Thoughts ? Ideas ? Concerns ? Who's done it ?

not only being different, but will give more room to work. Is it worth it ?

 

Hi Sam...

welcome to FTE... boy you just jump off the deep end first, don't ya?

tilt front end...?? there are several on the forum that have done them... and several more that are in the middle of one. I don't even know who makes them anymore. Fairlane went belly up and they made the best IMHO. Seems like Gibbons used to make one also ...

Wanting a Tilt front end tells me you're something of a masochist... you like pain. join the crowd. They are slick and trick and cool as all get out... but the getting there is the hard part. None of the units and no one I've talked to has just slapped it up there and painted it. They are notorious for having a marginal fit... yea, it sorta wraps around the front end of the truck but there are hours and hours .. no I mis spoke... months and months of work to get to the trick/slick part.

I've had a particularly hard time getting an acceptable fit at the cab cowl.. it's like herding cats,... you fix one side and the other has moved. The lower portion of the fenders must be cut somewhere to allow the unit to flip up... either down low where the fender curls under the cab or up higher around the body line of the hood... after you cut it off you have to mold it into the cab side... to do this correctly you have to have the flip, the running boards, the bed and rear fenders in position to get the lower fender part in the right place... so plan accordingly.

the tilt mechanism isn't a big problem and is fairly easy to fabricate and actuate... that's another thing... what's gonna lift it... think about hydraulics or elec lifts or armstrong power... after that what's gonna stop it... chains, bolts... whatever...

bumper or no bumper... something to consider in your tilting equation.

the final fit is an elusive thing but we're approaching it slowly.... I have a guru body man and he's scratching his head sometimes....the lower fenders should be capped and dressed up all pretty... some type of centering pins/latches should be considered to keep it in place and stationary at highway speed...

There is a thread on here where someone was going to contrive a slide/tilt mechanism that rolled the doghouse out before flipping forward to eliminate the cut fenders... a search will find it.

As for more room ??? I thought so too but with the lower fender sticking forward the the top portion of the fender hanging down.. it's kind of a double jointed act to get in there and straddle the wheel to do the work that was going to be easier, but you're not leaning over a fender.

Is it worth it ??? OF COURSE !!! it's gonna be trick and slick and cool as the devil.. I've got some info on my site on it.

Your post count is too low for much searching I think but you can search the site using google and putting Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 1948-2011 Ford F150, Super Duty & SUV owners community and information source. Covers F100, F-150, F250, Bronco, Ranger, Explorer, Expedition, Lighting, Escape and More in the box that says site/domain... there will be more folks along with their opinions soon... there always are !

later
John

 

To build on what John has said...there are a couple of ways to go about it, one is to weld up your steel components into a one-piece assembly and the other is to go the fiberglass route. There is an issue with the lower fender clearance when the frontend is tilted. The section of the fender where the running board mounts curls under the cowl and when lifted will hit the cowl. Some split the fender above this "curl" and others have found other ways to work around it. The absolute best installation that I had ever seen of a tilt frontend was on a yellow 56 F100 at the F100 Western Nationals a few years ago. The owner/builder had motorized the tilt mechanism in such a manner as to bring the frontend forward before the tilt started...this made everything work smoothly including clearance of the cowl and the front bumper. As John has said, there is no off-the-shelf kit that you can bolt on and drive off...it's a challenge and if you like design then it's probably worth the effort.

 

John, you certainly have a way with words. If I wasn't up to my neck in my project, I'd probably not even consider a tilt front end.

One thing to consider, when the front is tilted, you can't tell that it is a lousy fit.

 

I love my tilt front end. It was made by fairlane and i use a electric actuator to raise and lower it. Julie created a whole document on using your steel fenders ect and making them into a tilt front end. I have that document saved and will email it to whoever wants it. just PM with your email address. You do have to duck under the fender to get in there but I find it provides me with allot more room and ease to work.

 

Drew.... I'm wondering why I did ! consider it... wait I know... trick/slick/cool and my orig front end is in Norway now !

and you're right... mine has a perfect fit when open !!!

what a positive way to look at it... thanks Drew...

Sam... don't let us scare you off... come join in the misery...er... party !!!

j

 

The best one to ask is GUSSO. He's a member in Sacramento that did a killer install. I suggest sending him a Private Message. Jag

 

Sam
Welcome to FTE! Check out my gallery, I have a couple of pictures of two show trucks that were at the Western Nationals 4 or 5 years ago. One is a push forward and then tilt setup like John was referencing. It is a very elaborate system that was extremely well executed. The other is a tilt with the fenders cut up high and a locating pin to lock it in place. Both are beautiful trucks!
Scott

 

a
interested in the plan for tilted front end...I've seen a manual kit but electric actuator would be neat...I have a 48 Ford F-3 not sure the process but email is res1n9k9@gmail.com

 

tee hee ...

 

If you don't use an actuator to open and close the doghouse and fabricate a fairly elaborate subframe to keep it from wracking, it's going to require two people to open and close, it will be awkward and heavy, especially if there is a breeze. You can't just weld the parts together, but must put in spacers to keep the panel gaps at their original width or the unit will be too small to fit. That space makes the unit quite flexible especially after you remove or cut the inner fender panels to allow the needed clearances. There is a ton of details that must be attended to, this is not a simple bolt together project.

 

Chuck speaks the truth.... or in the vernacular " I know that right!"

j

 

Or also in the vernacular: "Satan's in the small sh**!"

 

I spoke to a guy that had his done and he had mixed feelings about it... Didn't really help much as the inner fenders took up a lot of space... He said he thought it was more restrictive...