Dang , that is solid looking. I Bought my 39 last summer, had an ole repaint but zero rust or previous rust repair. Have done a few cars over the years and never kept them long enough to enjoy them so I am drivin mine as is until..... Yours looks like someone did a lot of work so far unless you did it yourself. Your fenders are real nice , back ones are rarely strait.
The back fenders are fibreglass reproductions. I have heard that metal ones (originals) are really scarce. This is not a restoration, so originality is not an issue for me.
Dropped the front end today and disassembled the wishbone. My thanks to Vern Tardel's Youtube video on how to remove the perch bolts - the first one took the better part of a day and wound up as a million "butchered" pieces. After watching the video, the second went remarkably smoother. Here is the pile of new pieces I need to install on the frame - lots to do!
Looks like it could be a car or a newer firewall or maybe the battery box was removed and filled. Where is the battery located now? No big deal, its just that I have not seen that before. Nice looking truck!
The Cab was customized before I bought it and there was definitely work done on the firewall. The new battery will probably go under the seat.
Today I will flip it over, remove some more rivets and then rip out the original transmission support so I can install the kit from Chassis Engineering. After everything is stripped down (and when it stops raining) I will roll it outside for "touch-up" sandblasting. Then I will start welding - even though the parts are all bolt-on, this truck will be welded together.
aahhh yes the coming apart, PART, the E-Z >>> Now put it together, and call me when,,,,,? Be stubborn, it will be worth it !!!! nice project....
So I knocked out a couple of rivets, a few taps with a hammer and presto the trans support and motor mounts just dropped out - easy peezy... yes I am a liar - it was a son of a b**ch - the rivets were stubborn - some had to be drilled, and the trans support had to be demolished to get it out. I did a quick "mock up" to see where everything would be with the new axle, spring and split "bones".
It looks like the work on the truck is coming along at a steady pace. Boy howdy you sure give a guy a bad case of shop envy though.
Did you build that nice little cart under the frame? Mine was a very crude in comparison. If your doing a wood bed and need some info let me know as I made drawings with dimensions when I built mine.
Wheww, it has been hot for this part of the country... But I have been busy - welded in: 6 patches (80 years has taken it's toll on the old frame), front and rear boxing plates, shock mounts, sway bar mounts, rear parallel spring mounts and vacuum pump mount. One of the members on here cautioned me about welding on the trans mounting plate, but I really want the security of welding and the stiffness it provides when welded. the rear "U" shaped piece and the top cover will be bolted so that I have access if I need it. I spent a day on the sand blaster and got at some of the hard to reach surface rust. I also used a "flapper" pad on my grinder and went over the outer surfaces and anything else I could get at. Next I will do a final grind on the bottom, flip it over and finish any welds on the top, then prep for painting.
Not sure if you've done it or not already, but leaving the trans mounting plate as a bolt-in, allows you to drop the transmission from the vehicle, once the body is on. If not, you have to take the engine transmission out as one piece, just to get at the transmission.
Hi 38Bill, The cart was bought at a store called Princess Auto (Canada but you can go to their web site). It is sort of a kit to build a trailer fora garden tractor or a 4 wheeler. The price was right! I will definitely be interested in how you did your wood bed. I will PM you for more info.
being just across the border in upstate ny ......I am constantly amazed by anyone who scores iron from that era that hasn't converted itself to about as rusty as it can get and still hold shape, at least in this neck of the woods. On a clear day I can see the Canadian side and we're just a short ferry ride to Kingston.....I must ask, do they not salt the roads in Ontario?........Seriously....a great truck and a good project , for sure.
Ummm, this truck is from Arizona... So, the second coat is on - "Tie Coat Primer" designed to stick "forever" to Por 15 if you put it on before the Por 15 has cured. The primer takes 24+ hours to cure, at which point I will topcoat everything with "Chassis Black" (also a resto-motive product).
Third (and last) coat of paint on the frame - nice semi-gloss black... I'll give it a couple of days and then set it down - this frame will probably never be upside down again.
Starting to get some running gear and a gas tank - all of this needed very little coaxing to assemble. Next I will Narrow the 8.8" Rear (yes this truck will be "all" Ford).
Here is the Ford 8.8" Housing with 2 7/8" removed from the drivers side Tube. It now uses the same axle as the passenger side Tube. The centre of the pinion is still about a 1/2" to the right of the centre line of the vehicle Also welded around the tubes where they enter the housing (probably overkill but what the heck). After a good clean-up I will check the pinion depth, replace the the pinion bearings, shim it back to where it was, replace the crush washer, put a new seal in and torque the flange bolt to get the correct preload on the bearings ( I am re-using the 3.73 gear set).
The Jalopy Journal
