Posted the pics of my 1948 F2 in the galary
#16
07-12-2011, 11:04 PM
Hi,
Ross probably raises a good point - You can make it a good truck with a solid suspension, drivetrain, brakes - but it takes a lot of effort or dollars.
I've got a 1950 F1 over in Austin - I put a 351W in mine but that's 400 HP - I had a 289 in it previously - that would work fine or a 302 from a power stand point.
- I also put in an 8.8 inch rear axle from a wrecked Explorer - that gives you rear disc brakes & modern highway drive ratio in the back axle - both very nice to have & not hugely expensive
- That cab looks pretty rough - I'd be careful to make sure you know
what rust holes are under there. (My cab was a mess - rear corners of the cab, floor, firewall, fenders, etc.). Re-doing the cab & bodywork
costs a lot or you get to put in a lot of hours of welding, etc. (I spent $10K having someone help me fix my cab - yikes start with a solid cab).
- Front End Improvements can be expensive - At a minimum - you will want to retrofit the straight axle that's in there with new king pins, tie rods, etc. (Replacing it with new modern suspensions is a lot more work & money - $5K in my case for a new mustang II front end).
Good luck over there in East Texas - Let us know if you have more questions. Take a good hard look at it & put up some more pics of problem areas to get better feedback on what you are looking at.
Ben in Austin
Ross probably raises a good point - You can make it a good truck with a solid suspension, drivetrain, brakes - but it takes a lot of effort or dollars.
I've got a 1950 F1 over in Austin - I put a 351W in mine but that's 400 HP - I had a 289 in it previously - that would work fine or a 302 from a power stand point.
- I also put in an 8.8 inch rear axle from a wrecked Explorer - that gives you rear disc brakes & modern highway drive ratio in the back axle - both very nice to have & not hugely expensive
- That cab looks pretty rough - I'd be careful to make sure you know
what rust holes are under there. (My cab was a mess - rear corners of the cab, floor, firewall, fenders, etc.). Re-doing the cab & bodywork
costs a lot or you get to put in a lot of hours of welding, etc. (I spent $10K having someone help me fix my cab - yikes start with a solid cab).
- Front End Improvements can be expensive - At a minimum - you will want to retrofit the straight axle that's in there with new king pins, tie rods, etc. (Replacing it with new modern suspensions is a lot more work & money - $5K in my case for a new mustang II front end).
Good luck over there in East Texas - Let us know if you have more questions. Take a good hard look at it & put up some more pics of problem areas to get better feedback on what you are looking at.
Ben in Austin
#17
07-12-2011, 11:29 PM
IMO, towing a horse trailer with a horse in it at 65 with an F-1 would not be a good idea, with stock brakes or discs. There would be at least 2500 lbs behind you, with a short wheelbase truck, and a load that can move around, or get off-balance on a sudden maneuver. Any kind of a "live" load, I would want a full-floating axle (F-2 or larger) and longer wheelbase, and for sure trailer brakes. I've seen a couple of modern pickups (like F-250's) with horse trailers get into ugly accidents at lower speeds when things get "interesting" in traffic. The horse usually loses, too. Just my opinion, but I would err on the side of safety, you're not hauling potatoes.
#19
07-13-2011, 05:40 PM
