Hey yall, im planning on starting a 54-56 F 100 build in a year or so and trying to get ahead while i can, so any help is appreciated.
Heres the plan...going for the street rod look BUT it will have a diesel under the hood. My main concern right now is frame strength. The power that i will be pushing will be in the 500hp and 900ft/lbs range, so i dont feel an original frame will be enough. Has anyone done frame swaps? If so what is the closest match, fitment wise?
Any other tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated...so bring it on, like i said im trying to get a head start so when the time comes i can get right at it.

 

Puller, cruzer, or? What powerplant? I think a 4BT would be plenty with room to spare for a cruzer. Not a lot of frame cutting but maybe renforce the frame in the frontfor engine mounting. Anything bigger is gonna require heavier suspension and steering mods.

 

A frame swap is a huge undertaking. It is been done, but many attempts have been sold off cheap or gone to scrap because of the problems associated with the task.
Do a search on frame swap and you should get lots of info.

I would think you would be better off reinforcing the frame, but I'm far from an expert. Those guys will be along shortly.

 

Power plant is going to be a 12V Cummins... i know need heavier duty suspension thats why one option i was lookin at is cutting down the dodge fram but i have a lot of research i have to do first

 

Its going to be more of a cruiser but it will probably see the strip every now and then

 

If I had it to do over........

I would have built my frame from tubing. Would have been much easier and cheaper than welding, grinding, and blasting all the miscellaneous holes and thin spots. It also would have been easier to adapt the front suspension.

I would have stuck with the Crown Vic front suspension. You may want to look at it for the Cummins. I think with the stiffer springs it would be fine. You could also have some custom coils made cheaper than you can buy the after market mustang 2's.

As far as the rear suspension goes............4 link hands down. I have leafs and like a moron I set my rear axle up assuming my leafs were good. Upon taking them apart for paint I found a couple broken ones. I bought new leaf packs to replace them. At that point it wouldn't have cost much more to go with the four link.

Buy a GOOD cab, spend time watching and waiting. Be willing to make the trip to get one in good condition. Get pictures and ask some of us our opinions on it prior to purchasing. You need to put your hands on it and look at everything. I bought mine on a whim and have had a time patching it.

Get a WHOLE truck, you can easily sale the parts you don't use.

 

Hey Jboy,
Hmmm...
o I like the advice - Buy the best cab you can get. Fixing a rusty old cab can take 6 to 9 months of sand blasting, welding, grinding, etc..

o 500HP - Not sure why that figure. We've got a mild cam & performance top end on a 351W - 400HP. That's overkill & it's just on the edge of making street driving a PITA.

o Rear axle swap is a pretty straight forward 2 week project to get your highway cruising speed set up.

o Replacing the front axle is more like a 4 - 6 month project. Approach with caution & lot's of thought.

I wouldn't mess with a frame swap - You'll just get bogged down. Just take a stock frame for the '56 & upgrade the axles as discussed above.

I like that big amphibious vehicle - that has to be fun!

Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Thanks yall...definitely some good advice. The main reason im looking a swapping the frame is because i dont think the 56 fame would be up to handling 900ish ft/lbs. But its worth looking in to

 

Another member here, 51dueller, has a link showing how he did a frame swap. It's for a 48 - 52 but could give you good idea of what is involved. Here is the link: 1948-52 Ford Truck Frame Swap

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

Im trying to get a little pre planning done and I cant seem to find specs for the engine bay anywhere. Would yall mind taking a few measurements for me? Im really looking for length, width, and depth of the engine bay to see if ill even be able to pull off putting a Cummins 12V in.
looking through some pics and seeing how tight V-8s can be got me kind of worried about a big I-6 that also needs an intercooler.
Thanks for the help yall

 

You have better have a LOT of fabricating experience, a LOT of time and a LOT of money to pull off a frame swap. There are none to date that have been identified as a good candidate. The stock F100 frame boxed front to rear will handle more power than you can possibly put to the ground. 500 HP is weak sauce for it. I can't help but wonder what makes you so sure the stock frame is too weak when you don't even have one yet?

AFA space, everything short of a tank engine has been put in these: Viper V10, Chrysler Hemi, Ford Coyotes, etc the engine bay is HUGE. Maybe this will help:
http://www.clubfte.com/users/earl/Re...%20Information dimension C on the frame drawing is about the engine bay from radiator to firewall, dimension A the width

 

Chip Foose's 56 F100 has a Ford Racing Crate 451 Cu in engine puting out ~ 625 HP used a boxed OEM frame. If anyone could have done a frame swap on the boss's truck if they thought it necessary, it was his build team, the best in the business.

 

You may want to start with an F-250 or 350. I think they have thicker and stronger frames. I'm working on my 1950 F-3 frame which is thicker and has two more cross members than the F-1 frame. Back in the early 60s when I was in high school my brother bought a severely abused 56 F-100 that came off of a cotton farm. It had lots of cracks in the top rails of the frame that he had patched up.
It was something else to drive as it had 3/4 turn free play in the steering, dirt for brake lining. The synchros were shot. At times I would have to pull over and start up again in first gear as I couldn't get it in any gear. The springs were worn into each other and it leaned around turns. It sure made driving to school interesting. It was black and looked very sharp though.

 

Nope frames were the same except wheelbase: F100 = 110", F250, 350 = 118" just heavier duty suspension.

 

The frames of 250 and 350 are a thicker material. I have a f100 and a f250 frame in my shop.