I am slowly taking my 54 apart and while doing so I am trying to figure out the steps in which to restore.. should I media blast first the repair like you see on tv shows, or do I do all my repairs to the frame and body then blast then paint... ... then I am looking at paints and I like way to many to make a decision ...WTF... I finally narrowed my engines down to 2 that I can get here locally which is a 460 from the 70's or a 351 cleveland from ? any suggestions.

 

Lots of options on what to do first on most of our projects. Choosing the paint color is one that most of us end up making a few years after we start the project, so I wouldn't worry too much about that now. It's a good idea to figure out what you have to start with and what you want to end up with. Keeping it stock, hotrod, show truck? How much cash are you willing to invest? Most all of us will tell you it will take lots more time and cash than you think it will.

I chose to keep mine stock and got the the motor running first. Then I went after the chassis. That included cleaning the frame, motor, etc. and painting. Repairing the brakes with new brake lines, brake cylinders, master cylinder, etc. Once I had it running, rolling and stopping. Then I went after the body.

What do you have, what do you want it to be?

Good Luck, be patient, and have fun.

Grant

 

I want to try to leave it 100% ford parts but I am sure I will use a few aftermarket things like brakes and radiator ECT.. I am only browsing paints now so I can eventually narrow it down before its time so I dont pull my hair out making a choice. I have some more frame repairs/mods to do and then im gonna box the frame before I paint it chassis black. where my first confusion is at this moment is whether to blast the frame and body before I do repairs, or do all the repairs then blast it... I just want a clean older drivable truck with some muscle...I only have a few must have items to make it complete, emblems, tailgate, inner fender panels, and window channel stuff.

 

For a driver, I wouldn't blast the frame. Doing it yourself with home type tools takes forever, and I am too cheap to pay someone else. I wire brushed mine and painted it.

Body work is an art in itself. Are you going to the body work yourself and are your skills to the point that media blasting will make that much of a difference if you are? Depending on your climate, you will probably have to prime/seal anything freshly blasted or it will flash rust.

Not against blasting at all, just trying to see what you are looking at for a finished product.

 

I was gonna rent a blasting unit and buy the proper medias for the body and frame, the body needs blasted so I figured I would do the frame while I had the equipment. I called a place here in Las vegas and he said 1500 to 1800 bucks, NO WAY I paid 1500 for the truck.. I am gonna be doing the body work myself with the aide of a friend who is a master in restoration and fabrication. before I take it to his shop I wanna make sure I am at the stage I need to be to do repairs... I am very **** about how things should look and how they get done so thats why I am looking at the blasting process...

 

Ask your restoration-savy friend what he prefers. He may feel it should be done a certain way.

 

I agree with the comment that once the metal is blasted you will need to prime it. That's part of the reason why I did mine in steps. The frame/chassis, drive-train, all before I did any work on the cab or box. It's hard to jump around and work on too many parts of the project at the same time. Some of this depends on how much space you have to work in too. I had an extra space to store parts I wasn't working on, but the shop area was a one stall garage. I hired someone to sandblast the frame and the box. The frame, springs, drive-train all needed some extra work with a wire brush on my grinder. I used aircraft stripper on the cab. I had more time than money, plus I wanted to do as much myself as reasonable. With the sandblasting, stripper and disposable supplies, I spent about $750, and many hours, getting everything down to bare metal.

Grant

 

Don't bite off more than you can chew.Start with the frame and drive train.Sand blast to clean every thing up,it makes it easy to take apart,Then you can start to put things back together.If you are using stock front end you will want to replace all bushings on the spring hangers,new king pins , heavy duty tie rod & ends.same with the rear.Then test fit your motor,trans,drive shaft,gas tank,steering box,and Exhaust.After that all gets done and works,Then paint ,Next put running gear together and roll out of the way.Now start body work. When looking for a sandblaster try someone that engraves headstones they have a blaster and some times they could use a Little extra work.

 

Hey Megadiesel,
Hmmm.. Where to start? The body work on these can take
a lot of time & money. Ex. Our sodablasting cost around $1500 - uncovered lot's of body warts that were quietly covered up previously with layers of bondo. Getting the body "right" is a pretty daunting task (years).

Your truck body doesn't look that bad in your pics - why not get it rolling, driving, & stopping & drive it for a while. What did you end up doing about that frame graft up front?

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

It's a lot easier to do a good job and see what you have if you blast first and then make repairs or modifications. As mentioned, start with your frame and go from there. Just like building a house, you need to start with a good, solid foundation before putting the roof on.

 

The most important thing is to have fun! walk away for a day or two if you are frustrated - too many guys start with all kinds of plans and burn out - again make it a fun project Good luck -post pics !!! Dave S

 

thats a lot of great advise... when I bought it I was able to drive it but once I found that the frame was cut and extended I made the call to cut it apart and make it back to stock length which is now done. I pulled the motor and trans and the front end so I have the cab and rolling chassis hanging out, I have one spot on the frame to fix. I wanna box the frame in because I like the way it looks and thats why I was curious if I should blast it so its cleaned and then paint the inner rails before I finish repairs and boxing it. I have plenty of room in the garage, even if I pulled the cab off I could still work with out issues. I have tons of time but I don't have deep pockets so thats why I am going to attempt this restore alone as much as possible, I'm a very skilled individual in the world of mechanics I just haven't ventured into the restoration process all the way... I plan on having a great time in building a truck that I will love to drive, I think I wanna got with a bomber look with the aluminum seats and flat O.D green paint. This truck is my stepping stone truck I am slowly looking for one that has not been molested to make my full stock restoration.

 

I didn't see it mentioned, but with blasting (exc. soda) it is easy enough to warp sheet metal panels. Be careful if you try it yourself! That price you were quoted seems way out of line, look out away from town where there are shops that don't have to contend with the city fathers.

 

the frame was gonna be sand blasted but the body I will use walnut or glass bead.... and I will take my time to make sure I dont get it hot..theres not many places here in town that do blasting..