Beautiful truck, glad you stuck with the patina look. How did you make up the headliner, looks as if it was done in patches? I'm hoping to make a headliner for my 54 and maybe build something similar for a template to later cover.

 

Thank you and the headliner is actually a reproduction kit of the original style and it's made in several sections. It's made of dyed cardboard with some vinyl trim stitched into the edges.

 

Bad *** project, I've always like that body style

 

Nice work you guys are doing. The truck is looking great. Just wondering why you didn't go with a crown vic IFS on the front. Was it a matter of cost? I just purchased a 57 F100 to rod and I think Im going to go with IFS and the 8.8 in back like you did. Coincidentally I paid $650 my 57. I started a thread on mine in the projects forum too. Mine will be in storage till spring before I start anything on it. Im along for the ride on yours.

edit: I might just answer my own question to you on the CV IFS suspension up front. I just read that it wont work on the earlier trucks as the frame is not the proper width.

 

badass! Love the way your going with this. Sub'd

 

Very nice job, looks super cool. Bets you get lots of thumbs up.

 

Subscribed.

 

So after having driven the truck a fair amount, I've realized the original suspension leaves much to be desired so I'm now in the process of installing a mustang 2 ifs using a Heidts crossmember, tubular A-arms, and 2" drop spindles everything else is
generic parts and for the rear, a semi-universal 4 link kit.

I say semi-universal because even though they claim it's bolt-on for the 48-52 F1 trucks, only 2 holes on the frame bracket actually locate, everything else you have to match drill and the links set the wheelbase about 4.5" too long,
but nothing that anybody with some basic to moderate fabrication experience can't readily deal with.

But on to the good stuff...a bunch of mockup

 

been progressing on the truck and got the rear suspension wrapped up and began changing the look of the motor from bright and flashy to a cleaner more subdued appearance

with the 4 link/panhard setup and the sway bar the rear of this truck is rock solid, i can't wait to drive it again

 

Little update from last night, i set the motor and transmission in place for mockup purposes to build new mounts but also to see what the weight of it all would do to the springs because they were sitting very high without any weight, but it compressed nicely with the motor in there.

You can also see the new aluminum radiator in the background, I'm swapping out the brass sprint car radiator because it just wouldn't cool unless I was moving even with a fan on it.

 

Making some good progress this weekend, finished the new motor mounts and got the steering together and working great, this thing turns with ease even with a manual rack.

These motor mounts are a universal kit made by an offroad fabrication company so they are super beef, everything is 1/4" wall.



This was an extended motor mount bracket I had to make because one bracket of each mount was on the crossmember but the other had to extend about an inch to the frame.

I just backed up the thinner longer tab with the thicker shorter tabs that came with the kit so this whole piece is 3/8" thick, like I said earlier, BEEF.



And here's the steering.



It's a tight fit but everything clears nicely and nothing binds. I hadn't welded the support bearing bracket in this picture yet.

The bracket is made from some square tube cut in half and a 3/4" hole drilled through for the threaded end of the bearing, simple but effective.

 

I got the front end pretty much wrapped up for good over the weekend, bearings are packed and it's all painted.

Still need to mount the front sway bar and install all the grease fittings in the ball joints and tie rod ends

I touched up the main frame rails with black but taped off the new crossmember and clearcoated it, the A-arms, and the knuckles to contrast it against the black.

 

nice upgrade

 

thank you, it should be real close to running by this weekend or next

 

The truck is finished...for now at least..., however I can't drive it because it's now so low that even a 1/4 turn either way starts ripping rubber off the edge of the front tires so a better fitting set is in the works.

So in the meantime here's a few more pictures.

The new radiator, shroud, and flipped fan.


I simply couldn't cover up that nice logo on the crossmember so that's all clear coated as well, the bottom is simply black.

You can also see my now non-leaking Milodon oil pan, I should've never skimped on the pan the first go around because there's truly a reason you pay for quality and fitment.



And just a teaser of what's to come, another '48 my buddy and i picked up for $900, a free TCI '32 Ford(I believe) frame, he has a sprint car motor being converted to pump gas and running a built th400.

This one will much more rodded than my blue truck.