Hey everyone, I picked up this 36 pickup a while back. Someone had kinda worked on it a bit. I’m trying to fix the engine and give it a proper stance and chop. Maybe channel it. So far have only been working on mechanical stuff. I got original 1930s 16in ford wire wheels. Got them powered coated. Got new edelbrock heads. Had a bad fuel pump. After I got that installed I was able to stsrt the engine but it has been overheating since. I got all new cooling system. Radiator water pumps thermostats. I kinda took a break with the engine so I can focus on the front suspension and axle. I don’t know what I’m doing lol just having fun with it. Thought i’d share some pics. The hood hinge was rusted out and someone had riveted the entire hood together. Got the metal fixed this here is a chatgpt generated pic of what i want it to look like Been having trouble removing the perch bolts.
One of the disc brakes was locked up. I found a 1951 ford f1 front end that had a full working hydraulic brake system. So i used that and the original wheels how I found them. And some other random pics. Currently working on thw front end. Will lower it and push acle forward a few inches
Some of the pics i’ve taken of removing the axle/wishbone. I am splitting the wishbone since i want to replace transmission with a t5 later on. I am still debating the front end but I think i may rebuild the crossmember to a more flat version of itself and push it forward about 2-3 inches. I will post pics after. I am still stuck with the perch bolts. Those are some stubborn ones. Got one still left to remove
Cool little truck. I would advise against channeling it unless you are real sure you can still fit in it afterwords. It is not the height of the channeled cab that gets you, it is the radically smaller foot pedal area that puts your knee in your chest when you try to step on the brake. Good luck and keep posting pics. And, welcome to the HAMB. -Abone.
Congratulations, Welcome. You picked a good year ( to my eye ) '36 is styled just right. Keep on "just having fun". We like watching. The recommendation for pics is to hit the full size button.
ahh yeah i think the channeling is more of a maybe. I think I will first get the stance and chop it and shorten the bed. Nothing too drastic i want to be comfortable while driving it. Maybe a 2.5 inch chop and shorten the bed like 10 inch. I have a t5 i want to install later on so we’ll see how it all works out
Thanks! I always wanted a 35-36 ford pickup and finally was able to pull the trigger. Ive dreamed about building a cool hotrod for years so i just went for it. See if I can follow through haha. Yeah i was having issues uploading the full size pics
Great looking truck and it does need to come down in the front but I wouldn't get carried away with other mods. A cool truck that you still have plans for but still runs and drives and you can have a blast driving it beats the crap out of a long term project and no hot rod to drive. Lower the front, drive it for a season or longer and then decide what the next mod is that you can do over the winter or what ever season you have several months you won't be driving it so it is all ready to go the next season. Then repeat if you still want to do more. That from a guy who has had his hot rod/custom truck torn apart for too frigging long.
Was finally able to remove the perch bolts after beating on them for long enough. Working on painting the axle and spring. Welded the ends to the split wishbone. Not the best looking welds but so long it works haha will get everything painted and mocked up soon.
Did your upgrade to the cooling system cure the overheating? Cleaning out the inside of the block helps as well, and there's a bunch of overheating flatheads that are due to the distributor/timing. I have a '53 Merc motor, that we couldn't get to cool in 2 different vehicles. Tried everything except a complete teardown. Finally had to replace it with a rebuilt "59" engine and it runs cool. Will open that up someday to check it out.
Eh not really. Still overheats. I have 2 possible theories. The rear carb hole was blocked with a plate. I think that starves the rear cylinders so overheating happens. I took a break to work on the front end but once im done i will get the rear carb working well. If that still doesn’t resolve it I’m pretty sure i have a crack around the exhaust/coolant passages. I’m really hoping thats not the case but can’t find anything else to explain it. I’ve looked everywhere. Also I’ve noticed white smoke when it first starts and that sweet smell of coolant being burned. So an engine rebuild might be in the cards or a new block
Maybe. Pull the heads & do a thorough look of the deck. There are some cracks you can live with, and some you can't. About 1000 threads on here on that subject. I'm no expert, but the carb theory wouldn't be on the top of my list. I think most of those shared a plenum, so it MAY get less fuel that the front, but it should probably run and not overheat. IIRC the stock 8BA distributor has no mechanical advance, just vacuum. Make sure it's functioning & correctly routed. Timing heats up Flatheads. I just went through this on my latest project. Kept overheating. Upgraded the cooling system, still got hot. Found the distributor had no working advance. Replaced it, & viola! Not overheating.
Man ya must be short, my stock height 36 is too short for my body let alone a channel job and there is not much room in cab of course i'm 80 and comfort on long drives is critical to my well being and happiness............
Woah this makes a lot of sense. I do have the old style vaccum distributor. Does that mean i need one with only mechanical advance? I wondered how that worked with dual carbs but since i wasn’t messing with it figured i’d look at it later. What distributor did u end up using for your flathead? Mines a 8ba.
My overheating was on an overhead engine, but the principle is the same. My Flathead runs great, but it's a "59" not an "8BA". Search for 8BA distributor on here, and you'll get some good reading to keep you busy. If you're planning to run multiple carbs, a Mallory, or some other aftermarket distributor isn't a bad idea. The factory Ford 8BA piece, is made to work with the original carb. It can probably be made to work with 2 94s, but not 2 97s. Do some reading.
convert a mallory dual point if ya know a guy with a lathe and adjust it to 11 deg advance in dist, done many of um stock dist wont work with dual carbs.........
Stripped down the front end. Drained the radiator and removed everything. Started cutting! Made enough room to mock the new crossmember that i got from welderseries.com. I like where that sits but i still need to clean it up and weld it. I am debating if i cut out the old crossmember or just leave it? My initial idea was cut it out but leave the engine mounts. Maybe reinforce them. I don’t think it would look right with 2 crossmembers lol
I have several 35-37s and have driven them for years over long distances. These trucks are very small. dont chop or channel it unless you are a very small person . If you do, save the pieces you cut out so they can be welded back in
Did you use any shielding gas when you welded the wishbone bungs? You need good penetration when welding to make sure it will stay. Buggers on top will only get ground off. You should also plug weld the sides of the bungs through the tube, about a half inch from the full seam.
I’m 6’ 250 and have no problem fitting in my 5” chopped 3” channeled 36. It’s all about seat placement. I actually have 4” of head room. I’m also running 3 pedals.
I did use shielding gas. Found a 300cf argon/co2 tank for $100 on marketplace. I was planning on drilling too. Need better bits mine are all dull
Hello and welcome to the HAMB from East Tennessee. I like your truck and your plans for it. Now, I don't intend to offend you, but how much and what kind of experience do you have welding? Looking at your welds on the bungs you added to the ends of the wishbones, I would say that your machine is too cold. Looking at the picture, I have to ask if you beveled the ends of the bones and left a gap between the shoulders of the bungs and the bones?
You sure are making a dramatic difference from the before picture. So do you consider the 51 brakes to 36 axle a bolt on procedure?
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