My future truck?
 

I've been dreaming up a build for a truck to pull a 5th wheel trailer cross-country. Well, maybe not that far, but at least something that can haul my '62 Fairlane to the drags here and there. So I've come up with a '57-60 Ford. Like a modern truck, I'd like it to have all of the amenities of a capable hauler on today's roads and traffic mayhem. I had Bobj49f2 do his photoshopping magic for me. I like it, and now all I have to do is gather up the parts, pieces, and trucks. Here it is:

Nice, I like it.

Are you thinking of reworking a 57 to 60 frame or modifying a more recent 1 ton frame, axle, and drivetrain to suit the body?

Nice,Havi.Man,you've got more plans than anyone I know.I think BobJ is an enabler,and am sure that many FTE members wives cringe at the encouragement to addiction he gives!

Steve

photoshop? looks like the real deal to me. sounds like a good plan Havi and it looks great. looks like a lot of money to. wish i had the skills Bob has so i could photoshop the MH's and just say they are done. what kind of donors would you start with? a 57 f250 for sure and what else?

Great looking truck. Judging by the right front wheel, Bob started with a '57 one ton. Aside from the super cab, wouldn't be hard to do. Stu

I would try to stay original as much as I can. So it would be either an F500 frame, or an F350 frame. If the F350 frame holds a 9 ft. bed, and the F100/250 is 8 ft. that gives me an extra cab distance of 1 ft. or if I go with the shortbed, that's 3.5 ft. of extra cab space. I expect the F500 frame is available even longer than the F350, so then the 8ft. bed could be used, and the extra cab space would be ?? The extra cab space desired, like in the pic, doesn't look to be 3.5 ft. or 1ft. Instead it will be patterned after the '74-79 Ford Supercab. The bed to be tweaked for wheelbase, if need be, could be re-aligned like the super camper special of the later 70's as well. As you can see, I'm still figuring all of this out, but I do have a vision put to a picture now, thanks to Bob.

I should note, I was looking for a '48-52 F4, then an earlier '40-47 tonner, then back to using my uncle's F6, and so on. But it always came back to wanting the extra cab space for the long hauls, and extra passengers like a dog. The earlier trucks just didn't look right to me, with the extra cab grafted on, and IMO, didn't flow from front to back with the flareside bed. But a styleside does to me, and so that's where we are. And it had to be prior to 1962, to keep the early 60's drag theme going. Still all a pipe dream though.

Stu, Bob used a '57 tow truck 1-ton as his platform.

If you want copies from the '57 Body Builder's Layout Book do me a p.m. with your mailing address and I'll send them. That'd help you with the wheel base calculations if you start with a '57-'60 platform.

But while were dreaming, have you seen the M-H rolling chassis that's listed on CL in the Minneapolis area? Only $400, and would be a start to that Dick Cutting replica you've wanted. Stu

MARMON HERRINGTON 4X4

Wow!, they all come in droves! Thanks, Stu!

PM sent

The image of that thing rolling down the interstate with your fairlane in tow is almost more than I can bear.......It's even my favorite two tone fridge color combo. As far as frames, I remember reading, maybe in FTS05, that in '53 when they started the longer wheelbase F350 as opposed to the F3, they used the frame from the F4. The frame on my 59 F350 is similar in dimension to the frame on my 53 flareside. What I'm saying is I think the F350 frame is the same as the F500 in the fridge years. It was available in a short (130") WB like mine and a longer one, not sure maybe 157 or so. Nice to see you guys know who Dick Cutting is. I saw a reference to his site about six or seven years ago and I was blown away. And good luck on the build Havi. I can't wait to see it unfold. Hey, you gonna build a 'vintage' car trailer?

Anyone would love to have a set-up like that; especially me. But a easier way in my opinion is build a extended cab COE with a dove tail car hauler. But a 57 supercab would be awesome to have.

COE's have crossed my mind, but with the supercab, i can keep my options open for what trailer type i want to haul.

I should mention that it wouldn't be dedicated to just hauling a car. It would be dedicated to hauling anything I throw at it, which my half ton is limited on.

So I did some figuring: (it was too cold and windy do anything productive)

110" wheelbase is the shortbed, 118" is the long bed. Not a real big difference. However, the real difference is in the overhang. The longbed's front half of the bed is the 8" dif in WB, but the back half got an extra 10" over the shortbed. Basically the long bed has the axle more centered in the bedside, which gives it a completely different look. IMO, that overhang should be retained for proportions' sake wo/ getting into details why (So I'll be using the LB). The supercab longbed of the 70's is 155" WB. The regular cab longbed is 133", so 15" difference from '57. Take that from the 155" supercab, leaves me 140" for a '57 supercab. The WB of the bigger trucks in '57 was available in 142". Coincidentally, the super camper special of the '70's is 140". I could do the frame swap route (There was a '79 SCS for sale locally, I dunno if it still is) and be spot on with the WB. Or I could find the 142" WB truck, and have everything except the bed and extra cab needed for body mods. Plus not worry about axle widths of the '79. :)

The super camper special, being an F350, from 73 to at least 77, had a 34" frame if I remember right.

I'm on the lookout for a 142" wheelbase truck, now that I think I have a plan.

NICE!! If you could pull that off it would be a great tow rig. I'm thinking a juiced up 6 BT with a 6 speed.
I'd loose the vintage axles in favor of newer 8 hole style so you could have the option of alloy wheels plus get rid of the split rims. If you wanted to keep with the original solid front axle you could look for a 70s IH one ton axle or possible a 97 or earlier Super Duty front axle.