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Sold my old truck and took a long break from the forum...dabbled with other old cars/motorcycles...took a break from toys for a short bit...and I'm back.
Picked up this very solid '54 F100 a couple years ago and parked it. Got it from a truck driver who saw it on his route parked in a pole barn. Seems it'd been there for a couple decades supposedly. By my guesstimation, someone was in the middle of a 12V conversion and got in over their heads and it just sat. Some wiring was out, there was a crudely bolted on alternator, two voltage regulators, a homemade coil resistor, the wiper motor was out and being taken apart with a 12V later motor nearby, the headlights were 12V and the parking lights were missing.
Originally, Tthe plan was to just get it running with the Y-block and possibly move it on. I did free up the Y-block (partially stuck), but once free, it had zero compression - meaning I could turn the crank pulley with one hand with the plugs in...easily...that didn't bode well. So, it sat for a bit longer and I collected parts.
Fast forward to today and I'm in need of a truck again (totaled my late model Ranger a few months back), so what a perfect opportunity to get going on the project again. I had a number of things already, so it's taken the path of least resistance (or so I thought).
302/AOD out of an '89 Mustang GT converted to carb w/1985 intake & Holley 600 is in with Trans Dapt mounts (which I had to extend), got all new brakes from M/C to hard lines to rubber to wheel cylinders to springs to shoes and good original drums. New radiator, new fuel tank, new wiring harness (old was shot, missing, and butchered - easier to start over).
It's going back together now. Engine is in for the last time, new driveshaft, linkages (mostly) fabricated, and most lines run. Need to finish the fuel system (last few feet to the engine), rebuild the carb, and many other little things...like build an instrument panel (VDO gauges going into a 1/8" aluminum plate in the original cluster housing) and wire it.
I'm cleaning, de-rusting, and painting where I can get to hard to get areas, lining the floorboards with peel & stick, freeing up things, etc. The truck is really solid - it has the usual rust in the cab corners, but relatively minimal. The bed is typical of a farm truck - used and abused - a sheet of heavy gauge steel was welded in - I ground out the tack welds and the original wood & metal strips are deteriorated badly - for now, a sheet of plywood will see me through, but I have new wood & strips from another project. Wheels and tires were a challenge - for now, I have late model F150 wheels and got a good deal on some slightly larger than I need 30x9.5x15 tires that are essentially brand new (<2500 miles). I can't tell you how solid this is - lots of surface rust, but all the bolts have come out with minimal effort and only two caged nuts have come loose on me so far.
Hope to get it on the road here very soon. Only snag so far has been the previous owner let a front wheel bearing go for an extended period at some point and really damaged the hub. The outer race is very loose in the hub and falls out. I wrapped two layers of beer can strips around the outside of the race and could still press the race in by hand. I'm using T88 to hold it all in there for now and the hunt is on for a good hub. Got brand new bearings to go in it (when did bearings get so freaking expensive??!!) once I find a good one - any leads? (got a wanted ad up, but PM me if you have a lead)
Here's a pic from the day I bought it.
Hope all is well in F1/F100 land!
Last edited by Flat Ernie; 11-26-2014 at 11:00 PM.
Reason: Added pic
Hey Ernie,
Good write-up - I like your plan! Get it running! Post some more pics as you progress. We lived in Ft. Lauderdale - it can be hot & humid out there wrenching - a nice winter project. Where did you find the engine?
Not much progress today...standard catastrophe of the holidays - septic backed up. Dug up the top this morning...going to have to call in the pumper truck - root infestation and blockage. Not good.
I had the engine/trans from another project years ago. A lot of the stuff is from other projects, actually, so most of my purchasing is for "incidentals" and specifics to the truck (shocks, brakes, etc). Other stuff, I have been slowly collecting since I got the truck, so it wasn't like running out and buying a bunch of stuff all at once (make no mistake, I still spent some money ).
Did get some stuff done on the truck today...mostly minor...before I was called in to eat some turkey!
Worked on throttle cable bracket and initial TV cable adjustment, bent a few lines, did a few more small jobs. Also mocked up the front accessories, radiator, fan, etc. to see what sort of clearances I've got to play with, etc. While there, I mocked up some of the shiny things to provide a little inspiration.
Hope to get back on it tomorrow - lots of little stuff left and a few big things too (wiring and instrumentation).f
Getting ready to dive into the wiring and was gathering up my parts and testing them. The horn on this old thing was missing and I had a pair of trumpet horns for, I thought, a 48-52 F1. I used to have a 51 F1 with the trumpet horns and loved the "angry" sound on 12V, so had planned to use these. However, when I tested them, they sound like '40 passenger car horns...much more muted. I do have a '40 Coupe and probably bought them as a spare years ago.
So, I'm on the hunt for a set of '48-52 F1 dual-trumpet horns. Anyone got any leads?
No real changes as far as picture-worthy progress - lots of cleaning/painting and little piddling progress. I'm close to finishing insulating the cab (peel-n-stick on floor & foil/bubble everywhere else) and am mounting things as I go along to make sure it all fits. Almost done with small things in the engine compartment - all linkages, everything is buttoned up (still require the trans cooler lines & rad/heater hoses) and almost ready to fire.
Sorting out the wiring harness tonight...getting it laid out and "understood" so I can start on that tomorrow morning after a run to the parts store.
I used to have a 51 F1 with the trumpet horns and loved the "angry" sound on 12V, so had planned to use these. However, when I tested them, they sound like '40 passenger car horns...much more muted.
So, any F1 dual-trumpet horns out there??
These horns are adjustable. So if you still have the 51 trumpets, you might try the adjustment in the Shop Manual.
These horns are adjustable. So if you still have the 51 trumpets, you might try the adjustment in the Shop Manual.
I wasn't clear - horribly written - I knew what I meant though.
I had a '51 F1 with the trumpet horns converted to 12V and they sounded awesome. I sold the '51 many years ago. So those horns are long gone...
I now have a set of trumpet horns and just tried them out on 12V - they sound like the trumpet horns in my '40 Coupe running on 12V, so I think they're different...that said, I may try adjusting them!! Maybe I can get them louder and angrier!
Nice 1954 Flat Ernie. It sounds like you have made good progress on this project already. I am working on a rusted 1952 F-1 pickup which is all apart. I am looking for a 9" Ford rear end, however I may have to settle for a rear out of an 2003 Ford Explorer or something similar with disk brakes. Good luck with your project. I look forward to seeing more photos as you progress. Cheers Paul52
One of those days where you do a lot of work, but don't see a lot of progress...although, I did have one milestone; I fabricated my gauge panel. The originals were in rough shape - probably could've been cleaned up - but I had a brand new set of VDO "Classic" gauges lying around for more than a decade...so I decided to use them.
I disassembled the OEM gauge cluster, hacked away the back of the housing so it was open, but still retained all the factory mounting points, trimmed the face to act as the "sandwich" for the aluminum plate that replaced the original glass. Then the fun part - laying it all out so it fit and looked symmetrical - rulers, math, decimals, fractions, headaches, etc and this is what I ended up with - close enough. It's all disassembled and being painted (drying) now. The plate will be black and the bezel will be silver. The two allen bolts are really little LED lights and will be turn signal indicators - the big one at the bottom is a high beam indicator.
I also installed a factory turn signal switch mechanism in the steering column. Got that in, set up, and checked all the switching/wiring. Next up is wiring this beast, I think.
Finally, tonight I picked up a 60/40 Silverado seat with the fold down center console. Looks like I'll have to play with the mounts a little (raise them), but seem to be a decent fit.
Got to head out of the country for a week or so for work tomorrow morning, so it's all going on hold. Still looking for '48-52 F1 Trumpet Horns...haven't played with the ones I've got to see if they can be adjusted or not yet...
11-26-2014, 10:56 PM
