Hey all,

I've done too many Google searches around my project that lead me to this forum so I had to join.

Here is what I got and got in mind:

1949 F1 + a '49 F6 parts truck. Right now I have all the sheet metal, drive line (except rear axle), cab, etc. off the frame and am working on rust removal and painting the frame. Next will be to address the chassis and suspension. I plan on drop springs both front and rear as well as a drop axle in the front (drop tie rod ends, etc). I have a 3.54 LS Dana 60 from a '67 F-100 for the rear. 302/C4 running gear. I'm gonna do a disk brake conversion up front too. Oh and power brakes. I'm eventually planning on a T5, but later down the road. I have 295/50/15 rubber all the way around; looks pretty tough.

I think this is a fairly "typical" (if any build is typical) approach/combo, but was looking for any pointers or "tricks of the trade" so to speak with what I'm about to attempt. Also, what are folks thoughts on fiberglass running boards and fenders? I've gathered mixed reviews thus far. My F1 running boards are junk, front fenders and rear fenders are "savable", but rough. Of course the F6 is useless in those two capacities.

For phase 1, I'm going to focus on the chassis and running gear and drive all around with body as-is. Phase 2 will be "making it beautiful"...

Again, glad to be here, look forward to being a part of the forum!

Jim

 

Welcome aboard. I have fiberglass fenders and I really like them so far. But, the truck has yet to be on the road, so we'll see how I feel later.

 

Don't have any personal experience with fiberglass but have heard good and bad, hopefully someone with experience can chime in. Sounds like a great start to your project. Welcome to FTE
Josh

 

Welcome to FTE! With that width of a tire up front you may want to look into adding a Toyota P/S gear box. I'm not running that wide of a tire and want to do the Toyota P/S

 

Thanks Craig. What sort of Toyota PS Box might I look for? What year/model, etc. Thanks for the info!

 

The gals at MidFifty can tell you exactly what year toyota power steering box will work. If you do a search on (toyota power steering swap for F-100, you should also get a ton of information. One thing to keep in mind is the option of toyota power steering verses toyota manual steering. Both will improve the handling of an F-100. The advantage of the toyota manual steering swap eliminates any issues with the balancer, pulley, and pump. Regarding glass fenders verses steel fenders. My experience with fiberglass is small rocks can cause little "star" fractures in finished side of the fender if gravel is thrown against the inside of the fender by tires. If your not going to be on gravel or icy roads, fiber glass would be my choice. Not being able to make that determination, I went with steel.

 

Welcome to FTE.
Here is an article on the Toyota Steering Box
Toyota Steering Box Swap For 1948-1960 Trucks .: Articles
By the way, we love pictures

 

Hello and welcome to the forum,

I went with fiberglass fenders. My 52 is still not on the road, but I did put the front clip together to drill holes and fit up the pieces before painting them. I bought mine from BeBops....the fit was really good. I havent put the backs on yet, but I have held them in place to see how they look...I think they'll fit just fine.

I've heard that the fiberglass running boards are solid, but I have a set of steel ones that need some work...I do want the original steel since they will get stepped on. I'll probably beat them in to submission and coat them with pickup bed liner to hide all of my sins.

Post some pics...I'm curious about your Dana 60...I was thinking that most of the F100's from 1967 had a 9".

Dan

 

Welcome to FTE. Lets see lots of pic's. This could be yer build thread.



Quote:
Originally Posted by 76f350spercamprspeal

Welcome to FTE, Best Damn Forum EVER!
------------------------
Here's How to Post Pictures:
1. Login to FTE.
2.Click User CP (In the Top Left Hand Corner)
3.(On the Left, There will be a list, The 5th Option Down, will say "Pictures & Albums) Click That.
4.Then, Click Add Album, Enter a title, and description, if ya want to.
5. Click Upload Pictures, Then click Browse, Locate the Files of your truck. (You can add 3 files at a time)
5. Click Upload.
6. Add a description to the individual pictures, then click save.
7. Add more files if ya want.
8. Click The Picture you want to post, it will give you two codes at the bottom, Right Click The Second one (It say's BB Code, Then Say's [IMG]http:blahblahblah...[/IMG])
Then, Once that is highlighted, Right Click, Then Copy, Then Paste it into your post.
You can add up to 30 Images in one FTE Post.
If, Ya need any help, Don't hesitate to ask.

 

Welcome Jimmy!
You might want to go to your profile & put in your location in case members live nearby & can offer assistance or parts. We've got a 1950 F1 - toward the end of our build at this point. Our fenders were covered with a thick layer of bondo - we went with fiberglass - saving a ton of work. The fiberglass fenders are a lot thicker than you would think - I'm guessing they will hold up fine but only time will tell but I can promise you they won't rust. Running boards were steel replacements (kind of pricey) - we then coated them with bedliner. Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin

 

Welcome to the madness!!!

Bobby

 

Hey there Jimmy, Welcome to FTE ! I am working on a '49 also.
gets some pics on here! Ya gotta feed the bears or they might eat you!

 

Welcome aboard! I'm also working on a 49 with 302/FMX. You may want to reconsider your choice of 50 series tires. They will require considerable lowering to eliminate the gaps between the tires and fenders. These trucks do well with taller tires due to the large fenders....

 

Welcome to FTE

If the Dana rear axle is from a 1967 F100, it is not a Dana 60. Dana 60's were/are installed in 1954/86 F250's and 1975/thru today E250's.

These vehicles use 8 lug wheels on a 6.50" bolt circle / 1948/52 F1, 1953/79 and some 1980/83 F100's have 5 lug wheels on a 5.50" bolt circle.

1959/68 F100: Limited Slip was not available w/the 9" until mid-year 1968, so when it was ordered, Ford usually installed Dana 44's, but...

There were two other optional Dana rear axles for 1963/68 F100's:

1963/66 F100's were available with the Dana 60.2 / 1966/68 F100's were available with the Dana 60.3

Neither is a Dana 60, the parts do not interchange. Some Dana 60.2 & 60.3 parts, especially axleshafts...are almost impossible to find.

So, what you have is either a Dana 44 or a Dana 60.3 with Limited Slip, as all these Dana's came with it. Both were also available w/the 3.54-1 ratio.
Now that you know about the so-called Dana 60, here's the F100/150 9" info.

9 inch: 1957/58 F100 / Some 1959/67 F100 / Some 1968 F100, but 1968/72 F100: There are two different 9" rear axles. One has a 9 3/8" ring gear, 31 spline axleshafts. Only FIVE parts are the same as a 9.

1973/76 F100 / 1975/76 F150 / Some 1977/79 F100/150, some have Dana 44 rear axles / 1980/82 F100/150 / Some 1983 F100 & 1983/86 F150. Some 1983 F100, 1983/86 F150 have the 8.8" integral rear axle.