Hi all!

My name is Cory and I am a first time poster and newbie extreem!

My wife and I just bought a 54 F250 on saturday and are very excited to get it running. Here is a link with the purchase info and about 60 pictures. Ford : F-250:eBay Motors (item 260411219720 end time May-16-09 15:23:35 PDT)

I was able to take it for a test drive and the engine is strong and the transmission is smooth. It was well taken care of by the origional owner, and we are the second owners since it rolled off the assembly line.

I did have some difficulty controling the vehicle when I was driving it though. The front end seemed to skip and shake excessivly when I took it for a test drive, to the point I could not get it above 35 mph without feeling dangerous, and almost out of control. There is an excessive amount of play in the wheel as well.

My question is how much play should I reasonably expect in the wheel, and what are some solutions?

I was looking at these items as possible fixes, but don't know if they are over kill for a more simple problem.

1. 1947-48-49-51-52-53-54 CHEVY PICK UP TRUCK MUSTANG II:eBay Motors (item 130289757340 end time May-24-09 13:13:33 PDT)

2. 1953 54 55 56 FORD PICK UP PANEL TRUCK MUSTANG II ROD:eBay Motors (item 120417664785 end time Jun-07-09 05:54:50 PDT)

3. I also took a look on Region Auto (or something that sounds like that) and they list out all the pieces individually that are involved and I can buy them individually. If its' just bushings I need or a new pitman arme, etc, it would be much cheaper then purchasing a whole new front end.

As a final note, the brakes are squishy as hell. I was not able to check the brake fluid or bleed the brakes to see if it was just that or something more serious.

We want to restore the truck to look origional, but we're not looking to take it to shows, so I have some leeway as to modifications. My wife is insistant that it be as origional looking as possible. i.e. Bench seat, no CD Player, yadda yadda yadda. I am fine with that but will not have an unsafe vehicle either. So it's a compromise.

I am going to pick up the truck this coming friday with my trailer (yes, starting his new life as a Trailer Queen) and will be able to take a closer "under the chassie" examination.

My skill level is a follows: I can replace any part you tell me to and make very limited observations as to what I see. So, I'm not just a monkey, but I may fall into the catagory of a well trained monkey.

I appreciate any help you all give me!

My wife and I are moving to Norfolk in a month from San Diego, and I would like to have the truck drivable before we leave. Being that it's ulaiden weight is 3670, I would like for it to haul it's own self over the mountains. But with no breaks an a shakey front end, it's going to get a free ride East.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Cory

 

Cory -

Welcome to FTE!!! And congratulations on your purchase. I agree that you'll need a safe truck to make the trip. I just wonder if a month of part-time work is enough to do the job, though. You may want to plan on trailering it to Norfolk.

The squishy brakes probably just need to be bled. I would replace the fluid, as it's probably the original stuff. You'll need to inspect the brakes for lining thickness, but parts are available. Napa has been a good source for parts.

The driving all over the road is called "the drunken monkey" and is the result of worn steering and suspension gear. It is easily remedied by rebuilding the stock front suspension. Others on here are expert at describing the procedure, but basically it involves just replacing work bushings and adjusting the steering box.

Get a Shop Manual. It is invaluable and available from sponsors here or on eBay.

The stock suspension is very servicable. You do not need to consider a drastic remedy like changing to a different front suspension (Mustang II, etc). That will prove expensive, time consuming and will have its own problems, like steering geometry settings. If you want to retain the stock suspension height, stick with the stock suspension. Every other suspension type will lower the front end ride height.

Good luck!

 

Hi Cory, Welcome. I would agree with what Randy has to say about rebuilding the front end. As far as the brakes go, do a thorough rebuild including replacing all of the break lines. Replace both rubber and steel as the steel lines can get pin holes were they may sit in water on the frame. With the single reservoir master cylinder, when you get a leak anywhere in the system you lose all braking capability. Not good for mountain driving.
I took a look at all of the pics. in the link. One thing that I did notice is that the truck does not have the original bed. The rails are flat at the top. This bed is for a '76 ? or later truck.

 

Cory, welcome to FTE! Ditto what Randy said. A rebuild of your stock components are probably all that's needed, IMO. The rear end gearing will possibly keep you from going too fast as well, and currently, that may be a blessing in disguise.

Merten may have a point, but I'm not so sure. At first glance, I thought maybe they were bent down, but looking closer the stake pockets are still square even with side bent flat. Here's a 1977 F250 for comparison. Notice the location of the fender. There is less space behind the fender on the newer bed. So that bed may be original yet.

 

Randy,

Thank you for the info. We would like to keep the suspension and everything else looking origional. Not going for down to the wire authentic, just want to keep it looking origional. I will examin what you suggest and have been looking for a service manual. I am concidering getting one on a CD Rom so that I can just print out what pages I need. But something feels good about having the actual bookin my hands with all my hand written scrawl! RockAuto Parts Catalog

I'm not sure if the link is fully accurate but, you'll need to drill down to 1954 Ford, F Series, 3.9L, Steering.

I'm guessing order one of everything?

Should I worry about suspension at this point? Or just the steering items?

I'm not planning on driving it to the Norfolk, but would like to have it make it through both sets of mountians on its own steam. Since I am going to be driving my truck (Dodge Ram - Please don't hate me with a 26 foot car hauler, my wife would be driving the 54 and I would like it to be safe. Worse case scenario, i trailer the 54 and have her drive her car (Neon) across the mountians.

Thanks for the input! I really appreciat the help and look forward to getting this project started!

Cory

As I do not currently have the Service Manual, allow me to ask a rookie question about break fluid. I bought an 86 HD Sportster and found out when i was reworking the breaks that it does not take the typical DOT fluid, but rather a version more typical in older versions.

Can you tell me what type of Break fluid I should pick up to bleed the lines with? Would hate to mix the wrong stuff and do damage.

As for the steering, would i be safe in just going ahead and ordering all the bushing items listed here?

 

Merten, Thanks for the input!

I will definatly take your advice on the rebuild. Is it a huge deal to change the master cylinder to something that would be a bit more resistant to loosing it capacity due to a leak?

It makes me a little queezy to think that the bed may not be stock and of course I hope its not true, and that is just a quark. Maybe a 54 that was build closer to 55 or 53? I'm going to Google my *** of tonight trying to find other 54's with flat rails (Fingers crossed that I won't need to find another bed to replace this one with).

Would the VIN help to find out any of this information? We bought the truck from the origional owners. We are only the second people to own it since it was new off the show room floor. We did buy it through a charity orginization (they put it on e-bay), so we were not able to speak with the origional owners directly. There was no mention of any accidents or anything that would cause the bed to need to be replaced. It was mentioned that the wood slates are the origional that came with the truck. If that is true, it would lend itself to being the origional sidewalls as well. Here's to hoping.

Any ideas?

Thanks!!

Cory

 

Merten and Havi,

Had a thought this morning about the bed of the truck. On motorcycles the frame, engin and something else (memory no up to speed at 06:15) generally have the VIN etched into them.

Would that be the case on the truck, and would there be a location on the bed somewhere out of sight that would let me know if this was the origional bed?

Thanks!

 

vin, I don't think so, but an actual Ford part number, maybe. Should start with something like this on the tailgate: B7C-8340700-A '53-72 Stepside tailgate assembly...or some number similar. Similar number sequences for any other part of the bed would be close as well.

'73 and up tailgates would be a number starting like this: D3TA-####, etc.

Also, AFAIK, nobody reproduces the long-bed like yours.

 

Steering and brakes are two critical safety items that must be in good order for a trip that long.

There are a number of components that may be worn in the steering and why a systematic check using the procedures listed in the service manual are required. I had similar shaking with my 1st stock '56 and replacing the king pins solved a lot of the problems. The steering will have some play but the service manual hs procedures that will tell you what is outside of normal.

DOT 3 or 4 brake brake fluid can be used in the truck but not DOT 5. I would not make the trip without a detailed inspection of the complete brake system. With a single master cylinder, any leaks or failure of any of the lines/wheel cylinders will leave you with no brakes.

I kept my 1st '56 stock but replaced the front drum brakes with discs and updated to a dual master cylinder. It retains the stock look but is much safer. There are bolt-on kits that make this job very easy.

Welcome and good luck with your project.

 

Welcome to the board!!

I agree on whats been said about the front suspension. Definately check the wear parts for excessive play. Its been my experience that the Toe-in adjustment can directly lead to the "Drunken Monkey" or "Death Wobble"
When you set the Toe-in, don't be bashful, these old trucks can handle quite a bit of Toe-in without causing any problems. I think the specs call for somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/8" total toe. I think I have my truck seet at about 1/4" total toe.

The tie rod was bent on my 49. I straightened it, which decreased the total toe-in of the truck and it was almost undriveable. If you hit a bump at about 30MPH it would shake and shimmy and just get worse. I set the toe and haven't had any problems since then.

Good luck with it
Bobby

 

Welcome to FTE! This forum is one of the friendliest forums on the internet, especially when newbes have questions. There are experts here in every area of restoration and customization and the advice you get (most of the time ) will be accurate or at least a good guess.
First and most important thing to do is go to Mid Fifty's web site www.midfifty.com and download their catalog. It's actually a better reference in most cases than a shop manual! Print out the pages pertaining to the part or your truck you are working on. Meanwhile give MF a call and ask them to send you a print version of their catalog so you can keep it next to the computer, in the truck, in the bathroom, or wherever you might like to peruse thru it at your leisure. If MF doesn't have what you need, you probably don't need it!
Here's a link to an article I happened to have co-authored on steering alternatives for the stock front suspension: https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...60_Trucks.html
Do not tolerate an excessive amount of steering play. It can likely be a symptom of a potentially serious condition. First thing you need to do is isolate where the free play is in the system. This can most easily be accomplished on a drive on lift, but can be done on the ground. Either way a helper will be needed, time to get the SO involved in the project!
Start with the steering box, since it is the most likely culprit. You will need two welding clamp type vice grip pliers. They have jaws that look like a great big C. You will also need two adjustable height jack stands if you are working on the ground. Clamp one tightly to the frame on either side of the pitman arm so the pitman arm is trapped between them and cannot move. (be careful of the brake line on the inside of the frame passing thru that area so you don't clamp on top of it. This is easiest done from below on a drive on lift, but can be done on the ground. Jack up the driver's side of the frame and remove the wheel. put a jackstand under the frame to support it while you are under there working.)
Have your helper turn the wheel from side to side while you watch to be sure the pitman arm does not move. Measure how much free play you have at the rim of the wheel. If it is more than an inch, the steering box is worn. You may be able to adjust it out, depending on if it had been adjusted in the past and how much wear it has. If it has more than 4 inches you have severe wear that's likely going to require rebuilding or replacement of the steering box, but we'll still try the adjuster first.
Leaving the clamps in place to still lock the arm, jack up the pass side until the wheel is clear of the ground and place the other jack stand under this side of the frame. Grab the tire at 3 and 9 and try turning it side to side like it was steering. If you can turn it at all, you have worn front axle components that need immediate attention. Get your SO to grab the tire and see if she can achieve the same amount of movement you did. If so (or you can find a stronger helper), slide under the truck with a strong lite and look to see where the movement is taking place. Note any/which parts that have free play in them. Finally put the wheel back on the driver's side and while still jacked up off the ground grab each tire at 12 and try shaking it in and out, if you get more than a tiny amount of movement, especially if accompanied by a clunk noise, you have worn kingpins that need replacing before any long trips.
My recommendation for your move is unless you can get the steering and brakes in first class condition DON'T let your wife drive the truck cross country!!! Tow the truck and drive the Neon.
Once you have done the above post back with the results and we'll talk about what to do next.

 

Excellent description, AX. Even I could do that.

 

Wow guys! I just ordered the shop manual last night and am already starting to feel like I wasted my money! You guys are better then a shop manual ever could be, though, the shop manual might be a touch better looking! LOL!!

Thank you for the help! I really appreciate it. I am going to pick up the truck on Friday and Trailer it home. Then I am going to print out this entire list of things to check that everyone has given me and start checking each one off.

I just placed an order for new Tie Rod Ends, King Pin Set, Steering Gear Pitman Shaft Seal, Master Cylinder Repair Kit, (4) Wheel Cylinder Repair Kits, and Steering Damper.

I think this might be a good start with what is described as posible culprites, but if you think I should pre-order anything else or noticed that I forgot something, let me know! Please! I would rather have spare parts on hand and nothing left to work on, then no parts to work with, and the project unfinished.

The way I see it, is that if all of this is origional stock, it can't hurt to replace it. It should only make it safer. Hopefully my theory is correct.

I am open to as many suggestions as possible. I will begin working this weekend over the holiday period, so I'll keep you posted.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me out!

Cory

 

I'll add the pins that hold the springs to the frame/shackles. Over time these can wallow out, but they don't pose as an immediate problem. Besides, once you tear into those, it can take days to get them done, lol. The other stuff already mentioned is much more a priority.

 

You have a long , hot desert to cross and some metro areas that don't care much for old, slow trucks so be sure to plan the trip well in advance.

These are a few other tips:

You can save money by buying some of the parts from Rock Auto (on-line) and other non-specialty parts places like Autozone and Advance auto rather than using the catalogs that cater to antiques , i.e., Mid Fifty, LMC, Dennis Carpenter, etc. Compare prices on-line before buying.

You can get free loaner tools at Autozone by giving them a refundable deposit. They have a double flaring tool that you can use to replace the brake lines should they need replaced. You can buy different length lines locally and cut and flare to fit the size needed.

If you still plan on driving across country, I would do a complete fluid change. This includes the antifreeze, transmission, and rear end. Oil/filters as well.

Keep us posted on your progress.