I have aquired a 1951 ford. It has no motor or transmision. The previous owner put the body on a corvet frame and it also has a fiberglass clip for the frontend so going back completly original is out of the question..I have a 1984 300/6 cylinder and an automatic transmission in my possesion that i want to put in the truck..The truck has no wiring harnes. If i buy a harness for the 51 model truck will it all wire up with the 1984 motor? I know i'll be asking some dumb questions over the next few months but i am not a real mechanic so please bare with me. Any advice is greatly apreciated! Thanks

 

Welcome! I like the handle 'becauseican' - nicely summarizes the attitude for many of us and our old iron.

Your question on the wiring harness is interesting. The original stock versions were intended to meet the needs of a simple truck with one tail light, no turn signals, a couple of dashboard gauges on a 6 volt system. Since you'll not have the option of staying stock, it wouldn't seem that a replacement harness would get you too far.

I'm a bit curious about how you'll approach the engine/tranny install. As I am also not a mechanic, mine would be to rely on the stronger skills of a brother. Do you have a guru available as well?

Oh, and we need pics!

DW

 

Welcome to the madness! Someone MUCH smarter than me will be along shortly to answer your questions. I am not familiar enough with 51's and the use of a Corvette frame. Someone around here should be though. Make sure you post some pics too, we love pics! Good luck!

 

Welcome -- Best advice anyone have me was HAVE FUN ! If you get frustrated walk away for the day it's a hobby

 

welcome!!!
if I wuz u i'd forget about the 300/6cyl. you've already got a perfect excuse to put in a chebby motor and trans....so why not? if its the $$$ then go right ahead but adaption to that frame may not be what u want...in my truck I stayed true to the ford stuff but that wuz my choice. like the guys said before me...have fun with it and get friendly with someone that knows how to turn a wrench. I learn every time I go out to the garage with my mechanic/friend. AND, i'll say it again....pictures, pictures, pictures. we all have a very narrow mind thing going on
qman

 

Hi, howdy, welcome, hello. Im really looking forward to some pics. of your truck,years ago I had a vett. and it cornered like it was on rails, and very low. Sounds like fun.

 

Welcome!

Thee place to start is with a camera. Take pictures of everything you can. Before you take it apart take pictures of every bolt and how every little thing is aligned. More than likely 95% of these pictures will not be needed, but it saves a tremendous head ache with that 5% that you need to know exactly how something once went together. And it's often something silly, like a bolts placement. And if nothing else all these photos will prove just how much work you put into it, something that can be very helpful and cool.

 

Welcome to the forum, this place has members who can help. My 2cents are this: I think your best bet for a wiring harness would be an aftermarket from Painless or EZ2Wire or Rebel wire or American Auto Highway wire. Probably a 20 or more circuit kit. They all have color coded wires, and are marked about every foot which makes it fairly easy to do. You will have to make your own motor mounts and the 300 inline 6 is fairly long so you may need to make room with a firewall remodel. Others on here will know more, but with the Corvette frame there is no telling without many pictures. You can get a Photobucket account and provide a link, probably the easiest way for pictures when you first start here.
Speedwaymotors.com is a good place to look online to get some ideas, they sell many brands of lots of hot rod type parts. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the replies. i am a bit confused about the engine mounting to the corvet frame.would a chevy motor and trany mount easier than a ford motor? also i might can buy a 302engine. would the 302 fit better than the300?

 

yes a chevy engine will bolt into a corvette frame easier than a ford.

can you post some pictures?...it will help members answer some of your questions.

 

What year Corvette? Any Corvette I'm familiar with has a much shorter wheelbase than an F1.

 

The Corvette C5 wheelbase is 10 inches shorter than an F1. If it really has a vette frame then they must have lengthened it or maybe it is a ratrod

 

I'm certainly not the guru you need for your project but I will offer you my moral support.
You have inherited someone else's dream and a half built project without knowing the PO's plan, so the first thing I would suggest you do is take stock of exactly what you have, compare that to what you want, then come up with a plan to get there.
A project like yours can seem daunting but if you do a lot of thinking before you jump in and start doing this or that, it will end up saving you a lot of time and wasted money in the end.

Good luck, welcome to the forum, and take lots of photo's.

Gary

 

Or more often someone else's nightmare. A project that was started by someone with no understanding of what they were doing that quite likely should not or never will be able to be completed.

Unless you are planning on building an expensive lawn ornament, the very first thing to do before picking up a tool or pulling a dollar out of your wallet is to figure out if you have a viable title to the "?vehicle". A vehicle is titled by the chassis, not the body. You need to be in possession of a title to an YYYY Corvette serial # ******* where ******* is the same number stamped on the chassis in several places (I don't know where they stamped Corvette chassis of your year but you should be able to find out from a state police officer or your DMV or many body shops and salvage yards). Next have that friendly officer run that number thru the DMV system to see if it has been reported stolen. If it has, just hand it over to the authorities and walk away, otherwise they will come confiscate it, no matter how much work or money you have invested into it, and possibly charge you with possession of stolen goods.
If the title is clear, then immediately have it transferred to your name.

My honest assessment?: If you are not a "real mechanic" with a lot of tools and major equipment as well as a large place to work that you can tie up for several years, this is NOT the project for you! This is a MAJOR undertaking for a very experienced builder. If you want to build a truck, save your money until you find one that is complete and unmolested or is already running and driving. It may cost more up front, but will be a lot less expensive in the long run, and have a reasonable chance of ever seeing the road again. Typically the most expensive builds are the ones that started with a "cheap" beginning.

 

Here are a few pictures that i hope can help. I am about convinced to go with a chevy motor and trany i just hate the thought of a chevy motor in a ford body but oh well. I have no idea what year model the corvette frame is. I really do appreciate all the comments, Its all great advice.





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