Ken, I'm not 110% sure on your era truck, but the 60's F-Series will accept the entire IFS off a 2003 or so Crown Victoria.

Literally slides right on, and just needs a couple bolt holes drilled.

 

Great build thread! and I like your safety comments! It should be a great truck once it's together.

 

Your build thread is great. I am new to this and wished I had taken more pics as it went along over the last year plus. I will put more in writing to keep better records. Thanks for the schooling in how to keep up with the restoration. My Dad was in North Africa and Italy with Patton, Purple Heart and more. I just wished I had recorded more of his remembrances and stories directly before he passed so I had them in his words and not my memories. I think our Dads would have had a great respect for each other.
53-55s were a family tradition but the one we have now relates to my wife's Dad and his 40 years with the telephone company in Tennessee.

 

I have enjoyed reading all the details and history. Very well written. I am subscribed. Also rated thread and sent reps.

 

I was looking at my 55 and it seems that the front cab mounts attach to the door hinge pillar area. Maybe I can get a pic later, I will try.

 

I'm subscribing to this to see the outcome. Besides, it's a really good story.

 

Sir, you have an awesome life. Sounds like you and that truck have been through a lot. I look 'Ford' to following your progress! As was mentioned earlier, I like your safety notes and tips, as well as your attention to detail. *Subscribed*

 

This is what I like to see. Another saved from the demise of a **** box
350! 239's and 337's rule. Be proud bro, nice pics. So you too had a
bout with a tailgate? I got permanent damage caused by being stupid.
as if I dont have backhoes and loaders. No, us two going to lower my F900
tailgate down for a like big mud flap to slide the salt / sander in. so we lost it
all 500lbs came down on me and stuffed me into the air brake can. woke up\
with tubes and electric wires jamed in me. They said the fire dept. got me
out pinned under the truck. At my age, I aint smartined up yet. I write this
for everybody, "when sometimes working alone in the shop, then a wild machine
bites ya and the phones 50 feet away = who ya gonna call. You just might be
found next week bled to death. Poor girl in Boston college got her hair caught
in a lathe and killed her"""""" Sorry I just had to say this execellent work.
and I dont want to sound like a saftey **** but??
samuel

 

New girlfriend Ken?

Must have one helluva grip.

 

I think there are a couple of trucks here in the '48-'56 forum with that mod. There are also a couple with Volarie front ends as well.

I looked at installing an IFS, but decided to stay with the straight axle, just in case I ever wanted to put it all back original.

 

Cool story, Awesome build. Subscribing

 

I won't get much done on the truck this week because of work, but I made some small headway last week.

On the South end I got the clutch and all the clutch linkage installed and pre-adjusted. There's no point in thinking it's adjusted until the cab is on. For final adjustment I need the pedal resting against the bottom of the floor pan, and I need to drive it and see where it hooks up. (After 2 years the driving part sounds pretty awesome)

Two things I did that cost me time and aggravation were install the clutch plate without a pilot tool, and install the whole clutch assembly with the engine sitting on the truck frame. I've never had a pilot tool, so I've always eyeballed the clutch plate into place. The only time it costs is having to maneuver it around after the pressure plate bolts are started. I've never missed this way, but it adds a couple of steps. Save yourself some time and get the pilot tool. Some clutch sets have one with them.

Because the bell housing is the rear engine mount, it's built so you can install the clutch with it in place. With the bottom cover off you have access to the pressure plate bolts for torquing. I made the installation a little easier by cutting off some old bolts to use as pilots to hold the pressure plate in place while I started the other bolts. Then I replaced the pilots with bolts and torqued everything to specs. Again, save yourself some time and trouble by installing the clutch assembly before you set the engine on the frame. Trust me, it's easier.

I knew the transmission was good, as I had gone through it for the 3.0 build. I still took off the cover to get another look, and everything still looks good. I installed all new gaskets and seals, then cleaned and painted the housing. I repainted it black, but honestly I think it would have looked better Ford Gray, like the other engine parts. What's done is done, I'm not changing it.

I also pre-adjusted and bled the brakes. I had a minor leak at the brake light switch, but it was no biggie. I used some chemical resistant thread tape and it was good to go.

On the North end I got the alternator (GM type single wire) installed and adjusted. I don't remember where I got the alternator and bracket, but it was on eBay about 10 years ago. I also got the fan and pulley painted, installed, and adjusted.

The distributor is a Procomp Electronics, model PC8574. It will be controlled by a Mallory Hy-Fire-6a control box. It's the same set-up it had for 3.0, so I know it works well.

The carbs, fuel pump, and oil filter can are sitting on the engine just to get measurements. They still have to be cleaned, rebuilt, painted, whatever. I've never liked any of the optional air filters for the 2x2 carb set-up, so I'm going to make my own out of aluminum. It will be based on an oval Fram filter type 385. It should provide good air flow, proper filtration, and look better than the other options. We'll see.

I knew one of the upper radiator hoses always leaked, but thought it was the rubber hose. Turns out one of the thermostat housings is cracked. I wanted them painted, but ending up ordering a set of polished aluminum. They were $10 cheaper (each) than the repop steel ones. If I don't like them I can always paint them later.

Pictures:

 

Hi Ken. You wouldn't happen to have the old roof panel with the sunroof that you removed years back would you? I need about 1/4 of the roof panel over the passenger door. I had a tree fall on my '53 and gave it a nasty crease around the door frame and corner of the roof that I cant repair. I feel like it would be easier to weld in a patch than try to hammer that one out.

 

No, I sure don't. I had to scrap that truck about 18 years ago.

I wish I had it back because I've got a small rust-out between the windshield and drip edge that would be easier to replace than repair.

 

Hi FE Trucker, I just wanted to follow up on the cab mount cup query that I posted on your build thread. I had purchased new "Upper Cab Mount Cups on
Top of Large Rubber Mounts" (as they are referred to in the Dennis Carpenter catalog). These are the cups welded to steel plates that are intended to be welded on the bottom of the floor and the inside of the rocker panel. All the parts people carry some version of these parts. I found absolutely no evidence that this piece of sheet steel welded to these cups was ever part of my original truck. I had some rust at my floor pans, but not enough to erase the welding that would have been required to attach these. When I took the cab off the frame, the cups were loose between the floor and the big rubber pad assembly. As I asked around on this forum, most folks said that the configuration with the extra piece of of sheet metal is part of their cab mount design. I called Dennis Carpenter and asked about how they intended these pieces to be used. I was told that these mounting pieces are based on patterns taken from original production vehicles. I don't know why my truck never had them. Maybe it was something that was inserted sometime in the middle of a production run. I asked the guy at Dennis Carpenter about the space created between the floor sheet metal and this part. I was told that the weight of the cab would be enough that so that the plate would come into contact with the floor pan. At any rate, I've finally come around to accepting the consensus view that Mr. Ford intended these trucks to use these plates. I guess that the additional sheet metal does help to reinforce the floor pan, though by design, it looks to me like the front body mounts inside the cab pick up the weight of the cab and direct it to the upper frame mount cups; the floor doesn't hold the weight of the cab, just the driver's feet (as far as I can tell). For what it's worth, my truck rolled off the assembly line in Long Beach, CA. You say that, like me, you see no evidence that your tuck ever had these extra sheet metal plates. Just out of curiosity, where was your truck produced?