i just got a 51 f3 with a v8 and a hd 3 speed. someone put the battery in backwards(neg ground} a cooked some wires. sat for 6 years? owned by one family since new. very rufffffffffffffffff.1 i would like to leave it flathead is a hd 3sp any good does in have syncros2 dipstick tube seems to short just sticks out of pan a few inches???????3want a 6 ft bed should i shorten mine or use an f1 bed i know the fenders are different? 4 want to go to 5 lug wheels will put disc on front what rear should 62" or 60" or does it depend on what bed i use thanks elliot cranks guess i lucky

 

congrats on the F-3, welcome..........

the battery should be positive to ground, thats how that stock 6 volt system was made.

there's some great F-3 knowledge on this board, i've learned alot from them myself.

personally i like the longer beds....... if it's in good shape, you could most likely trade it for an f-1 bed...... don't like to cut up parts you can't get anymore.

 

I agree. They make aftermarket beds for the F1's, and not too far from NY either (Hot Rod's Classic Truck Parts is in New Carlisle, OH). Save on shipping and freight costs. The last F3 bed they made like yours was in 1952. IMO, you can either trade or sell the F3 bed, and get an F1 bed. I believe the tailgate is specific to the bed size, too. There are also certain areas of the frame to be cut as to not disrupt the mounting locations. 3 speed is non-synchro. Popular choice for rear end is the 57-72 9" which fits really well with the F1. (it'll be 5 lug 5.5")

 

nobody would buy the bed it is that bad. what would be a good rear end ratio to run with the flathead is the 3 speed tranny(hd) worth keeping thanks elliot

 

Congrats on the 51 F3

 

sure, for simplicity sake, the current trans fits, no driveshaft mods, no bellhousing mods, etc... One can double clutch just as fast as a newer clutch once ya get the hang of it.

 

Why butcher an F-3 when you can just buy an F-1 to start with? You'll have more expense in bed, running boards, and other mods than the difference in initial purchase cost. Seems like false economy to me, and you've wasted an F-3.

 

i bought it realy because it still had the flathead v8 and i thought i could get it running. the owner the truck sold it to me for 300$ i think he sold it to me because his father had bought it brand new and did not want to junk it.it was on ebay and i was only one wanted it.i had been looking for a truck for months (f1) but in ny where i live it is hard to come up with any project trucks within a 300 mile range it and i was not going to buy one without looking at it first elliot

 

Congrats on your purchase. The larger trucks aren't as popular as the F-1 so there are fewer aftermarket parts made for them. I bought my 48 F-3 (also very rough) for $500 but it had no bed and needed four fenders and running boards so I converted it to an F-1. An F-1 bed will work fine if you shorten the frame 8 inches behind the cab and 12 inches off the back. Don't even bother trying to shorten the F-3 bed. It won't ever look right. F-1 fenders will also bolt on to the F-3 and have smaller wheel well openings. If you wanted to go with drum brakes, F-1 brakes and drums will fit the F-3 axle to give you a 5 lug pattern. Any of the disc brake kits made for F-1s will also fit the F-3. You need a rear end width of about 61-62 inches mounting flange to mounting flange. The 57-72 nine inch is perfect (5 x 5.5 pattern) but you can also use a GM 10 bolt (5 x 4.75 pattern)from a 73-77 Malibu or some Chrysler (5 x 4.5 pattern) rears. The 73-up pickup rears are too wide. Get the rear end first so you can match the bolt pattern on the front discs...

 

Congrats on picking up a truck and finding your way to our little neck of the woods. I see you have already got some great advice. Here's mine;

Get the truck running, if its feasible get it where you can drive it. Play with it for awhile, run it around the block, get to know it. Pretty soon it will tell you what it wants. This also helps build some fun memories to help carry you throug the inevitable rough times when the truck is torn apart and there is no end in site and all you can do is sit in the cab on your milk crate, stick you arm out the window (optional: crack open a frosty beverage) make vroom vroom nosies and cruise.

I agree about the F3 bed. If you want an F1 or to convert yours to an F1 then it would be easier to find an F1 bed. Since you have a 51 which has the flat sided bed panels it is fairly easy. I think the basic bed box is the same from late 1950 up through 79. There are some minor differences like the fender mounting holes and the tailgate design but they are basically the same.
The tougher part will be the running boards but fiberglass board are available for the F1's so its not too bad.

Good luck with the truck. When you get some time, take some pics and try your hand at putting a gallery together. There's sticky thread at the top of the forum that will help walk you through the process.

Bobby

 

thanks to everyone who has replied got it running today on starting fluid the guy i bought it from gave me a rebuilt carb and fuel pump . i will put them on and run it from a gas can.the only thing that is worrying me is i dont think there was any collant in the truck put a gallon in and it still needs more how much does it hold? there is no collant in the oil and no leakes so far.started stripping the paint off thanks for all the help elliot

 

Would you believe 6 gallons worth! The first time I added coolant to one of these trucks I thought it must be leaking out the bottom.

 

Curious, what did you decide on the long bed? Keep or change?

 

the bed was realy ruff. so it got scraped and i bought an 48 to 50 shortbed that someone had made into a trailer so i got the bed with the fenders tailgate and bumper elliot

 

Hello Elliot,

Congratulations on the F3!! Please allow me to tell my 1948 F3 wheel story, as you might be experiencing the same thing real soon.

As you know, these trucks (mine is 3/4 ton) have 17" "widowmaker" wheels from the Ford factory. I was told by several tire shops in my area (Houston) that OSHA "outlawed" these rims and as a result, no one will touch them. I did not know that at the time I ordered new (original size for this truck) 7.5 X 17" tires and tubes (and tube wheel liners) for these original wheels. The new tires and such were difficult to find but I located a tire distributor in the Eastern US that still handled these tires (4 tires cost approximately $800.00, Tubes $120.00).

I found out later that I could not use the original wheels to mount the new tires. OK, now what? I searched the web only to find out that there is no such thing as a 17" solid wheel with the 1948 Ford F-3 lug pattern. I finally contacted Stockton Wheel in Stockton, California about making new wheels for my truck. They said that they could "cut" the center (lug pattern) out of my existing widowmakers, and weld them into new 17" solid "outers." In other words, they would use the inside of my original wheels to make a new 17" solid, tubless wheel. That way, I get to keep my original lug pattern, but I would have "new" wheels that would work with the new tires.

I shipped 4 original wheels to Stockton (UPS shipping $180.00). They took 3 months to complete the job. It wasn't as easy as they first anticipated. They could not find a 17" solid outer rim to fit the wheel. So, they had to "manufacture" 2 separate half-moon pieces that would ultimately be welded together to form the complete wheel around my original center piece. It was a real pain in the neck - but they got it done. The wheels were tested to original Ford specs - sandblasted - and painted black (total cost $600.00 + $120.00 UPS shipping to Texas).

I had the tires mounted at an old truck stop in the country near my house ($85.00). By the way, the original 90 degree valve stem hole on the original wheel could not be used on the newly designed wheels. So, I had to have steel valve stems installed on each wheel. The tube-type tires were mounted without the tubes because the new wheels from Stockton were made to be for tubeless tires (the new tubes that I got originally when I thought that I could use them with the widowmakers were the type with a 90 degree valve stem, and even if I wanted to use a tube they would not work in the new wheels).

I mounted all of the tires on the truck last night and I'm almost ready to take the thruck off of the jack stands and crank'er up for the first time. The truck has been in storage for about 25 years, so I have replaced ALL systems while waiting on the wheels to be finished.

I know that this story was long-winded, but I thought that you might appriciate what I went through to get the "original" wheels and tires back on this old truck. It looks GREAT by the way, with the original wheels and tires - next is a paint job!

Almost $2,000.00 later, I have exactly what I want (as far as the wheels and tires go) and I would never have compromised and put 16" car tires and rims on the truck just to save a few bucks. I'll have this truck for a long, long time, and I have to live with whatever decisions I make in restoration along the way. I like to do things right.

Good luck to you!

Surf Daddy