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Quick question im hoping you can help me with. And please dont mock too much lol.
Just purchased a 53 F1 here in the UK, fitted with a 272 and 3 on the floor manual box.
Trouble is i have never driven anything like it before, Could you enlighten me with some info on the gearbox such as the shift pattern etc. I imagine its fairly straight forward, but i dont want the guy to roll it off the delivery truck and then me not be able to find first etc.
And also, am i right in thinking that 1st has no Synchro? What about 2nd or 3rd etc?
I have some pictures. She isnt much to look at right now. But that will quickly change.
Here is how she sits right now.
Will have the body in paint in the first two weeks. Will be removing the rear checker plate bumper, and front bumper. Welding up the front bumper holes, iv order'd an extended rear roll pan with recess from Mid-Fifty. Throwing paint on it then going from there.
Early Immediate plans involve a full re-wire and 12v Conversion, Completly re-doing the interior. Plans right now are to fit a rear bench seat from a car, found a nice audi rear seat that was leather Recarro, heated and a handy flip down centre armrest/cup holder.. Win win lol.
Stage 2 involves fitting a Jag IFS and getting it upto scratch brake and suspension wise, unsure on the rear yet, Was heading down the Triangulated 4 link system, but unsure on how much power the standard axle will take. I know most of you guys commonly fit a ford 9"..you dont come accross them here in the UK...so will have to find soemthing simular. Id like to fit air ride.
Stage three will be the engine and gearbox. Obviously id love a big American V8, but costs for these sort of engines are so over-inflated here and parts hard to come by etc. So im considering source something from this side of the pond. Jaguar S-Type R engine and box can be had for a respectable price. Still 4.2l Supercharged V8 putting down 400bhp in stock form. Im undecided on which route to go down yet.
That looks like a really nice truck. Let's hope it's really that nice when you get it. The shifter is an aftermarket conversion to floor shift. It's likely a universal Hurst or Mr. Gasket kit, but could be most anything. The shift pattern should be the typical H pattern with reverse left an up, but be careful as you never know what some people will do.
Most guys here convert to the 9"rear for better, more comfortable gear choices rather than strength. The stock Dana 44 is a pretty tough unit. The 3.92 gears will have the engine turning higher in the rpm range at freeway speeds without overdrive.
Stage three will be the engine and gearbox. Obviously id love a big American V8, but costs for these sort of engines are so over-inflated here and parts hard to come by etc. ....
Your truck already has a big American V8! 272 = 4.4L Y-blocks have a lovely unique sound and are plenty powerful. I wouldn't be too quick to throw it overboard, try it for a while!
I will upload some shortly. Also planning to lay paint over the weekend, so i'll start a project diary shortly. expecting rapid progress to start with until i come to the more involvolved jobs such as IFS install. Even that though im hoping to rip through in 3-4 weeks.
That Y block was a very popular hot rod engine in it's day. Lots and lots of parts still available to pull a very reliable 350 horsepower out of it. The cheapest 20 horsepower you can find is to get rid of the big, heavy fan and replace it with an electric unit. It will also give you much better cooling.
I was looking at that today. Im lucky, first thing on my list to look at was a 12v conversion, but its already been done luckily, so fairly easy for me to start adding electrical items etc.
The engine has been updated, and likely the tranny along with it since the 53 had a flathead V8 originally. Sure it's a 272? It has the ram's horn exhaust manifolds more often found on the 312. One of our Aussie members is putting a Lexus IFS, IRS and V8 in his 56. I don't know what Ford sends over there or if any of their engines ended up in Jags when they owned it? Here's some info on rear axle ID and conversions: 1948 through 1960 Ford F-1 and F-100 Rear Axle (differential) Swaps - Ford Trucks I wouldn't be in a big hurry to make changes, the original suspension and axles, brakes etc are actually quite good once rebuilt. Here we call the exterior finish on your truck "patina" and is coveted by many they would leave it as is or put a coat of flat clear over it rather than paint it!
Well it may have been converted to 12V, but you have a wiring birdsnest under the dash, A problem waiting to happen, stranding you without power or lights at best, starting a fire and burning your truck to the ground at worst! Buy yourself a new universal wiring harness from EZwiring, American Autowire, Speedway motors or similar for < $200.00 US. (number of circuits depends on if you plan on adding many 12V accessories: 16 minimum, 21or 22 if you want to load it up, but you don't need one of the high priced big name or restoration exact replacement harnesses to get a modern fuse panel, high quality color coded wire with the function printed on each one every 6 inches. Money better spent right now than paint IMHO.
Going to skip buying a harness, my best mate is an auto electrician and I'm fairly handy myself. I will be replacing the whole harness thoufh in the next week or two because as you predicted. It's a bit ****ty. Alot of wires have just been disconnected and just left in place :/
