Here is my situation. I have just gotten my 48 f-1. I was so excited about it, then I got it. Now I am, shall we say, scared as he#$! What was I thinking? This is my first project truck. I have done some work on cars but not a restoration. I was so sure I could do this, but now I don't know if i am in over my head. It is all original but it has been sitting in a barn for at least 25 years...if not longer. I have checked a few areas. It will need a new bed, probably new hood, and possibly new front fenders. The cab is in good condition, may need work done to floor pans. It is in good conditon (I think) for the age and sitting for so long. So I guess what I am asking is.......is this a job for someone with my limited knowledge or am I in over my head.
Thanks for listening to me rant.
Mitch

 

You will only learn how by doing..... If you make a mistake, learn from it and fix it. If you tell yourself you can't do it, Then, you can't. Think positive about it and don't expect to get it done overnight! I've been on my 50 F-1 for almost 15 years and that's sloooooooow!! But I'm confident I will finish it. Find books, get some shop manuals, parts books and look them over. Lots of info in them. Ask questions, there's no such thing as a stupid question if you learn from the answer. If you have mechanical abilities and patience, you can do it and be proud of what you've done!There's tons of new and used parts for these trucks out there. Jump right in, the waters fine!!

Barry

50 F-1

50 F-1

 

Look at it this way, by the time you get done with it you will be VERY experienced. And if its your Grandpa's truck you should be less likely to get rid of it during the periods when you need a break from it. Looks like a great project!

 

Find a good friend who you can call up and ask questions. I'm 14 and in the process of restoring a 1960 f-100, and having a father who also never worked on cars it can make things a little difficult sometimes. Read up on car restoration, and get a shop manual and it should start to come together or apart in your case. At times it may seem overwhelming, but nothing's impossible. So stick around, read some posts and let us know how your resto is going, -4speed

 

Hmm, the truck looks pretty rough but not impossible. Suppose it hasn't run in a while... For restoration help I'd suggest:

A) Buying a book on truck restoration. I've got "How to Restore Your Ford Pickup" by Tom Brownell, pretty good info and covers all aspects.

B) Join an old truck or vehicle club. They'd be able to help with questions, may be willing to help with work, and if nothing else know what shops to get work done at.

C) Never hurts to ask questions here either!

 

my 53 was in about the same shape. i had no experience at all.
i only knew how to weld. the thing is take your time. and dont get frustrated. ive been working on mine 3 years and am still a long way away. this truck is a learner i dont expect a show winner but hopefully the next one will be after all i have learned on this one. there are some things that i worked on in the beginning that i would love to change and redo. but i;ll leave them along and do it different on the next project.this site will really help you out,,,,just ask.....i had to put a new bed on,all four cab corners. both doors reskinned inside and out. new floor pans.
if i can do it anyone one can....good luck and have fun..

 

Mitch,

See my gallery. Our trucks could be twins except mine is an F-3. It came with a Dodge bed and I'll need running boards and fenders. These old trucks are pretty simple, so don't worry too much about working on it. I'm going to use fiberglass fenders on all four corners and shorten the wheelbase to 114 inches so that F-1 running boards and a short bed will fit. It's very hard to find F-3 parts, so making an F-1 out of it is my goal...

 

Mitch,

Like all the others are saying, take your time and try not to rush. If you are patient you should be able to find parts for your truck. Don't buy the first part you find if you feel the price is too high. Although parts are getting hard to find, there is always another one out there. Look around for complete trucks or trucks sitting out in a yard somewhere. If I see a truck sitting behind a building I will stop and ask if it is for sale, it never hurts to ask. I always keep an eye on the local papers or auction notices. I have bought quite a few "projects" from people who had them for a while and either lost interest or who have wives who are tired of seeing the hulk sitting around for years. If the wife is encouraging the sale you can usually get it for a lot less than the asking price.

If you have the room to store a parts truck for a while you can take the parts you want and sell the rest to help subsidize your project.

To help give you some encouragement check out my web site. I did two restorations on my truck, one when I got out of high school and then another more proffesional one about six years ago. To be fair, I was in the auto body business for about five years and have a few tools to do the work but you will need to get a few pieces of equipment to complete your project. You could also take a class at a community college to learn the basics of mechanical and body repair.



Good luck

 

Mitch,

feeling overwhelmed ??? totally inadequate ??? wondering what you were thinking bunkie ???

Well... join the club... We've all felt that way at first. I'm also doing my first restoration with some minor experience. When I had mine in several large rusty piles I felt just like you... But from my computer years I remembered one thing... a large project is nothing but a bunch of small projects. There's no way you can wrap your mind around the complete job but you can easily concentrate on one small part at a time. Even the experienced rodders feel overwhelmed at times, but they know with patience and a whole lot of money they can handle anything

Start with the frame and don't worry about anything but that, cleaning, removing rust.. etc. Then think of suspension and concentrate on that. You need a master plan in place before you begin the rebuild, but it's all small bites of a big pie.

You might want to look at my site for some suggestions and I recommend reading "Trials of a first time builder" It will show you how frustrated I was too...

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress... There are hundreds of guys here that will help and encourage you, answer questions, find you parts and laugh at your stupid mistakes... then tell you how to fix them... best bunch of brothers I have..

later

John

http://jniolon.clubfte.com ... tech articles in the left frame

oh.. I forgot... don't you forget to have fun doing it !!!!!

 

Don't get discouraged Mitch, it is normal the way you are feeling. In a few months, you will be wondering why you ever doubted yourself. Hang in there, it will get worse before it will get better, but it will get better.
I don't know nothin about this stuff, but I aint skeered, I am gonna do it. It may take 20 yrs, but I will do it.

 

All the advice already given is very good advice. Here's some more-

1. First, before you start trying to dismantle it, get a shop manual and if possible a parts manual. (You can get the shop manual and maybe the other from the host of this forum – Motorhaven.com). This will tell you and show the proper way to dismantle and re-assemble the various components. (Things don’t always come off like you think they should)

2. Get some wire brush wheels for your electric drill, an angle grinder (e.g. 4.5 inch) with several thicknesses of cutting/grinding wheels, a basic set of ratchets and sockets in both ½ and 3/8 drive and wrenches. A propane cylinder for heating up rusted bolts. Don’t really go nuts on the tools. Spend about $300 or so and then buy what you need when you need it. (You’ll be buying tools forever….)

3. Using the manual, start stripping it down to the bare frame and suspension. It helps if you have a digital camera so you can take pictures of how certain components go together so that some day – when you are actually putting it back together, you’ll have them for reference. (The more completely you strip it down, the better the end result will be when you’re finished.)

4. Don’t really throw anything away – no matter how you put this thing back together, someone somewhere will likely need the parts you wont be reusing…..

5. During the dismantling stage, work out a plan as to what you want to do to this truck – restore to stock, restore to show winning stock, build a mild street rod, build a hot rod show queen. Figure out what you really want it to be when it’s done. No matter what way you go, it’ll be expensive and more so if you do things twice because you changed your mind on something later. Be reasonable as to what the end result will be based upon your abilities and your pocketbook.

6. Read a lot – read this forum from start to finish, read every book/magazine you can get your hands on. When you have specific questions, do a search on this forum for topics related and if you don’t find one – then start a new topic and ask. This forum has lots of members – some experts about one thing, some experts about lots of things, some knowledgeable about one thing or a few things. Between the lot of us, the experience is there for almost anything.

7. Try to find a few rodders/restorers in your area that you can start a friendship with. Go to any local shows/rod runs as a way to find these guys. (Try to find a guy that can weld, another that does body work, etc……)

8. When you get scared, ask for advice on the thing you’re about to do. The guys here will give you tips based on their experience doing that thing and give you the encouragement you need to get started.

9. Set a realistic budget of time and money to work on this thing. You don’t want to lose a spouse/family over it. (Major factor in the breakup of my 1st marriage)

10. Remember it’s a hobby. It’s also a journey as much as it is a destination. (That means enjoy the build as much as the driving of it when it done.)

(You should give it a name as well. It will become almost another member of the family and a name sounds better than "the truck")

Later,

 

Hey Bob, that is a really cool graphic on your post, did you make it, or find it somewhere?

 

I made the graphic myself. I feel it adds a little personality to my posts.

 

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I have alot of help here. Several relatives has done restoration job. But this truck will be my first. I guess I need tp park the pride and ask questions. Thanks again for the comments. I will keep you guys posted.
Oh, anyone from Western Kentucky? If so, is there a good restro shop (for parts for the truck) around here?
Thanks Again,
Mitch

 

Hi Mitch,

Excellent advice has already given. The only thing I can add is words of encouragement. If you are "handy" I'm sure you can handle this. The only pressure involved, is that of your own.

Just wanted to pass on this link. It is a very well documented restoration, that may help give you some ideas.......

https://www.ford-trucks.com/framered...arl/index.html

Best of luck!