Ok I am new here and on restoring cars and trucks. Not new on restoring. I have restored many outboards and boats, a J-3 and just finished a PT-17...(flies great)

I came across a few years ago while looking for parts a 1949 Ford van. I went back now that I have some more time on my hands and the guy still has it and is willing to sell it. It has been sitting outside for a few years, however not in too bad of shape. It still has the flat 6 in it

My questions are
How hard is it to find parts body for this truck, like door handles, and wing glass frames, mirrors etc
Is there any one that makes the rubber seals for the doors and glass.
would it be best to leave the under carriage and rebuild, or replace with one from a newer year truck

This truck will be used day (once up and going) and being that I am in TX it MUST have A/C so I thinking that it will need to be repowered

Thanks for the help. however I will let you know....If I get it and start the project, there will be many more questiond


Thanks
Allan

 

Hi!

First of all Welcome to FTE and Merry Christmas!

Before anyone else get here let me subtly tell you in 1949 there were no "Vans" they were "Panel Trucks." I'd hate for the guys to razz you about that.

All the parts you mentioned are readily available - door seals, glass etc. Fenders are a little tough and expensive to find new or repaired. And if this truck is like most, it has some corrosion in the front fender seam, and you can repaire them if they are bad.

I'd rebuild the stock chassis - it's not hard and all the parts are available from the "Resto parts places."

If you get the truck, let us know and we'll be happy to tell you where to get the parts and how to restore!

If you decide you are interested, go look at it and take some pictures and post them here. We can tellyou what to look out for and what will cause you any problems!

 

Check the rear doors at the hinges and at the bottom. That's where they rust out. Finding a decent set of rear doors is extremely hard. I had to buy another Panel truck just so that I could get one good rear door.

Also, check to see if it has the original seats. Panel trucks didn't have a bench seat like the regular truck. There should be at least one single seat for the driver, and it may have the additional "auxillary" seat for the passenger that folds under the instrument panel in order to gain acess into the back via the right front door.

 

BUY IT, ………..the masochistic of us think that you should have as much grief, frustration, and bloody knuckles (called fun) as we do, misery just loves company!

 

Aw, gee, Julie, hows we s'posed to have any fun around here.
We wouldn't "razz" a newby in their first post, we'd be polite enough to wait until the third date.


Allan, Welcome to the forum. You won't have any trouble finding any replacement parts you may need for your restoration. There is tremendous aftermarket support for old Ford trucks, and any soft parts and trim is easily available. Body parts, as mentioned may be slightly more challenging, but the "hunting and gathering" is the fun part of the hobby. The good part is that they made so many of these trucks, good sheet metal is still fairly plentiful, especially in dry areas of the country, like (parts of) Texas. If you're up for a challenge, you'll enjoy working on this.

Keep the original chassis and update what you want. You can restore it to stone stock, or modify for comfort and easier drivability. You can update the drivetrain with more modern components if you want, and you can add air conditioning very easily. My first suggestion would be to go by a magazine stand and pick up a couple old truck magazines. There's tons of advertisers selling all kinds of wares to help you with your quest. Order every free catalog you can find and study up on what's out there, and make a plan on what you want your truck to be. Most of all, have fun. Share pictures with us. We can tell you what issues you may run into and help you through about any issue. We're looking forward to it. :-x22

 

Ok looks as i will be making a trip this weekend with camera and a check list.

I do know that the seats are gone; not even in the truck. sheet metal is gone on the righ side floorboard....can see the ground.I will have to weld and grind the back door hinges for some one cut them in two (they left the metal out far enough as to bevel and weld) for they are rusted shut and that is how they opened the back doors. On front doors hinges, the pin is broken on both top hinges for both doors
Left side running board looks as it kissed a curb

If I take on this project, I will have to do some changing on the chassis for I cannot have it riding like a truck. A friend bought (turn key $$$$) a 5 window Chevy. Fun to ride in for short trips, but my Better haft hates riding in it, for it rides drives like a truck.

Will be getting back later this weekend with photos

Thanks
Allan

 

Bread Van?
Van Hailing?
Van Dutch?
and don't forget!!
Van Dam

 

Sounds like a big mess. That's where the fun is. Keep in mind that there are no repro body parts available past the front fenders.

Also, this is a truck. It will ride like a truck unless you do some improvement. Keep the frame. Just drop a new engine and trans in it, IFS and 9" rear end.

 

The good news is, most of what you need is available either new or used, or is repairable. Hinges you can either fix or replace with good used parts. The front doors are the same as standard pickup stuff, so that will be easy. The floor pan can be fixed with new sheet metal. That is available as a stamped replacement part. The running board is likely repairable, but with enough searching, a replacement could be located if necessary.

It also sounds like you'd be wanting to upgrade the suspension to something a little less truck-like. There's several options for doing that, some easier and argueably better than others. Softer rear leaf springs and a Mustang II independant front suspension swap is a popular and relatively easy modification, and would give your old truck a nice cushy ride your "better half" would be happy with.