COE '51 Ford car hauler build....phase 2

Any reason you chose this 300cid Ford? To me, anything sound better than, "it's got a 350 chevy and 350 trans."

 

Nice work on the pipes , its exhausting work .

 

Swapped out the hd 1 ton coils for some 1/2 ton units, should ride a little better now......




Gonna shorten the wheelbase 24". The rear half of the frame is really rusty from road salt, so when I chop it off I will sandblast inside and out. I removed most of the riveted on stuff to blast...



Rear springs have about 20 leaves per side.....next will thin them out a bit... should drop the back a couple inches at least.

 

I converted to 1/2-ton springs too. Moog 6452 in front and removed leaves in back. I kept 4 leaves and the thick straight bottom leaf. You will need a new center pin/bolt.



And new spring pack clamps to keep the leaves from winding up during acceleration.



I noticed that my R20 ch***is has a lot more kick up in the frame than your C30 ch***is.

 

Mine is from an R30 cab and ch***is truck. Frames are all slightly different between R, C, and K and depending on wheelbase too.

 

I took 24" out of the middle....




blasted the back half......now I have more welding to do.

 

Got it mostly burned back together. New wheelbase should be about right and I can still have a 10-11 foot flatbed.
Now on to the springs and rear end...

 

I really don't like the that boxing plate! By using it you have created huge stress risers and can start cracks right at the ends of your box section. A better way would be to make plates that bolt to the vertical part of your channel like this. <::::> (the dots are bolt locations) and not weld anything to the webs. That's the way big truck frames are done to prevent cracking around a welded section.

 

Thanks for your input

 

Looks great ! Thanks for sharing your build ideas. Some of ous are somewhat new to COE's and you have answered many questions in this post.

 

http://www.gmupfitter.com/publicat/ch***is.pdf

You should not box the inside of the frame. Take a look at pages 5 and 6 of this pdf for the correct method that will provide strength and still allow twist without stress.

 

KS, lots of good info in that link, they do their re-enforcing differently than I suggested, but it is also a good way of doing it.
Remember, if adding plates, to prime them first to cut down on rust getting between the plates and original frame.

 

I put the springs back together and rolled the rear diff back under it.
I wanted to get the cab in it's final position so I ***embled the front sheetmetal to make sure everything was square.
Looks a lot different with the shorter wheelbase. Reworking all of the springs lowered it a couple inches too....

 

Looks real good ,keep up the good work . Man your shop is clean !

 

Looking good Scott!

 

Man, that looks great!

 

I made some temporary brackets to hang my steering column. gotta do something about that red color....
The column lines up nicely with the steering box, no problems there. Pedals are going to be another story, especially the throttle.

 

*****in'.

 

I like it ......

 

Fabulous! !
Scott May I ask if by using 1/2 ton spring you can lower the cab while having a more comfortable ride?

 

Seth, I'm pretty sure the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton use the same front springs, same part number anyway.

 

That thing is fricken kool!

 

Finally got my pedals all sorted out and the clutch linkage working well. Also got my lower column mount mocked up. It took some bracing and a plate on the firewall to get everything stiffened up. I got my steering U joint today, so that is next......then will pull it all apart again(for the 20th time) and finish welds and paint the column.
I also made the cutout for the engine in my center firewall panel, need room for the dipstick, air cleaner and oil fill.

 

Steering U joints mocked up.....





Also brush panted my firewall hunter green.....much better
picked up some leather seats, still not sure if I like them....kinda too modern looking.





Also painted the steering column and wheel, will have a pic later

 

I just went back and read the first build thread on this truck again. I really want to extend or crew cab mine so my long legged 6'2" inch wife will want to ride in it. I just don't have the skill to do it. I love what you're doing with yours.

Personally, I would be more concerned with the seats being comfortable than period correct. The outside is a different story, but not that many people will see the inside.

 

The steering looks good. It almost looks like you could angle the box slightly and get away with no u-joints, maybe just the stock rag joint.

 

It's coming along nicely. I like the hunter green. Is that the color the cab will be? You could remove the headrest portion of the seat, then trim the foam a bit so it has rounder corners on top and they would look nice. Is that a Ford column?

 

The outside will remain weathered looking green as is. Inside hard surfaces will be white, I haven't decided on upholstery color yet.
The steering column is from a '63 Riviera.

 

Painted my steering column and wheel and installed hopefully for the last time.....



Next was the power steering pump. I modified the six cylinder bracket to fit a GM pump. Everything lined up nicely. I had to make up some new hoses though...

 

That dash looks super Scott How are you getting the time to work on it?