My truck has picked up the name the "Back Burner Special". Between camping, motorcycle touring, major house renovations, and numerous other cars and trucks, I guess it deserved the nickname. I picked my 55 up in 1987 and after I got a chance to really "admire" the work that had been done on it, decided it needed a lot more help than originally thought. So I got out the saws and welder and went to work, doing what I had always wanted to do to one of these trucks, but was never willing to do it to a truck that was in nice shape. Here I am over 30 years later, with frame mods, chopped top, fabricated bed, tailgate, running boards, and tilt front end and still a long way from paint. But it is running and roadworthy and honestly I've had more fun and more interest expressed in my truck than any of my former show quality cars. Will it ever be finished before I become a worm farmer................who knows?

 

5 yrs. on the "Firstride " Truck of the Year (48-52 ) at he Nat's last yr. & top 10 of 408 Pure stock '52
Over 2 decades on "Art " BB FORD , C-6 , 9" rear much chrome & stainless one off pieces made on the mill & lathe . . One off 19 0z. carbon fiber trans cover &






much more . Both are completed . The " Firstride" will be on the cover & featured in the Sept ./ Oct issue of Vintage Truck magazine & on the cover of the 2019 NPD FORD Truck parts catalog . . Photos will be taken while in Ocala Feb 21 2019 when attending the AACA Winter Meet . "Art " will be driven to more car shows starting in Oct . It is a blast to drive and make sure it is pointed straight when stepping on the loud pedal .

 

I have been feverishly (afore mentioned snails pace) been working on a 52 f3 for 5 years, with probably two more years to go. I bought it from my neighbor's wife when he passed. He had bought it from his cousin's wife when the cousin passed, he had bought it from his friend's wife when the friend passed. I hope to get it done for my grandson before my wife and the good Lord figure out 'it's in My shed!!

 

LOL!!

I have been working on mine for almost 8 years and it is now insured, licensed, state inspected, and running. But a few bugs and some other issues have kept me from really finishing. I am driving it some now but only around the neighborhood just in case something needs attention. Kind of afraid to take it far yet. I only have 30 miles on it so far. I was planning on taking it to a local excellent body shop for paint soon but our 90 year old sewer line needs our money more, and soon!

 

I wasn't going to respond to this thread, cause, I guess because I'm embarrassed or just lucky because I never had a long build. I admire you guys that do this. I don't have the patience, garage space, tools nor skills to do what you guys do!

I bought my 54 from my grandfather in June 1977. I used it every year as a second car and sometimes as a daily driver. I had the engine rebuilt in July 1979. After rusting away for years, see the rust spots on the driveway, it went to the body shop. I don't do body work. So it was in the body shop from June 1998 to July 1999. That is the longest it was not licensed or inspected in it's life.

I got it painted again from February to March 2016. So I'm lucky to have had a running truck. The first time it was painted my wife and I scrimped and saved to pay for the work. It cost $2000 for the body work and about $2000 in used and repopped parts and panels. The second paint job I used my eBay and Carlisle sales money and my lawn mowing money to pay for the paint job and a later a new pair of heads. No house money was used! Wife is happy!



Winter 2008.

I bought my 55 F350 flatbed in April 2016 after I sold my 70 F350 flatbed dump. I sold the 70 for what I paid for it plus what I put into it. That money plus $1000 more plus $1000 for new tires and I drove my 55 home from Erie, PA. It was painted once, badly, and I got it painted in February 2018, again with money from selling used and NOS Ford parts and lawn mowing money. Again, wife happy but questioning why I have to paint my so called "work truck!" I say "what's wrong with having a good looking work truck. Besides there was some rust bubbling up that had to be taken care of." It is all stoçk with the original seat material and headliner, with an optional windshield washer.

At my house with the old side racks on.
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I've owned my 55 since 1973, it had a Pontiac 389/auto. Drove it about a year, put a big block Chevy big block/th400 in it. A few years later had a chevelle frt frame clip installed.
drove it off & on, took the big block out & put a small block in it. I parked it in 1987 & it sat next to the house. Pulled the motor out to put into a 70 el Camino project, and there it sat front end off and no motor until 2014. In sept '14 I stripped it down to the bare frame.

Bare frame in the garage


March '18, runs & drives, but lots more to do. Its been on the back burner for a few months now.
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Bought my truck the week before my daughter's wedding. It's their 10th anniversary next month and it's still a work in progress, although I'm getting closer. I've done a lot of the mechanical work myself other than the engine rebuild. And a neighbor helped me with the painting which we did in my garage. At this point all of the painting and most of the mechanical work is done. Should be able to finish and install the bed wood in the next few weeks. Then need to install the door glass and seals and interior panels. Nothing that should take that long but there's a lot of things my wife wants to do this summer and she expects me to join her. If it's not ready to go on the road by this fall I'll be pretty frustrated.

 

I like to see what other guys are doing with their projects, I hang out in the 80 - 86 side.
I think a lot of "how long" is what kind of a finished product you are after. Driver, show room stock to be shown or ???

My 81 F100 flare side will be 3 years come Dec. 2018 with a cab off frame rebuild to be a driver and for trash runs.
I did not need to rebuild the motor (300 six) or trany (T18) or the 9" but everything else has been. I also bought a parts truck at the same time to use.
I have been doing all the work myself, no help or farming it out other than kingpins being pressed out & in and reamed. I pulled the beams & spindles apart and sent the spindles to the machine shop.

I have done all the metal work, welding and body work. I also do my own painting, inside cab and under hood done already just have hood & tailgate to do body work to before painting the outside.
12/29/15

7/4/18

Check out the link below what I have done, hint fire wall swap for AC is just one. LOL
Dave ----

ps: I have a 70 AMC Javelin street car going on 25+ years on a rebuild and body work is only half done.

 

I had to pull the pink, but I've been working on mine since 2001 boy time fly's. I bought it to drive and it's been on the road for probably 90 percent of that time.

 

 

My 53, "Someday" was bought 3 weeks before the '03 Supernats in Pigeon Forge. Starts and stops, other builds and life kept me from building it until '07-'08. Put it on the road in May of '08 with only sheet metal work done on the cab, 6 different colors of old paint and primer, minimal interior and tires from my junkyard.
I finally got around to insulating the cab and installing the heat/air in '10.
The truck is running a 5 cyl Mercedes Benz diesel/auto, '87 Lincoln front clip, 8.8 rear out of the Lincoln on '88 Ranger leaf springs and a multitude of other parts scrounged from what I had laying around. Bronco II steering column, *****'s column drop and trans crossmember come to mind.
The truck has been a blast to drive, and drive it I have. I tell folks who ask "it's been to the east coast, west coast, gulf coast and as far north as the Arctic Circle in AK while pulling my home built teardrop camper.
To date I've put around 90K on it with little problems, but that's the way I built it. All mechanicals and suspension we're rebuilt or replaced during the build.
It still looks pretty much like it did when I put it on the road in '08. Will I ever finish the interior, do the body work and paint it? ......... Someday!
Here's a pic of it at my work a couple of weeks ago, enjoy!

 

Bought mine June 2011. Kid's in sport's, and university. Work on it when I can, when I have $$$$.

 

Mine has been in primer since 2015. Never enough time or money to paint it and put it back together.