Nice choice! On another detail, have you considered fabricating plugs for the stake pockets? Or maybe you'll end up filling them?
Not disrespect to anyone but Sorry, I dont like that bumper and I dont think I ever saw a section I liked either, also this looks 10 times better than any ute I ever saw. (but who am I?) My stock 54 ute has a split bumper(etts) stock in the back. This was to have room to drop the spare tire door. The spare is under the bed.
...do what you want, but I think it needs stock bumpers front & rear,..it'll look factory built...now I wanna build a model of this.
yall was talk back bumper i kinda like the woody wagon back bumper. i was looking at them on carnut.com here is the 49 ford page with pics of a chopped ranchero. http://carnut.com/photo/list/ford/ford49.html
I like what you did with the license plate & light fits the ere. Since the hinges are commercial I think they will hold up fine. When I first saw them I thought they were the thin flimsy ones and I am sure everyone else thought the same thing. What color do you plan on painting it ? Keep up the outstanding workmanship. The picture Low Budget looks right on.
The plate and surround look good but the upper part of the tailgate to me still looks too tall. IMHO the surround should be raised up until the top of it is inline with the tops of the tail lights if you drew a straight line across the tops between them. I think its coming out great though!
Those people should build there own and see how it turns out. Jack Simmons in Dallas built some rancheros in the late 50's if I remember correctly they built 3.
It will have stock bumpers without guards. I’m sure woody bumpers are tough to find anyway. Thanks. Right now I’m leaning to a solid grey like the pic, but that’s a long way off. Thanks. I had the surround up even with tail lights, but didn’t care for it. Right now it’s only held in place by butyl strip caulking. I’ll wait till the hinge covers are done and figure out the placement. Right now I’m still working on the tailgate reinforcing, inner construction, gaps and figuring out a latching system. I wish I could find a really small claw latch that would fit inside 2-1/2” exhaust tubing. Been searching with no luck. I have a couple other ideas, but a bear claw would be nice.
They all mean well. I enjoy getting the feedback. I let the ideas that don’t suit me slide right off and actually think seriously about some. It’s all fun. Know where any pics of those rancheros can be found?
I been trying to find the pictures but no luck. They were built in the late 50's by Jack Simmon and his two sons Tony and Fred they had a sister but can't remember her name. Their shop was on the corner of Ft. Worth Ave and Commerce Ave on Commerce Ave. Later they moved out on Buckley south of Illinois Ave and them they moved south on Hwy. 67 and opened a truck repair shop. Tony lived out by Lake Whitney and did I-Car training, but I have lost contact with him if he is still alive he would be in his 80's but I will keep looking.
Jake, Right now I’m still working on the tailgate reinforcing, inner construction, gaps and figuring out a latching system. I wish I could find a really small claw latch that would fit inside 2-1/2” exhaust tubing. Been searching with no luck. I have a couple other ideas, but a bear claw would be nice. I would call these people to see if they have a bear claw that meets your size requirement. https://www.rockyhinge.com/bear-claw-latches-and-installation-kits-1.html Phil
Not much new to look at. Tacked and fit the tailgate, filled a bunch of holes and patches, and added gussets from the B pillars to the body mounts with 1” thick wall tubing. Spring pin latches should show up Monday for the tailgate.
Coming along nicely. Have you considered the hinge covers along with just a rear rolled pan? It would be a real clean look, but give no protection.
I like your ideas, and admire your skills. I know the magnitude of this project, and appreciate how you're bringing it all together. The hinges on the rear gate don't bother me a bit. (All in part the character of this car). Please carry on. This little ford will be a real head turner when it's out stretching it's legs!
Self-serving plug here, the micro latches I sell are 2.5 inches tall, but you could trim the top and bottom edges slightly and they would fit inside the 2.5 tubing. Need a little modification to the release lever, but that's easy. See the dimensions here on this link, scroll down to the micro latches: http://www.hotrodlatches.com/Articles.asp?ID=252 I like the flat bed rails, that is where so many of the conversions seem to fall away (pun intended). Using the Ranger bed donor pieces works good. Also impressed on how well the truck cab back integrated into the build. Overall the proportions are great. The hinge covers and the license surround both clean up the tailgate nicely. You're doing a great job, keep up sharing the progress pictures.
Jake, I am really liking what I see you doing to your Shoebox. Always thought the Australian Utes were cool but I was never really fond of some of their roofline and rear window designs. Yours looks much better. When I was doing research for my own conversion build using a 56 Chevy 210 2dr Wagon, I found several Tri-5 conversion examples where the rear window designs did not flow well with the overall design of the car. I started by doing drawings and actually making a small model of my design. The end result which also included input from several friends gave me the flow and close to factory built look I was going for. My built thread is posted here on the HAMB. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...nds-1956-elcamino.399170/page-4#post-11614790 A great resource thread here you could try is the Photoshop to end all photoshops. These guys are very talented in showing you ideas you might like to see. I have used them for ideas I had and it was helpful in pointing me in the right direction. Keep up the great work. It is fun seeing the imagination and creativity here on the HAMB.
Thank you Ray. I have enjoyed your build and photos of your ElCamino for many years. I’m post #28 on your build thread! I love it. You may have noticed earlier in this thread pics of the one my brother built in the 60s. My dad had converted a 46 Ford panel in the 50s. I come by it naturally I guess. I was looking for a project and the 49 Tudor came along too good to pass up. I had been thinking about a shoebox conversion for a while. I never did any photoshopping, drawing or any of that. I liked the “Capri” and a maroon one from OK, but didn’t want to section it. With a little research I believed both of those may have used a 53-56 F1 rear cab section, but for some reason chopped the already small rear window. Some measuring told me it should work, but leave the window alone. Chop the car to match the rear cab. The Ranger bed rails came about because I didn’t like the slope down of the shoebox quarters. All figured out looking at many pickups on the net. Something built into yours being a wagon. My whole build has been based on a vision, lots of thought and planning, and then just giving it hell with my eyes and hands. The vision and planning in my head started in May and the actual conversion in Oct. I’m too deep into it now for much photoshopping, but I may check out that thread to see if someone will put a pic of mine into final finish. Thanks for the encouragement. Like I’ve said before “I’m just an old body man/upholsterer having fun in retirement.
Stainless spring pin latches came, made mounts, cut tube, tacked in place, and work good. $16.50 delivered from Amazon!
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