Now the rule is two 5 gallon cans of gas is legal. Oxygen is ok, but atcetylene is required to be hidden under a tarp. Got some work done at lunchtime. All lifting was done with my skidsteer jic my cardiologist is reading this. Then I took a walk around the place looking for 17" wheels and tires, and other parts I'll need.

 

You have hubcaps! Those are hard to find. If I remember correctly the V8 marked ones are 1940 and older.

 

Once ford offered the inline six, the hubcaps were reverted to the Ford script. That covered all bases. Looks like the panel has two correct ford ones on the front wheels and another ford on the drivers seat and I see another upside down on the floor in the back. Now I have all the bases covered. I have a passion for the 122" tonner. My '38 tonner was my introduction back into old ford trucks at a time in my life when I thought it would never be possible. Starting my own business and raising 4 kids. I have had a very long run with 1.5 tons since then, but they never go down the road like a tonner.

 

I finally decided my old truck would be an F-2 or F-3 after lots of thought (and experience?). Dad had a very nice 47 1/2 ton pickup when I was a kid (in the 80s) with a heavy grill guard, heavy duty welded on rear bumper, and a 4 speed crash box. Great truck. At the same time he had an F-4 with a lift gate and several 47 and older big trucks.

Since then dad or I have had a 38 pickup, 6 F-1s, and 2 F-2s. We found that we simply don't have a use for a truck bigger than a pickup. We found that an 8 foot bed is really nice since you can put 4X8 sheet in it. We also found that I am just a little bit too tall to comfortably see out of a 47 and older truck cab. Reading James K. Wagner's book I found that you can't fit 4X8 into a stock panel truck. All experience and reading converged on an F-2. This is a very long winded way of agreeing with you that the others don't go down the road like a tonner (or F-2 / F-3). My F-2 rode a little bit smoother than by brother's shorter wheel base F-1...

Thanks for putting up with my rambling. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

I think we have discovered with Willowbilly's measuring and some drawings that a sheet of plywood won't fit between the wheel wells of this '42 tonner. Much of the plywood I use comes at 48 1/2" x 96 1/2". There is a good 53" between the tires on the '47 tonner axle, so at the risk of 'chopping up original sheet metal' I will be sectioning the wheel well tubs so I can use this thing. I may also need to alter the seating to get the length. This panel has both original seats in it and I know the pass side is very rare, so I wont be cutting on them. I have some old bucket seats here from a '60s landcruiser that look the part and I could fab up a special base for them that allows the plywood to pass under. And '38, if you call that rambling........ That would be a short post from me

 

My only thought on this is Ford was being cheap and didn't want to rework the stampings for a slow selling panel truck. After all they modified the express bed on the 3/4 and tonner trucks to allow 4 foot sheet to set flat between the wheel wells. Maybe you could get the wheel wells from a trashed tonner bed and use them in the panel? You know I normally advocate close to 100% stock, but in this case I think Ford should have done this in 1942.

 

Looks like the wheel tubs have a flat section that won't be too hard to section. They have a cool design on the face of the stamping that I would like to save. Had some rear fenders once that were made from what looked like fordson steel wheels. Nice rolled edge, but a few holes to fill.

 

It wouldn't be too hard to make a set of those panels flat and duplicate the original design with the trusty bead roller. I would just run the three horizontal rubs on a flat piece and forget about the 3 rays. Then a couple brakes for top and bottom, easy.

 

I get what you are saying. Then one could save the tubbed panels for the next guy or an accurate restoration down the road. Since my rear axle is apart, maybe you could measure the width between the panels on Blue Smurf and then the distance between your tire's sidewalls. Curious if the axle would still fit with this modification. My rear wheel cylinders looked good inside so I did a light hone and ordered kits from Napa.

 

I'll try and get those measurements tomorrow.

 

Thanks WB, I have to finish a 3" thick pine table that I promised a guy for his wife's Christmas present tomorrow, but I plan to pick up my wheel cyl kits on the way home from delivering it.

 

The table guy paid me in such a manner that makes it easy to tuck away for the delivery guys when they bring the panel. So here I am hoping to finish the brake job on the rear axle this afternoon. What kind of nut does a brake job on a vehicle that's 1500 miles away, not fully paid for and he's never laid eyes on?...... Wheel cyls cleaned up nicely so I bought kits, seals showed no signs of leaking, so they'll go back. One side had a set of black, bonded linings, a full 1/4"thick or more. The other side riveted linings and were intact, but not much left over the copper rivets. On the island, I'd have to ship them both ways to Seattle for relining, and for now they will be fine. There is still one rear brake on the panel and I'm hoping it has some meat. I also have another trailer with a '39 tonner axle. I can see the wheel cyls are there so will assume there are shoes in there. I always do the lines, hoses and wheel cylinders on my 'restorations', but love finding those thick linings. It's like money from home! Oh, and a great thing yesterday..... I freed up BOTH parking brake cables with some heat and PB Blaster. They work like new and no frayed sections. This makes me think as a roller, I will be able to keep it under control on my mountainside homestead. If the engine is stuck, that will hold it too, but I try to be positive.

 

A bit of an update on the panel..... The brakes are complete and back together. The riveted shoes were replaced with some much better ones from the '39 axle. New steel lines in place. I got out my copy of FTS'05 and was reading about the tonner panel. I think I found a very good sign. WB's panel is a '40, and as you will see, the width where it counts got an increase in '42. It would seem that I can leave the wheel housings intact. On another note I found the tag on the axle says '7 34' Which with my calculator comes out to 4857 or something like that, I think what is referred to as 4:86. Probably the best ratio for Orcas Island. Less downshifting on the long grades. There are no current plans for a freeway on the island. Here's the photo with the caption from Wagner's book. I hope it's ok to post this.

 

Next page, please. Just getting into it!

 

That is the best old Ford truck book out there. My Dad has had a copy for years. I need to get one for myself.