Hi,

First post here, but I think I'm.at the right place to start. Really interested in finding and restoring a '50-'53 F1 or F2. My question is, where do I start? Reading books, if so which books? What are some experiences with looking and buying- what should I look for in my search. What are some other resources for this era of Ford truck restoration? My goal is to restore one to like like it did originally, but with some modern safety updates. Look forward to learning and sharing my project as it evolves.

As for me, I'm a cnrrent Army Guardsman, Marketing by day, and new Dad.

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum, err, madness. JMHO, but you will not find more information anywhere than you'll find on this forum. Well thought out questions will not be ignored. The search engine works well. Get yourself a shop manual and parts book, either on CD or paper. Take the money you would spend on any other books and become a sponsor here.
Start with the best truck you can afford.

 

Welcome to the board!!

You happened to stumble onto one of the best resources for these old trucks that there is. Spend some time reading threads, looking at pictures, talking to people, etc and you'll get a good feel for these old trucks and whats involved in various styles of projects.

Here's a little bit of starter info;
1948 was the first year for the "F" designation; F1, F2, F3, etc. The new body style of truck was called "Bonus Built"
For the most part the 48-50 trucks were all the same style
The 51/52 trucks saw new grill and dashboard. The beds now featured square stake pockets and flat bed sides (this change actually occured mid year 1950 I think) previous beds had raised panels and rounded stake pockets.
The F-100, F-250, F-350, etc designations started in 1953.
The 53-55 body styles (with the exception of the grill) were pretty much all the same.
In 1956 the cab was changed (look at the doors...the side glass is now relatively square instead of sloped back like the 53-55 trucks)
The 57-60 trucks saw another change in body style. These years are lovingly referred to at the "orphan" years. They weren't very sought after for ages but have recently seen a huge increase in popularity. They are also referred to as "refrigerators" due to their boxy nature.

That ought to get you started.
Have fun
Bobby

 

Welcome.

Ray is spot on - the better the condition of the truck you start with the less time it will spend in pieces and the sooner you hit the road. There are numerous threads on evaluating the condition of trucks prior to purchase. One of them is:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...questions.html

Biggest single issue with these beauties is rust - especially on the cab. If you add your location (update the CP Profile) we'll get a sense of the local opportunities you may have available.

DW

 

Here's a good place to start: WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CLASSIC FORD TRUCK: Part 1 .: Articles
I second buying a truck in the very best condition you can afford. It's a novice fallacy that the cheaper the starting point the cheaper the build. Truth be told this is not a cheap hobby, and the trucks don't just fall together like a plastic model kit, no matter what BS you see on TV. Fact is that it costs 15-30K (depends on how much of the work you can do yourself) to put one of these trucks on the road. Doesn't matter if you buy a nearly completed running, driving truck for 10K and put another 5K into finishing/personalizing, or a 500.00 stripped out rust bucket and spend 14,500.00 replacing the missing parts and rebuilding/restoring all the rusted out sheetmetal. Body work is the most expensive part, The real difference will be how long it will take before you can drive the thing. from 6 months to a year in the first case to 10 years or longer for the basket case. If you start with a hulk, be absolutely sure you love building more than driving, have excellent skills and an abundance of long term ambition and determination.

 

Hey Rob,
Just hang around this site & see which style truck you like.
Buy the best cab you can find. It's pretty straight forward to replace & modernize the drivetrain but it takes months & $'s to get a cab rust free.

You can buy replacement beds for around $1500 - $2000, Fiberglass fenders for $270 or so. . Cabs, doors, & hoods generally aren't available as reproductions so those need to be in pretty good shape.

Good luck over there in Ohio. (Attached is a pic of our '50 F1 to encourage you toward that style).

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

He's in CA? His profile says OH. If you are in the rust belt (NE US) don't b e afraid to venture far afield to find a solid starting point. There are members here in almost any area that would be willing to check out a potential purchase for you, and shipping isn't outrageous, you can have a truck shipped cross country for 1000.00 to 1500.00 which is cheaper than the price of a couple rust free doors or fenders. I for example went all the way to NM from NC to find my rust free panel and was very glad I did it.