I've been around for a while here and decided it was time to start a build thread.
"Piglet" has been in my possession since 1998, and I am, finally, committed to bringing her back to life.



She was built at the Richmond plant and spent her entire life in Northern California.

 

Very good

So, whats the plan? restore? modernize? customize? full blown darkside? lol...a little of all?

Bobby

 

Restore, restore, restore!!!!

I have a thing for '49 F-2s

 

LOL

This looks like a good candidate for a restoration, its pretty clean and unmolested.

Bobby

 

I feel pretty lucky with "Piglet"...She's definitely a Farm Girl, and I don't want to change any of that. She's also pretty complete which is a plus.
So far: 1) Engine is, still, at the machine shop...we are close, but not quite there yet. I really don't mind, as I really want to rebuild the engine as close as possible to getting it running. 2) The front end rebuild is almost ready for re-assembly...I just have to see if the spring packs will clean up well enough for me... 3) Brake job...ready to go. Just have to find some wheel cylinder rebuild kits.
Once I get "Piglet" back on the ground I will focus on rebuilding the original 226 H flathead six.

"Keep moving forward!"

 

Wheel cylinders are easy to get, at least the last time I checked a couple of year ago. RF is the same as FR and LF same as RR. Makes it a little easier. Classic Haulers should have them along with Rock Auto, two sponsors of this site along with any good parts store like NAPA.

 

You better get some pictures of the build here or you will catch hell.

 

Mine is a 49 F3. I got my wheel cylinders from LMC truck, and other parts from Macs and Dennis Carpenter. After installing a new master cylinder, and all four wheels cylinders, the brakes work pretty well (takes a few pumps if you really want to stop). I'm going to switch out the front ones for discs. Try TSM manufacturing in Castle Rock, Colorado. What transmission do you have?

 

Ok,Ok!...Here are a few pix of where I'm at now:


Front passenger side


Front spindles ready to be installed.


Where they're going to live.

Next is to pull the front clip for better access.
I pulled the engine without the tranny and I'm regretting that now. So I guess I'm going to pull the tranny to at least re-do the seals. It's a stock 4 speed "Crash" box, and I want to keep it that way. Rear Diff is a Timkin 51524 with a 4.85:1 gear ratio, I'd bet. I think I'd like to change that with one of Chuck's Trucks 4.11:1 gear sets, but I'll just drive it for a while and make those kind of decisions with more information.
I'll try and do a step by step clip removal write up.

 

Nice!!
Looks like you're making good progress.

As already been said, you can pick up wheel cyclinders at the local NAPA store.
If you're planning on pulling the front clip completly apart in the near future you should invest in a can of pentrating oil now and start soaking the gadzillions of fine thread bolts that hold the clip together. Sometimes its easier to simply tighten the bolts and break them off instead of trying to remove them.

The basic front clip comes off fairly easy; a handfull of bolts at the running boards, 2 bolts under the radiator, and two bolts at the lower inner fenders (if they are still there)

Have fun
Bobby

 

You shouldn't have to push on the more than once. If you have to pump them to get the truck to stop there's something not right. Did you get the correct MC? The F-2 and F-3 have different MCs than the F-1. When I stomp on the pedal in my F-2 it'll come to a screaching halt, it also matters how much power you have in your legs. In the times when I had to do an emergency stop I put everything I had into it.

 

My 52 was also made in Richmond, CA plant and spent majority of its lifetime in/around Sebastopol.

 

Hmmm. I'll look into it. Maybe I didn't get all the air out when we bled them. I got a new one from LMC I think. Hopefully it was good. I still want to do the disc brakes so that I feel okay with my wife driving it.

 

Be careful with this idea. Drub brakes are self energizing and disk brakes are not. It takes more peddle pressure with disks to get the same stopping power you get with drums. Disks do not fade like drums when used hard. I had a 71 Chevy pickup with stock non power disk brakes and the brakes took an awful lot of leg power.

 

38 already said it, but if you want disc brakes then you better change to a power booster. And your build looks and sounds great so far.