Here it is, picked it up a few weeks ago. Interior is painted, needs some minor mechanicals (Master cylinder), stopping is nice. I got to drive it off the trailer and park it so far, getting the itch to tear down a gravel road lately!

 

Got alot of extra stuff with it, generator, heads, intake manifold and carb etc. The fenders have been patched and I have the front left at the body shop to be finished up, the right one is patched and done, ready to paint. The previous owner took it apart to paint and lost intrest. I also have the bed and what I think are the original stakes.

 

Welcome Rooster Rancher! Good to see a project truck rescued and headed back to the road. Like the pics.

Absolutely be ready to rip it up. If you have a chance, add your location to the Profile section of your User CP (you'll get there from the link on right hand side of the blue line on the page). You may find yourself closer to new friends than you think.

DW

 

Welcome aboard. Looks like a great start. Good luck.

 

Welcome to the forum. Looks like a good project.

 

I'm a little baffled where the tail lights go on a flatbed. Anybody got any hints or maybe a picture?

 

There should be a bracket that is attached to the frame below the bed and behind the wheels and mud flaps.

Someone should be along later with a diagram.

 

Great start to your project. Here's the chart showing location of the light and plate. And add my welcome. Stu

 

This is what the factory setup would have been...
Brackets and lamps are available in reproduction.

 

Welcome to FTE!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that, unless you had factory installed turn signals, your truck came with only one taillight, the one shown on the drivers side in Stu's diagram. Turn signals were optional on our trucks.

The ones in Wayne's pics are the stock factory brackets and lights for 51. I have the left bracket, but have never seen (until Wayne's pic) the right bracket. So I'm assuming that truck had the optional turn signals from the factory or they may have been the dealer installed option.

 

Thanks for the pics and the comments, you guys are quite a resource. I'll check once again for brackets like that in my boxes of parts, but I don't think there's anything like that in my boxes of parts. I have never seen this truck assembled so I have no idea exactly what it had on it in it's most rescent configuration. It has a set of repop 55-56 FORD logo tail lights as well as a set of tailights that look like original equipment but not like the pics above. These two sets of lights are presently wired together for some reason...possibly one set for brakes and the other for signals? Who knows, I guess I'll know more once I get into it.
Are there original brackets available? If so where would a guy go to look? We don't have alot of '51 F3's setting in junkyards in Iowa to scavenge parts from any more.

 

Congrats Rooster Rancher that truck looks great, nice and solid have fun and welcome to. The group

 

The only place I have ever seen the brackets for our trucks brake lights is the one I got with my truck and the two in Wayne's picture. I have never seen them in any printed or online catalog.

But now you've piqued my interest, so I'm going to search for a part number.

 

OK, I found the left side bracket for the license plate. It's 77 13469-B. There is no picture of this part in the Illustrations Parts Catalog.

I can find no reference to the mounting bracket for the right side taillight. I did find the number for the actual lamp assembly, but nothing to mount it to the truck. The light is p/n FAF 13404-A "R.H.-for states which legally require 2 rear lamps".

 

Just as a point of historical reference, Washington state was the first to require two tail lamps on vehicles, dating back to 1939 on passenger cars. I couldn't swear to when the requirement for trucks began, though. But in my Ford parts catalog from 1954, under "lamp assembly, rear," it shows one required except Washington, which requires two for all 48-52 trucks.

An aftermarket right side bracket can be obtained from Mack Hils.