Hi

I have been interested in build in old Ford pickup for a while. I have spent hours trawling these forums and have decided that I really like the 48-50 F1 front end but am a bit disappointed with the cab. I have found that Bebops (56 Ford f-100) make a nice looking cab and usbody (Fiberglass Reproduction Body Panels) make a 48-50 Front End. I would like to know the issues I would have if I tried to match the two.

I have tried to find drawing's of both the chassis and body parts in a effort to determine if these two parts could work together.

I am also interested in using the 4.6L modular engine with a 4R70W transmission.


So the questions I have are as follows.

• Where can I find detailed drawings of the 48-56 models showing both chassis and body dimensions.
• What are your opinions regarding the use of the 48-50 front end with the 56 cab.
• Has anyone used the 4.6l / 4R70W on a 48-56 build.
• Where the any issues one should be aware of when using the 4.6L mod. / 4R70W

Thanks

Ian

 

I personally think it would like Frankenstien but that's just my opinion. I suppose it could be done but it'd be a lot of work just for the reason you don't like the '48-50 cab, you'd have to cut into the front clip to make it get past the wider '56 cab and the body line of the hood wouldn't come close to matching up with the cab. Just my thoughts.

 

Got a photochop in the works, Bob???!!

Honestly Ian, I gotta go with Bob on this. The two are much too different to work together, vertically, horizontally, every which way. You could take a 56 front end and butcher it to have 48-50 headlight buckets and grill, don't know which hood you'd use... Just... yukkk

 

Ian

Well you've got a really unique proposal. I've never thought of such a thing regarding swapping the front sheet metal onto a later truck.

I dont have the numbers in front of me, but isn't the earlier F1 quite a bit thinner? I'm just thinking how this could be accomplished and wondering if you're really convinced that you would be happy with it.

I'm open to the idea of people "thinking out of the box" and maybe if I saw a sketch or drawing of how you think it might look I would better understand. But my first thought is that the later cab is sooo much wider.
Would that work for ya? I know from your message you don't have the specific numbers etc, but in just ball park terms it wouldn't match up easily. I'm envisioning a situation where one would have to widen the 48/50 hood and fenders to get them to mate to the 56 cab at its firewall.

Something like that would require--in my mind--some serious sheet metal work. I guess you would end up with something called "pinching" etc as the adapted earlier front sheet metal would have to be widened where it attaches to the 56 firewall and all and then be more "pointed" as it comes forward--Meaning now that you've widened the back etc, the front would visually appear more narrow. Is that the look your going for? Its possible, but i would guess it would be some sophisticated metal work.
Not impossible for sure, but more than most would want to do.

Is that the look you're going for? I'm not against a pinched look etc., but i don't know if that's what you're expecting.

You don't like the 56 front sheet metal? Thats OK with me of course, but I'm surprised because that front sheet metal and grill etc is pretty nice looking to most.

Your post is funny to me, because I really like the narrower cab of the earlier 48--that I have--but I'm not so wild about the front grill etc. I'm not saying its bad, but I for sure prefer the 56 grill. That's just me.

I don't know much about the mechanics you asked. If i knew more I'd give some help on that. I do more body/paint etc. Hopefully someone else will chime in on the tranny etc.

Goodluck/post a sketch or something if you can.

Tom

 

Thanks for the responses. The more I think about it, the more I am wondering if I am letting my wife have too much say in this. She recons the 56 front end reminds her of the Stephen King movie "Christine". I have also thought that the work to mate the two would be prohibitive.

Anyhow its good to talk and understand that maybe my idea ain't so good.

 

Well have you looked around here at some of the truck galleries. People have built all kinds of really nice 56's. And of course there's lots of aftermarket suppliers,support, and old existing trucks waiting for someone like you to "take them home" etc. Maybe one just down the street from ya. Have you checked Craigs list in your area. That's a great place to look for projects.

Is that a possibility?

Goodluck

 

Why not just change the 56 grill to something your wife likes better? Or better yet, rent the movie and prop up a picture of a effie front end next to the TV. I don't see any resemblence myself, so it may just be a distorted memory.
1959 Plymouth

1956 F 100

 

If you wanted to go that route... maybe do some modding to get the grille to work on a '56. The styles are quite different and the work load would be so much unless you REALLY wanted to do it, you'd burn out on it. A lot of people spend a decade and tens of thousands of dollars building a truck without any heavy mods. Course if you can do all the work yourself...

Personally, if I was going to try to mix the two... I would take the earlier truck and modify the cab to have vertical front pillars. It would be a lot of work but I think it would be the least amount. Easiest way would probably be to hack a '56 cab (preferably one with nothing salvageable other than the parts you need, not like there are a lot of these around).

Personally I think it would look off. Maybe even if the design was so solid that it looked right now... after a while, especially after learning more on these trucks and the years and styles, it would start to look like it didn't fit the time period. Which might make no difference to you, it didn't to me when I started, but then suddenly I didn't want to loose the feel of a mid-fifty truck, and it doesn't take much to make it feel like a hot rod, which is cool in it's own way, but the feel of a '50s truck... there is nothing else like it. I've seen some really cool hot rods, but I always love seeing a truck that still looked rather stock, they "feel" different.


You'll also find repo fiberglass to be a pain to work with, least so every single person I've ever read that has worked with it. A new cab would also be extremely expensive. It's the nickles and dimes you need to look out for, they're all unseen at the beginning of a build. To be honest and not exaggerate, figure out how much you think it will cost to build this whole truck from start to finish, and multiply it by four. That's your real cost and time to do it. If something is said to take 10 hours, it will take 10 hours if you know how to do it, don't need to learn anything, have all the right tools and can do it in one sitting. Even if you have everything you need and have been doing it for years, if you can't work 10 hours on it in a go, it's going to take more time, an hour here and there ends up taking about 20 hours to do a 10 hour job. Why? Cause you need time to get "into gear" to really work, and for me thats at least an hour, and any time you have to stop, a 5 minute break for a phone call costs you about 45 minutes of production, just cause you went "out of gear".

And I'm not sure why I got into that, lol.



My suggestion would be to look at every truck you can, every year, every build. Resto-mod, hot-rod, original, extra crispy. You'll find you'll start to love one year over another, maybe for differences you can't see just yet, heck it took me a little bit to notice a '56 had a straight front pillar and a '53-55 had a slant, I couldn't figure out why the one looked better to me personally, then it clicked. There are a whole lot of little differences, a 48 looks a lot different than a '52, but at first glance they look pretty close to being the same thing.

And when you find what you want to build, even if it's something completely different (I've seen some things out of the 30s that have been tweeked a bit that look insanely awesome for example) and stick to it. You'll be happier in the end if you don't compromise on your dream. These take a whole lot of time, energy and work, so make sure you're building what you really really want to. I spent about a year looking for a '56, and about 8 months getting it home. It's worth it. Don't compromise on your dream or you'll never be happy with the build. Nothing beats the feeling of going to a car show and realizing there isn't anything cooler than what you're building at home.

 

I was trying to resist, but my comment would be that chickens and ducks don't go well together....it would look weird but hey it's your truck and all the power to you.
Good luck on your project and take lots of pics.

 

I wish you all the luck in what ever you do.I personely love the 56.

 

Sounds like alot of work to me . Why not just get a '51 or '52 and be done with it !!!! Now were talkin style !!!!

 

I'm just going to say it: This idea sounds horrible. If your wife or whatever doesn't like the truck in the current configuration then sell it and get something that you can agree on. Don't RUIN a truck.

 

Personally, Its not my cup of tea, but I say DO IT just to prove it could be done! If ends up looking like crap, so what? It will be your unique piece of crap that no one else has! That alone is worth it!

 

Here is a 4.6L and a 4R70W transmission in my 1948. It works very well and I bought an after market wiring harness for the engine and transmission.

 

Cool looking. Could i please know where ya got that wiring kit? Are you happy with it?