Hey everyone! This is my first post. I have been poking around the site prepping for rebuilding my 53 ford and have to admit, you guys have some skills. I look forward to going through some of the learning process. I've been wanting a old Ford pickup for a long time and finally found one a couple of months ago. I've never restored a car before, but have been working on cars my whole life.

I am starting with a pretty decent truck overall. I have some work to do for sure. The guy who had it before me had it stripped down to the frame already and had the frame painted. He replaced the inner fenders already. It has a 9" rear in it. I also got a flathead V8 with the 4 speed transmission which will require a full rebuild. I am not sure if I will rebuild it, or find a SB motor to put in it. I plan on starting to tear it back down to the frame, or at minimum just taking the front clip off and the bed to have access to everything while I am building it up.

My plan is to make it a daily driver. I won't make it show quality, but want the truck to have a nice base and be solid. Not sure on the paint color yet, but leaning towards a flat color, just not black.

I am going to put a CV front end on it to bring it up to todays standards. I am going to drop the rear via flipping the axle, removing leafs, mono leaf, etc. Not sure what I will do there just yet. Upgrade the brakes, I really like the frame mounted brake booster/cylinder to keep under the hood clean. I am looking at a set of steelies with white wall tires. As I stated, not sure on the drive train yet. I like the nostalgia of the flathead, and they just look so cool, but I live in Phoenix so AC will be important, but not a requirement up front. I know they were reliable back in the day, but also want a reliable truck. I dropped a Mustang 5.0 engine in my 84 Thunderbird years ago and wouldn't mind putting some extra ponies under the hood. I plan on keeping the interior clean, no major changes. There will be lots of other things, I am sure....

Some questions for everyone.
- I plan on starting on the cab to make it solid. Should I take the cab off the frame and put it on a dolly while I work on fixing the rust. I have seen pros and cons for doing this, but don't want problems getting the doors to line back up and mounting it back on the frame. I can put bracing in place to keep it from twisting too much.
- I am really leaning toward some sort of media blasting to take it down to sheet metal before I start cutting into the rust. I kind of want to see what I need to fix but I have seen opposing thoughts about that too.
- I am not sure if it's worth messing with the fenders and such or buying new panels. Once I take everything off the truck I will see how much damage they have and then determine which route to go. Thoughts on this?

I am not going to be rushing this build by any means, but really can't wait to be cruising around the streets with it.

Michael

 

Michael, welcome to FTE the best Ford truck Forum on the world wide web! And welcome to the world of old Ford trucks!

Your truck looks good and it's good news the PO did the frame. You probably know this but you have a 53 grille and a 56 hood. The difference with the hood is the hood side emblems plus the 56 theds have two large diameter bolt heads near the cowl.

Post more pictures when you have the time.

 

Looks pretty good! Is that a master cylinder mounted on the firewall I see? It looks like it's really far in towards the center (might just be the picture). Those trucks originally had the master cylinder under the floor. Good luck and have fun! Also welcome to the site!

 

Welcome Michael, Abe, isn't that a '55 custom cab grill? Dennis

 

Welcome-- what I do is take all sheet metal off, bag mark bolts-- all you got is wheels--cab--frame-- get blasted see what you got-- I never took cab off ,you can see the mount condition. Then you start you build--floors--corners if needed--close all holes in fire wall and dash not needed-- always worked for me

 

Looks like a very solid truck, also looks like you have a later model truck bed. Front fenders are also from a bigger truck because of the bigger wheel well openings. Surprised abe didn't notice that..lol Don't know what your budget is but I'd look into a Heidt's superide ll before the crown vic front end. They give a superior ride

 

Hey guys. I didnt catch the hood being from a 56. I knew it wasn't all original, but good catch there. Question, are there fitment issues keeping it on the 53 or should I end up finding a hood from a 53?. Yes, the master cylinder was mounted under the hood, but it will be taken off. I plan on putting it back down along the frame rail. Thanks for the tip on keeping the cab on the frame. I plan on taking everything off this weekend, except the cab for now anyway.

As for the budget, obviously you guys know it will take a bit of $$ to get it on the road. I know it will take some time and money, but want to put the money into places where it counts. Suspension might be one of those areas. I looked at the Heidts and Mustang II suspension kits, along with TCI. I was leaning toward the CV because of the cost. Seems like a pretty cheap upgrade.

Michael

 

Go a Heidt's cross-member and extended Must II kit --tubular upper -lower control arms--cost me $ 1,500.00 - $ 1.700.00 PS--( use this set-up all the time )--and it is quality and a nice safe handling ride-- Crown Vic LOTS of hard work for what you get--till you rebuild it and it is 2 1/2" to wide for this truck ---Go Must II--Ford 302--C-4-- 1997-2001 Explorer rear- ( 3:26 gears)- or the CORRECT 9" rear with correct gears--- TCI rear spring kit---PERFECT combination

DO YOURSELF a FAVOR DO NOT GO CHEAP on the frame and suspension parts-- make it SAFE and good handling--- like building a QUALITY house starts at the footings and foundation-- Good Luck

 

Hey Michael, congrats on your new project, looks like another desert SW clean truck. While it is nice to find a project truck that is not rotted out, it is not so nice when you get one that has been pieced together from other donors. For the most part it doesn't matter whether you have a 53 or a 55, a slant cab is a slant cab. There are those who are very interested in keeping their trucks true to the way they were built at the factory and then there are those who are more interested in making their trucks more fun to drive on modern highways. If you spend much time on this forum you will be able to discern which camp we each fall into. Given what you have given us in your photo, here is what I see:
- you have a slant cab truck that is claimed to be a 53 year model
- the grille is a 55 year model
- the hood has a side emblem from a 56 F100 yet the red primer circle under the side emblem looks like it was made by a 55 side emblem
- whether the hood is from a slant cab or a 56 it will fit either model (one caveat, the hood mounting bolts are different between the two)
- the bed is off a later model, 57 and up, F100. The back fenders and the running boards are mounted higher. The running boards are also split...the later model F100s did have the short running boards that ran from the rear fender up to the back of the cab, however, the only 53-55 F series trucks to have the short running boards under the cab were those that did not have a standard box bed.
You have a mixed bag of parts on your truck, a condition that many of us have in our trucks. How you envision your truck at completion will dictate how you deal with the hand you have been dealt. Since you are already considering suspension and driveline mods I think that the mixed bag you have will not present a problem for your build. I would pay attention to the bed/fender mounts/running boards however, these can be time/$$$ consuming. Last thought/comment...the cabs on these trucks are extremely rigid. Think about it, you have a vehicle that was built for commercial service, the cab is mounted on each corner with a rubber isolator so that the cab will "float" on a chassis that was built to flex. Do you really think that if you unbolt the cab from the chassis that the cab is going to deform? The PO had the cab off the chassis, do the doors still fit? Since work was done on the frame already you may be OK with leaving the cab in place but for me there is no truck that I build that will ever go through the process with the cab not having been removed and the mounts and underside being inspected/replaced. Good luck with your build!

 

Thanks everyone for you honest feedback. I appreciate it. I didn't put a lot of $ into this to get the base, but realize I have a lot of work to do to get it where I want it. You are correct, the cab was taken off and went back together without any fitment issues. I would prefer working on the cab off the frame just to be able to have the clearance and accessibility. I can always sell, trade, some of the parts to replace them with parts that are off the right era truck. I do want it to be a 53', but as I stated want a driver. Looks like it will take a bit longer to get there...

 

 

Thank you, Dennis! I know that is a 55 grille! That is the second typo I've made yesterday!

 

Boy, you are right, John! I must be slipping or was too tired last night to notice the little step running board.

 

Looking at that 'shadow' under the side emblem, I'd say the hood was originally a '55 (to match the grille), but now with the '56 emblem added - F350 at that!! Colour matches the grile too.

Nice looking project - welcome aboard!

 

Hey all.

Well, I ended up getting the front end off the truck and started to take the bed off. Was a busy weekend with other stuff so not much work yet. I have been doing a ton of reading on this forum and there is a lot of information for the build. My plan is currently to get the bed off of the truck so I have access to the front and rear frame. Since I am dealing with a mixed bag, I think I am leaning toward keeping the truck and style period correct, but I am leaning toward doing a Coyote swap. I have quite a ways to get to that point. I want to get the cab all cleaned up so it is sound and then do the suspension. I have a lot to learn so looking forward to reading your posts and chatting with everyone here.

Michael