Ok, since new to this, I have many questions about the truck I bought. I don't have the truck delivered yet, so some of these I may be able to answer myself in a week or so after picking it up. Thanks to anyone who wants to make input.

This is the truck:

Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - texasguy's Album: F5 - Picture


1) I've noticed some of this breed have signal lights mounted on the fenders, some below and some have none. Was there a rhyme or reason (model year, etc.) to why this difference exists? Are mine original?


2) The truck has a dump bed. Best I have figured reading various threads here is that this is aftermarket. In the 30 minutes of crawling under the truck before buying, I could remember there is a driveshaft from the trans to the bed pump/cylinder. If this was not factory, then was there a kit to add this to the trans or does the trans have a factory PTO or ? There are 2 levers that look the same coming up in front of the seat. Best I could tell, at least one operates the bed.....is that corrrect? Would both of them be for the bed?
The pump has a lot of old oil on it so I assume it would need a rebuild if I want it functional. Has anyone had experience doing this?

3) does anyone have sources or suggestions on best place to buy windshield and vent glass? Appears Dennis Carpenter is a good source for the rubber but I haven't seen any glass sources.

4) Ok, here's the one that shows my lack of knowledge. Is it a given that my F5 has a 2 speed rear axle assuming it is factory (and no reason not to think it is not). How does it get activitated? I'm assuming there's a lever somewhere. Am I confusing what I think is a dump bed lever with the axle lever?


more to come over the next few years.

 

On turn signals, when this truck was new, they were an option on it. If it was a farm truck, often they were not ordered. Trucks used in commercial service often had the aftermarket style of turn signal switch with a four way flasher installed, and the front turn signals were mounted up front on the fenders.

On your dump bed, the hoist (the mechansim that raises the bed) sounds like the integrated pump and cylinder style. It is driven by the PTO shaft. There is a PTO (Power Take Off) mounted to the side of your transmission, and the PTO shaft starts there. You have two levers, one is to engage the PTO. If you look underneath, there will be a linkage from one of the levers to the PTO. When the PTO is engaged (with the transmission in neutral) and the clutch is let out, the PTO shaft should turn when the engine is running. The other lever is connected to a linkage that runs back to the pump and cylinder unit. It operates the valve and should have three positions - raise, hold, and lower. Sometimes the linkages become disconnected, so try to follow them from the levers to where thay are supposed to go. The pump and cylinder units always seep and leak some when they get old, so they will often be coated with a thick layer of grease and dirt. Generally, any truck equipment shop that handles dump bodies and hoists should be able to rebuild the pump and cylinder unit or point you to someone who does. Before you consider that though, I would make sure teh linkages are connected and move properly, and that the PTO engages. If the U-joints in the PTO shaft are loose and worn, most larger NAPA stores have or can get replacements, as can most farm implement dealers.

The 2 speed rear axle was an option. If you look at the axle itself, a two speed has the shift motor (vacuum or electric, depending on year) mounted on the side of the center section. There will be a switch or lever mechanism on the shifter in the cab to select hi or low on the axle. Usually the best clue on if the truck has a two speed axle is if there is something on the shifter.

Hope this helps.

 

WRT the glass, it's just flat glass and any auto glass shop should be able to cut new for you. If the old is still in the truck let them remove it and use as a pattern.

Also they sell it on e-bay if you want to pay for shipping. But there's different shades:

1948,1949,1950,1951,1952 Ford Truck Door Glasses New: eBay Motors (item 310249189674 end time Sep-15-10 13:56:17 PDT)

1948,1949,1950,1951,1952 Ford Truck Back Glass New: eBay Motors (item 310249189651 end time Sep-15-10 13:56:16 PDT)

1948,1949,1950,1951,1952 Ford Truck Vent Glasses New: eBay Motors (item 310249189669 end time Sep-15-10 13:56:16 PDT)

1948,1949,1950,1951,1952 Ford Truck Windshield New: eBay Motors (item 310249189612 end time Sep-15-10 13:56:13 PDT)

Notice all the pieces are the same 48-52.

Here's a full kit listed as 51-52 (48-50 is the same) but with much less shipping than all the parts seperately.

Glass Kit 1951,1952 Ford Truck New: eBay Motors (item 310249189378 end time Sep-15-10 13:55:43 PDT)

 

As far as the windows, the good news is that this is all flat glass and the original was like a plate glass. I ordered a side and a vent window from Classic Haulers and I was going right by their place on a work trip, so I saved the shipping. Later, I found another door glass that had a chip that I didn't notice, which spider'd on me. I took it to a local plate glass shop, who cut a piece of tempered safety glass for me right there for $25.00 (with tax).

 

As indicated above 2 speeds on a F5 were options. If you do have one and it is from the factory you would have; pic 1; a plate on the dash to the right of the speedo with a pull **** under it, pic2; or your axle would look like, pic3; or you would have plumbing under the hood like this, in '48 the 2 speed was vacuum operated.

 

tex, you might want to post one question per thread. It'll keep the answers simple and make searching easier for guys/gals in the future.

Lots of good advice in the above posts.

 

Excellent info from everybody. I truly appreciate the time and effort. Thanks mtflat, point well received.

 

Ok, I have a question on the vacuum line thing... Mines a 56 so I have an electric motor for the 2speed axle but I also have the vacuum line pipes. I have a power brake booster, but a fully plumbed line seems overkill for just a brake booster.
I think there's also a brake line plumbed into the cab/firewall..

 

Pos~
Yes, there's a pb booster on my 48 and one line feeds the booster, the other the 2-speed shift diaphragm on the axle. There is also a line on the back of the mechanism mounted to the firewall, that goes through the firewall to the speedo. In addition to the speedo, there is a device mounted on the back of it with a vacuum port. That's where the other line goes. Controlled by vacuum it adjusts the speedometer to correct it for the rear axle gear selection.

I don't know what's been done to your '56 specifically but if you still have a below cab master I'm guessing what looks like a brake line going into your cab may be a vacuum or electric line feeding the speedo adapter assy to adjust for rear gearing.

I can't be more specific as the parts books and diagrams I have do not get specific by year. More of a broad brush approach.

 

Thanks, the rear gear changing vs the speedo never even crossed my mind. I'll have to look at the back of my speedo again to see if there was anything added on.
I should have been more specific, but the line going into the cab is a hydraulic line... which I found out while snipping off things that I figured I'd never use again... then that line began bleeding...

Come to think of it, I have 6 lugs on the back, so I'm sure the rear axle has been changed at some point.

 

In addition to the other excellent responses, I'll add this: Get it running and try the hoist out as-is before you do anything to it. If it works, top the oil off and LEAVE IT BE! I found out the hard way that most of the companies that built these old hoists have gone the way of the dodo and they are extrememly difficult if not impossible to get parts for. I made the mistake of tearing the pump off of mine and disassembling it because it was a leaker. The gaskets themselves are specific thicknesses (measured in thousandths of an inch) to set the internal clearances in the pump. It is critical that these clearances be correct or the pump will either not build pressure or self destruct. No parts or gaskets were available for mine, so I ended up special ordering some plastic shim stock in the correct thicknesses and cutting out my own gaskets to get the thing back together. NOT a good time.

 

There's a BIG difference between plate glass and laminated or tempered glass.

Plate glass was OUTLAWED in the mid 1930's for all vehicle windows except the windshield.

Plate glass was OUTLAWED in the 1920's for windshields.

You do not want plate glass, it shatters into tiny pieces, will cut you all to bits.

Laminated safety glass was introduced in the 1920's. The early glass used a thin sheet of celluloid between two sheets of thin glass, which over time turned brown.

The US Gov't when they outlawed plate glass for windshields (circa 1927), suggested the automakers replace the other glass with safety glass, but most did not.

It wasn't until the mid 1930's that the Gov't outlawed plate glass for use in any vehicle.

 

MY bad. I guess I used the wrong terminology, but when I pulled the glass out it was a lot thicker than most of the glass I see in vehicles which reminded me of the old plate glass in the showcases in my dad's store when I was a kid.

 

1950 Ford F6:

 

1949 IH for comparison: