Planning a Project
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New User
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 15
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From: Prosper TX
Planning a Project
Hey All,
I'm new to this site and new to rebuilding Ford trucks, but I'm about to start a new project. I've recently dug my father's '53 F250 out of the mud from our family's farm and will be bringing it home this weekend. I'm planning on taking it down to the fame and rebuilding it for weekend driving and maybe a street show here and there. Now that I'm about to start my project plan, I've got some decisions about upgrades to make.
My question for everyone here is, what upgrades (and why) would you make or not make on a truck like this?
Some that I'm currently considering are:
1) Add a box on the back (it's currently a stake side)
2) Add turn signals
3) Add disk brakes (Front, Back, Both?)
4) Add an overdrive
I'm fairly certain that I'm going to do 1, 2, and 3 but I'm still on the fence on 4.
This is the truck I'm working on. (I hope the link works, if not you can see it in the photo album on my account)
I'm new to this site and new to rebuilding Ford trucks, but I'm about to start a new project. I've recently dug my father's '53 F250 out of the mud from our family's farm and will be bringing it home this weekend. I'm planning on taking it down to the fame and rebuilding it for weekend driving and maybe a street show here and there. Now that I'm about to start my project plan, I've got some decisions about upgrades to make.
My question for everyone here is, what upgrades (and why) would you make or not make on a truck like this?
Some that I'm currently considering are:
1) Add a box on the back (it's currently a stake side)
2) Add turn signals
3) Add disk brakes (Front, Back, Both?)
4) Add an overdrive
I'm fairly certain that I'm going to do 1, 2, and 3 but I'm still on the fence on 4.
This is the truck I'm working on. (I hope the link works, if not you can see it in the photo album on my account)
Last edited by Jayman_53; Aug 29, 2012 at 11:02 PM. Reason: picture update
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,599
Likes: 34
From: Rockingham, VA
Welcome to FTE! 
We love pictures in the posts (because some of us are lazy, and we need to feed our addiction)
Here's one way to post pics in your posts:
Go to Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and sign up for a free account. Then create an album for your truck. Upload any pics you want to post on FTE to that album. Have this album open on your computer when you want to post pics on FTE.
While you're making a post on FTE, select the pic you want to post from your Photobucket album. When the large version of the pic is open, right mouse click on it and select "View Image Info". The image info will be highlighted and will look something like this:
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...ghtsafter1.jpg
Copy that highlighted info (right click / copy).
When you have the spot in your post where you want the pic to be placed, select the "Insert Image" icon at the top of the post (looks like a mountain)
and paste (right click / paste) the image info you copied in the highlighted box (just shows "http://" when it opens).
Your pic will be placed in the post.
Hope that helps.
We love pictures in the posts (because some of us are lazy, and we need to feed our addiction)
Here's one way to post pics in your posts:
Go to Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and sign up for a free account. Then create an album for your truck. Upload any pics you want to post on FTE to that album. Have this album open on your computer when you want to post pics on FTE.
While you're making a post on FTE, select the pic you want to post from your Photobucket album. When the large version of the pic is open, right mouse click on it and select "View Image Info". The image info will be highlighted and will look something like this:
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...ghtsafter1.jpg
Copy that highlighted info (right click / copy).
When you have the spot in your post where you want the pic to be placed, select the "Insert Image" icon at the top of the post (looks like a mountain)
and paste (right click / paste) the image info you copied in the highlighted box (just shows "http://" when it opens).Your pic will be placed in the post.
Hope that helps.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,191
Likes: 4,800
From: Burbank, WA
Man, you weren't kidding about digging it out of the mud! If it's been axle-deep in muck for a long time, I'd make sure the frame and undersides of everything are still solid enough to be usable. Wet dirt has a way of eating steel very quickly.
Replacing the stake bed with a pickup box definitely helps take away the farmer look, if that's what you're looking to do. There's a couple of things to keep in mind, though. An F250 is a long wheelbase truck and needs a long, 8 foot bed. Those are not reproduced and finding a good one with matching fenders and running boards could be a challenge. An alternative would be taking a chunk out of the frame behind the cab to shorten the wheelbase, or finding a replacement half ton frame so you can use the standard short box. The short box and associated parts are all readily available and will make your project a lot easier to complete.
Turn signals are a must in today's traffic. No one knows what hand signals mean, anymore.
As mentioned, front discs are an improvement. Rear discs are overkill.
If you're replacing or updating the drivetrain, going with an overdrive trans is a worthwhile investment and in the big picture is no more work than setting up a different non-o/d trans.
Replacing the stake bed with a pickup box definitely helps take away the farmer look, if that's what you're looking to do. There's a couple of things to keep in mind, though. An F250 is a long wheelbase truck and needs a long, 8 foot bed. Those are not reproduced and finding a good one with matching fenders and running boards could be a challenge. An alternative would be taking a chunk out of the frame behind the cab to shorten the wheelbase, or finding a replacement half ton frame so you can use the standard short box. The short box and associated parts are all readily available and will make your project a lot easier to complete.
Turn signals are a must in today's traffic. No one knows what hand signals mean, anymore.
As mentioned, front discs are an improvement. Rear discs are overkill.
If you're replacing or updating the drivetrain, going with an overdrive trans is a worthwhile investment and in the big picture is no more work than setting up a different non-o/d trans.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,599
Likes: 34
From: Rockingham, VA
You're welcome!
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New User
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 15
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From: Prosper TX
I got the truck home this weekend, and I have good news and bad news.
The good news is my cousin decided to "help" me out without letting me know. He pulled it out of the mud (the frame is fine by the way, and so are the wheels and axles) and started the dismantling effort.
The bad news is he "got rid of" the parts that "weren't good"
. Including the engine, transmission, and bench seat to name a few. So now, I've gone from a mostly complete truck to rebuild to a search for replacements for missing parts...not to mention I now have no pictures of how things were before they were taken apart...he's made a tough job muck tougher...but not impossible.
More good news is that most of the body is solid, only spots that are rusted through are on the back corners of the cab and one small spot on the passenger's side floorboard, and the gas tank was rusted through and "gotten rid of".
Anyway, here's a picture of it on the way home. Most of the parts are in the cab because there was plenty of room without the seat
The good news is my cousin decided to "help" me out without letting me know. He pulled it out of the mud (the frame is fine by the way, and so are the wheels and axles) and started the dismantling effort.
The bad news is he "got rid of" the parts that "weren't good"
. Including the engine, transmission, and bench seat to name a few. So now, I've gone from a mostly complete truck to rebuild to a search for replacements for missing parts...not to mention I now have no pictures of how things were before they were taken apart...he's made a tough job muck tougher...but not impossible.More good news is that most of the body is solid, only spots that are rusted through are on the back corners of the cab and one small spot on the passenger's side floorboard, and the gas tank was rusted through and "gotten rid of".
Anyway, here's a picture of it on the way home. Most of the parts are in the cab because there was plenty of room without the seat
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Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,661
Likes: 23
Did he paint it up a bit too? Thankfully almost every part of these old trucks are being reproduced. It sucks not having original pieces even if they would have needed to be replaced, but in a way it also frees you up to put whatever you want in there too. Don't worry about figuring out how it went together, many people on here will be able to provide detailed pictures, measurements, how tos and everything else you could need.
How did he get rid of the old parts? It's a shame on the powertrain, you wouldn't have gone over 50mph with it, but they where bullet proof . Someone on here might have a good one for you, many of us swap them out for more power .
Great looking project, excited to see it come together. Besides if all goes according to plan its not really a build, who knows, not having the parts you would have used might have been a God send in the end of it all.
How did he get rid of the old parts? It's a shame on the powertrain, you wouldn't have gone over 50mph with it, but they where bullet proof . Someone on here might have a good one for you, many of us swap them out for more power .
Great looking project, excited to see it come together. Besides if all goes according to plan its not really a build, who knows, not having the parts you would have used might have been a God send in the end of it all.
Logistics Pro
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,793
Likes: 19
From: Austin
Hey Jay,
Welcome Aboard! That's a nice looking truck - much better all freed up
from that mud! I had to look up Prosper, Tx - You are up by McKinney according to google.
There are patch panels for the cab corners - pretty much everyone on here had fun with those. We also had rusted floor boards on the passenger side - there are remanufactured floor panels also. Nice to see your cousin left you with the doors & hood - those are harder to come by!
What did he do with the stuff "that was no good"? There are a lot of choices for seats - there is an article up in the "new guy section" that outlines what will fit which years. I used an S-10 seat I found already reupholstered out of Houston.
Nice to have you here. Good luck over there.
Ben in Austin
1950 F1, 351W, AOD
Welcome Aboard! That's a nice looking truck - much better all freed up
from that mud! I had to look up Prosper, Tx - You are up by McKinney according to google.
There are patch panels for the cab corners - pretty much everyone on here had fun with those. We also had rusted floor boards on the passenger side - there are remanufactured floor panels also. Nice to see your cousin left you with the doors & hood - those are harder to come by!
What did he do with the stuff "that was no good"? There are a lot of choices for seats - there is an article up in the "new guy section" that outlines what will fit which years. I used an S-10 seat I found already reupholstered out of Houston.
Nice to have you here. Good luck over there.
Ben in Austin
1950 F1, 351W, AOD
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,191
Likes: 4,800
From: Burbank, WA
I, too, am curious where your cousin 'got rid of' the stuff to. If it's some local scrap dealer there's a chance you can get it all back. You probably don't want the gas tank, though. They're cheap to replace and having a new one is good insurance for peace of mind for a good running truck. It eliminates one thing that can contaminate your system and cause you never ending driveability problems and grief. That's the one favor he did do for you. 
For being as neglected as it was for so long, it looks like a pretty good starting place for a great project.
For being as neglected as it was for so long, it looks like a pretty good starting place for a great project.
FTE fan
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,674
Likes: 11
From: paradise, northern calif.
Welcome home Jayman, you have got yourself a nice project, but you might ask your cousin to pump his brakes and slow down a little. Your going to have a lot of fun bringing that beautiful ole Gal back to life, and all of us fello FTE'rs will enjoy watching and helping as you do it.
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