Hi all,
I've never built/restored/customized a car before, worked on them sure, but nothing like what I'm planning. I have a '93 Dodge D350 with 12v cummins and a '49 Ford F4 cab. The cab has minor rust damage on the front fenders where the running boards attach, but that is all. I'm currently planning what I want and will do what I think I can and pay someone to do the other stuff. Body work will probably be something I will hire out. Too much artistry invovled.

I'm curious if anyone has ideas on the feasibility of extending the cab behind where the door latches and the back of the bac. No glass changes, just adding 6-8 inches. I'd like a bit more leg room and room behind for tools and such.

Would I need a donor cab? I was thinking you could use a donor door skin and a slice from the roof to do this.

Any ballpark figures on cost? $5k, $10k? Like I said I'm new to all this.

thanks
david

 

This is interesting. Extending it that way will put the side of your head in in an area where there is just metal, I think. Not a great idea but it is your truck. There are guys around that have done stretches like this on other cars/trucks, lots of bracing and planning, good luck.

 

I bought some parts I needed from a guy that was building a 1949 F1 very similar to what you have planned. This person is a tool and die maker by trade. He built his own English wheel that was as good as anything that you could buy for a machine shop. He also had all of the tools that is needed for this extensive project, welders, plasma cutter, grinders, clamps, etc. His truck used to build off of was a 2003, Ford, I think it was a 1/2 ton. He was going to retain the frame, interior, and all running gear but make it to look like a 1949 from the outside.
His plan was to cut the top front to back and side to side adding metal to extend it in each direction. The doors were split to make wider to match the top. He decided to manufacture a new hood instead of making the existing hood wider and longer. The box also needed to cut and extended longer and wider. He bought an older ( 40s to early 50s ) Plymouth sedan and was going to use the roof and doors to manufacture patch panels for the areas that needed to be extended on the 49. The conture lines of the Plymouth are similar to the truck so after welding there was minimal body work. You will need all new glass.
This is a very extensive modification. If you hire out all of the body work I think your ballpark figure will need to grow.
Ken

 

I have just started a small roof chop which is going to be at least 100 hours . If you can do this yourself you can factor in cost however you like but if your going to pay for it be prepared for allot of hours .

 

My ultimate dream was to make it a crew cab, but the person I was talking too said that would be $30k!! Um no thanks.

I thought of making it wider, but kind of like the big wide fenders and narrow cab look. Kind of what drew me to this in the first place.

thanks for the insight

 

Best advice I could give is to find a truck that looks like the one you have envisioned and buy it. Virtually every car/truck show has vehicles for sale...go to shows and find what you want. I would put the F100 Grand Nationals on your calendar, it is in mid-May in Pigeon Forge, TN.

 

Added to my calendar. I like Pidgeon Forge area.

thanks

 

Sigogglin,
I have not done a truck project. I do understand some of the basic moves to get where you want. But..... Most folks will tell you you can usually buy a completed project cheaper than you can build one. If you do it your self I would set aside the $30K and if you have some left when done take your family out for a nice dinner.
Just my 2 cents. I am not trying to discourage you at all. These things just eat up the funds and time, its a fact. I would like to do something similar to what you have described. I wish you the best and look forward to viewing your work.
Regards,
Chris

 

I want to work on the truck myself. That is part of the reason I started looking into this. It goes along with my mantra "what am I going to suck at next?". Gotta try new things to keep the mind going.

 

Your budget is all going to depend on your skill set and tools at hand, if you have to hire out any work it will get expensive fast. The F4 is a good bit narrower than your chassis and will be a little challenging. Take a look at this thread for a very similar build.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/19....913464/page-2

 

The next thing you try could be the most amazing thing you have every accomplished in your life. It could be the thing that makes you amazing, but you will never know until you try something new.