Hey guys my wife and I are looking at picking up a project truck for us to start building and working on. This will be our first Restromod, and the first buying an older project vehicle. We have a couple of 53-55 F100's that are local that we are going to be checking out soon. So we are looking for advice on what to look for, we live up South Dakota so I'm sure we will find rust but not sure where the problem areas are. Is there anything that we should look for that would nix it off the list?

I'm looking at picking up a welder currently to start learning on because I know that if the car is up in this area that we will more then likely be replacing some body panels thanks to rust. Right now I'm debating about picking up either a dedicated Mig and then later a Tig machine to try and do some of my own exhaust work, or if I should pick up a Multiprocess Unit. Any input on that would be greatly appreciated. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, I was a Deisel Mechanic for the Navy and rebuilt a few motors there and more recently bored and stroked my V-Rod engine, also decent with the EFI tuning. But bodywork is a whole new world for me.

My wife has some really awesome contacts from work, she works at a company that builds Fire Trucks and has some friends there that are willing to help teach us how to weld and I will probably tap on them to do all the frame repair and suspensions modifications on it. She also has a great eye for detail and dimensions and comes up with the best ideas on what is going to look amazing. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty either.

Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to reading thru a lot of your guys build threads and learning a lot here.

 

My circut board recently went out on my mig welder so I have been looking at them seriously for some time.
If you are ok putting out the $1900 the Miller 215 is the way to go. It will tig,mig,arc on 220 and 110..it should be all the welder you need.if your budget is on the low side you can get a Eastwood 175 on sale right now for 399 shipped to your door with a spool gun. As far as metal work goes do you easiest first and by the time you get to the hard stuff you will have that experience and knowledge you need.

 

welcome to FTE Demthios.. you have found the best place for advice, detailed knowledge, opinion and commentary. I agree with your choice starting with Mig.. I think (see ? opinion) it's the easiest to master and you can do some very nice work with it. But don't fool yourself... all pretty welds are not good welds... keep penetration as #1 in your mind. Tig is an art form as far as I'm concerned.

Check out the stickys at the top of the forum... lots of good info there on everything especially this one "48/60 Forum Tips, Tricks, How To's!"

one other might give you some basic 'newbie' advice is ths
https://www.fordtruckzone.com/thread...part-i.654895/

One or two other suggestions... edit your profile and add your city/state... it helps us find you to borrow money and ideas... not really, but it does let us know your region if things need to be shipped or vendors/specialist are needed in your area. It shows up in the upper right corner of your posts..

#2 we love pictures so when you get your project, cover us up in them.. they are like cocaine to us.

#3 (yea... I said two) Questions... don't be afraid to ask them.. about anything dealing with these truck. Trust me, there are no dumb questions...we've heard everything you can think of (and I've already asked anything you can come up with)

This group of outstanding individuals are bound together for our love of these machines...and will welcome anyone who feels the same way... were sorta blood brothers... but not in the old sense... we share blood shed fron knuckles and bare heads and fingers and such.. It's a family oriented group that's pretty much self policing and our view on flaming and dis-courteousness is simple... don't do it. If you wouldn't say it in front of your momma... don't say it... so, have fun, join in the asylum. It's like we say here in the south... We don't hide our mental difficulties... we drag them out on the porch for everyone to see.

john

 

My advice is there's nothing wrong with buying a truck that is completely done rather than building one on your own. There is an inherent feeling of pride when you build your own ride but keep in mind that in the end this usually will cost more to accomplish and there's always things that you did one way but wish that you would have done differently. Now, if you are all in on the build it yourself train then this is the place to start. There are so many awesome articles with photos on how to do what you want to do. I would look for a truck that's in pretty good shape to begin with. If the project is too big they sometimes sit on a back burner and some never even get done. Last, once you have your truck, decide what you want it to build. Consider engines, transmissions, suspensions, steering set ups, brake set ups, etc. then make a plan of attack for the project. Shop around for parts, that will save money and time. Good luck and we are all here to help!


Wally

 

Welcome to the forum. There are still rust free vehicles out there to be had. It may take some looking and even travel to find one. Shipping is usually an option. Consider spending the money you would spend for a welding system for an upgrade to a rust free truck. Oh, wait, new toys like a welder are nice.
Cab corners, floors, doors, roof edges are all rust prone spots on these old trucks.
Pictures of any project are mandatory here.

 

My strong advice is to find the best never rusted sheet metal truck that you can find. Do not restrict yourself to just local although S. Dakota has better sheet metal than many other areas in the country. Paying for travel and transport is money very well spent!

 

As others have said, definitely try to find the best shape truck you can. I bought a truck that wasnt in the best shape, and have spent the majority of the 5 years I have on the truck on rust repair. Also really plan out your modifications. They can really snowball because changing one thing can effect many others. It was crazy how many small things needed to be changed on my build because of the engine and transmission choice.

 

To add as well, the normal rust spots are the floor, front and rear cab corners, running boards where the braces are underneath, fenders where they bolt to the running board, door bottoms, and the roof seam. The roof seam seems to be the deal breaker when it comes to the 53-56 trucks. They are repairable, but seem to be the hardest to repair. Others with experience in that area can chime in too.

 

Welcome to FTE! We love new members! And we're all glad you came to us with questions.


Many of us here are excited about new projects. First and foremost, even if the truck you found was nearly rotten to the ground, you're pretty much guaranteed to find the parts needed to bring your truck back to life on your own. I've put a list of most of the retailers that sell parts at the bottom. These are all from my IE bookmarks. Now naturally you want to get a truck that's as structurally sound as possible for as little as possible.


When you visit a truck, bring a wrench set, screwdriver set, good flashlight, safety glasses (or better yet full face shield) and extendable mirror with you.


Put a wrench on the nut at the end of the cooling fan and see if you can turn the engine by hand if the battery is dead. It's a sure way to check to see if it is seized. Don't forget to make sure the truck is in neutral. I did and thought my engine was seized! But I remembered to check the stick. It was in 1st.


Areas to check for rust are as follows. Look at the door bottoms. Unscrew the covers over the doors inside the cab if you can and look at the inside of the doors. Stick your head under the wheel wells and check the fenders. Check the cab corners. Look closely around the windows. Pull the seat forward and check the back of the cab. Climb up as high as you can and check where the drip rail meets the roof. Climb under the truck and look at the cab mounts to make sure they haven't collapsed. Do the same for the truck bed.


Just a side note, I bought my 1956 F500 for just a few hundred dollars but it also had a few hundred holes in it. There wasn't a panel that wasn't falling off. It was really bad at the roof at the entire drip rail, both door bottoms, both fenders, hood, one cab corner, inside floor and all around the front window. I put about $5,000 worth of parts into it. These things will nickel and dime you to death. I did everything myself except put the windshield in. Had someone else done the work I'm sure it would have been $15,000 or more for labor alone. If you have the time and the elbow grease, don't be afraid to get into a good project and make it into your own. And kudos to your wife. You go girl!


Retailers:
Here is the list of suppliers from my Explorer Bookmarks:

1953-1956 - all - www.autobodyspecialt.com

Centrally located right here in the heart of Oklahoma

Dennis Carpenter Ford Car, F-100 Pickup Truck, 8N, 9N Tractor and Cushman Scooter Restoration Parts

https://www.f100central.com/

https://www.blueovaltruckparts.com/

Truck Parts and Truck Accessories

Ford Pickup Truck Parts 1948-1979 - Macs Auto Parts

Home - Mid Fifty F-100 Parts

About Bob - Bob's F100 Parts - (951) 681-1956

Andy's Auto Sport - Automotive Accessories and Performance Parts

Chucks Trucks LLC., Ford Truck Parts and Restoration, Chuck's Trucks, Chucks Trucks

Fiberglass Parts

Main

JobLot Automotive

Ford Truck Parts and Repair Panels for your classic truck at Northern Classic Trucks

Also, look here for more links: Vintage Ford Pickup Trucks

 

I forgot to add that I did all of my welding with a Northern Tools flux core mig that my wife bought me for under $100. Most of what you'll be doing is simple spot welding and IMHO they would work just fine. Use your money for truck parts, not for the welder. And other users...don't shoot me. It's just an opinion. I know there are better welders...

 

That was a very nice note John. Thanks for putting our group into such a pleasant intro. Thumbs up from Simsbury, CT my friend.

 

There are many used welders on CL for 1/2 price.

We started out with a cheep little Miller but my daughter has bought a new Hobart that is 500 times better (so she says). She will not use flux core because of all the extra grinding and re-welding.

Buy the BEST truck you can afford!! There is nothing more expensive than a cheep Ford (or any other make) project.

 

Hey guys wow, thanks for the awesome welcoming. Yeah, I understand and agree with the buy the best truck for the money. Part of the reason I was asking where all the common rusted out places are so I can try and spot them. I don't mind doing some body work on the truck and replacing some panels as I'm looking to step outside my comfort zone and learn new stuff but I don't want a down out money pit.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'll look at buying a dedicated mig machine right now and save the money to get stuff for the truck and more tools I need for working on the truck. I'm actually looking at one of the Hobarts right now. I do want Dual voltage since the shop currently doesn't have 230v in it but will sooner than later.

We will definitely post up pictures as we go along, my wife loves to document everything. I probably have well over a thousand pictures from when my Dad and I rebuilt my V-rod.

So thanks for all the tips and I'll definitely check out those links you guys posted up. And we'll start a build thread once we've decided on a truck.


Kris

 

just my thought,if you can afford it buy one that is already done.it may cost you a little more but you can be out enjoying it right now.if you decide to build your own,dont forget that it takes a lot of time and money a lot of guys start a project and after while they get fed up and quit.the guys here will help you with everything,they are fantastic.goodluck on what ever you choose to do. and welcome to f t e

 

I'm new to FTE myself, and glad to read a lot of good advise. I built a 46 Ford SuperDeluxe and while it was a lot of work i also learned a lot and ended up knowing every nut and bolt on that car. I recently bought a 56 F100, and i thought i would be ahead of the game because it already had an ifs in it, problem is it doesn't have the suspension it was supposed to have so now i have to try to figure out what it is. Bottom line is like the rest of the folks were saying, spend time up front and be prepared for fun and challenges.