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Hi guys. Looking for some helpful specs on a 53 F100. To make a long story short. I've got a 53 cab sitting on a 73-74 bronco chassis. A project I started 35 years ago. A section of the 53 frame is welded to the sides of the bronco frame for the cab to mount as it did originally. I'm wanting to know how the front radiator/ bumper section and the rear bumper sections are in relation to the cab. I'm needing to weld on the 53 front frame section and make rear mounting arrangements for the bed.
Is the top of the bumper frame level with the cab frame? If different levels are they both flat plained? Is the back bed mount level with the cab?
Here's a pic of how it sits currently. Nothing is truly bolted on. Just a couple here and there me to see where I'm at and need to be. Which is the closest this truck has been together sense 1990!
Glad to see you finishing the truck, I had one apart for over 40 years before I put it back together.
You do have some options, the market for those years of Broncos is total insanity, I would bet that a complete chassis would be worth a considerable amount unless you have your heart set on using that chassis
Yes, I was talking about the possibility of selling the Bronco chassis and buying something different. I bet that there would be a lot of interest in that chassis.
I thought about seeing if it was worth selling and trying something different. The problem is that when we started this adventure. We cut off all the bronco mounts. Cut frame in half and added 18" of 4x4 box steel, then welded the 53 frame to the outside for its body mounts. So I doubt it's worth going with something else.
the critical point will be where the core support mounts as this will determine the location of the fenders and hood. The crossmember that the core support mounts to has some drop to it, the center mounting point is lower than the ends.
If I were doing this project I would put the inner fenders, fenders, hood, brace rods and front valance on with the core support setting on a floor jack and get the hood to fender alignment set as good as I could then build a core support mount structure to fit and leave the mounting point slightly low so it can be shimmed in final assembly as needed. Same with the frame horns for the front bumper, center them in the valence openings. The attached picture shows the drop in the core support x member
The way you're describing is the way I plan on doing the final locating. I figured it might help having the specs from original to get everything close. I was mainly concerned about the flatness plain of the front compared to the cab. With the diagram and pics it shows the frame section as flat. Which is what I thought it was but couldn't remember for sure. Didn't want to make it flat when it was supposed to have a downward slope to it or vice versa. Looking at how everything is sitting. I wish we would have centered the front wheels better rather than welding the frame sections based on original wheel to cab measurements we took.
The way you're describing is the way I plan on doing the final locating. I figured it might help having the specs from original to get everything close. I was mainly concerned about the flatness plain of the front compared to the cab. With the diagram and pics it shows the frame section as flat. Which is what I thought it was but couldn't remember for sure. Didn't want to make it flat when it was supposed to have a downward slope to it or vice versa. Looking at how everything is sitting. I wish we would have centered the front wheels better rather than welding the frame sections based on original wheel to cab measurements we took.
I had several of those, I wish I had done that different 40+ years ago when I started that project moments.
