From my plan that is. How to explain this the best? Well, here's my initial plan.
It comes in two phases; Phase 1 - Get it running with the stock drivetrain and work on brakes/body/??? while getting ready for phase 2. Phase 2 - Tear it down and build a street/strip truck with all the bells and whistles.

Here's my thoughts as far as reconsidering. First, when I found this forum I read a few threads that said to "listen to your truck" and let it "tell you what it wants to be." Obviously, I assumed you were all out of your minds. I thought that until last week, I was tinkering on it and my truck said "what are you wasting your time on this 226 for? It's not the engine you want and I won't be on the road until next summer anyway, just tear me down and do it right the way you want right off the bat." Once the shock of my truck talking to me wore off, I thought about it and I think that's the way to go. Also, i'm looking for this truck to be a daily driver that's literally driven almost every day and it would be nice to have it up to modern reliability standards for that.

Before I go on, I want to say that some of you guys have been invaluable in helping me get this far and getting the 226 running. Your help was not in vain as I should be able to get more out of the powertrain now that it works. I really appreciate that help.

Now, here's what I want and some questions associated with that.
I'm a huge 302 fan, so i'd like to get a 302/5spd setup out of a donor vehicle to use in the '51, run that until it dies all the while saving up to do a full rebuild including stroking it out to a 347. I definitely want it to be carbureted so if it's an EFI engine i'll have to swap out the intake, I know this, not a problem. My last truck was a 1990 F-250 w/302/5spd.

The questions;
What is a 1951 6-226 worth?
What is a 1951 4spd trans worth?

(would be selling both to help fund the donor engine)

I know the 302 is a popular swap for these trucks, but what are the pros and cons of any/all 5spd options?

Any considerations about this swap i'm forgetting?

I know this probably puts me on the "Dark Side" and because of that, I will probably get flamed, go ahead, i'm a big boy, I can take it.

P.S. Just because I don't think this post is long enough already Another part of going this route is the aesthetics. I love what I would call "edition trucks". Example, there was a '56 f100 on eBay a while back that had been redone as a Harley Davidson edition, complete with Harley orange paint and period looking emblems and badges.

My idea is to make this a "Boss 302" edition F-1, the truck that Ford never made. Mostly a paint package (hood, side stripe, lettering), but could include Boss Mustang style wheels, seats etc. Your thoughts?

 

well, nothing personal but the 4 speed spur is worth nothing. There are some people looking for parts every once in a while though. The 226 is probably worth more parted out. If I were you I would run the 226 first and see how you like it before going to the work and money for installing a 302 even though it has a few more horses.

 

Sounds good to me ,listen to your truck. I'm thinking about the 302 with auto trans. for mine , thats the engine and trany I have left over from another project. At least you are thinking FORD. L.O.L. I don't know about the engine and trany you want to sell. I would think somebody doing a restoration would be interested. Don't let the darksider part bother you , there are a lot of us here. JIMBO

 

What's best about your plan is you HAVE ONE!

You are thinking about lots of good things. If you like the 302 then do it! Easy to find parts and maintain! Plus a little more power.

And yeah, I'm with fifty-two_F1 The tranny isn't worth hardly anything and the engine might bring $200 -300 running if you can find a local buyer.

And don't forget that you will probably want to swap out your rear end for a 9" as well.

 

You read my mind, I was just going to ask about that. I'll put that into the plan.

Should the frame be boxed, or will it handle a 347 alright?

An auto would be quicker for acceleration but I miss my '90 so much, it was the most fun to drive vehicle i've ever driven. i'd like to try and get the same feel with this truck by using the same engine/trans. I'm told that particular '90 was a special order of some sort because it was a 3/4 ton with a 302 and it had a 5spd that I guess was the same trans in any half ton ford or mazda at the time (weird), it was a tiny little trans but it had a great feel to it and it pulled plenty of heavy loads for me without problem.

 

While yours says "Come...on...over...to...the ...Dark ...Side!" Mine keeps saying, "throw...more... money...money...at..me!" I'm putting together a 302 right now. Mine's fuel injected and has GT-40 heads and intake on it. I'll be running an AOD tranny behind it. Yep, you might as well put your money and time into your final vision. I like the idea of a Boss 302 edition.

 

That was another consideration, I won't get any money back out of the stock drivetrain that I would put into it. Might as well just do it once. Plus i'm sure I can get it on the road just as quickly (next summer). Here in Gillette, we have a 120 day growing season according to the farmer's almanac. In other words, you can count on consistent snow about 8 months out of the year, so my short summer is already quickly slipping away. Next year is a much more realistic goal and it will probably also mean a safer truck on the road too.

I'm pretty excited about the Boss edition idea, I need to find someone that can make a Chip Foose style drawing of it and do some tweaking from there.

 

So, will it be Grabber Blue?

 

There's nothing crazy about your truck talking to you. My Merc did the same thing to me. My plan when I got it was a 351/aod/9" swap. Probably including a MII IFS setup, as well. The more I looked at it and kept thinking about it, the more she kept telling me to put in a new flathead and go cruzin. The rest of the mechanicals seem to be in great shape.(so far) So that's where I am. I've never messed with flatties, so I know it will be a learning experience, but one I'm looking forward to.

Your plan is a good one. The 302 is a great engine, and you know what you need to do to make that work. The 5 speed will be a little more difficult. You asked for the pros and cons; here they are. You will have to fabricate some kind of clutch linkage, either cable, hydraulic, or custom created mechanical, then have it work in conjunction with the steering box and exhaust. The stock setup is a totally different design from what is used in more modern applications. If you can get past that, you'll have a lot of fun. That's the biggest reason most of us opt for the slushbox. It's a heck of a lot easier to make work.

 

When I looked at your post, it seemed like it was something I could have written. I have been contemplating a similar plan, but I haven't pulled the trigger because of a fear of wasting money because I haven't fully "finalized" a plan.

I have no interest in driving an underpowered, creature comfort-lacking 1948 F-1. My dream is to put a Gen 2 (5.4L SC) Lightning Motor in a 48-50 and make an F-1 Lightning. I'm getting hung up because my plan is to put it on a new TCI Chassis which costs about $9k. I originally thought about buying a truck and doing what I could until I could afford a chassis.

Ultimately I would have wasted $2k-$3k or so by buying the truck, then basically "throwing away" the chassis and drivetrain I paid good money for.

Appparently God smiles on the gutless (careful), because my patience has resulted in finding the "perfect" drivetrain at a reasonable price. I've also found nearly a full body (less chassis and drivetrain - perfect right?), also at a reasonable price. Had I not had such a specific plan of what I wanted to do, I probably would have jumped at the first "nice" truck I found and been forced to work with what I had rather than what I wanted.

I say all that only to say this: You know in your head what you want, now do only those things that will result in that becoming reality. Anything else is a waste of time, money, effort, and energy.

Good luck, and maybe someday we'll pull up next to each other at a stop light! (Well, let's not get ahead ahead of ourselves).

 

okf1 , and i don't mean to hijack this thread , look at your chassis you want like this . is it worth the trouble and expense and headaches to you to swap in all the prerequisite goodies you are wanting , such as an ifs etc. or is it easier for you to do the aftermarket chassis , due too lack of equipment , experience , etc ... i am a purveyor of let your truck talk to you and yours and your dreams say to do it then save your pennies and do it ...... same for you livin' ! if it's what the truck is telling you then do it ! no regrets, nothing ! just go for it and make you and the truck happy !

 

I also don't want to hijack (too late- sorry livin'), but I definitely hear ya 55. My main concern when doing the chassis swap was the numbers didn't add up. I was only going to be about $1500 ahead by upgrading an existing frame with all I wanted. Couple that with my limited experience/skill and the savings would probably evaporate with my first mistake. I would love to be able to do everything bolt by bolt, and weld by weld, but the truth is, the only thing I have less of than money is skill. Now, had patience and forethought been in short supply, I could have really been in trouble!

I hope livin4jc builds the truck of his dreams and makes us all envious. I also hope he is able to do as much of the work as he can, because I understand the process is as important as the finished product. I just knew if I got in over my head in the fabrication, I might become very frustrated and disillusioned, or more importantly unsafe trying to make something work. I certainly don't want to buy a "finished" truck because I want to experience the build, but I need to be realistic in how much I can do.

I do think listening to the truck is great advice, but not having a truck yet makes it difficult.

 

no truck ?? where you live and in the southwest i seen stuff sitting around all the time , especially off the beaten path , when i was driving large cars over the road . surely you can find something !! or buy the chassis and look for a cab ??? it can be done . hades i just scrounged up around 4 large to buy , make legal , and insure , and still making small repairs to that 52 customline of the wifes ................... it can be accomplished !!! besides which be patient and the right deal will come along . i was giving up on the last 55 as it got " destroyed " and was ready to call it quits when my neighbor told me about the 53 in my avatar . it cost 2700 and i coulda drove it home had the brakes been in working order . sorry livin' hijacked again !!!!!!!!!

 

I hope to remedy that this week, found what I want, just gotta buy it.

 

I like all your ideas except the 5 speed tranny. I think an AOD would be a better choice. I get the ******* just thinking about trying to fabricate that clutch linkage...