all:

good evening! I have made my first progress thread to show my progress on this baby through the next few years.

If you look at my gallery you can see I have a 1953 ford f100 with a 302 from a donor mustang with a c-4 tranny. My first goal was to get her running, I installed a new intake manifold, 4 bl carb, fuel filter, reset the timing. runs decent more work is needed. I have drained and blown out of the gas tank completely dry and left the filler cap off and drain plug off for the last 2 weeks to air her out. by tuesday I will be replacing the fuel line from the tank to the new mech fuel pump i bought and install them. she shoudl be drinking fuel just fine. I also plan to do a much needed oil change.


since I am in the military I will be gone till april for work. When I come back for the few weeks I'm here I will be replacing the brakes front/back, new spark plugs and wires.

This is my first project alone with no help from pops or brother and I'm ok with that, you have to start somewhere some how.


after my few weeks back and doing that I will be gone till jan of next year for more work ( yeah military) but the bonus is that I plan to sock away around 300-500 a month for this project!


this is how I see the project going in my head

come back, drop off the body in pieces to the body shop for all work and possible paint most likely prime. Take the engine/ tranny out to work on the engine seperatly at home at my leisure and install new heads, camshaft, dist, water pump, alt, power steering pump, valve covers, new gaskets all over, oil pan etc etc. basically a new engine to be made of it. the tranny is in great working order so I'll leave that alone.

I will be buying a new radiator, not sure if I'm going to buy electric fans for it yet. Insight needed.

as for the frame. suspension will stay stock but I plan to remove leaf springs to give her a nice stance, replace shocks with bilstein shocks, maybe do the disc brake install then if not done all ready. I forget to mention clean down the frame!

Once i get the body back I plan to bolt on all the pieces minus the engine. I will wire the back from the tail lights to the cab. install a 80's gm style bench seat. put a wood bed kit in.

I'd like to put the engine in before the body but need advice on that. I liek how tim allen had a side exhaust and I may do the same, not sure yet. if not, then straight dual exhaust out the rear.


all in all I know it's a good plan but still working out when i want to put the engine in, when to put on the cab and other pieces, when to install a new wiring harness.

I guess the only problem I have is the body work. When do i do this.

Point me in the right direction if you can, lend your tips, stories and advice. I assure you this will become a truck like no other and I will have y'all to thank!


Michael

 

Good plan and nice to see another 53 getting back on the road.
Good luck with your work, stay safe!

 

Sounds like a good plan Michael. I too have a 53 and what I am doing is getting all the drive train finished first. Already installed the motor and tranny, rear end and front end completely rebuilt. Bed done but wood not installed. Now I'm working on the cab and related items. Will fit test everything then pull back off and paint, then install back onto frame. Wiring next and interior. That should do it I hope.......

 

might I suggest that you remove the FUEL PICK-UP assembly from the tank, and replace the screen filter at the bottom of the pick up tube.. probably gonna be full of almost 60 years of crud. (Yes, "CRUD" is a highly technical term used by some of the greatest wrench spinners in the industry)

Also be sure to run an extra external fuel filter that can be easily serviced, for non-race applications, I prefer the clear SPECTRE/MrGASKET style, as you can see the flow and the bronze filter.

Just my 2 cents

 

Update to this thread.

Just returned from deployment yesterday; looking to work on the truck next week for a day or two. Before I left we installed a new fuel pump, mechanical of course, re-routed the lines with rubber ( for now) and started her up, added some fuel octane and fresh fuel, she stats good but still back fires through the card at high idles or rev's. Upon further investigation we determined with the help of a timing light not all spark plugs are working properly, planning to replace them all on Tuesday, replace the rotor, and rotor cap. This should help with all around spark if anything. Lastly I will replace the points if this does not help. I'm very excited to try this out, it's been two months since I've started her so I'm sure she'll put up a fight but we'll see.

What fun would it be without a fight or challenge??

 

Update:

Came back from deployment, had some time to think abotu this rough idle, and back fire through carb. SPARK PLUGS!

I replaced all the spark plugs and sure enough she works! Still has a Rough idle but that is just a little advance timing adjustment and carb play. though she still takes off while in gear with no gas pedal touch, I think this is in part to my throttle cable may be too tight so I will adjust that at a later time and see how it works out.

 

keep the reports coming in. It is the new program, Learn while you earn.....

We all go through it. Good luck.

jim

 

Hey dude, first of all THANK YOU for your service to this GREAT country!! Second like others have said get yourself some fuel filters and take the pickup tube off the tank and make dog gone sure you get yourself a strainer/filter on the end of that pickup tube! It will pick up all kinds of trouble and crud and cause you a world of trouble. Of course you might be planning on replacing your tank with one of the new plastic tanks and new pickup tubes and stuff. But still put a new fuel filter and pickup screen on that thing. You cant be too carefull on that issue. Next do you have the cab off or plan on pulling the cab off? If so thats the the time to run new brake lines/ fuel lines replace the fuel tank paint the frame replace the cab mounts that kind of stuff. And if I were you, I would definately plan on at least replacing the springs if you dont have plans on an IFS setup for the front end and the Rear springs too. You've got to remember these springs have hauled a many a load and have LOTS of miles/rust and wear on them and their bushings.

But, I"m very paranoid about stuff breaking so take it for what its worth but these old trucks definately will improve with new springs and sliders between the springs and some grease. Lots of good info on here and only a few folks with attitudes you've got to watch out for. Not like that hamb. This is mostly a very friendly place. WELCOME!! And THANKS AGAIN!!

 

hey ..pictures...I need them to help me keep my butt in gear..and see the neet stuff going on..sounds like your doing great!!

 

Thanks for your support!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It means a lot!

update on everything for you. spark plugs replaced, now can redline and drive with no backfires at all!! Will adjust time to make smoother idle and adjust carb screws all over. I've narrowed it down to my throttle cab may be a little tight and causing it to take off when in gear, makes sense since it only does it in gear. next month when i'm back near my truck i'll play with it. i'm at Travis Air Force base playing with the Air Force this month.

my new plan is to replace all the fluids, from radiator, oil change, brake fluid, buy new brake pads (drums). then drive her home and start the work for the month i have off. i will be looking at different things to do but don't want to get ahead of myself sinc eI'm deploying again to mississippi to pick up my new ship and then off on patrol again doing the things we do.

once i'm back in Jan ( I know it's a long time away) I want to take off the body after i've sanded it down and have her media blasted and then primed. I will replace the front and back springs with some springs i've seen from people on here. about 800 for all around suspension, replace front with disc brakes and upgrade my brake booster to power. add gt40 heads, and new cam. this should give me a great power upgrade for crusing.

Once all of this is done, i will be looking into the paint. Not sure if I should send off pieces at a time or put it all back together then drop off off to paint and bring back? Ideas please send them my way.

my goal is spend less than $3,000 on the body work, engine upgrades, suspension and little things. Paint is 2-3k, and about a 1k on anything else. i'm already 600 in the bank with this so we will see how much more. i'd like to keep it under 7k through the next year and a half. Being gone on deployment will let me save what i need then see the progress happen.

That's so far hope it's what everyone thought it would be!

michael

 

sounds like a good plan. Thanks for your service.

 

it's a plan for now, but knowing me i'll come across something else that will make me alter course.

Thank you for your support!

 

Went to Kragen Auto Parts today. Picked up oil change kit, engine flush, radiator coolant, brake shoes front and rear, brake fluid.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day for the truck. I will be flushing the engine, flushing the radiator, changing the oil, adding coolant to the radiator, changing the brake pads front and rear, of course bleeding the brakes and checking for leaks, and installing the awesome mexican low rider wheels it came with

once it's running after all my work, i'll be advancing the timing with my friend and working on the fuel/air ratio on the carb, along with the idle adjustment. Adding a new dist. cap and rotor. If my theory is correct, she should be running well enough to take for another drive. Remember i drove her about a month ago once the plugs were changed out and I could rev her in the high RPM's so this should be a great change to everything. i'm really excited and will post pictures of everything and update on how she runs.

Next step is getting her from the yard home and start sanding down or at least cleaning up stuff and getting ready to store sinc ei'm being deployed again in august till the end of the year.

All in All tomorrow should be a great day!!!

 

Wow, it sucks that you don`t have much time to work on your ride between deployment assignments!

 

It's the job I chose though so I'm prepared to deal with the down sides. When I do work on the truck it's awesome! Next year I'll have enough money to just drop it off in the shop have it media blasted and painted. Then bring it home to put it back together slowly.