Wanted to start a thread to document my build and have a place to save information about how I did it, what I used and why.

Picked up a 1948 F-1, this particular truck I've been after for a long time. I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to accomplish or complete this build so I need to do quite a bit of research on here still. Haven't done anything to the truck yet besides wash the outside.
May try to start it with the original 6 cyl, just to figure out if it's worth saving but after that the engine is gone and cab will come off the frame.

Starting Goals for the build:
- Cab repair and any sheet metal that needs addressed
- Sand blast frame
- IFS front
- 4 Link rear
- Big disc brakes all 4 corners
- Ford V-8 (supercharged?)
- Manual transmission
- Upgrade rear end (9"?)
- All new wiring

My initial plan was to leave the outside as is, but i see some spots where I need to do some rot repair and patch in new sheet metal.
I want to save the drivers side door. After looking around on here it looks like the only way to have the patina look is to leave it alone, but when washing the truck it looks like the white paint flakes off real easy. I need to find a way to preserve the logo!
I want to go with a street rod/performance build. Big brakes, Big engine, upgrade the suspension and steering. I also know that with the weight on this being the same as my most recent car project 350 HP or so is plenty fun for the road.
Had thought about doing air bags, but I don't know how much cost exactly that's going to add.
This is my first american project. Have done lots of Audi's stuff, engine swaps, tuning, all turbo cars, high HP builds. So it's refreshing to work on something different and more importantly something that wasn't designed by Germans.

So as mentioned above I have some things to figure out.
1) Budget?
2) Air bags VS coils
3) which suspension to use
4) Keep and modify stock frame or do a newer frame
)...
Check for updates!

And a couple of pics:

 

Saving the logo on the drivers door is a good idea, it is a great one. I haven't seen an American gas station in many years. Maybe flat clear coat?
As far as the build, everything hinges on your number 1, the budget.
Rear ends and IFS's can be had at junk yards fairly cheap, many have used Jaguar IFS's > https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...or-help-4.html
And 8.8 rears out of 15 year old Explorers and Rangers fit well and you can find them with limited slip, 31 spline, and several different ratios. Mine is from a 2000, has disc brakes, emergency brake, 3.73 ratio, limited slip, and I paid under 200 for it. I used after market leaf spring set up from CPP, but many have used the Explorer or Ranger springs that came with the rear end >https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-rear-end.html

 

Ditto on the logo. My 49 cab has some on the doors too, hoping to save that if I can make them worthy. By the way welcome to FTE. Lots of knowledge and experience here, myself excluded.

 

Welcome to both Pat and Ann! Sounds like you are coming into this project with far more experience and firm planning than most. As always, budget drives decisions. I'll look forward to watching your progress. Great door art - absolutely worth saving.

If the I6 isn't in your truck's future, there certainly are others who will find use for some or all of it.

 

Looks like a cool project. What your doing right now is the most important part. Planning. Best of luck with it.

 

My build is pretty similar to yours. When I decided on what i wanted to build, I pretty much decided that I would build it how I wanted it, and not worry a whole lot about budget. That is not to say that I haven't saved a lot of money by using used parts or finding good deals, But I decided that I want to build it a certain way and what ever it costs is what its going to cost. I have an excel spreadsheet that I have all of my costs on it so that I can see exactly how much it is going to cost. The only problem with that, especially at my age and where I am in life right now, is that I am waiting for money to come most of the time to buy parts. For a build like you are trying to do, I would think somewhere around $20-25,000 if you are going to do all of the work your self. It would be more if you have someone else paint it, but it sounds like you are going to try to keep the old look. If you want to keep that old look but fix some rust spots look up Faux-tina paint jobs. This is something I have been considering on my truck. You can save some money if you drop in a motor that you dont have to rebuild, you could save some if you use a junkyard IFS. If you keep the original glass and weather stripping to keep it look old that would save money as well.

 

Thanks guys for the responses.
I'd love to keep the patina look but one thing to consider is do have a bit of sheet metal work to do for rot repair. I then will have to figure out what to do with the new spots. I have a lot of work to do there. I want to go through everything.


Started working towards pulling the front fenders. of course this is going to be a lot more difficult than I planned. Lots of rusted bolts. A few broke. The ones at the top of the fender without a nut on the backside are all spinning.

 

Was that originally a marmon herrington or is that not the original hood?

 

There are several schools of thought on the original fasteners. Mine involved a cut-off disk on an angle grinder. Unless you are insistent on a points restoration, you can save a bunch of time with a plan to simply replace the 8 nuts/bolts holding the front clip on the truck. There's enough other stuff to do, wrestling to the death with rusty nuts shouldn't be a time sink.

 

I agree, I normally hit every nut I can with a cutoff wheel, at the least cut a slot in it so it will fall off with a ratchet.
If you check out my truck #2 build it is a patina build, I will be well under $10K out of pocket cash in mine when done.

 

Got what I could off then carefully cut the ones that wouldn't come out . Later tonight I can work on getting the fenders separated , it's a lot easier to work around now. Then hopefully by the end of next week I can get the cab off . Have to repair a couple of tires then I can roll the frame out from under.

 

This one is not all wheel drive and im sure the hood is not original to the truck. Almost everything somewhere underneath is red. Not sure about the doors either, haven't dug deep enough yet.
My grandpa purchased this truck from someone who owned an auto wrecking yard, so who knows maybe the whole thing has been pieced together.

 

Today worked towards pulling the cab. I'm very close, should have it tomorrow. I think I only have one thing left to disconnect and that's the steering. Not sure where is the best spot to disconnect.

Pulled the rear fenders off












Cab is unbolted, bed is unbolted. Just sitting on the frame for now.
Gonna have to fab something up to set the cab on once I get it off. Preferable with some casters.







Started disconnecting steering but I dont know if I should just remove this whole box or what.

 

When I restored mine, I couldn't get the pitman arm off so I lifted the cab off over the steering shaft. My steering box was in good shape so I never did take it off. That was a pretty high lift but I was outside so the cab had no ceiling to hit. I put the cab back on the same way, using a high tree limb and maybe a come along.

 

I took the steering box, column and wheel off in one piece. The steering box fits through the access panel in the floor board. I went to rack and pinion so I never tool it apart any further.

I made a cab dolly. There are pics in my build if your looking for ideas.