Hello guys this is my first post - Complete restoration newbie! I will apologize early for all of my dumb questions that will arise as I work through this project.

I have in my possession a 1954 F350 Cab and Chassis. I'm going to try and post some photos of it or a link to them.

I have done nothing but tear into it. Documenting everything and placing parts in boxes and ziplock baggies, of course. The Cab has some bad rust spots on them so I found and order the front right and left cowl pieces and the rear cab corners from Auto Metal Direct out of Georgia - FAST! I received them today.

My fist question is the motor. It looks like it might be the original. What is the best way to tell what the motor and transmission are? It has "EBU 9430 - B" stamped on the exhaust manifold. Also stamped on the intake is EBU 9425-D, which when googled comes up as a 239 - Y Block. Not sure about the transmission. I would like to rebuild this engine (or have someone rebuild it for me) if it is truly the original V8. What is the percentage of guys on here that rebuild their own engines as apposed to finding someone else to rebuild it?

Another cool thing about this truck is that it had some kind of dump bed on it. So it has another PTO type driveshaft coming off the transmission and additional levers in the floor of the cab.

I'm torn inside on whether I should customize this truck or try and stay as close to original as possible.
As you might tell from my user name I make signs for a living so I would like to make this truck into something that would have rolled up to a job-site hauling a brand new sign, maybe even put an old Garland sign crane on it would be cool. 50's era.

 

Signmaker, welcome to FTE the best Ford truck forum on the World Wide Web! You've come to the right place to get questions answered. And you did great posting all the pictures. Keep them coming.

Your engine is probably the original 239. And it looks like it was a dump with the PTO. There is only one extra lever in the cab. The one closest to the driver is the emergency brake lever. So there must be another way to engage the PTO. Your horn was moved to the firewall, probably because they moved the battery to under the hood. Battery should be under the passenger side floor. Yes, get that engine rebuilt. The data plate on the inside of the house glove box lid has the rear end gearing. The standard was 5.18, optional was 5.83.

Edit: I see now a short lever closer to the seat. My guess is that it engages the PTO and the long lever lifts the bed up and down.

I like Meadow Green F350s!

 

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot this! Keep it stock! Don't customize! It will be cool for your business to have a stock Meadow Green truck with your logo on the doors or on the flatbed sideboards. It will be good advertising. Do you hand paint signs?

And tell us where you are from.
Here is a pic of my 54 engine

 

Thank you ABE. We got the cab off today, the steering wheel like to never come off. I have some serious rust on the front floor pans. Looks like I will be ordering those replacement panels for the floor. Anybody else deal with that mess?

 

Here is the transmission with the PTO. If I put a sign crane on the flatbed then I won't want it to dump, but it would be neat to see the dump bed functional. Anyone on here had the opportunity to get one of these PTO transmission functional? Does gravity just make the bed come down?

 

Here is a link to a truck that is for sale that I've got inspiration from. This truck is for sale 1933 Ford with Sign Crane

 

The bed raises by hydraulic pressure and lowers by gravity The PTO is no more than a gear that is pulled in or out of mesh with a transmission gear. .

Edit: Welcome to FTE

 

 

The PTO would most likely drive a hydraulic pump to operate the dump bed. One lever in the floor would engage the PTO to the pump, the other would control the valve from the pump to the ram that lifts the bed.

 

You are moving fast!

The front cab corners are toast! And the floor boards nearby too. But the rear cab corners are amazingly in much better shape! Do you know the history of this truck?

 

Welcome to FTE! Parts for your 239 are a little harder to come by. The water pump is non existent on the market. I had mine rebuilt, any water pump rebuilder can do it if you need to have it done.
I would recommend keeping it stock, but it's your truck do what you think works best for you.
I'm an amateur, you can check out my build thread to see what I have done. I have a 55 F250 with a 239.
Is that a 6v battery? If so, your cables are way too light. 6 volt needs 00 cables and very good grounds. If it is 12V, someone converted it at some time in it's life.

Take lots of pictures, then take twice as many more. It will be a huge help as you are putting stuff back together.
I have asked more dumb questions than you can possible imagine. Better to ask a dumb question that saves you time and money then be quiet and have something break or slow you down.

 

Joe,
Thanks for the advise. Were these trucks 6 volt? I remember reading something about that. What is involved with switching it to a 12 volt system. Do the gauges become obsolete? The owners before me started to work on it, but the gentleman passed away before completing it. It does have a new starter on it and a 12 volt battery. I had the engine cranking over with a little ether in the carb. I will check out your thread.

 

 

Scroll up to the top, and in the left center blue bar there's a link that says "User CP," or control panel. Click on that, then along the left side bar there's all sorts of options like adding a signature, avatar, etc.