Hey Littlegram,
In answer to your question on where to find the rear end with better gearing - Salvage Yards. We used a 2001 Explorer 8.8 rear axle with 3.73 gearing which we found at a salvage yard for $125. You may have to rebuild the brakes, new discs, new shocks, etc. So it comes out to more. There is an article on the site up at the top for New Builds that will give you the years to look for the 8.8 or the 9 inch.

We chose this specific 8.8in. axle because - we got rear disc brakes, the 3.73 gearing for highway cruising, it had limited slip. The Explorer 8.8 in axles come with more splines than the Rangers & others - a bit beefier. Keep in mind the 8.8 has the car lug pattern so your wheels will have to change or you will have to use adapters. If you are going to keep the stock front end I'd go with a Ford 9 inch rear axle with same truck stud pattern as you currently have.

I've attached a pic of our rear end fresh from salvage - It doesn't look like much but it cleans up fine.

Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

What 5 spd manual are you running?

 

Did you use the Explorer springs also?

 

I think it is called a world class T5. I'm using a Hurst shifter with it

 

Hey 66 F100,
We did use the Explorer 3 spring set up & we also used the emergency brake as our truck didn't have an ebrake when we bought it.
I wasn't sure how the Explorer spring set up would work - going from 8 spring pack (original 1950) to the 3 spring pack for the Explorer.

It works fine - we've hauled stuff, driven it approx. 13000 miles around town. We may upgrade the rear suspension at some point but it isn't near the top of the list.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1 (351W/AOD)

 

Littlegram,
What are you going to do with the spare mount and drivers side fender?

 

Thanks for all the replies - it is appreciated and very helpful. I think you all may have convinced me to forget the 302 for now and front end swap. I have next to no skills so I have to take it slow. I do really like the idea of keeping everything close to stock and I do not want to cut the frame unless absolutely necessary.

Couple questions: I was looking at ways to learn how to do some engine and body work the right way. I can only think of taking classes at a community college or asking a shop if I can work for free and do all the cleaning and grunt stuff if I can learn some things. I really don't know if shops allow this. What are your thoughts? I have a neighbor who said he would show me some stuff. My two friends that have done this for a living are in Detroit and Columbus so they can only advise by phone.

Also, my truck has been converted to power steering and it works fine. I don't think it is the Toyota conversion but I will take a picture and post it to see if you can tell. I thought it had a Ford stamp on it. If it works fine there is no reason to replace it, right?

bj - I am keeping the fender. I do not want the cut-out for the spare tire. I cannot weld so I am going to see how much it would cost to have that fixed. I want to keep it since it is original to the truck. I know mid fifty sells metal replacements if it is cheaper for me to go that route. The spare tire mount I do not think I will use, but need to think about it. I can take a picture of that as well. One of the arms is broken off though. It came with the sun shade which is in great condition. I will keep that for now but may sell it down the road.

I will try to post these photos tomorrow if I have time. (I posted photos in my album of the engine, the power steering I think, and the spare bracket)

 

One other question which will show how little I know. Is the gearing associated with the transmission or the rear end, or both? I am a bit confused on that.

 

I think someone here may swap you a regular fender for the one you have with the spare tire indent. It may be cheaper to trade than together yours fixed.

Buy some books and read up on you specific engine and general body work books.

Not sure about your Gearing Question. Yes transmissions "change gear" most end up very close to a 1/1 engine revolution to trans output shaft revolution. So the rear end ratio is where you get better pickup or mileage. Here's something I found so you can play around to get your best gas mileage.
Engine RPM / Engine Speed Calculator

 

You can teach yourself body work if you are the type that is willing to PRACTICE and work at it and have an eye for details. Body work is the most expensive part of an old vehicle rebuild especially if you have to hire it out. There are very few shops that can do rust repair the right way: Sand or strip back all finish and surface rust around the damage, cut out the damaged metal back to solid, make or trim a repair panel, weld it in place, grind down the welds, straighten and metal finish, skim coat with filler and surfacer, block sand, prime.
Most body (collision) shops are doing insurance work, are panel or part replacers. If you can find a restoration shop in your area that will let you learn in exchange for your go-fer labor, jump at it!
Meanwhile I suggest you study my welding tutorial: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-practice.html and decide if this is something you are interested/willing to learn. If it is, follow my suggested equipment purchases, The 135A MIG welder sold by Eastwood (on sale for 299.00!!!) http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-1...a-output.html# is a very good machine and will do any needed welding on your truck, plugs into a standard household wall outlet. (Avoid older used machines or cheap units that don't have provisions to use shielding gas!) get yourself an ample supply of 16ga hot rolled, and 18 or 20 ga cold rolled steel sheet to practice on (again avoid galvanized and/or late model car parts made from thin coated steel), and have at it. Taking a course at a local adult ed program or paying a welder for an afternoon of his time would be worth it to jump start you. Mig welding is not difficult to learn, it is often referred to as semi-automatic welding. In my intro classes I would take 4-6 students who had never even seen a MIG welder before and have them making satisfactory welds in 3 hr class. (1.5 hrs of that was safety, theory, and equipment intro lecture) by following my procedures. Learning to weld sheet metal for body work can be learned in a weekend. You do not run a continuous bead when welding sheet but it is done with a series of very short overlapping tacks.
Here are a couple of excellent references to get you started:
"Basic Techniques for Working with Steel" DVD by Ron Covell 40.00 www,covell.biz
This is an excellent DVD, that takes the mystery and fear out of body repair. Ron explains everything very clearly, and seeing and hearing the work being done is very useful.
"The Key to Metal Bumping" Martin Tool Co. 11.95 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mtf-bfb
A reference book that is as old as our trucks, but the information is still valid and is one of the best references in print, as well as a complete body tool catalog. (really useful when buying Martin tools used, which I recommend over buying no name Chinese made garbage new)

 

Go with AX's advice. His tutorial is great.

I had never done body work before this truck. I do have a friend who does some as a hobby and gave me some basic pointers on painting in particular. The nice thing about these trucks is that the body panels are thick compared to newer vehicles, so they are easier to straighten and repair.

Buy or borrow a small mig welder, read AX's tutorial, and give it a try. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish.

Just for reference, here is what I started with:



And where I am after 2 years of work (again, no experience in body work or paint, but the fun is in trying and being able to say that you did it yourself):



Other than the passenger side door pillar and front cab corner, I made all of my own patch panels out of some 16ga sheet metal with nothing more deluxe than a 4 1/2" angle grinder, some HF body hammers, and bending the pieces to shape, mostly over my thigh. Just be patient, ask a bunch of questions, and, most importantly, have fun learning something new.

Dave

 

Like you I had no experience doing body work or welding patch panels. While I had done quite a bit of welding with an old stick welder in HS many ages ago I had not ran a bead in 40 plus years. I followed the steps AX outlined here. I read his tutorial and purchased the Eastwood Mig welder he recommends. Then I practiced on some scrap sheet metal to get comfortable and after some practice was able to successfully weld patch panels that I needed. (All four cab corners and lower rear fenders.) I am satisfied with the end result and have done the first stages of body work so far. I still have a lot more body work to do before I am ready for final paint but can say that if you have the desire and do not mind spending some money on tools as needed you should be able to learn how to do the work yourself. It has been a satisfying experience for me doing the work myself and seeing the progress. I learn as I go, researching and studying the steps needed to do the next phase of my truck on my own. So far it has worked well and if you have basic mechanical aptitude and a desire to learn I would recommend that approach to anyone who is interested in restoring one of these trucks. The wealth of knowledge and good advice you will find in this forum are invaluable for those like me.

I am taking the approach that others have recommended and doing my truck in stages so I can enjoy driving it between steps it has helped keep me making steady progress while enjoying my truck.

 

You can do it, I did everything but the king pins. Like I mentioned B4 with nooooo experience. The body still has some minor dents that I could not see b4 I painted, but I still love her. ALL with the help of the great folks here on FTE.

 

Dave, Jimmy:
Those are a couple fine looking trucks, glad you found my posts useful.

 

I second what AX said about these 2 fine examples. I am not the worlds best body man nor am I the world's best mechanic. I respect anyone that teaches themselves either skill and applies it to their project. Take your time and teach yourself something that you can tell others about. Our trucks are about as simple as they get but do demand skills that don't always apply to the modern vehicles today. As AX stated, most "body shops" these days are about cut and paste with new parts and pieces. Many will not touch older projects because they are labor intensive and require a different kind of knowledge that most body man don't want to take them time to fuss with. Buy a cheap mig welder, a good angle grinder and spend a few weekends making something. I always tell people to start by making a receiver hitch rack and get use to how the welder feels and then go from there. Also, find someone on FTE that is local to you and maybe you can get some advice and help that way also. Good luck.