Not sure where to put this so here it goes. I have spent 2.5 years to make my own version of what Ford used back in the day to haul around the GT40's, Cobra Coupes, and Daytona Coupes. Not sure how many of these were made or where they are today so I set out to make my own with a twist. Starting with a 1957 Ford C-750 Custom Cab combined with a 1978 Ford C-7000, a bunch of modern heavy duty truck parts a sheet ton of money, some help from AI and this is what we got! Whole project can be seen here: https://shlbhlr.com
WOW! That is outstanding! What a project! Everything is large scale. Will it be at any events in the upcoming season? I would enjoy seeing it in person.
It was supposed to be completed and unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise, then SEMA, now.... will see what happens in the spring. Its being built in MI and depending on when its done will determine where it will go. At a minimum it will go from Grand Rapids to Green Bay then one route or another to home in San Diego.
Awesome! I felt stressed just looking at the progress pics on your website! Will the cars fit, will the lift work, will the air ride work, etc. etc. etc. I’m in!
I sure hope so!!! Everything was planned out without ever having touched one of these trucks using dimensions provided by Ford from a 1950's brochure, vehicle weights and dimensions provided by Ford for the 2 cars, an extensive spreadsheet where every weight, dimension, power requirement, and system interface was laid out. From there I made a ton of estimates, did some CAD work, purchased trucks, parts, visited salvage yards, and the magic started happening. Most things were pretty straight forward but having forward facing rear seats with the bigger ***mins engine added some complexity to the cab interior.
Quite a project. I'm sure you are glad to see completion. The logistics of that in a shop are expansive. Looks great from here.
Chad, Can you share (more pics) what you had to do to get the cab to clear the ***mins? I am ***uming you are running either a B or a C series ***mins, correct? Obviously the 4 door stretch changes everything, but I am still curious since my next project is a 1960 Ford C700 roll-off car hauler. I have an IH DT-466 sitting in the corner that will power my build, and I have already been starting to plan out modifications that will be needed to clear the big Corn Binder 6. Ford never put inlines in these trucks, although they did shoe horn in many 3208 CAT's and 534 Super Duty's, but I know some cutting and possibly removal of the middle seat will be required. Keep up the good work.
I finally took the time to look through your build log. OMG, what a project! That thing is going to be the absolute bomb when finished! It will draw people's attention like nothing else and I'm sure it will be a dream to transport toys with. Keep us up to date.
There is a guy near me that put a ***mins 8.3 ISC in his from a motorhome with no modifications other than auto trans cooler and some other cooler that he put both in the rear side locker. I am using a 6CTA with a custom radiator/charge air cooler with electric fans. The truck started with a CAT 3208 NA. If you look at my website there are a bunch of pictures but the biggest work that had to be done was because I used a manual transmission and because of the recaro bucket seats I used. These are the photos from the truck near me with the ISC. You can see more photos of my build on my website, link is in the original post!
Anyone looking at this post should absolutely go check out his website. Amazing undertaking and more amazing transformation.
Not sure how I missed the link to website in the first post, getting old I guess. Awesome build, and thanks for the images of one with an 8.3 stuffed into it. That was exactly what I was planning too, leave the charge air cooler up front and relocate the radiator and AC condensor to under the bed. It gives me hope that I can fit the DT into mine without cutting the cab up much. I am also planning on keeping a manual trans in it. Looking at a Eaton Fuller 6 speed instead of a 10, just have to figure out the shift linkage.
The shift linkage is a huge problem with these trucks. I was able to find a right or left angle drive unit for the top of my 10sp and then used and modified the linkages out of a CL9000. I am not using any of the stock shifting linkages found in the front p***enger side of the cab.
The Jalopy Journal
