Hello guys, I am new to the site. I have what was believed to be a 1946 F5 ratrod truck. I recently wanted to convert to disc brakes but after further review im learning the F5 didn't come out till 48. the front half of the truck is stock framed other than being air bagged. it is a 6 lug which leads to believe it really is an F5. i cant find a disc brake conversion kit for the F5 so i was wondering if the spindles are the same from an F3 (5 LUG) so i can go that route? any help in identifying?

 

Pictures always help.

 

sorry, just added some

 

Trucks like this are hard to sort out. I see an F-5 badge on the door hinge panel, and, unless I'm seeing wrong, the cab looks to have a big back window signifying a 51/52 cab donor. (Edit - maybe it is 48-50, I'm changing my mind.). You might post more pics. The frame is anybody's guess. There is nothing I see that is Ford F-3. That would have 8 lug hubs rather than 5 lug.

What I am comfortable saying is that the 6 lug x 7.25" pattern tubeless wheels came from either a Ford F-350, 1956 to 1966, or similar Dodge or Studebaker. The fronts having six hand holes are Budd 71320s while the rears having three hand holes are Budd 79120s. They are 17.5" x 5.25", and appear to have metric radial tires that look too wide for the rims. The truck that donated the wheels probably also donated the front axle and hub components. I see a number on the backing plate in one picture that follows no Ford numbering sequence, and no Studebaker sequence that I've encountered. Might it be Dodge? I know that a member of the Studebaker Truck Talk forum has been attempting to engineer a disc brake system for their 6 x 7.25" bolt pattern hubs, but have seen nothing recently to show he's making progress on that. Stu

 

Stu, you are a walking encyclopedia on this stuff. To you youngsters, he's be a 'walking wikipedia' if you don't remember the world book (best books evvvver). To the original poster, you got a can of worms there, but I still have a soft spot for the rat rod trucks. When I build mine it will be lifted 4wd, not lowered, but I enjoy the spirit of home-made vehicles. Best of luck and welcome to the FTE forum!

 

I'll second that! Stu always goes above and beyond spreading his knowledge. I appreciate him being here.
I see some iffy stuff going on with that front axle assembly. I'd go over it really well and check for things that might cause some safety problems.

 

My brother has the World Books, and their display rack, in his hallway that our folks bought in the mid 1950s. I've given him trouble about living in the past, but I guess there's no better history reference if you don't need to know about the decades since. Who can blame him. Stu

 

Your brother is 'living in the past' ??? Good thing you aren't ....

 

You trying to say that a living room full of old truck reference materials, and a shop and barn full of "old rolling piles of misery" is somehow not at the cutting edge of modern life? Gotta give Bill (Number Dummy) footnote credit for the quote. But who knows what footnotes are anymore? Stu

 

Stu, correct me if I'm wrong but weren't the F3 basically the tonner or one ton and 6 hole wheels through 1966, not 8 hole as you mentioned?

 

I had a '51 F3 and they have 8 lugs. It was classified as a 'heavy 3/4 ton'. The F4 was the tonner. The F4 chassis became the F350 in '53. That was the beginning of the six lug pattern that went til '66. Stu may chime in with corrections, as he has the books, but this is how I remember it.

 

Yeah, Gary has it right. Ford never used the 6 x 7.25" pattern before 1953. Much of the 47 and earlier tonner was carried over to the 48 F-3s. Biggest difference I see in 48 was the move away from 5 x 6 7/8" tonner hub pattern to the 8 x 6.5" pattern on F-2/3s. The F-2s got 12" rear drums that allowed fitting of 16" one piece drop center wheels. The F-3 kept the Lockheed 14" design necessitating the 17" wheels. Unfortunately the rims on the 48 and later 17s were widow makers. Stu

 

Thanks for clearing that up Gary and Stu. I never really messed with the earlier stuff when I was a kid. If it wasn't 12 volt, it was too old,lol. I did part out a single wheel 53 with a 9 foot bed and it had the 6 hole, and I owned a 51 F2 I drove quite a bit.