Thanks. I'm going to get the right hood for it one of these days. But I do want to find a '57 grille for it and change it out. I like the look of the '57 grille.

 

I bought this truck in the late '90's promising my wife that I wouldn't tear into it until I retired. I was still building my '56 at the time but always had liked the '57s and couldn't pass it up.



The body is pretty decent and it came with an extra grille that isn't as straight as this one. Is that a '57 front bumper?









I'm partial to Big Window trucks even though they can get pretty warm on sunny days. My '56 is also a BBW.



This Y-block came with it sitting right where it still resides. It's a '62 292 truck engine. I'm thinking about using it in front of an AOD trans. I'm one of those 'darksiders' that goes for modified suspensions (= low) & drivetrains but stock bodies.
I just recently moved from Calif. to Arizona and it's currently sitting at my friends house while we added a large garage to my house to put my shop & projects in.

 

Nice truck. It doesn't look like it will take too much to turn it into more of a head turner that it already is now. Good luck.

How much do you want for the extra grille??

 

I got the correct hood this weekend off of a '57 F-600 in an all ford junkyard (90% of which are trucks) for $50. From what I know, the '57 and '58 have the same hoods but different grilles. The hood is very nearly perfect. It has one small ding in the front but otherwise perfectly straight. That truck also has a very nearly perfect grille. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is white instead of chrome. I tried to get it last weekend but it has more bolts in it that a hardware store. They all have about 55 years of rust which doesn't help the matter. Plus there are a few that are very hard to get to.

 

So you moved from a no road salt state to and even drier sunnier one.....Not me. Another week of solid rain ahead and gloomy here in Wa. Good looking truck you got there...... I don't promise mine anything like that because I don'e see any way to retire. My plan is to just build lighter and smaller things from wood until I my eyesight gives out.

 

If I had the chance, I would get that painted grille. Since they don't reproduce them, a straight painted one is a good candidate for rechroming (if you can afford it). They do take a bit of effort to remove; I found a '57 in my local pic-a-part and immediatly grabbed the hood and then spent the next few hours getting that grille out. It was painted and looked OK until I got it home and found some dents repaired with bondo.

 

Sorry but won't be selling anything 'til I find out which parts I'll end up using.

 

That's what I had in mind. I can always get it chromed but I may never come across another '57 grille in that kind of condition. Plus $150 didn't seem too bad for a near perfect rare grille.

I think I will go back with a torch and delicately melt the bolts to remove the grille. That seems to be the only way I can get it without spending a weekend on it. In 1957 they wanted to make sure that if the truck so happened to be driven down the grand canyon and flipped 150 times, the grille would stay on. At least 14 bolts holding that thing on, 4 of which are easy to get to...

 

Fast58; Sometimes its easier to over tighten them/snapping the bolt! Might be tight getting a torch on some of them.
Good luck!

 

I tried breaking them off but the clip that held the nut still on the grille was allowing the nut to spin. I was able to perform surgery with the torch and finally get it off. It is now safely at my house awaiting me to get it chromed. I have no idea how much it will cost..

 

Here are my three ... or my 2 and my sons 57 project. form left to right
1957 f100 v8 short bed, 1959 f100 v8 shortbed, 1960 f100 v8 shortbed factory 4x4

 

Very Cool! What type of fridge do you want for your '58? or is it the '59 you're missing?

 

My 60 Short bed


and my 60 long bed F250

 

This thread needed a bump... post them up guys!

 

Finally found a good home for my 57 F250 this summer, I didn`t want to see it go to the crusher.