I originally intended to use a reverse-eye main leaf which draws the axle up an inch closer to the lower clamp plate under the spring so you lose that much bump travel. I ran the minimal thickness spacer that I could under the spring (1/4") so that the U-bolts could be tightened fully just before the lower clamp plate was about to hit the underside of the front frame cross member. That creates as much bump travel for the axle as possible, which is a good thing! Obviously, I later changed the main leaf to an original without reverse eyes and gained back that lost inch of travel but even if I had started with a stock main leaf I would have done it the same way because it's what is most professional looking. I guess if I was working out of a two-car garage on a Saturday in a rural community, had no better alternative and it took a month to receive a parts order I would turn the removed leaves into spacers and use the stock U-bolts for the sake of getting on with it but it's kind of like using a stack of flat washers on a bolt because it's too long. I'd rather use the correct length bolt.

Speaking of bolts, new spring center bolts are, like, $3.

The rear axle bumpers are direct replacements for the originals ('32 only) and 1/4" bolts fit them and the original holes in the frame perfectly. It's that easy.

 

I wanted my own version of Danny Burroughs truck and his truck doesn't have fenders.

Danny's dad, Bruce, does in fact now own the fenders and running boards. As partial payment Danny made me the widened wheels for the back. I'm very happy with the deal we made. Bruce had been trying to buy my truck for years. That's as close as he's gonna get!

Besides, I ran the truck with full fenders for 33 years so I got to experience that look plenty.

 

Maybe in a few years if I start saving my paper route money now!

Seriously, man, thank you to you and your Dad for the inspiration, help and support throughout this project. You guys are awesome!

 

I think that this last three posts summs The HAMB up just fine, a very talented man, doing the best documented build in the World, up to this date(!), tells us he appriciates our help and and still comes out as a "underdog" on top!! swaps part for Labour, and keeps the old fashion fimily business alive and thriving. Aposed to strugling and slacking on sevice, as the norm of the day and time

You are the man!! And despite im a Fenders'n'Hood man, this is a fresh breath of stylish and creative.

 

Do you have a price sheet on your brake parts?

 

Best thread on the HAMB! I always looked forward for the next chapter!
Great job, your pickup is the bomb!

 

Very, very extra nice!

 

Larry if you did that they would have a different arch then the spring and hang down and might hit the axle.

 

I have the fenders and Danny is using the headlights on his 5 window

 

Hi Dennis.Outstanding build/tech thread.Thank you for posting.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

makes me sick,,, especially when I see so MANY Pu's with no fenders, shortened beds, in the $15,000 to $20,000 dollar range. And I see CABS and Beds, that can be bought,

AND so few full fendered ones for sale, FORD stock lines, (modified) will always look fantastic.

But, YOU KNOW, this is AMERICA, where we are free to do what we want to our garage keepers, and I am happy for each old car on the road...So, Run Dennis, Run !!!!

 

United pacific industries makes real nice steel '32, and '33-'34 rear pick up fenders. Mack truck parts makes nice steel beds.

 

If you want a nice truck with nice sheet metal, I have one for sale.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/1932-Ford-truck.994089/

 

UPDATE

With the truck up and running good last Saturday I made a few adjustments at lunch on Monday and then brought it to our local exhaust shop, Mufflerville in Baldwin Park, which is conveniently an 1/8th mile from our place and has been there since the 50's. I got there right at 8 AM when he opens and no one else was waiting so he was able to take it in and get right to work.

The pipes are 2" and the mufflers are Dynomax turbo muffler imitations by Thrush that cost $30 for the pair instead of $50 each. After discussing very specifically how I wanted it done I left him to it and hitched a ride with my Dad back to work. At 4 PM I got the word that it was finished. Sometimes "muffler shop" exhaust systems can be anything but pretty but I'm really happy with what he made me. The routing is really nice and his welds are reasonably clean. I had him bring the tails out under the axle and cut them off even with the back edge of the rear frame cross member. I love the way it looks. One thing I can't stand on these trucks is seeing two feet of tailpipe just hanging under the bed. Plus, the abbreviated tails give the exhaust a deeper tone as the sound waves bounce around between the bottom of the bed and ground, kind of like dumps on a muscle car. I'll get some better pictures with my camera but here's a few I took with my phone.

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

And here's a link to a sound clip on my Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvbiqUtO6e9NKjYXUiEMVQ4OHMTppSZTJZx7E0/?taken-by=dennis_lacy

After I picked up my truck from getting exhaust I drove it around by our shop for about 15 minutes to make sure everything was working good now that I could actually hear if there was a problem. To my delight everything was working awesome! It was like a totally different truck. It drove better, road better, handled better, stopped better, trans works perfect and that little 283 feels like it has balls after coming off of a stock 4-banger. Then it started raining so I headed back and put it inside. Not that I was worried about it getting wet, I just didn't want some dumbass to slide into it on the wet roads.

Yesterday I made some last adjustments by adjusting the drag link to center the steering wheel, making and installing some brackets to mount the rear hood latches, screwing the floor board down tight and putting the floor mat back after trimming it to fit the later shift tower. At about 1 PM I climbed in and headed East for an 11-mile, half hour drive home. At 1:30 PM I pulled into my driveway in my truck for the first time in almost 3 years and damn did it feel good! The truck made its first real shake-down drive without incident. Just one minor hiccup being that the speedometer stopped working and the cable got noisy under the dash. I'm thinking when I cut the cable to length I may not have crimped the square end that fits into the speedo tight enough onto the end of the cable so the cable is spinning in it because it sounds like it's right there and speedo needle got erratic just before it quit.

Hosted on Fotki

I came home early because a friend that I made on-line through the model car hobby was in town this week (from Florida) to work a trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center. He always has Wednesday afternoon off so we've made a tradition of getting together for the last 5 years. I really wanted the truck driving for his visit and I just barely made it! I took him for a ride down the street to the Early Ford Store in San Dimas so he could see all of their wall-to-wall eye candy then we cruised around town some more. Other than the noisy speedo cable everything went great again!

The next step will be getting the old green lacquer polished out and waxed so it looks pretty for the Suede Palace next week.

I do still have a couple little projects left which I will get to and document after the GNRS, one of them being designing some rear tube shock brackets.

Anyways, I'll get some pictures up this weekend after the polish and wax.

 

Awesome. Love this pickup.

 

Glad we could help in some way.

 

Ha ! That truck is way too nice for any palace comprised of "suede". Great body of work here Mr Lacy ... detail extraordinaire.

 

Great looking truck!! I've really enjoyed following your build and appreciate all of the tips, details and information included. Thanks.

 

Awesome job on an awesome little truck.
Thanks for sharing all those little details with all of us OCD gearheads!

 

I totally get what you're saying.

For what it's worth, this entire project was funded by selling all of the removed items from this truck for good money and it literally came down to the dollar. It wouldn't have been possible any other way and my truck would still be sitting in the corner instead of being rebuilt into something I can actually use and enjoy. I told my Wife and myself that I would not be using household money, that is for necessities and rainy days and isn't always easy to come by. Maybe I'll regret it years from now but selling the fenders (and other related exterior parts like running boards, bumper, lights, etc) was instrumental for finishing my vision. As I sit here typing this I can turn my head to the left, look through the kitchen and out the back service porch window to see my old truck in my home garage where it belongs and fully functional. Whatever it took and whatever I had to sell to get this point was worth it!