Looks great, Looks great! Hows it run. Lucky you, You need to go buy a lottery ticket.

Well, The first thin is everything you cant see, Body and int. should be last on my list. But hell, Just get her going down the road.

Kyle

 

Welcome to our world looks like you have a really good start (that rear bumper/bed side modification was very common when the stake pocket broke loose)

 

pull the plugs and fill those holes with atf for a while before turning it over . change the motor oil. drain that cooling sytem as you said. clean those points to start with take a one gal can with a long hose and fresh gas to get it started as what ever is in that tank will be varnish by now . should have a drain plug in the tank to drain it out, just figure out ahead of time what you will have to do with bad gas to be rid of it.
man there are a lot of us old timers who remember those babys and worked on them.
that truck as i sad before is a restoreable rare number matching one don't mess it up. as to value you can't put a price on family history, but the fact you have the full history adds to value when ever you sell. signs of street roding take away from value. and the blue. well i have not seen amny in my life time.

 

A real nice truck to restore and I agree one this nice and complete should be a stock body with possibly a better braking system.

 

About the color, I see the exterior paint and the dash are 2 different colors. The dash color looks like Sea Foam Green (Ithink that is what it was called in 1954).Your Grandhfather or Great-Grandfather must have painted it that blue color later. Check your VIN # on your data plate on your glive box door and someone hear can tell you what color is the original color.

abe

 

Another welcome to FTE! I've also got a family heirloom truck...it's a great way to keep memories alive, as well as create some new ones.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

Welcome. I have to agree with the majority. Restore it stock. There is too much family history to be lost with a wild custome or even a mild custom. As for the 12 volts, there are aftermarket gauges that are stock in appearance, or you can switch them with 56 gauges. I know when my stepmom said she wanted to sell my dads 55 F-350 express, I wanted cry. So many memories, and the thought of some one getting her and chopping her up to make some ridiculous looking lowrider sickened me. Anyhow, I'm supposed to go to Nevada in the next month or two to bring the old girl home. She will be going 100% stock, and hopefully before my father passes. I'd go original, and cherish every minute of the rebuild all the while flipping through the photo album in your mind of the memories you may have aquired over the last 26 years surrounding that truck. Its originality is hard to come by, and the collector value favors stock restored vehicles. When I look at trucks to buy, I never even consider the customs, only the stockers, no matter what the condition.

 

Gee mine only goes back to my grandad,great grand dad! WoW keep it forever. Cal

 

I will say that it does look like different colors in the pics.. but not so much in real life.. those pics were taken by 2 different cameras in two totally
different light settings. indoor outdoor.. ect.. the exterior paint is badly faded.
I am 99% sure that the truck has never been repainted. My grandpa would have told me that story for sure as he has been around the whole life of the truck. I will get the numbers off the data tag in the glovebox cause i would love to know what the original color is. I always thought it was waterfall blue? And i will also enquire my GP about a possible paint job. But im sure he would have told me about it? ..

 

Welcome to FTE and also on your great Truck. I am also with the majority hear and would also keep it stock.

Don

 

You are probably right about the original paint. It did look different in the pics on here. Exterior paint sure does fade after all theose years. Send us you Data plate info and we can help you out with it.

abe

 

I checked some of my '54 references. There was no Sea Foam green in '54. The colors and codes for '54 are: A: Black, B: Sheridan Blue, D: Glacier Blue, H: Sea Haze Green, R: Vermillion (red), U Meadow Green, V: Goldenrod Yellow.

abe

 

Ok guys i got the VIN number .. F10V4D24940 .. now what does that mean..

 

F10= F-100
V= 239 V-8
4= 1954
D= city it was assembled in. With out looking am not sure of the assembly plant
24940= the number assembled at that plant starting with 1,000.

The clor code is elsewhere on the data plate.

abe

 

Well just found the color code on the data plate is H. Which im not thrilled about as im not sure of a seahaze green color? anybody have pictures of sea haze? Also saw that the rear axle was a 3.92. History is so cool ..