Hi All,

I'll document here my project, a '51 F-1.

I purchased it back in 2003 from Utah (The truck is originally from Oregon) and had it transported to Finland. It arrived in January 2004, here is the first picture:



The truck was in bad condition. (it was cheap when purchased but not after that... ) Not that rusty but beaten. The bed was the worst. It had been operated for years without the tailgate, so bed sides were bent and so was the front wall of the bed. Hood had "gone over" and was badly bent and had also damaged the cab. Every panel in the truck was full of small dents.

Engine was shot, all cylinders were oval and the block was cracked.

Frame was good...

Lesson # 1 learned: If you can, buy as good a truck as possible to start with... it will save you money during the project.

When I took a closer look at what I had bought...

Here's the interior:



and the engine compartment:



There was a mouse nest inside the air filter...

The damage:

* Gas tank was totally rusted out.
* Radiator gone.
* Most of the leaf spring were cracked.
* Running boards were really badly bent.
* Hood was badly twisted and cracked, the inside support was loose.
* Bed sides were like 2 bananas...
* Back of the cab was full of rust holes due to the front wall of the bed being bent against the cab.
* There was another mouse nest inside the "Magic Air" heater and it had rusted the internals badly.
* All of the glass was cracked.
* Steering box internals worn out.
* All of the moving suspension parts were really worn out.
* Engine block was cracked and the cylinders were really worn out.

So, at this point I could not step back. Started a long journey with the F-1. Because it was not the best project truck I decided not to restore it but to make slight modifications. I wanted to keep the flathead and I found a good .010 block here in Finland.

Then I started the disassembly. I tried to take photos of all areas but lately, after 6 years, I wish I had taken more pictures... It's human to forget.

Lesson # 2: Take a lot of pictures and mark your parts before you store them...

There was slight collision damage to the frame which was fixed, nothing serious and then I had to remanufacture the last cross member in the rear, the original had a hitch welded to it and it was rusty and bent.

Gas tank and the original toolbox which has the original color, very light green:



Back of the cab. You don't see it here but the rear wall was full of small holes.



Here's the engine after the wash:



Bodywork:

I got a lot of help from my friend with the bodywork... Here's a compilation:



But this is how it looks today, I took it outside to see the sun and snow (LOTS of snow and 5 degrees F).



More later.

Pekka

 

Amazing the transformation, isn't it?! and the pride you feel from knowing you did it! Good job, keep us posted!

 

Pekka,
Nice!! show us more pics as you move along. How is the engine now? What color is the engine?

 

That's great! And how weel many of us know about buying the "Cheap" truck to then fix up!

I'm looking forward to seeing more progress.

Lot's of snowy pictures on the boards today!

 

good work.... dents are part of any farm truck repair.... you seem to have it ubder control keep the pics coming woody

 

Excellent work!

Thanks for the update

Bobby

 

Very nice. I like the colors too


Did your cylinders look like this?

 

Pekka , awesome job !! Been there twice .Great color . An old F-1 in red is the only color IMHO !! Looks like you may need the whole 1ST-RIDER reproduction parts package .Fresh air tube ,heater boot and e-brake cable boots . Conferring with my buddy tues. on the fresh air tube repro ideas and to light a fire on the last piece of the e-brake cable boots . Will keep all concerned informed .Later ,Denny

 

Welcome to the forum, Pekka. Where are you in Finland? I lived just south of Helsinki 1956 to 1959. I loved living in Finland, was a great place to be a teenager in the 50's.

Your truck looks great. Good luck with your project.

DB

 

Nice truck. Also like the color.

Terry

 

Excellent job, it's righteous!!

 

I have seen beautiful fjords before, but this one puts the icing on the cake!

 

Hi All,

Thanks for all your support, this is a great forum. I will need still help, I need to do wiring (EZ Wiring) and for example bed wood installation...

For those interested I am located 15 miles from the Russian border, in South-East Finland.

I will be adding more pics later, there's a lot of them. I wonder if there is a max size for a post ?

For the engine I chose a bright red color, I think it will be ok in the black engine bay.

Thanks,

Pekka