Howdy again folks - so I'm spending a small fortune (my with dear wife's loving support and nearly free access to our savings account) for my F500 project buying mechanical parts, electrical parts, sheet metal etc. I've really pinned down some fantastic sources for parts in the last few months but I've noticed some parts are just downright hard to find.

So my question is, does anyone have a similar truck and have found that some parts should be ordered and kept on the shelf for the future? If parts are hard to find now they're only going to get harder. And since I'm already paying for shipping I may as well buy extras to keep handy. I want to pass this truck in to my son when I'm old and looney so I'm hoping to keep it in the family.

 

FRONT FENDERS!

 

Good advice. Another fella was telling me brake drums are hard to come by and if I find some to grab them and keep them handy. Thoughts?

 

Which engine?

 

272...appears to be original to the truck. Just waiting on the new water pump and have to finish welding my crossover pipe before I try to start her up. Rebuilt carb, oil pump primed, new plugs and 6 weeks sitting with a shot of Marvel in each cylinder.

 

Sounds like a spare water pump might come in handy.

 

Anyone have a source for big truck brake drums?

 

Brake parts, specifically drums are going to be hard to find. You should check the bores in yours if your going to reline and confirm they aren't way past spec. Most other brake parts are avail or don't wear.

Call Chuck in Hamden if you need other big truck parts

 

You've already discovered the tough ones - water pumps and anything brake related. The other wear stuff (filters, belts, points, and such) is available from local sources.

 

These trucks were haulers in their day and I remember seeing many of them still in use into the 1970s & 80s in Arizona where they don't rust. So by then the supply of certain parts such as brake drums were drying up and now that these trucks have reached collector status, parts like that are more sought after. Other small parts that were less in demand such as headlight switches, ignition switches, fuel pumps, etc were mass produced even up til and beyond then and those parts can be found easily.

 

We scored off C List two pair of 53-56 F900 fenders, and two pair or running
boards from a fire truck somebody just wanted the cab so they are perfect.

just gotta mig some siren holes up.. upstairs they went into stock.sam

 

May want to track down some doors,56 is one year only.

 

All answers I suppose I expected. Which is good. I didn't want any surprises. My wheel issue was enough of a headache; thankfully now rectified. Chuck's Trucks is a short drive for me. Might have to pay him a visit with a check book in hand.


While on the subject of parts, anyone know why the vent window seals on a '56 are so God awfully expensive. $60 for a pair?! I got the entire windshield seal for $38! Anyone have any better sources? Seems Mid Fifty, Macs, Dennis Carpenter all have similar prices on these.

 

Dennis Carpenter may be producing for all those houses.

 

I'll just go out on a limb here and say trying to recoup the cost of tooling on a limited demand item. The windshield rubbers have been made forever. The tooling probably was existing and Dennis Carpenter was able to get it from Ford. Vent window seal tooling may not have been available and needed to be made from scratch, which is not a cheap process, hence the increased cost of the part, for which there is only one supplier. Again, just my 2c, but it stands to reason since any of this hobby stuff is cost vs supply vs demand. The manufacturers have to decide how many they will sell at a given price to cover their production costs, and hopefully put a little food on the table at the end of the day, just like the rest of us.