Just added more pictures of tilt front end on my Panel Truck, will add some information with each picture as soon as I can. John P.S. If you enjoy early 50's & 60's oldies while looking thru FTE go to radiotime.com then search for WPON then hit search and enjoy.

 

That looks real slick/trick/etc. Real easy to change the spark plugs now :-) Nice work.

 

Great looking panel ,I like everything. How did you go about latching the dog house?

 

The section of fender that tucks under the cab, I cut off straight as shown, added a fiberglass flange on the cut areas then I fastened that to the cab with bolts using the stock holes and pop rivets. I aligned the sections then drilled a half inch hole and just use a chrome bolt, washers and nylock nuts, nothing fancy, that plus the pressure of the hydraulics keep it in place. I thought about using the trunk latches from the early Cadillac to draw the fenders in when the front end comes down but have not figured out how install them with out a lot of body work. John

 

Thanks Vaughn, have fun working on your truck, I worked on my '56 P.U. for 29 years, John

 

John,
Congratulations on creating a masterpiece. It's great to see the interior work and of course the tilt front end. Very impressive.
Do you have any photographs showing the fiberglass flange/runningboard areas?
YOU THE MAN!
Best Regards,
Jon T

 

HI John,

Just out of curiosity, what were your thoughts in going hydraulic instead of electric on the lifts; and why did you go with two side lifts instead of a single in the center?

Merry Christmas,
Julie

 

Jon, I will take some close up pictures for you, we are in the middle of a couple of snow storms right now so as soon as I clear the driveway..... I will also tell you how I added the gel cote and fiberglass. John. By the way, have you ever wondered why we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

 

Julie, The first time I did a tilt front end was when an article in 'Truckin', that was in the 70's, came out I bought the brackets from Jack Reis at So Cal P&P, I followed their install instructions using the stock steel hood and fenders on my '56 P.U. When I did the panel truck I ordered actuators from a company along with the limit switches, however I had to figure where and how to make the limit switches work going up and down, it would have looked to cluttered so I went back to the convert pump/ equal pressure on each side up and down with no binding, my thinking anyway. John

 

Nice job, the truck looks great. The tilt hood looks like it fits great. I know the pictures make it look easy, but the fact is its a great deal of work to get your truck to that stage. Did you do most of the work yourself? Real nice truck, thanks Tim.

 

Hi John,
Nice work... The electric pump and cylinders look a lot like stuff I have here from older Ford convertables. Is that what they are? I was wondering because the cylinders look a bit longer than what I have but that could be because of being taken from something different. Those pumps are awesome. They can handle a lot of load and the process of simply reversing the pump motor direction electrically greatly simplifys the control shystem to nothing more than a switch or relay set up.

later Man...

 

Nice Job! That'll save the fenders from scratches when you're wrenchin' on the engine. Jag

 

That's a good line of thought John!

The reason I asked is because I chose to go electric with a single lift in the center. The electric lifts have limits built in, so all you have to do is a little math to position it in the correct place. I got lucky in that, my 12 inch electric lift opens and closes the one piece all original sheet metal front to exactly the right place. And with it centered, I don't have to worry about torquing or shifting from side to side. I DO have to worry about dead battery because mine is under the hood, not in the floor board like yours. If my battery goes dead, I have a manual release for the actuator end so I can open it manually (51 F1)

Mine was a pain to figure out and I didn't have many guidelines.
So, I'm always evaluating my decisions and comparing them with others.

Thanks for sharing,

Julie

 

Tim, I had plenty of help and input from several friends; Karl & Tony, body work, Chuck, suspension & interior design, Norm & Mel, wiring, Freddie, welding, Dick, rebuild 9" rear end, Jeff, roller rockers & heads, everything else I did including prep and paint job with flames,my first attempt at an entire paint job. I used two ladders with a plank to paint the top, almost had two hand prints on the top but I caught my balance. All I had was a bare '56 P.U. frame when I started, installed the Gibbons front and rear suspension and finished the chassis in about a year then went to Oklahoma to pick up the body I bought that really wasn't rust free, entire project took about 2 1/2 years. As soon as I get a new scanner I'll put the build pictures on the gallery. John

 

Dave, the pump is off a Cadillac and I use a single pole double throw heavy duty switch available at most auto parts stores. John