1934 Ford Pickup (New Project/Questions)

Alright so on valentines day I went and bought this 1934 ford pickup. It is currently a rat rod and I know many people hate that but I want to make it more of a street rod. I don't really care if its traditional but most of the parts on it now are pre 1960s. I got lots of questions and how you guys can help. Here are some pictures.



Don't worry I took off the signs and the chicken is out.

Now for my Questions:

1. The engine is a 331 cadillac I don't know the year or much about it. The tranny is a hydromatic and I don't know what oil the engine takes or what type of gas to use? I am a kid so I am fine if you think I am stupid.
2. The cab has weld lines in the back of the cab so I was curious if it was chopped and how much so I was wondering how tall is the window in the back of a '34 pickup usually?

3. The steering is super loose and I was wondering if anyone knows what steering box this is? Can I use any junk yard steering box? Also how hard is it to put in power steering?



4. Last question for today. Is this an original '34 pickup grill? If not what is it from? If it is can I buy an after market hood so I can cover the engine area?


Sorry if I don't know a lot. I am learning and I am sure there will be many stupid questions in the future.

Thanks from a young kid learning.

 

Ok, you bought a nice truck, its got a good seat in it, it looks well enugh built, safe.

Now do some checks,
Does it drive strait? Do the tires wobble at speeds?

Is there a hard line from the fuel tank to the engine? (no rubber hose)

Are the brakes good? Does it pull left or right when you stomp on the brakes?

lets make sure its safe beforwe we worry about it lookin cool.

The grill is a 33/34 pickup yes. If it is the correct distance forward and hight, you could use a stock hood.

Ok, gas should be normal pump gas unless you wanna pay for higher octane. If it runs good on low end gas then run it. oil should be 5 or 10w30. Unless it smokes and you can go thicker to bandaid the issue.

 

I have driven it around neighborhoods so far it does drive straight and the brakes work and everything. I don't know if it is a hardline from the fuel tank or rubber one. My main issue is that the steering is tight when you turn certain areas and loose others. I am pretty sure its the steering box.

I know its safe enough already. I got it for a deal off an army helicopter pilot who wanted to help some kids out and now we just need help making it nice. Most of the work is going to be body work on it anyways. Its a super easy project I am hoping so I am happy.

 

The top looks chopped yes, I dont know how much, post the hight of your windshield or windows.

And for the steering, forget the power steering, someone may be able to identify that box you have.

 

All in all that truck is really pretty cool, I love it. The only thing I see to change are a few bolt on things that could take an afternoon to fix. Heres what I saw that would improve it A TON. Remove the radials, replace with bias ply. Paint wheels a different color. Remove no dumping signs and rubber chicken and air cleaner. Id rather see the door structure than the no dumping signs. and the air cleaner doesnt look good at all, put a caddy one on it if anything. The engine is BITCHEN!!! for gas you will need 93 octain and lead substitute to keep the valve seats lubed. Oil, Id run something with alot of zinc in it like rotella T. Oh and get rid of those hub caps too, run some plain baby moons. Thats all Id do!


correction.....I see you removed the signs and chicken....the interior looks great and I love that dash and steering wheel. You will not need powersteering with a car that light with a big 50's steering wheel for lots of leverage. its way cool man, Id be proud to own it!

 

Im about to become a Pilot for the Army.... Kinda odd.

Check if there is a set screw to tighten up the box.

 

Joe Gibbs oil, and they give 10% off to alliance members, looks like a 33 commercial grille. and lose the rubber chicken and the no dumping sign. I my self would change the tail lamps. Is this the same truck that was goig to get traded for an A.D. pickup?

 

Haha thanks for the compliments. The pictures do make it look offly nice though. Its got quite a bit of rust but for us kids thats all the fun. I appreciate the help so far.

The back window is a little less than 7 1/2" and the front windshield is 8 1/4" in the center and 10" on the sides

 

I already got rid of the chicken and the signs and I was going to trade it but I sold my truck and got this for a steal.

Ohh and don't worry we plan on changing lots of things from tires, air cleaner, taillights, tail gate, wood in the bed, plan on running a hood if one will fit. Lots of little things.

 

It may be the pics, but the distance from the cowl to the grill shell looks a little long for a stock hood, but you can always make one. The curve isn't that hard to duplicate and you likely aren't running hood sides with that exhaust.

Thats the plan for my dads 33 "pile of parts" pickup. I want to leave the cowl uncut and slide the cab back just enough to clear the Y-block which will leave a stock hood out. He will need a hood too, since he lives in Seattle

 

Aside from the stinkin' chicken & the dumbass sign, you have a nice little hot rod, with many traditional features. The top chop looks like about 3 inches. The grill is a '33. It looks real decent...be safe & have fun with it.

 

Pretty good looking truck... It appears that your truck is chopped about 4 inches... the steering box looks like it is a vega box ... i have not seen one mounted and used that way. Check that the u-joints in the steering linkage are not binding or hitting on anything. There is a nut on an adjustment screw that you can loosen and may be able to screw it in a little on the vega box and you can see if adjusting the play in the box helps with the steering. Put a better picture from the side to show more of the steering setup.... Check out the social group "the box truck bastards" it is for owners of 28 to 34 ford trucks... alot of stuff to check out there....

 

I don't plan on keeping that exhausted set up and for the third time haha WE GOT RID OF THE CHICKEN AND SIGNS ALREADY! Another question. Can other trannys hook up to a 331 caddy engine? Or what would be the best option for a new engine?

Thanks for your help. Lots and lots of questions.

 

Hey man if you want a hand with it, pm me I'll give you my contact info.. I'll help you out. I have a 34 as well.. And Im down in Tacoma quite a bit... Anyway if you need a hand holler..

 

I'd keep the hydramatic with the Caddy. Anything but a SBC.......

 

I thought that box was a Vega at first glance, but I think it is a manual box from a mid sixties mid sized G.M. product. The input shaft is a little long for a Vega. Power steering shouldn't be something you need to worry about, and I bet a Vega box new from anybody would fit right on those mounts without too much trouble. By the way, that style of mounting a G.M. box was something that came and went briefly in the late seventies and early eighties. Brazio did quite a few like that early on before things became "standardized" in the hot rod game. Not the best geometry, but it should work ok. Bumpsteer might be an issue though. I would check all the various joints to make sure everything is tight and the steering box is lubed. If things don't work out as they are, you could go with a Vega type mounted in a cross steer configuration pretty easily.

 

Looks like the cab has been moved back on the frame, gonna be hard to run a hood and have it look right. Long hoods just don't work, IMHO.

 

I was hoping I could figure a way to move the grill back towards the cab.

 

Please paint your engine a different color too! Caddy engines are usually blue. That's a hell of a nice project. Congratulations.

 

Nice project, I don't think it will take much to make a very cool hotrod. As the others have said I would make sure none of the u-joints are binding. For the trans do you want to stay auto or go manual. Kirk Hanning on here has a 34 PU with an early Cad and a muncie 4-speed. You could PM him with any questions. I sure he would help you out.

Also I should add,looking at your pics. I think you could move your grill shell back but you would need a shorter radiator.

 

The truck is probably too far gone to make it into a semi restored resto-rod so a good cleaning and repainting is probably your best approach. If you don't care for the overall look it's probably better to sell it and get something closer to your liking.

What's wrong with the Caddy engine and trans? There are Caddy guys here that can help you with those questions. Since you are a kid (your words) keep it together and running. You can do the body work on the cab and paint the suspension and stuff like that while you still drive it. If you drive it you might fall in love with the Caddy because of all the attention it will get. Even if it uses a little oil, I would not recommend a drive line change. You have plenty of time to read and watch what is necessary for that big undertaking. Enjoy it as it is and work on it while you ride. If you blow it apart the odds are 75/25 that you will end up selling it in a basket at a loss. That's not a slam on you just a fact of life. Most of us have made the same mistake in our youth.

There are lots of cool looking pictures of Caddy engines here if you do a search. They are very cool looking engines. It is amazing how a little paint and detailing can change the whole feel of a car for little money and effort.

Technically the grill is a 33. Fix the rust in the bottom and paint it along with the cab and it will look great.

 

The engine is running a bit rough so right now today we are going to change the spark plugs, oil, and gas (because its a bit old).

Also HELP! We have no clue where the oil filter goes on this engine. Its a 331 Cadillac from the early 50s and we got no clue. SO WHERE IS THE OIL FILTER?

Helps much appreciated.

 

Flat black does not a rat rod make, Luke. The truck is nice. I could be wrong, but I think the grille is a 33 like mine. I think the 34's had small holes around the rim for clips to mount a trim ring. Loose the air cleaner.

I'd like to see some close up shots fo the headlight mounts / shock mounts (the red things). Just curious. Gary

 

I'm pretty sure the early cad had a filtration system similar to the Flatheads with the canister set-up.

 

Perhaps a HAMBer in the area could drop by and lend a eye to the it.? Has to be someone close.

 

Maybe Steve Glucoft (ironbuyer) or one of the guys at Amocat in Puyallup would be willing to spend a few minutes looking it over at their shop.

Its worth a PM or a call and a quick 30 minute drive.

Amocat Speed Emporium
118 4th Ave SE
Puyallup, WA 98372
(253) 845-9299

 

If it's been sitting for a while, take some fine sand paper and clean the points contacts in the distributor. Fold a piece of fine sand paper and just move it back and forth between the contacts to remove the corrosion that comes with time. It will improve your odds of getting good fire at the plugs. I wouldn't worry too much about an oil filter just yet. If it turns out to be a good runner then you can add one if you want. Start with a tune up. Don't forget to check the plug wires, distributor cap and rotor button.

Running rough is not a sign of a bad engine. A tune up could take care of that.

If you don't have a Motors manual, get one off of Ebay that goes back far enough to cover your engine. It will answer most of your questions.

 

The oil is old in it so we were gonna do it while changing the plugs and everything which we did. We couldn't find a canister or anything to filter the oil on it so we are not even sure if it has an oil filter.

NEW QUESTION
Our steering is pretty loose but everything seems to be working fine. The steering box is out of a first gen. camaro. However when we got it up to around 45 mph the wheels began violently moving back and forth. (someone referred to it previously as the death wobble) and we don't know what exactly is wrong. The axel seems straight and everything. Any help?!?!?

 

The stock rear glass is 23 1/2" x 10 3/4"

 

You have a little more than a 2 1/2" chop...my cab is chopped 5" and the rear window opening is now 5" tall.
Ive have both a '49 and a '50 Cad 331 engine and neither has an oil filter on the block. There were aftermarket cannister filter kits available back in the day with the oil being routed from the block, thru the filter and back to the block thru 1/4" or 5/16" tubing.
I honestly dont know if these were stock to any of the early Cad motors.
Good luck with the new project!