i added a few pics of the 55 to my gallery before i had to rip the motor back out, i had some rings that got stuck from the motor sitting after i cleaned it and it didnt have enough compression to fire it over. i took it all apart and i couldnt even get the old rings off the piston.

 

Hey innecity,

Looked at your new pics, I think she's looking pretty good.

Is that piston salvageable?

I've been working on the cab floor on Doug, my 1960 F-100. It's been kind of frustrating to deal head-on with the amount of rust present. I'm dreaming of some kind of bracing to install just to be able to weld new floor pans.

New brakes are installed, all that's left there is to install a new master cylinder and have my wife sit in a lawn chair inside the cab and pump the brakes. With the old floor, she would have ended up on the garage floor in a plume of dust after the first step on the brake. haha

How's number one son?

 

hey billsco, wonder where u been hiding. lol..
na... the pistons were pretty shot since it will have to probaly be bored over, i have had bad luck cutting the corners it seems. i was really hoping to be at back to the 50's this year, if the motor would of ran all i had to do was run the brake plumbing and get a driveshaft and wire in my lights, both easy tasks when motivated to do so.
my kid is 8 months already n growing fast,... had him out in the garage since the weather was nice this weekend, sitting behind the wheel, never too early to get him motivated either.. stops him a few min from crawling around getting into everything and bonking his head trying to pull himself up. he is hilarious, and quite the food bandit, worse than the dog, if he is within arms reach of whatever you got, consider it his....lol..

well not to get lenghthy, but.. i would think some angle iron running from a rocker area to the center hump would provide the bracing you need to start laying and forming sheet metal, but i still think it was slick the time i used fiberglass resin and the long hair matt to form my floorboards on a 79. just lay some chickenwire or aluminum screen as a mold to start than start laying the fiberglass sheets on top. it wont ever rust again. my grandfather used to cover floor patches with tar, i used spray on bedliner. i was lucky i had no rust whatsoever. i hate that crap.

 

Great pictures. My 56 is only a little farther along than your 55. I will be trailering it to MN when we make the move over there this spring. Waiting on my house to sell in MI. Not looking forward to hauling trailer loads of tools and parts, but that goes with moving.

 

I was thinking of the angle iron idea, that's probably what I'll do, but the bedliner spray sounds interesting for finishing. I'll have several 2"-3" holes holes left after repairs. Does a guy just lay some screening down and spray on the bedliner?

 

Welcome to Minnesota. Whereabouts will you be relocating to?

 

i was thinking about the screwing in some screening to hold the fiberglass sheets in place til they dry hard so it dont sag or fall to the floor. i would think a guy could use it directly over your patch panel whatever material you use. i cleaned up the floors and sprayed it on. it drys harder than undercoat and it covered and filled in nicely. i got some scratches in the stuff i used installing the seat, but a can at the auto store n i am good to go. i am not planning on running carpeting and i figured it would protect under my rubber floormatts. if i was using carpet, i suppose a guy could get away with undercoat or tar. sounds like your holes are rather small, probaly just get by with some tin and kitty hair.

ranger- hope to see your truck around when you get settled. ......what....huh....my truck was almost done til i got the motor problem...lol... flat black is a color.... i want to try and go more old school with it, i think the tires and rims on it make it look more 60-70's muscle though. i want some wide whites on baby moons, but i think it looks kinda cool with them for now on each side of the lake pipes, and the running boards are a original find, i left them the silver because i thought black might get too much, dont know yet. i want to get a tonneau cover in a dark grey for it yet and wish i could find a cab visor. it sits low off the tire dollys.

 

Yeah, I'm planning on laying down a whole new rubber mat. I've heard guys talking about sound deadening ideas for the floor. I don't know if that's going to be an issue or not with me. I'm just planning on taking Doug on a leisurely stroll now and then. Probably all I'll care about is that dust doesn't infiltrate. I suppose undercoating could be applied later if needed.

So do you think you're dead in the water this year? How much to bore out the 351?

 

i was hoping to cruise back to the 50's, and if it would of popped off i would have had the motivation to run a few brake lines and some wiring. i was watching american hotrod last night and got all motivated... them guys re-did a 29t in 8 days..i wish i still had that kind of energy. i figure its going to take 2-3 weeks depending on how long rooster needs the block and crank and it takes a week for the pistons and bearings to come. it usually runs about 300 to have it bored and boiled. 16$ a cylinder plus shop time i think. the pistons are probaly around 300 also. but i already have a fresh set of heads with stainless valves and hardened seats. its do able.... hopefully this is the last time for a long while i have it out. i am thinking about using a floating wrist pin, and installing my bearing dowell pins also.

 

Well look on the bright side...when you're done you're going to have a fresh, new engine, right? Is old Bessie going to be a daily driver? How you ever found a vehicle with no rust is beyond me, but that's a real plus.

I'm going to fire up the wood stove this morning and work out in the garage today. Spring doesn't seem to want to come around this year, but I always enjoy working out there in colder weather anyway with a little fire going. Too many other things going on in the summer it seems so Doug gets kind of ignored.

 

i plan on doing what ol henry intended...driving the heck out of it all summer long. i got a piece of oak laminate plywood to fit in the box temporarily, i am out applying dark stain and poly to it right now. i figured water damage would be minimal with a tonneay cover and i undercoat it after the poly wears underneath. i also am finishing installing a swaybar i found up at the farm i was putting off til later.

 

Hey what is tin and kitty hair?

 

kitty hair or tiger hair is long fiber fiberglass bondo that fills larger areas nicely, doesnt crack as easily and you need to use a grinder to finish it or take it down before you put lightweight sandable bondo over it. tin i am referring to is just pieces of lightweight sheetmetal i use easily bendable and formed. they make tape too that is like the stuff they wrap around furnace ducts.

 

I might have to look into some kitty hair. Where do you get your sheet metal from?

 

i get stuff at ambles, off 55 just south of downtown mpls. he charges by weight and i dont leave feeling ripped off