Bruce, My 52 F3 has 4.86 gears. I would think yours would be also if original. Stu would know.

 

IMO, one has to make an honest assessment of their time, skills, tools, and finances before embarking on the journey of restoring or modifying an old vehicle. Either path will lead to some challenges and expenses. If one chooses the darkside (or enlightened side as I saw it called), are the skills and tools necessary to graft different suspension pieces onto the existing frame, or the fitting of the body to a new frame there; to say nothing of chopping or otherwise modifying the body correctly. Ambition and desire does not make a modified vehicle roadworthy. If remaining stock, at least one knows all consumables will fit without much headache and other drivers won't be nervous about sharing the road.

To each his own, but I've seen a lot of modified vehicles on ebay that are described as finished, except for XYZ, or driven just XXX miles before offered up. I wonder about such projects. Did the builder run out of time or money, thus couldn't finish it? Or was there a major problem somewhere in the design or execution of the build that couldn't be corrected without a major undertaking, and driving it was something of a nightmare?

Considering we never know what tomorrow brings, having a stock pickup (be it in pieces or whole) would garner more money if one was forced to sell, then having a cut up pickup with a pile of aftermarket or donor parts that "only" need to be installed. Just my .02

 

Here in Canada they are

 

Really! I'll see what Google has on it. Thanks. Stu

 

I appreciate the knowledge and skills that go into building a modified truck but it seems to me that the further you get into the dark side, the less market there will be for the final product. Although I have never tried building a highly modified truck, I would expect that a good part of the fun is in planning and doing the work. Displaying the finished product is also probably a source of pride. The issue, IMO, is that a prospective buyer won't get the same satisfaction. I like to keep old vehicles as close to original as possible and, if possible, unrestored so that they provide a view into the past. This may not enhance their value to a future owner but it increases there value to me. As several have said, to each his own.

 

Folks,
Good comments in a good thread! I tend to be pretty close to stock with safety upgrades.
Regards,
Chris

 

When my grandson wanted to buy an old truck I had all intentions of assembling it on a 4X4 chassis. Austin wanted it stock so stock it will be. The more we work on it the more I appreciate the history and the transformation of the automobile industry. What a distance, and what advancements 65 years has introduced. Stock it will be with the exception of the tires and wheels.

 

I am appreciating this thread, and the perspectives on the question of stock vs., well, not-stock. When I got the 49 Merc Truck almost two years ago I chose it because it the same exact model, color and year of my uncle's truck, which was the first vehicle I ever drove at the age of 12. And it's exactly the same age as me. It was really a no-brainer to get it because we've always wanted an old truck, and this one was in amazing shape having been kept under cover since 1979. But I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at that point.

It actually passed inspections and with some basic repairs it was back on the road briefly. But I quickly came to realize that if I wanted to travel at more than about 48mph, stop effectively, and be able to shift and drive better in traffic, some changes were required. If I hadn't made them we just wouldn't have used it much. I want to be able to go places, take grandchildren, and use it frequently, or there is not much point in having it.

Like several on this thread my objective has been to have the truck look like a 68 year-old farm truck, while driving safer, a little faster, and handling a little easier. So the transmission, rear-end, brakes and wiring are new (or at least modern). If you look inside the cab, or open the hood, it's original. Love the sound of the flathead by the way. If you stand anywhere around it and look at it you'll probably notice it's a little lower than stock due to making the ride somewhat smoother by removing some spring leafs, but other than that it looks as original as I can keep it. Even found a way to use the old mechanical speedometer so that nothing in the instruments need to be changed.

I had to make the decision whether to spend more $ than I originally considered. So instead of buying a couple of other things we decided to put the money into the truck for a couple of years. And as far as resale, it doesn't matter to us. We recently built a new house, and the architect and contractor kept after us that some decisions made it less "resaleable". We said that was irrelevant - we're dying in this house and our kids already know that's their issue when resale finally happens. I decided the truck was the same (although I don't plan to die in it - quite the opposite in fact) and the resale value does not matter. Driving it, showing off how vehicles looked when I was born, and being able to use it for the foreseeable future was much more important to me.

 

IMHO only 1 question do you want to look at it or do you want to drive it ?

 

A wise man on the Ford Barn has as his signature:
"DON'T RECALL DOING SOMETHING FOR MYSELF BASED ON SOMEONE ELSE'S LIKES OR DISLIKES"

 

Your trucks are awesome Abe, Leave them that way for sure. Here's how i look at it, if they are in good shape stock wise leave them, but taking a basket case back to stock can be very challenging and expensive. Id rather see something done with them than crushed.

 

Thanks, Brian. I agree with you about basket cases. When are we getting together?

 

Your decision on what to do depends upon balancing:

• The original condition of your truck
• Your pocketbook
• Your skills and tools
• How much time your have
• Your ability to start what you finished
• What you want to do with your truck once it is finished

Your truck looks to be in pretty good condition but to get top dollar it needs to be in Concours condition although now some unrestored classes are opening up. But the top value there is determined by how rare the vehicle is, and our trucks are not particularly rare with 368,000 '48-'52 Ford Trucks built. Unless you have some documentation that show that it is something special like a prototype, M-H 4x4 or owned by someone famous (Elvis?). Then you get into things like numbers matching engine, original paint, etc.

Then there are those of us that welcome the challenges that restoring these old trucks bring. For many it isn't about a single goal rather a lot of things in between, big and small, like starting the engine for the first time, the first drive (with or without the cab), finishing the paint work, rewiring so everything works as it should, etc. We will probably never get back all the money that we put into it.

So it all depends upon what you want. Whatever you choose you can be sure that you will get support from the folks here on FTE.

 

That is why it is a good reason to have one of each .A stock truck & a modified truck .

 

Two great trucks, Denny!