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So having used used this forum a fair bit and having had some great help recently I thought it's only fair to post a few pictures of our 1948 F3 restoration. We're not doing anything like as amazing a restoration and some of you but it looks better than when we started and although it won't win any competitions it will be good enough for what we need.
Interior as we bought it The wooden bed was completely rotten Brakes have had all new lines and cylinders After delivery of the F3, first job was getting rid of the rotting bed Brake drums were skimmed after years of running shoes without any sign of a lining The 6v electrics were in a horrible state and, as an ex farm truck, there has been quite a few bodges just to get the truck runing without too much concern for safety. The whole truck is now running new wires and converted to 12v Relining the seat with a standard kit Floor wasn't too bad after grinding back years of dirt It was treated with red oxide before the respray Exhaust had seen better days Primer Painted with cellulose and a clear coat. I'd never sprayed anything before, and the conditions were far from perfect so I was fairly happy with how it came out New glass all around New steering wheel from LMC
Wow, very nice! Please tell that you've been holding out on us and this is years and years of work or else I'll have to be embarrassed about how long it took to do my truck.
Boy, you've made great progress. Shows me what a slacker I am. And, for those guys that didn't see your brake thread, you're doing this in the U.K.
Now then, on your brake thread no mention was made of the 17" wheels that were fitted to all 2wd F-3s. These have two piece outer rims known as Firestone RH-5° style. Widow makers. Please show them respect, and do some on-line study of them. Most shops are unwilling to service them in the US and Canada, essentially forcing them off the road. If you wish we can discuss replacement options, or you may find these discussions on-line. Stu
Thank you. We got the truck just about a year ago and spend around 4 hours on it a week so progress hasn't been that quick but it's getting there slowly. Also yes it is in the U.K... which is fine but expensive as there are few parts available over here and buying from the US means I pay about twice what I should do when you include shipping and import taxes!
Thanks for the widow maker advice. The tyres are all perished and, as the 7.00-17 6 Ply are so expensive, was going to look into all new wheels just to save some money in the long run. I think I could get a local garage to fit into the existing wheels but it's just the cost of the tyres that's putting me off. If anyone knows of some suitable replacement wheels that would be great.
Ill try and post more pictures as the project continues
Replacement wheels circles us back to your other thread where I mentioned the 14" F-3 rear drums. That one feature is what dictated Ford's fitting of 17" wheels to the 1938-1947 one ton model, and 1948-early 1951 F-3 model. Commonly available 16" wheels won't clear the drums.
We've heard of several successful examples where 16" and 17" wheels have been custom built. One that comes to mind quickly is a Wheel Vintiques 16" set built with greater negative offset to clear the drums. Another involves removal of your stock widow maker center discs and the remounting of them into 17" one piece rims. I'll see if I can find old discussions of those options and will edit later.
The other known remedy is to find an old set of tubeless 17.5" or 19.5" wheels that first became available in 1956. These options, however, don't achieve the tire savings that you seek. So I won't rattle on about them. I'll come back later to add an edit with old discussions. Stu
Well darn, I mis-remembered the final piece of this first old discussion thread. Reading the whole thread you'll see that the 14" drums are a challenge, and the claimed remedy wasn't really a remedy because the member's truck had had an axle swap. But I think there might be merit in what we thought was a remedy. Moving a 16" center disc into neutral or negative offset might be worth exploring.
Decided to use self tapping screw for the cowl rubber rather than the horrible tacks New oil pressure sender After a year without a bonnet (or I guess a hood for most of you), it's back on and looks good
