I searched for years to find the correct antique vehicle for me and I came across my 55 F100 about a year ago now. Since then I have taken out all the mice, total disassemble, sandblast, and now Im working on the body work before I get it painted and start the reassemble. Since work and family commitments have dragged out my project I find myself going back and forth about what to do with the truck.

I started off when I purchased it with the intentions of restoring it to original condition. Then I found out the glove box plate was missing and the engine is not the correct one for the year along with the exterior color. So without this valuable data I decided to do upgrades to the truck in the form of a modern v-8 such as a 302 along with the crown vic front suspension and also newer rear end. More of a darksider truck I guess so I could cruise the highway when I wanted. I had this plan all together after reading so many threads and getting all the information needed to make this work, of course minus the new parts.

NOW....

After reading restoration stories and seeing pictures of many trucks you guys have posted over the last couple months now I am uncertain again about what I want my truck to be. Its almost like I NEED 2 trucks! Whenever I pass my truck (Which is in pieces) in the garage I stop and think in my mind what I want it to be. Everyday it changes from back to original to the darkside.

So this made me post a thread to get some help.

If I was to make this truck back to original style, how close could I actually get without having any information besides my vin? I know its a custom cab, my guess is a manual transmission since the truck has a clutch and nothing on the column to suggest an auto, my guess is the sea sprite green based on some photos I have seen of other members and also what I see under the dash, but thats it!

I just dont want to bring a truck back halfway to original only to find out that its just that... half right.

Any help with suggestions and also what helped some of you make the ultimate decision on what to do in the end. I know its my truck and I need to do what makes me happy with it but Im just looking for some help to get me there.

Thanks
Mike

 

You can give it to me and let me have those problems,ha ha . Is the little metal tag still on the firewall on the passenger side most of the time ? If so post any information on it and the ID. number stamped on the right front most of the time frame. The guys see that and might get you started on the right track, or give the truck to me.

 

Mike do your truck come with a frame? Can you tell if it is a slant cab or 56 frame? The stock mounts in the rear are different on a 56'? Also the leaf springs I believe run 53-54 and 55-56 with the 55-56 being I think 52" inches long from eye to eye. If you have a frame and if it is a slant cab and if it has the longer springs you might be on the original frame. There is a VIN on that frame. Now for your second problem. What do you honestly want to do with the truck? Do you want to get and cruise within a 50-100 mile radius of the house at 55-65ish MPH or do you want to go halfway across the country at 75-80 with modern conveniences? I think once you define your desired use for the truck your path will lay itself out. Best wishes

 

The truck did not have any tags. The only info I have about it is the vin, which I decoded awhile ago and learned it was a 8 cylinder.

 

Plans are just for local cruises, maybe some back country drives every once and awhile. I will also have the occasional 250 mile trip to Minnesota for the back to the 50s car show since the wife is from there and it gives us time to visit with her family. But that is once a year, if I bring the truck.

 

You need two trucks! Sorry I'm of no Help...

 

Just to add to the confusion factor: It is your truck, do what you want, but be mindful that once you go real dark it better be what you want. It is awful hard to undo a chop top. And thinking ahead, what you want may not be what turns a potential purchaser on.
It is very nice to be able to cruise at highway speed..............Although secondary roads are sometimes very interesting. Just one old man's opinion.

Edit: And unless you are going for an absolute 100 pt restoration, don't worry about how it was. I seriously doubt if many of these old truck are that way. Any that is original should be maintained that way. Again, JMHO.

 

Well, what are you looking to have out of an concour original truck? Is it to build it exactly how it was or to just have mostly original parts? Is it about making something how it was or about using it how you want?

Concour is nice, but on today's roads it's limited. Most everyone out there will stop faster than you or go faster than you and it's a sort of requirement in a way that you can too. If you can't hit 75, you can't be on the freeway. (And I don't think I'd want to with things like a 1 chamber master cylinder, which is what was original). Another problem with going concour, other than it being much harder to find parts in the everyday situation, is you worry about it more. When everything is original is a bigger deal if something gets messed up. It's why most true concour trucks are trailer queens. It's too much work to make it perfectly original and risk something happening to it.

Course a true concour is different than a mostly original truck. It's all about how far you want to take the idea, so you need to think about what you like about an original set up and why certain things are important and see if everything is to an extreme degree.

My suggestion is this: take the truck you are building now and make it where you can properly use it without worry. Once you've swapped out a part it's no longer such a worry, for me at least. These trucks aren't super rare, and they are not more valuable in a concour set up than they are a well finished modern-upgraded one. We're not talking about a '67 Shelby GT500 Mustang, we're talking a truck, and trucks people desire to really use.

If you want to go concour I'd suggest a different truck. Without things like a data plate you can't really know what is concour to begin with. Some of it can be figured out but do you want to go through all of that work and with a doubt that it might not be original? The engine isn't original, that right there is an unnecessary hurdle. To go original you want to start with a truck that is as close to it as possible, unless you just want things to be period correct which is different. A period correct truck can have all the right pieces together, but for me an original truck has all the pieces it had from the factory, as in the very same engine and everything else that where put there by Ford. But that's me.

And another thing to remember, most people who build a car/truck don't just do it once. I have a '67 Mustang in the garage I finished before this, I have an '89 Bronco I'm doing after it. I'll probably do a C2 Corvette in my life time and another truck. Why? Because I love the build and the end result. I love vintage.

Try looking at it with that in mind, like you have two truck projects in the garage. Is the '55 the one you want to use to fulfill your concour desires or is the other one better suited for that? Or is the other one better suited to have modern upgrades?

At any rate, don't do anything till you're sure of what you want out it. Might mean selling parts you've bought, but it sure beats regretting the path you chose.

And FYI, I debated back and forth with my truck's build a whole lot. Still do to some extent. I liked the original engine, it worked, it did it's job, and it is cool and unique... and yet I want more from my truck than it can deliver. So I thought about it A LOT, back and forth and back and forth. Spent years thinking on what else I would put under the hood. Thought of what it would mean to keep the original axles and not go 4x4, ect. In the end I found I love the way the truck is, but it's not my dream. My dream is to take it further, to use it more than any truck from the 50s could be used. The world has changed and I need a truck that can tackle it. Otherwise it will just sit and look pretty, what's the point in that? I want a truck that will always be out there, even in 3 feet of snow. Maybe the original parts could do that, but there are modern conveniences that could do it a whole lot easier. Hence the reason most of us do modern upgrades under the hood.

And changing out the powertrain isn't really a darkside thing. It's not like you'll wake up talking like Darth Vader the morning after. It's a modern convenience that's a necessity to be used in the modern world. The roads are a very different place than they where 60 years ago. And being able to stop, turn or go like a modern truck is important. I'm not saying a concour one can't, but using 57 year old part designs (back before turn signals where even standard mind you) is sort of like using Smart Car to haul lumber. Sure it's physically possible, but it's not the easiest way to go. In the 50s they where still figuring out a lot of things, parts didn't really start becoming a certain way till the late 60s. For example I have to stand on my brakes to get them to work and I'm only going 30mph at most, that's kinda dangerous, but my originals just don't work too well. Yet original brake set ups that we have in our stuff from the 60s is way easier (they're not power either), and I mean way easier. It's not that the ones in my '56 don't work, it's that they don't work well enough for my standards. And it's not exactly like I can go down to Autozone and get everything I need to freshen the brakes in a 56 year old truck that's also a medium duty F600. Specialized parts from the 50s, especially from big trucks, aren't being made and you have to hope to find ones in better condition than what you have, my truck was garaged for 50 years and has less than 20k miles on it, I think I'm SOL on that one, lol.


And I went on a whole story there...and had to stop from going on another one, lol.

So to sum up:
I'd say this truck isn't the best candidate if you want a concour truck, but could work for a period correct one. Depends on what you want. I think you'd be more likely to drive one more often with modern upgrades though. Just my two cents.

 

I have a leather sofa that you can get comfortable on and tell me all about your feelings on the subject, of course this won't be cheap ( i need money to rebuild my 52 F-3) but I can help you get through this internal struggle! As several have stated, make sure you can live with the changes....After driving a couple trucks at Truckstock, I have decided to keep it stock appearing, with subtle upgrades that will make it more fun to drive. First on the list is better (safer) steering, as I almost drove Doc and myself off a back country cliff in KY due to the sloppy steering box (sorry Doc!) ... next is better front brakes, Disc up front and maybe power assist, I plan on keeping the 8 bolt 16" wheels for the factory look but will install a 8 bolt disc brake conversion kit to accomplish the look I want. Also I will be adding the T-5 5spd conversion to help make it a bit more road friendly....In the end, I want a truck that looks like raytasch's but perform like Homade's ......
Good luck!
w

 

Originality is highly overrated!