I am an investor. I often haul things across state lines such as cars, trucks, and PWCs. I like to ride in classic JEWELS and look good going down the road. I'd love to be able to tow/haul in a classic. Plus, I can't afford my dream truck- an F250 King Ranch (400 ponies- i'd rather be strokin than cumin!).


Vehicle is a 1951 FORD F5 FLAT-BED DUEL WHEEL. 255 4.2L under the hood.

My understanding is that's around 125 ponies. Quite under equipped for maybe even hauling mulch! Just off the top, what mechanically would need to be done to retrofit this truck for highway travel? The body and frame is in GREAT, solid shape. What a looker this rig is!


Also, from my understanding these old large classics can be very dangerous if rode hard and put away wet like the trucks of today. Can you guys explain the dangers of these beautiful pieces of american craftsmanship?

I have a lot to learn in this area. Any input you guys can give me can help.

 

HI .. and welcome to the world of old trucks...what do you want to haul at what speed ??how much work can you do ?? or will you have a shop do the work ???it's not hard to upgrade your truck ..there is lot's of room under there ..late model brakes and drive line will fit one fellow here has swapped a Cat 3208 Ford truck running gear and frame under his body ..or you can stay stock and run a little slower ,like I do with mine ..and they arn't dangerous you just have to think and plan what your doing with no power assist ,or 400 hours power ..your truck serviced a working company for years .. it can still do that .. just with a little pampering ,..good luck ..

 

IMO these trucks have been outdated for regular daily use for over 40 years. They are slow and are relatively hard to get parts for. These two factors alone make them very poor candidates for daily, long haul business usage. In their day they were considered top of the line trucks but in their day 40-50 mph were top speeds and there was less traffic. Today you have vehicles that can do three times the work in half the time and cost. In business time is money and these old truck will cost you time in both usage and upkeep.

Upgrading the components like axles and brakes isn't easy on the bigger trucks. The WM wheels are the first thing that has to be dealt with. Safe replacement wheels aren't easy to find and aren't cheap. You can swap out the rear axles fairly easy with a newer part but the front steering is another story. As far as I know there is not easy swap to a newer steering set up. These old trucks are outside frame steer, newer trucks have wider frames and are inside the frame steering. Swapping a new power plant is the easiest upgrade but you still have to contend with the other parts of the truck that aren't as easy to change.

If you really want the look of a classic your best bet is to transplant the sheet metal to a newer chassis. Frame swaps are frowned on by many on this board because they rarely go well. Although there have been a few successful swaps they take a lot of fabrication skills and money to do one and have a safe, dependable vehicle. If you aren't able to do a great percentage of the work yourself you're talking a lot of money, probably almost as much as it would take to buy your F-250 King Ranch.

 

Welcome! Any pics of this truck your talking about? We love our pics here! What repairs or upgrades have been done? What kinds of roads are you talking about driving on? How far and fast? Speed is your greatest evil on these old trucks. Drum brakes are good, but upgrading to disk is the great improvement. Some people on here have gone to the rear disk at the time of doing an axle swap, but haven't heard of this on a dually axle. As others have mentioned the WM are a dangoues rim and it's hard to find a shop to change the tires. Also I haven't heard of anyone that have done a 8 lug front disk brake convertion yet. There are a couple of guys that have nice COE that are set up for hauling and might be able to help you too.

 

Welcome! The bottom line is anything can be done, the sticking point is what are you willing to spend money on, and how much are you willing to spend. There are quite a number of old trucks that have been converted to modern haulers, especially COEs, but don't expect it to be a quick or low budget solution to your hauling needs. It's done out of love for the classic design and/or desire to attract attention. If you can't won't do your own upfitting and maintenance, and your truck is mission critical to your livelyhood, then you really should bite the bullet and buy modern. You can't pull in to any truck stop in East Overshoe and expect they will have the parts on hand or readily available to repair say a slipping clutch or replace a leaky wheel brake cylinder on a 60 year old truck or have anyone who knows how to do it.
On the other hand, if you have the money to invest, putting a beautiful antique dress on a model will make her memorable and stand out in a crowd of other models.