Very well said Stephen! I love my Ford but it had a SBC in it when I got it. I don't care, it runs and mine will never be in a show. I have all kinds of parts that aren't genuine Ford. Ididit column, lokar shifter, GM coded wiring, aftermarket gauges, etc.
Wally, you truck looks great! And it is yours, so who cares what somebody else thinks. And if a judge just walks by a really nicely done truck because it has the "wrong" motor then they are missing out on some great work. Just my opinion...

 

I usually ask them where they have parked there own vehicle, and 9 times out of 10 find that its at home or some other BS.
And those that are so one eyed to not appreciate some elses considerable efforts, Geez honestly, who cares what they think.
Heck, i am putting all Lexus running gear in mine, good thing i dont care what anyone else thinks cos its my truck and they dont have to drive it. LOL

And Lucille looks just great to me, enjoy her. John

 

The sticker is a good idea. I'll put one on my F100 that says "I'll replace the SBC if you give me a complete Ford ECO boost drive train".

 

Or: "when you're paying for it I'll put in whatever you'd like!"

 

I've had many "gas pump discussions" with old geezers like that who will literally try to stand there and tell me that my truck is a 51 or 52, for example. It drives me insane.


Wallster, I wouldn't apologize to anybody about it. Like everybody else says--it's a very pretty truck. If it suits you, that's all that should matter. But I'm afraid your decal will only escalate those moans and groans from the crowd and open the door to more "debates" at the car shows in my opinion.

When it comes to this type of subject, there is only one thing that absolutely makes me want to scream. And it's got nothing to do with a Ford with a Chevy engine, vice versa, etc. The one thing that absolutely makes me get nauseated is when a guy buys a perfectly restored original truck knowing that he's gonna chop it up and build a highly-modified street rod. I'm not talking about somebody who pulls a flathead at the beginning of a restoration or decides he wants an IFS, air-conditioning, etc. for practical purposes. I'm talking about the people who purposely seek out a FINISHED vehicle and turn it into a heavily darksided chopped, dropped, tubbed rocket ship. Believe it or not, there are still PLENTY of unfinished trucks out there for this purpose. Nothing wrong with rocket ships. I just hate to see a perfectly restored original go that way. That goes for all vehicles of the era (whether they're Fords, Chevys, etc.). Sorry for the hi-jack. That's just my 2 cents. (Wait and see--somebody will read this wrong and say that I'm against street rods, etc. even though I own one myself.)

 

I hear you... a few years ago, I owned a pristine 1973 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, it looked (and ran) like a brand new bike. Regardless, the market wasn't as interested in these old stock bikes as much as it was embracing the chopped bobber style bikes. I stripped the bike down to a rolling chassis and planned on chopping it but I just couldn't do it. I ended up reassembling the bike and left it all stock. As far as the sticker is concerned, I guess I want a little controversy since people will form their own opinions anyway, why not rev them up first. I used to build motorcycles and take them to shows. We'd sit there for hours while people walked by and looked at them. Most of the time the winners belonged to guys who spent huge money on custom built bikes that were only ridden from the trailer in the parking lot to the show area, then they went back into the trailer. Since that point, I decided that I wasn't going to "show" the truck (or any vehicle), since it felt like a waste of my time, I'll just drive her around town and gracefully take the thumbs up or "nice truck" comments here and there. When I attend a crusing event, the hood stays closed, let 'em guess what's under there!

Wally

1951 F1 - "Lucille"

 

Well if your intent is to bait an argument/discussion, I think your decal will be successful.

 

Sorry, but I can't blame any rodder for trying to use the best truck he can find for his project. If I could find and afford a perfectly restored truck and turn it in to a darksided truck I would do it in a heartbeat...course, I'm more of a restomod guy so my idea of darkside is pretty tame compared to chopped and tubbed!

I've always said there is no such thing as a car or truck too nice to make a rod out of...

 

SBF, SBC, SOB, good ol' BS
why are breast implants so popular then? not original either, are they?

To each their own.

 

Older restorations are great rod material. Sell what you take off to other restorers to keep the cycle going. A pure restoration of a fairly common utilitarian vehicle doesn't really tingle my jockeys. Interesting for historic reference in a museum but I wouldn't want to own it.

 

I still think you should just go and play ..more fun then debaiting motors...

 

Shoot....... Lucille don't need to apologize to nobody....period....I wouldn't have that sticker on her...makes her look ashamed...not cool...those people that get the ambition to shake their heads and walk...let them walk their frustration off to somewhere else...She is all good in my book!

 

First, a few things to get out of the way;

1) Great looking truck. Glad that you're keeping a classic piece of Ford metal on the road & enjoying it.

2) You bet it's your truck & you have every right to do with it what ever you want to with it.... Anything. Run what ever engine you want, chop & channel it, put 22s on it, bag it and drag frame, turn it into a rat-rod or cut it up into individual parts & sell it off if any of that makes you happy.

3) Its great that you have the support of so many here who AGREE totally with my above sentiments.

However...

You consciously made/make a decision to go into the public eye and by virtue of:

.... in order to seek approval, recognition & praise for what you have.

Now, I've got to be honest. I'm one of those guys. Can't help it. Can't give you a complete pass. If you were my neighbor, I'd gladly help you turn wrenches on your truck, but I'd never stop giving you grief over you chivy powered classic Ford. I'm in my mid 50s & I've owned a total of two (2) non-Fords in my life, (Still have most of one & it'll get Ford powered one of these days) that's how blue I bleed. I see a SBC in a classic Ford & its "Oh my Lord, not another one". I walk up to a Ford at a show, cruise night or wherever & see a non-blue oval under the hood & I spend approximately 1/10th the time admiring the rest of the workmanship of the vehicle. Nothing new to see here... Not man bites dog, just dog bites man for the umpteenth jillionth time.

I'm not trying to beat you up or be ugly & mean. Its just a question of choices. You chose to buy the truck you have & display it in a manner to seek approval. That the recognition you get is what it is & the approval is not to the level you think you deserve as such and requires an apology printed on the firewall is indicative of those choices.... but don't blame us for our feelings & opinions.

Once again, nice truck & good luck with it.

 

Well said David...

 

David, great post and I don't mind a little ball-bustin'. One of my best friends is a Ford guy through and through. The first thing he said was "who the hell puts a SBC into a classic Ford truck?"... to be honest, I would have stuck with Ford stuff myself but I'm not going to tear everything out and start over if it starts and runs. I think the sticker is more fun than controversial. Nobody's taking a leak on logo's or anything, just pointing out the obvious for those look under the hood. I wish you were my neighbor (I can alsways use an extra set of hands), people can agree to disagree and still be friends. In the end, the guy who pays the bills should be able to do whatever they want to their ride and if someone's feathers get ruffled, that's the breaks.

(Ironically, NOBODY has ever said a word about the Chrysler radiator!)

Wally

1951 F1- "Lucille"