Some of the dry Western tin is slated to become a project I have wanted to do for a long time. A truck based woody. These were never built by ford but were done by aftermarket body companies such as Campbell. This 1/2 ton pickup has a title and a good frame and a decent cab. Well 'half decent' now. I will be buying new sheet metal for the floors and sills because I want a really solid foundation for the woodwork. The rear floor will be plywood and planks with steel nwheel tubs to the inside. As much fun as my tonner panel was with it's hillbilly appeal, I intend to ramp up the quality of this build a bit. This morning I bit the bullet and busted out the angle grinder and sawzall, You guys from the rust belt might want to avert your gaze...... I have years experience with furniture making and boatbuilding and while the project will certainly be a challenge, I feel I have the equipment and skills to produce a believable period truck based woody. This won't happen overnight, but I'm pretty excited to finally have the blank slate on which to layout and embark upon this project. Other than the cowl itself, none of the sheet metal in the photos will be used on the woody. I have better stashed away and more to come in the following weeks. I only had a weird hodge podge of 5 lug 15" ford and 16" jeep rims that hold air so I stopped by a friends place and we dug out 4) ford 16" innie wheels all with with usable for roller 700x16 hiway treads. That was a huge score for me and about 2 miles away and free! Great day, all in all. Back to the real world tomorrow.

 

You, Sir, are a horrible, horrible man! Carving up that poor old rust free Ford for your own nefarious needs! Horrible!


Can't wait to see this one come together

 

This is where you are "a cut above" (get it?) me, and I think many of us. You dig in and go. I'd be pondering and obsessing over this endlessly. More popcorn will be needed. Stu

 

I have mixed emotions about this project. On one hand, it just seems wrong to cut away all that good, useable, 40's era sheetmetal. Not much from that era survives around here in the land of salt and calcium chloride. On the other hand, a nice jailbar-based woody would be beyond cool!
Oh who am I trying to kid. I'll be tuning in daily to check on the progress. Pass the popcorn Stu!

 

Go man go!

I really like these "one off" creations based on classic vehicles. With your wood skills, the result will be outstanding!

 

Good luck with your project. I just spent 2 1/2 years putting a 1940 Ford pickup body on a 1997 Explorer subframe. Lots of cutting on the Explorer but well worth the effort.

 

Lumbah... We need pics! (but start a new thread)

This is me subscribing!

 

I also would love to see some pics. In the beginning this was to be built on a '79 toyota landcruiser chassis that I have, but seemed like too much work. I have a bunch more stuff to try that later. And sorry about cutting the tin. The cab corners were starting to go, if that helps a little bit.

 

I'm creating an album under my username if anyone is interested. It's a slow process but I will try to keep it up.



Lumbah

 

Wow! Truly an amazing job. I remember noting recently that they both have a 114" wheelbase. It certainly WAS worth the effort.

 

You are correct- they have 114 inch wheelbase.

 

I can invision it all ready! Good luck and plenty of pictures

 

Gary, what are your plans for the design of the wooden body? Are you copying another woody, or have blueprints, or just have an idea and run with it?
Can't wait to see what happens!

 

It will be a lot like the ford version, but since it's on a truck chassis the hard and fast rules are out the window. The truck based woodies were built by independent companies such as Coleman, and I would think some small outfits as well. I do not intend to follow any plans but now that I have a 114" panel, I see no reason not to copy the roof line height and other dimensions such as angle slope of the rear, knowing that the shape will be pleasing to the eye. Not sure if I will do the double and triple bead moldings on door frames. Trucks by their nature were not always as fancy as cars. This won't be as square as the model A woodies though.

 

I am really looking forward to this one!