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Howdy All!
New to the forum, but thought I better join as I have a rather interesting project I just acquired.
It's a 1952 Ford F2 with the 215 I6 and 4sp crash box. The original color was Sheridan Blue.
It is in unbelievably good condition for a 73 yr old truck. The back story I got was that it was built in St. Paul, purchased and used in Kansas, eventually bought by a gentleman in PA who had plans to restore it.
He didn't, sold it to ANOTHER gentleman in PA who had the same plans. He managed to blast all the paint off and recover the bench seat. He then decided he too had too many projects and he sold it to me.
So I trekked from North Florida with a 20' flatbed all the way to Pittsburgh to retrieve this jewel. It's completely in pieces other than the engine/trans sitting in the chassis.
As far as I can tell, all of the parts (so far) are here with the exception of the steering column and steering box. (Who knows?)
The odometer says 32K miles. I assumed immediately that meant at least 132K miles. However...
The motor was sort of locked up...I could get 1/4 turn. Pulled the head and yep, water in #5 and #6. Did a rough clean with a wire wheel, soaked everything in Mystery Oil, and ta da! It turns over now with no sticky spots.
Head was gross, but cleaned up quite well as well. There is no noticeable wear on the cylinder walls. The original generator, fuel pump, distributor, carb, etc are ALL STILL THERE.
Even the original wiring harness is still in it (pretty rough though). It "appears" that the head was loose because the bolts all came free with just a regular ratchet...not much more than snug. The head gasket is solid.
I'm wondering if water got in #5/#6 and the Kansas family couldn't repair it and just stuck in a corn crib for 30 + years? I'm really starting to wonder if that really is 32K original miles.
There is not one single dent on this truck...some very minor spot rust and some metal eaten away where the wood bed made contact with the sides. THAT's IT.
The cab and floors are perfect...it's like a time machine the more I crawl through it.
So...I'll post pics as I work through this restoration. The plan for now is to try to keep it original since its numbers matching. Except for the 4 speed...YUK. Likely a T5 swap coming there.
I have been finding "artifacts" in the glove box and tub of parts as well. Can anyone identify the 4 pieces in the one pic attached?
Thanks all!
Welcome! Lucky dog, you have one of the two spare tire hangers. Believe one of your tire irons is correct. It doubled as a lever for the rear wheel bearing nut socket. A vote to keep the spur gear 4 speed!
Welcome to the best place on the internet for these trucks! You have a nice base for a stock restoration! You have already made great progress with the engine.
As for the unidentified parts, I think you will find many of them are part of the factory tool kit offering. Be glad you have them!
Keep the 4 speed. Yes, seemingly daunting to learn the crash box, but so rewarding and fun once the skill is acquired. If you really want synchronized gears, you can always consider the more factory approach of using a T-98: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...2-chassis.html
Another version of the bearing nut socket. I had 2, but traded Stu one for something he had. Any evidence of a flat generic looking wrench? It was for the nuts on the spare tire hangers. I have one, haven’t seen another.
Welcome to the forum! What a great find. Congratulations and welcome to the old truck owners club. Given the condition, it would not surprise me if you show actual mileage. Stranger things have been found.
While a lot of the purists here will lobby for keeping the crashbox, this one deviation from stock, imho, would be worthwhile, and one no one would notice. It would give excellent drivability and driving enjoyment, being fully synchronized and the overdrive gear to overcome the 4.86 gears commonly found in the F2's. Even if yours has the 4.11's, the od is still plenty handy.
One thing to keep in mind (a rule of thumb, if you will) is that no modification comes without at least 2 other necessary changes. Swapping out the trans also loses your parking brake, since it's located on the back of the trans. This is easily overcome with finding a Dana 60 from a mid-60's-72 F250, which would have the parking brake mechanism back in the rear drums with the service brakes. The spring perches are the same and it will bolt right in. It will look stock. The handle used in all F1's and F2-3's up until 1951 when the brakes changed that attaches left of the drivers feet, under the dash, along with the cable parts from an early F2 can be used to hook everything up properly. Easier done than said, actually. FYI.
Again, welcome, and I look forward to following along with your progress.
Ahh, that's great advice! I will start keeping my eyes open for a Dana 60.
I'm headed to the Moultrie swap meet this weekend to check that out and maybe scout for a replacement steering column/box.
So that creates another question...If I swap to a T5 and a Dana 60, do I keep the intermediate bearing on the drive shaft? Or just buy a used one piece driveshaft, cut it down, and weld on the correct yoke for the T5?
If I swap to a T5 and a Dana 60, do I keep the intermediate bearing on the drive shaft? Or just buy a used one piece driveshaft, cut it down, and weld on the correct yoke for the T5?
This is one of those 'it depends' questions. There are rules for how long and at what angle a driveshaft can be before they need a center support. The T5 is considerably longer than your T9 4 speed, so it will depend on if the shorter shaft length will be short enough to be stand alone or still need a carrier bearing. The info may be out there, but I don't know if enough guys here have done the swap the same as yours to share what they did, and how it worked. Compare the length of the 2 transmissions and see where it falls. Perhaps check with a local driveline shop and get a professional opinion. They can build anything you'll need and may be some of the best money spent once everything else is figured out and in place.
Welcome to the forum! What a great find. Congratulations and welcome to the old truck owners club. Given the condition, it would not surprise me if you show actual mileage. Stranger things have been found.
While a lot of the purists here will lobby for keeping the crashbox, this one deviation from stock, imho, would be worthwhile, and one no one would notice. It would give excellent drivability and driving enjoyment, being fully synchronized and the overdrive gear to overcome the 4.86 gears commonly found in the F2's. Even if yours has the 4.11's, the od is still plenty handy.
One thing to keep in mind (a rule of thumb, if you will) is that no modification comes without at least 2 other necessary changes. Swapping out the trans also loses your parking brake, since it's located on the back of the trans. This is easily overcome with finding a Dana 60 from a mid-60's-72 F250, which would have the parking brake mechanism back in the rear drums with the service brakes. The spring perches are the same and it will bolt right in. It will look stock. The handle used in all F1's and F2-3's up until 1951 when the brakes changed that attaches left of the drivers feet, under the dash, along with the cable parts from an early F2 can be used to hook everything up properly. Easier done than said, actually. FYI.
Again, welcome, and I look forward to following along with your progress.
OK, so I'm doing my homework on Dana 60's. Would it matter if it came from a dually? I'm not finding much in the mid 60's to early 70's...there seems to be a lot more out there from the mid 70's on. 62 1/8" looks like the magic number for WMS to WMS. My existing axle has the shock mounts integrated into the spring mount. Would I need to reuse those or would the welded on shock mounts work? And most seem to have 4.10 gears...if I buy one with a 4.10, it is worth just replacing it with a 3.73 assuming I need to do a rebuild?
Thanks all...this forum is super helpful!!
I have a 52 F1 with the 215 !6 engine like yours. My truck is a family heirloom and its all stock--including the 4 speed non-synchro transmission. I learned to drive stick as a teenager on this truck, so I wouldn't think of changing it now after all these years. That being said, driving a non-synchro vehicle is something you get used to, and it becomes just a part of the driving experience. You have modern vehicles to drive when you want comfort and convince. I think an old truck should drive like an old truck. I've taken my old truck on numerous extended cross-country road trips--and recommend it.
I am totally OK with trying to keep the old 4spd at first. I'd be fascinated to see how it "used to be".
However, the condition of the 4spd may not allow this. I pulled it with the engine the other night and it's not good.
Both seals are leaking and there was no lube in it...just water.
And a quick search online did not yield much in terms of rebuild kits for these. Maybe you guys have sources? The gears seem to be sliding smoothly and I don't see any major tooth damage.
So, if parts are available, MAYBE it's just labor and love that it needs.
Jim, I agree - my old trucks are for the thrill of experiencing the charm that they are. The engineers back then did very well and produced a simple and decent vehicle; they were not cavemen with clubs. If you want a modern experience and all its complexities and amenities, use a modern vehicle. There is something to be said for original tube radio guts humming and glowing along just as there is with a classic flathead purring under the hood and the satisfaction and connection to the road though a real transmission. Learning the crash box is just like riding a bike. Yes, seemingly daunting to learn at first, but so rewarding and fun once the skill is acquired. And as for approaching truck projects, get what you have up and running - what you have is already purchased and only original once...
As for fixing yours up, these old transmissions are pretty simple and easily serviced. For instance, there is VanPelt who has many parts and experience and would be a fantastic resource to friend and work with (they literally wrote the book on Early Ford transmissions): Ford Truck Four Speed Parts Prices
Some more progress pics...motor is out, trans is separated and motor is temporarily on a stand. Not the final setup...just had to get it off the floor for now.
The clutch was remarkably clean...and again, only a few bots were torqued like I would expect (pressure plate and bell housing were good).
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