HOTFR8
Banned
That is very clever the way you have hidden the tow bar.
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Another 55 F100 build-Long Term
- Thread starter drewski
- Start date
charger891
Well-known member
Drew nice progress on your truck!! its really getting there! i haven`t done anything to mine but this winter i`m gonna move my **** and get something done on it!! one thing that drives me nuts everytime i`m in the garage,and i would like your opinion on this, the drivers and passenger doors look like there also slanted,if you look along the door window opening the front looks higher than the back
is it just my crooked eyes??
is it just my crooked eyes??Drew nice progress on your truck!! its really getting there! i haven`t done anything to mine but this winter i`m gonna move my **** and get something done on it!! one thing that drives me nuts everytime i`m in the garage,and i would like your opinion on this, the drivers and passenger doors look like there also slanted,if you look along the door window opening the front looks higher than the back
Nope..........Mine looks the same way. If you cut the same amount from the A and B pillars it will have that look. I should have wedge cut the roof to get rid of that look. NOOOOOO WAY I'm going to cut back into it.
It shows in these photos, but it doesn't bother me enough to do anything about it.
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Mock up stage ...........again. Rolled outside on what looks like the last really warm sunny day for a while. Gotta get all the final body work and fits done....paint the firewall and reinstall the engine/trans. Hoping for a driver by spring.
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thightower
Well-known member
Nice truck. I've always loved the fat fendered ford trucks.
warpedredneck
Well-known member
awesome!!!!
willymakeit
Well-known member
You've done a beautiful truck.
I hope to hit the road come spring in my 56 F100. I watch all of your posts.
I hope to hit the road come spring in my 56 F100. I watch all of your posts.
lomonte
Well-known member
Looks great, can't wait to see it on the road!
I know that there are quite a few people that are local to me that cut winshields, but I'm going to take a shot at cutting the glass myself. New windshields for my truck are around $150 and for what the pros charge I can break a lot of glass, so I'm game to try it once or twice......or maybe three times.
I'd like to say thanks to all, for the positive comments. I hope that the truck is as much fun to drive as it has been to build. I've enjoyed trying different things on this build that I would not have normally done.
e-tek
Well-known member
I've enjoyed this build too. Very cool and you're a talented metal man/fabricator. I've been building a 40Ford and know what you mean by several mock-up stages: once to get all the parts together and somewhat working, tear apart to do bodywork/repairs/changes, once again to set gaps and finish bodywork, apart for paint and again after paint.
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TimeWarpF100
Well-known member
Awesome build drewski! Your metal fab skills are way beyond mine! Hardest part for me is actually thinking what I need to fab and how. I usually just take a piece out of the scrap pile and go from there . . . Except now my scrap pile is about gone. A engineer i ain't!
Ahem, Except for the SB chevy . . . lol Nice project and looking forward to seeing more progress. Tried to read thru the other day and now skimmed through all the posts. What is your plan for final color and how far from paint?
Will you paint it yourself?
whitetrash1
Well-known member
great looking truck! i love those 55s
jerseywild
Well-known member
Nice work, very nice lines on the truck. I really like that back window.
HOTFR8
Banned
A very tidy looking truck now. What plans for paint and color ?
1953mercury
Well-known member
Very nice truck, and great metal work, but I'm one of those who "can't stand a sbc in a Ford" a stroked FE, or any ford engine would have been so much better. The quality of your build deserves, and suffers from the lack of Ford power. Yes, I have been drinking, but my comments stand. 
Mike
MikeSlednut
Well-known member
Very nice, built the one in my avatar in 1977 (I was 19).
BoostAddiction
Well-known member
Just saw this build, and I like it a lot. Some of the things you are going through in your project are familiar to me- lots of ideas, some of which actually survive.
Thanks for the positive comments. I've been following your build over on darksiders realm. Lots of great custom features. Glad to see your build here on this forum. I sure would like to see more builds here. There are quite a few builds going on....but they seem to be all over the place........some in fabrication, some in free parking and some in the general garage discussion.
Very nice truck, and great metal work, but I'm one of those who "can't stand a sbc in a Ford" a stroked FE, or any ford engine would have been so much better. The quality of your build deserves, and suffers from the lack of Ford power. Yes, I have been drinking, but my comments stand.
I guess you'll just have to excuse the engine. This is a budget build and when you have a freshly built sbc on a stand......you use what you have. If money was no problem it would have a hemi in it. I'm not much on pedigree when it comes to hot rods. If it had been a chevy truck and I had a fresh ford engine.....guess what.
I'll be posting some progress photos soon. I've kinda took one step forward and two steps back on my build lately. Decided to put a disc brake rear in recently, changed my engine location, found a good deal on some leather buckets with full power, memory, and heat and now I'm having to deal with the domino effect. Different master cylinder, driveshaft too short now, and new seat mounts needed. Gotta stop making changes.
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Drew,
I am amazed how many people have given you **** about the motor. I am absolutely not a Chevy guy but the sbc in your truck does not change anything to me. I think very few people will see the motor in mine once it is done. My truck looks so much cleaner to me when the hood, doors and tonneau are shut. If I had my choice of motors I would have gone with a Jon Kaase Boss 9, Mopar Hemi or even a 312 Y-Block with six pack. But as you said, you use what you have at the time.
I am amazed how many people have given you **** about the motor. I am absolutely not a Chevy guy but the sbc in your truck does not change anything to me. I think very few people will see the motor in mine once it is done. My truck looks so much cleaner to me when the hood, doors and tonneau are shut. If I had my choice of motors I would have gone with a Jon Kaase Boss 9, Mopar Hemi or even a 312 Y-Block with six pack. But as you said, you use what you have at the time.
FltEngCPO
Well-known member
Your work is awesome! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Well.....a little progress to report. Snatched out the drum brake rear and spent some time shopping the local salvage yard. I pulled a 98 Blazer 4x4 disc brake rear with 3.42 gears. While pulling the rear from the Blazer, I decided that it's sway bar could be fitted to my truck, so I picked it up with all the associated hardware. A quick sand blast and put it in the truck to locate spring perches, set pinion angle, and figure out if the sway bar could be used. The sway bar arms faced to the rear in the Blazer and there was no way it would work facing rear in the F100 due to the gas tank relocated there. Facing to the front, the sway bar clears the center section and arms were located directly under the frame.
Sorry about the lost links.............Image shack......I won't use them again.
I had to shorten the sway bar links and fabricated the mounts to the frame.
Got everything welded up and gave all the remaining rust a quick blast, replaced all of the worn seals and hardware and some paint.
At least I'm regaining some of the ground I lost by making some of these changes.
Drew
Sorry about the lost links.............Image shack......I won't use them again.
I had to shorten the sway bar links and fabricated the mounts to the frame.
Got everything welded up and gave all the remaining rust a quick blast, replaced all of the worn seals and hardware and some paint.
At least I'm regaining some of the ground I lost by making some of these changes.
Drew
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tcianci
Well-known member
What a fantastic build! I know what you mean about not posting the build on the HAMB. I went through the same thing myself on my 40. But if you think about it, what can be more traditional than building something awesome using what you have around and what you can get from boneyards and making it all work perfectly together? I will be following this thread for sure!!!
HOTFR8
Banned
I think build posts are much more appreciated here on the Garage Journal than the HAMB. The HAMB is for the traditional Rodder but the GJ is the place for the fabricators and builders that know how to create and build using all sorts of parts and fittings.
Omphaloskeptic
Well-known member
As others have done, I applaud your posting of this build. Being mostly an 'armchair wrencher' lol, I really appreciate learning the details of what and how guys here at GJ do whatever they do. I'd like to hear your thinking about how you go about choosing boneyard parts for this build. Do you take some critical measurements on your rig, and then, with tape measure in hand, search the yard for something suitable or is there more homework involved?
The HAMB site has a lot of real talent there, unfortunately it also has lots of yoyos that seem driven to post smart *** responses in every thread and seem to be the self appointed traditional police and yet you can look at their galleries and they have lots of non traditional items in their builds. That is if they even have a build. Having said that mouthful I still enjoy the HAMB and if I don't like what I'm reading....I just move on.
Traditional to me is taking latest modern components and adapting them to my older vehicle to make it overall more enjoyable to drive whether it's power, handling, or conveniences. That was what my brother did with his 48 chevy truck back in the mid to late 50's......pontiac V8 with 4 speed.
I don't really have a plan....lots of times I'll just go to my local "pull your part" yard and spend several hours just nosing around looking at different features on cars. I may take some measurements and jot them down and have even taken my camera and made pictures. When I get back to my shop, I can check to see if I've found something that I might be able to use.
On the rear end, I already knew what width I needed and knew that I wanted to keep the bolt pattern gm, so tape measure in hand, I went shopping. The sway bar turned out to be an added bonus. I have slightly less than $200 in the rear and sway bar and that includes all the new parts that were needed. I use Rock Auto for my parts and if you make sure that your parts are not shipping from different locations, the shipping has not been too bad. And you can usually find at least a 5% discount code on line to save a few extra dollars. When I need parts right away, I usually order my parts on line through Advance and use on line discount codes that save quite a bit. You can check to see if your local store has the parts in stock and go pick them up within the hour.
And of course, I ask questions about how someone did a particular modification. I've gotten some great responses right here on the Garage Journal.
Thanks for the positive comments.
Drew
PCO6
Well-known member
Fantastic project drewski and excellent workmanship. Thank you for posting this.
Thank you for posting this.HOTFR8
Banned
I can agree with that. I enjoy the HAMB as well bust still spend more time here with posts like yours and the many other similar builds being posed here on the GJ. My build for example would never been accepted on the HAMB yet we see the odd Diesel topic that is oddly accepted on the HAMB. here I think many are more open minded to what happens in many Garages.
Been slowly plugging away on the 55. Brake lines run, engine/trans back in, radiator in after a small snafu with my rad support. Also had to relocate trans cross member due to my decision to move the engine forward slightly to give a little more firewall clearance.
I've been looking at this blank view of my roll pan for a while now.
Finally decided on these led cat eye lights that will go along with leds in the bed roll tubes.
I'm not looking forward to it but I guess next I'll be crawling under the truck to start building the exhaust system. I'm getting a little too old to be crawling around under cars. Getting up off the floor has gotten a little harder as the years have passed.
I'm really hoping to get this thing running in primer this summer.
I've been looking at this blank view of my roll pan for a while now.
Finally decided on these led cat eye lights that will go along with leds in the bed roll tubes.
I'm not looking forward to it but I guess next I'll be crawling under the truck to start building the exhaust system. I'm getting a little too old to be crawling around under cars. Getting up off the floor has gotten a little harder as the years have passed.
I'm really hoping to get this thing running in primer this summer.
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HOTFR8
Banned
Looking good. What is the mastercylinder out of ?
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
I like it, and you know what, even the builds that I haven't liked on here, I can appreciate the quality of work that goes into them. The only thing I'll knock somebody on is a hack job. IMHO, using what you have is how hot rodding got started.
The master cylinder is 1970 corvette. I originally had a 70 chevelle master until I got the bright idea to go disc brake rear.
Thanks. I've tried to build this truck as economically as I could and still make it dependable and safe to drive. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.
1971gsfan
Well-known member
NICE LOOKIN TRUCK YOUR METAL FAB SKILLS MAKE ME JEALOUS
HOTFR8
Banned
The disc rear will be interesting to see.
kunkernator
Well-known member
I love this! I just read the whole thread, and will be checking back for updates.
Looking great!
Looking great!
PhantomEB
Well-known member
Bookmarked and saved to favorites as well. Got my 55 coming home soon so I am sure there will be a good dozen things I be stealin from this thread.
PhantomEB
Well-known member
Wheres the gas tank from and how big is it, gallon wise?
Also the radiator, thats one damn good lookin one, where from!
Also the radiator, thats one damn good lookin one, where from!
The gas tank is a 69 Mustang and holds 20 gallons. I bought a new tank rather than fight the potential problems of using an old tank.
The radiator came from a local distributor and is an aluminum direct replacement for a 70 Chevelle.
When you get your 55 please start a build thread here in Free Parking. I would sure like to see more builds posted. I'm always interested in what other builders are doing.
What are your plans for your 55?