I, m looking at the picture that Chicago fire patrol sent in of their f7 firetruck, with the engine hanging off of a cherry picker. I see that with the front clip removed, there is tons of space all around, I also consulted the ford service manual and went over the front clip removal procedure. this looks like a fairly straight forward procedure, however on this truck someone at some point welded about a 12"-15" bead where the fenders meet the cab cowl, i,m debating on what it will take to restore this after I,ve cut through this in order to remove the front clip, like most of these projects very little is easily done.

 

Got pics? That weld needs to come off, the fenders (the whole front end really) need to float relative to the cab.

 

Hi everyone, I've visited the forum many times, but finally joined up. I recently bought an F6 COE (pics coming soon) Finished pulling the sheet metal off last week, down to just the drivetrain and motor. Couple questions: 1. What kind of mods did you have to do to the frame to get the 337 into your F6? I've located one, and would like to use it in my truck. 2. Where can I find a "big job" shop manual? I think it would go a long way in helping me work on my projects. (I think I will be adding a '52 F7 to my garage shortly) 3. Would the 8 bolt hub that attaches with 5 bolts be a safe way to modify the wheel pattern of my 5 bolt hubs?

 

Greetings OH-FORD, welcome to the forum.

In answer to your questions:

1 - You are not going to fit a 337 into a COE without a lot of butchering. The regular flathead V8 is a tight fit under the "dog house". The 337 is about 50% bigger in all ways. It is half again wider, half again longer, and half a gain heavier. I think you simply don't have the room for the huge flathead, sorry.

2 - Before 1953 the Ford Truck Shop manual includes all F-1 through F-8 trucks. Get the commonly available 49-51 truck shop manual and the 52 supplement.

3 - There is not an 8 bolt adapter hub. There is a hub with eight lugs for the wheels that has a bolt on drum. The bolt on drum happens to be 5 bolts. You do not want the F-7 / F-8 wheel bolt pattern. You want to keep the 5 lug bolt pattern. This has to do with the "widow maker" wheel design that was original equipment for your COE.

I strongly suggest you start a new thread with details for each of your projects. If you have a photobucket or similar account you can post pictures (we like pictures).

I hope I don't sound too negative. I like your projects. I also want to put a 337 in a smaller truck. I have an F-7 and an F-2. The F-7 is planned to be the donor of the radiator, engine, frame motor mounts, battery box, throttle linkage, etc. into the F-2. It will be a very tight fit. I just don't see it all fitting into a COE (I could be wrong, I have been before).

Again, welcome.