Ok, I introduced the truck a few weeks ago, shortly after it arrived from Nevada, along with a '55 F-750 flat-bed. Well, I started working on the F-350 this weekend, so this will be it's official resto thread.

The truck is my dads 1955 Ford F-350 Express bed pick-up. It's bone stock, and fairly close to all original, except for a few minor things. The goal is to go back to as "Concours" perfect as possible. After tearing the old gal down this weekend, some of her history started showing through. I found a completely blue engine, which everyone knows isn't right. I also found yellow on the tranny bell housing, indicating the original color. I talked with my dad, and he recalled the original owner informing him that the motor had been re-ringed at a Ford dealer some time in the early-mid 70s. It also had some form of a 12 volt conversion done, but remained positive ground. So, I found no cracks in any cross members, or in the front cab mount brackets.

The day after she got here from Nevada:



This afternoon:

 

When I stripped the cab, I found that it is twisted. The truck got hit hard in the front about 20 years ago. We thought the damage was limited to the front end metal, but found it to be far worse. I couldn't figure out why the perfect doors from my '53 wouldn't fit on it, and close. I noticed that the dash is pushed out on the left side, and the entire toe-board, door post area, on both sides, is actually twisted by nearly a 1/4 inch. With the rust formed in the front corners, and the twisted cab structure, I will not be attempting to fix this cab, as it will be nearly impossible to make it perfectly straight. The box is toast, as are the rear fenders. The drivers door is cracked at the front edge. The hood will get fixed, and after talking with a couple local body shops, I will be able to save the front fenders. The engine goes on the engine stand tomorrow.

 

Bummer about the cab. I look forward to watching your restoration.

 

Yeah, I wasn't to happy about it but that's the way it is sometimes. I'll keep the pictures flowing. I have to keep a photo record, as there are parts of the family that want to be able to see the old girl restored, so I'll make sure I keep it photo heavy here too.

 

Looks like a cool project to watch. So I am watching

 

Welcome to fte, its got to suck to find out the cab is a twisted beyond hope.

 

Have you thought about a port a power to bring that cab back into alignment?

 

Well first, thanks for the welcome project-55, but you're almost 10 years too late. Second, without a solid reference, I'm not sure where straight would be if I were to use a porta-power. Everything is tweaked. You can't see it in the outer skin, but the entire structural system is out of shape, and in more than one direction. It's easier to find another cab.

 

Well, the weather turned to crap here, but I did get a few things done. I picked up a donor truck from a co-worker. I checked it out, and found that the engine was a rebuilt 292, with virtually zero run time. I opened the top, and did a quick inspection, and it was like looking at a fresh crate motor. I checked the bottom real quick, and threw the fuel line into a gas can. I cranked it over for about 30 seconds, and she sputtered a bit. I gave the throttle a couple quick pumps, and the little Y-block roared to life. It purrs like a kitten, and doesn't miss a beat. For now, to save time and money in the present, I pulled it, washed it off, and sprayed some yellow on it. I still need to change the intake, and exhaust manifolds, as well as the pushrod cover (valley cover), and it'll be ready to go as a '55 F-350 engine.

 

Looks like you're making good progress Joe. And that sure was good fortune finding the 292, rebuilt and ready to go.

I've had a similar experience on mine. I pulled the 215 and took it to my mechanic friend to have him rebuild it, only to learn from him that it had already been recently rebuilt. He estimated it only had 5000 to 7000 miles on the rebuild. I had him go ahead with freshening it up, hot tank, bearings, etc, but saved considerable expense on the big ticket aspects commonly associated with a rebuild. I was thrilled. Stu

 

Very nice. She's looking good.
So, this got me to thinking. What is the difference between the car and truck Y-blocks? Other than the thermostat housing?

I sure wouldn't mind seeing a video of it running too sometime. More pictures too. This is one sickness, I don't plan on healing.

 

Yeah Stu, the engine being rebuilt was a plus. I can take my time with the original 239, and save it for a future install date. Joe, I'm not sure there is a difference between the car and truck blocks. I don't have a car parts book to check for sure, though. I'll take some pictures of the inside of the engine when I change out the pushrod cover, and intake. I'll pop the valve covers back off too. Yes, when I get back to that point, of course I'll have video of it running.

 

Well, after clearing a space in the garage, I managed to fit the truck chassis inside. Makes it a bit better, since our spring time weather doesn't know what it wants to do. I did some close inspection of the cab that came off it, and found where it was tweaked. The drivers side front bolt hole reinforcement had a slight bend in it, and the passenger side rear cab mount upper arm pocket had a slight bend. I managed to get the slight twist, and lean out of the cab, and can use. I replaced to passenger side front cowl panel, and will do the drivers side one next. I borrowed the right side door off of my '53 Big Job for a test fit, since it's a mint condition door shell, that's never been tweaked, along with its hinges.

 

I was hoping you would be able to save the cab!did the door fit? My dad made a frame bender out of a old steel I beam hinge and a port a bender! He used it in his body shop all the time.

 

Yeah, I fixed the cab. The door fit super nice. Opens without hitting the cowl, and stays straight through the whole motion. I noticed that the cab was assembled a bit loose from the factory. The spacing at all the overlapped joints is wide compared to a lot of them. The door has about a 3/16"-1/4" gap around the whole thing. My '53 cab was built a little tighter, and its gap is only about 1/8"-3/16". Oh well, I'm not too worried about it. I checked out your '56. Looks good. I posted in your thread.