Well, I've had my truck just over 6 months. It's changed in so many ways in that 6 months. Originally, I was going to find a 302/351 donor. Then, I just couldn't do without a flathead in it. I dislike the maroon paint that was literally hosed on, but decided that I could live with it, if I painted the front and fenders/running boards "weathered" black (to match the dead-red). When I rebuilt the tranny, I had to paint/detail the engine. Now, the "just drop the engine in and drive it" concept went out the window. So, I started wire-wheeling the frame. Well, then I realized that 3 bolts and a pittman arm for the steering, and 6 bolts remove the cab!! Now, I can paint it whatever color I want, and I can all but restore it, since I can sandblast the frame. So, now I'm pretty deep into it, and loving it, even if I DID swear I wouldn't "restore" it.

Now, the biggest thing I've learned, is I never EVER want to be referred to as the "stupid PO"!!!

A lot of people have commented on how nice my truck was to start with. That's true, but I have run into a bunch of stuff, that the PO did, that has caused needless work to be done, to fix. First off was the 3" carriage bolts holding the ENTIRE front clip together. They had rusted, and took days to get them apart - vice grip (round heads!!), deep socket won't fit, etc. The rear fenders are just short of perfect, as is the bed. However, the PO hung the back fenders back on, with nuts the right size, wrong threads. Yup, ever single stud for the bed is stripped. How simple it would have been, to use the right nuts! And, for some reason, ALL the running board supports were just broken off the frame. How hard was it to grind them off? Now all the supports need straightening. Simple, I know, but unnecessary. And why they took the oil pan off, and left it for years, I'll never know. There's still no apparent reason for it, but it seems they took a running flathead apart, and just left it.

I know these things are minor, and I've got a LOT less problems than most of you do. I'm sure if it was in worse shape, I would have had to grind off the nuts on the bed studs. What gets me though, is just how senseless these things are. He evidently bought a box of 3" carriage bolts. How much harder was a box of 1" hex head bolts??? And, instead of 3 or 4 washers under the wrong nuts, why not just get the right nuts?? He had to have known that they were damaging the threads...

Well, my rant is over. But, I guarantee you, when I sell my truck, or whoever inherits it when I die, won't have ANY reason to say, "That stupid *&*^%* PO!!!".

R

 

Atta boy Roger!!!

Isn't it amazing how one thing leads to another?

Bobby

 

Hey, Roger, I hear you. I think it a noble effort to be kind to the next owner.

All of us have PO stories and some of the cootie-bobbed work is truly shocking.

I also understand completely how the efforts on your truck have snowballed into a complete resto. Mine was (barely) a driver when I bought it and I drove it for 2 years, making mostly changes to just the driveline. Then, when an intake valve spring broke, I was faced with the option to just replace that spring (on a tired motor) or do a rebuild. I picked rebuild. Then, with the engine out, I saw I had a perfect opportunity to do some cab mods...and so the journey began. It has been basically a pile of parts for 2 years now and is slowly going back together.

Like you, I intend that every part of my build will be well regarded by the next guy.

Keep the faith!

 

Your story sounds familiar. A few years back I picked up a 1928 Model A Business Coupe. Just a driver and no way a show car. Well the brakes weren't quite up to par so I decided to tear into the mechanical brakes and get the car to stop a little better. Well the mechanical brake rods hit the bottom of the motor. Why the motor mounts were broke and the engine was riding to low. This led to pulling the motor. Well the motor is out I my as well rebuild it. Well to make a long story short the car got a total restoration. Everything that I touched on that car had someone else before me and it lead to something else wrong. Its a wonderful adventure. A car 70-80 years old has a lot of stories and a lot of hands involved. The oldtimers did what they had to do to keep things going.
I bought a 1952 Ford F-4 off the neighbor who was hauling it to the scrap yard. I rescued it. Well the weather in NE Ohio was not to nice to the cab and it was rusted out pretty bad. I found a like new rust free cab out west on ebay and bought it. I towed my trailer out to pick up the cab and the guys wife wants the whole truck gone...so she gives it to me if I want it. Of course I want it. Well its loaded on the trailer (which is way more than the trailer was designed to haul) and I head back towards Ohio...4 blown tires....4 new tires later I make it home with my new 52 F-6. The truck is a nice rust free, double frame F-6 with absolutely no rust, a flathead merc w/a huge 2 speed rearend. Its only missing the seat, some odds and ends and the gear shift (which seems to be the hardest part to find).
Well the F-6 is now in the garage getting a new lease on life and the F-4 still sits waiting for its day when it too can feel the open road once again.

This hobby is always and adventure and it never ends up were you first envision it headed. Good luck on your truck and have fun. I bet when you look back on it you wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Hey Roger,
I feel your pain Brother... The 53s both my son and I bought are perfect examples of the kind of hack jobs people do. In the case of mine, someone down the line decided to put in a 302 with an automatic transmission. It has to be the worst job I've ever seen. They made some kind of hack job combination front engine mount and cross member that was made out of anything they could dig out of a scrap pile. Then they hacked out the crucial cross member under the cab to accomodate the transmission. They must have been working on a hillside because when the truck sits on a level floor the engine has a starbord list. The crowning insult was the wat they torched out a big chunk to squeeze in a radiator out of who knows what The guy I bought the truck from didn't do the hack. he was thinking of fixing it up and I think he just got dismayed at the whole deal and decided to sell. The one my son has is another hack job. Somebody tried to install a Pontiac V8 with an automatic Basically it was just more of the same except for the hacked radiator valance. In the case of both trucks, they must have owned stock in a Bondo plant. Chunks a quarter inch thick are coming off in places because they simply did not prep the surface. The only good thing about these trucks is that we got them cheap. Wonder why ??? As someone who usually trys to take pride in what I do, although it may not be true show quality, I am offended that anyone would actually do this kind of stuff. I have to ask myself, can they actually not see how bad the work is? It's kind of like they must have been on drugs or one heck of a lot of frosty beverage. I really have to ask myeslf if either of these trucks ever ran after the hack jobs.

 

I think we all will have found something on our trucks that the PO did wrong. Just think someday when the truck is onto its next owner what they would say when they repair it.

Its not worth fixing, if it not done right!

 

Close to my favorite saying: "Nothing short of right......is RIGHT!!"

So...(i've always wanted to do this!!)...Roger that, Roger!

Roger

 

why do you think i keep procrastinating on taking the 53 down for the "small , simple , repairs !" i need to make . im afraid thats gonna happen to me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If your not haveing fun working on your vehicle
You need a diffrent one to enjoy

 

Feel better now?

 

Same here....front to back top to bottom. This is my first rod and I admit lust and inexperience clouded my ability to truly see what it was that I was purchasing (maybe it was dust and excess crap piled on the truck when I went to look at it...dunno)

Needless to say I have learned a lot at great expense to my wallet and sanity. I must say if not for the good folks on here willing to accept a darksider and some good friends here at home, I would have given up some time ago.

A round of or non-frosties (your preference) for everyone!!!!!!!

Roger, I feel your pain indeed.

 

I've opened several cans of worms over the last couple years, myself!! Heck, I've got so many worms, I've altered the bird migrations of the midwest!! they all just come to my yard for a feast.

Rearward progress is my forte. But atleast the tbird is starting to go together.