Okay, I'll admit it, Ive been pretty spoiled. I bought my 1950 F3 in near original, but fifty year old, condition just over ten years ago. I've been able to drive it on the road nearly since day 1. With the dump box, it's pretty cool to be able to go and get a yard of mulch or topsoil, a bunch of rocks, a load of lumber, or just stuff from the hardware store. I don't even use my Monday to Friday truck (a 2005 Ranger) on days that start with "S".
Along the way, I've done a fair amount of work on the body (used to have a complection like a golf ball, but nearly no rust), engine peripherals, brakes, steering, springs, tires and wheels, hydraulics, electrics, etc. I even pulled the heads, intake and pan in my gravel driveway to replace the oil pump and powerwash the black stuff out of the valve gallery and crank area.
Now it's time for rings, bearings, valves and valve guides. Seems like everybody on this forum has pulled their engine except me. What I wanna know is: front body work on or off? The manual makes removal sound pretty easy, but I'll bet it's not. Easier just to remove the hood? That sounds easy too, except putting it back where I found it may be the trick. Pull engine and trans, or just the trans?
The other thing I need to know is, having created a gallery this morning, I think, though I can't find it, how do I put my one and only photo of the truck in it? IT IS NOT CALENDAR QUALITY.
Anyhow, any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
Dave

 

Dave -

There are lots of methods for removing the engine and they all seem to depend on personal preference (or laziness?) and what equipment and/or facilties you have.

I personally prefer to remove the front sheet metal, radiator, etc to allow a clean look at the front of the engine, then pull engine and tranny together, sliding out the front, or rolling the chassis back. I use a cherry picker because I don't have a lot of overhead clearance or other type crane. This method also allows easier cleaning of the engine bay before reinstalling, something I notice never gets done well hanging over the fenders. I just hate putting a nice clean rebuilt motor back into a grunge pit.

Pulling out the top with only the hood removed is an option, but you need a lot of overhead height and a A-frame, chain fall or tall cherry picker. Most folks seem to remove engine only with this method because of clearances required for the tranny. Reinstalling the motor to the tranny in place is harder, too.

With either option, there are tradeoffs.

 

Dave,

I pulled the front sheet metal, but then again I was doing major modifications also and it just made sense a the time. Its not too difficult, 1 bolt under the radiator, one on either side of the inner fenders close to the top at the firewall, a couple on each side at the runnign boards. You don't need to pull the hood at all. I don't know about wiring as mine was pretty much non-existant to start with and in such bad shape that I just ditched it all.

Sounds like a cool truck
Bobby

 

That was quick, thanks guys.
Never mind about the gallery thing - I just figured it out. What's that about guys and instructions?
Dave

 

Dave, I think it depends on your belt size - if you wear one bigger than 42" it is so much easier to remove the front sheetmetel than bend over the fenders!

If you wear a 32" one there is enough room for you to jump in and stand beside your engine with all the sheetmetel in place.

If you fall between 32 and 42 inch - take the square of your age and divide by 2. Anything over 300 and you run the risk of being permanently crippled and bent over unless you remove the sheetmetal.

Good Luck!

PS, with a gravel driveway I would build a A frame and lift the engine straight up, rolling the truck out from under the engine. Cherry pickers are very difficult to move around in the rocks!

 

Lemme see - waist 36ish, age squared - 3025, divided by 2 is 1512.5, rounded to the nearest whole number......yup, off it is. Fortunately most of the driveway is blacktop, the garage floor is concrete. Only the place where the truck leaks, I mean parks, is gravel.
Dave

 

if you decide to remove just the hood shoot a little spray paint around the hinges before removal so that you can put them back without a lot of guess work. You can remove the paint with a rag dampened with thinner after you are done

 

Pull the whole front end, fewer bolts, better access. I took my whole front end off by myself. removed all the bolts, rolled it towards the front, slid it onto a milk crate, then lowered it to a hand cart and rolled it out of the way.

 

There is a picture of my F3 in my gallery I took this winter with the front metal and radiator out. I left the fenders on, but the rest came off easily and after repaint went on well too. I did it without any assistance.

 

Fifty F3
Great looking truck!! She's a beauty!
You can pull the front clip and leave the hood in place and get the engine out with a cherry picker, if you have an "a" frame then I guess the hood would have to come off

Bobby

 

Thanks, Bobby, for the kind words.
Thanks to the rest of you for the prompt responses. The verdict is in, the clip comes off.
Thanks again.
Dave

 

If you fall between 32 and 42 inch - take the square of your age and divide by 2. Anything over 300 and you run the risk of being permanently crippled and bent over unless you remove the sheetmetal.

So what you are saying is if you are anything but an toddler you should remove the sheetmetal. By your calculations a 24.5 child would have to remove the sheetmetal???

Broomfieldbum

 

Only if his/her waist size <32. Or maybe that's AND anybody whose waist < 32. Or...........

 

I agree about pulling the whole front end, but one caution --- it's easy to do, assuming the wiring can be easily disconnected and re-connected. You're likely to find a bunch of it crumbles in your hands when you try to unplug it, and you're likely to end up re-wiring the whole front end (unless your wiring is different than every other old truck I've see).

Not sure how '50's are, but on '52's it really helps to get the battery tray off first.

 

I am jealous of your truck. The only time I have driven mine in the three years I have owned it, is when we pulled it with a chain and I steered! That actually felt pretty good.

I would pull hte sheetmetal if it were me. It comes off very easily, and any possible damage would be minimal.