Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Project Mater:: '49 F2 build

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10/08/2019 Update

Not much in the way of progress, but I did get to make a few patches and move the cab along a little. My plan from the beginning has been to preserve as much of the metal as possible, but I do have to say there are times when you just need to cut a little father because the metal has gotten so thin. Here's where I stand as of this past Sunday.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...d6fe5a4841.jpg
Here is the section I cut in place, welded in, but I had to massage this piece a ton to get it to line up. Again, you get what you pay for.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...2a87caf4d3.jpg
These are some of the worst welds of my entire life, due mostly to improper settings, but also the amount of burn through on the old metal was just out of control.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...372c848ddf.jpg
As you can see, these welds are ugly, but it is noew much stronger.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...ab30c8b049.jpg
This is the worst of the cab corners, but surprisingly all there.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...49de8564f1.jpg
Where this came from is still a mystrery since I emptied the cab thoroughly, but when I was pounding the floor flat, it came flying out of the cab.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...7cbc7fdeb0.jpg
Massaging the corner brace into place
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...7a633e4f85.jpg
Welded into place. These welds a re a little better, but still a bit sloppy for my liking.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...7eb87882eb.jpg
Removing more rust
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...a2fd845b10.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...82bd44661d.jpg
These magnets really help.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...97ff44c5ac.jpg
My first hand fabricated metal piece. it fit pretty well, I was quite pleased
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...756bff0b7f.jpg

Now that I have two little shop managers, it has limited the time I get in the garage just a bit, but even so, I still found a little time that past week. As I mentioned last week, you really do get what you pay for, so as I began work on the other side of the cab floor (driver's side) I decided to try an under-lay method for the patch panel, rather than cutting out the original steel. On the inside of the cab, it'll look undisturbed, but underneath will be fully bonded. Aside from plug welding the patch panel you have to weld the edges fully to encapsulate the inner metals. I heard that museums sometimes perform these types of repairs to leave the visible metals as original as possible, so I thought it was a cool concept. I can't say if it's better than simply cutting out the floors, but given my patch petal fit so poorly, I went with it. Lemme know what you think, good or bad.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...423c94ad9a.jpg
A few remaining pics of the passenger side of the floor fix. I think my poor metal prep combines with my lack of experience led to some of the worst welds I've ever performed.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...54672296d3.jpg
Sloppy, but sealed from the weather. In stock form this is where water and dirt can make it's way between the cab mount cradle and the floor pan.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f6c9a8f220.jpg
As done as it will ever be, very glad you'd have to climb under the cab to see this mess up close. Definitely not going to win any concours events!
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...2a93d6585b.jpg
Here's the driver side patch panel lined up on one side. as you can see that if you line up the indented lines, the panel is way off.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...3f58b12de6.jpg
corner patch pic
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f05b4d6e3d.jpg
Lots of plug welds and seal welds... still a bit on the sloppy side, but it's strong.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...1640cd95d2.jpg
Both sides completed (mostly)
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...878042af87.jpg
After the underlay patch panel work was done, you can see the inner floors look mostly intact.

My hat is off to all of you who tackle these jobs . I am a bodyman by trade and obviously am able to do this work but I look at my truck " with no rust " and sometimes feel a little overwhelmed at the amount of work needed to get it to where I want it and where " because of my profession " many will expect it to be . Once again my hat is off to all of you . Keep up the great work .

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBEAR (Post 18901812)

Thank you very much, I have moderate experience growing up in NY where they salt the roads even on sunny days lol, but luckily there's not much rust in the cab. the bed however will be a monumental task. My obsession for saving as much of the original metal as possibly has created a bit more work for me though.

10/22/2019 Update

10/29/2019 Update

It may not be pretty, but it's very well protected from the elements and impervious from any solvents. Not to mention as straight as I could get it. Here's where O'l Mater is today.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...c181125bf0.jpg
Extra durable KBS coating covers the entire bottom of the cab
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...60f840293a.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...bd09e3f5b8.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...d9002fae9b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...9c72177bf8.jpg

That oughta keep it for another 70 yrs! Great job

11/05/2019 Update

More work done on the cab, one thing is for sure, there aren't any patch panels for the rear of the cb, and I'm no longer enjoying welding to rusty old steel, so my patch piece ended up being a bit larger. Other things I decided on were the firewall. I have decided not to paint it, but preserve the original paint completely, but apply a durable clear coat to ensure what paint it still there lasts. in the pics this week you'll see the cut, clean and polish process performed this past weekend to get what was left looking as good as possible.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...1f3e7167fd.jpg
This is the first pass at cleaning and polishing the existing paint.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...5185b436ce.jpg
pass #2, still working on bringing out the paint that can still be found under the surface rust.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...69b77e1417.jpg
Not done yet, but still researching methods of saving the paint.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...315eeaa55b.jpg
the old 82 F150 hood provides some much needed steel. oddly enough, the steel found in an 82 ford truck is the sam gauge found in the cab of the F2.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...cc0add2649.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...aafe99e36f.jpg
No, it's not going to be a doggy door.... or is it????!!??
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...6bb79e4ff5.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...529e1388b3.jpg
Patch panel on the bottom, the old rusty, and very thin section removed from Mater above.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...16cfc6b76e.jpg
The inside of the cab completely water tight and KBS coated.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...765921c49e.jpg
Using some magnets to hold the patch in place.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...2162a97f52.jpg
View from the inside of the cab.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...d2d9ed707e.jpg
Tack welding it in place. This is a long and very un-fun process.

What does the code say stamped in the middle of the firewall, just above the cowl seam?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyguns (Post 18934899)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...1f3e7167fd.jpg
.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 52 Merc (Post 18937014)

What does the code say stamped in the middle of the firewall, just above the cowl seam?

It is more vehicle build detail, One thing I was able to get from it was the assembly plant which it's stamped SP for Saint Paul Minnesota, and I think the color code is also in there too. I'll sift through my notes to see what I recorded....

November 2019 Update

It's been a while since I've posted an update, but I've managed to make a bit of progress. What I did since my last post was a lot of research and trial and error, mostly error, but some trial non-the-less. You'll see a few pics of where I have tried to save as much of the firewall paint as possible, using an airbrush to delicately fill in the rust marks left by what was probably damage caused by the battery and other fluids, but what you see is mostly original paint, i'd say high 90's percentage. I also spent several hours buffing out the old lacquer, and it does shine, but it's just not a high gloss clear coat you get in today's finishes, so I really want to replicate that look without actually using a single stage lacquer. I think the firewall came out pretty cool, and I love having some original finishes on the truck, remember, my goal here is more along the lines of preservation over a full on restoration, or a rusty patina look.

Also worth noting is that the truck more than likely came out of the factory with a very poorly fitted driver door, and getting that to fit in the door jamb was a mother.

Other things I have tried since the past post was tinning/leading, and heat shrinking, all firsts for me. All I can say is, you never know what you suck at till you try it, and now I know!! :)

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...ed47a09f98.jpg
This is what the firewall started out like, with the exception of a mild buff job. Lots of rusty sections and staining.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...549f7c7a89.jpg
This is what the Firewall looks like fully completed with very minimal paint invasion, then finished with SEM semi-gloss clrear. The next series of pics will go through what I did to preserve the old paint.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...a49c573658.jpg
This was my first sprayout with a high gloss clear. I was not a fan, so I went over it with the SEM Semi-gloss as seen above.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...0f1413cdd9.jpg
The airbrush I bought on Amazon for the express purpose of saving paint. Yes, you can decorate a cake with it, paint nails, or whatever else they recommend. It's now a dedicated resource for my restoration ventures, so that's why I bought the black one. :)

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...514a42f294.jpg
Under there are paper towels soaked in evaporust.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...517f7588ca.jpg
The rust completely removed by the Evap-O-Rust product, which I really love.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...66e33262aa.jpg
Firewall ready for the airbrush.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...0cc1baf194.jpg
Airbrushed all the rusty bare metal lines and marks, being very careful not to cover any original paint.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...07b3e9200f.jpg
SEM semi-gloss clear on half of what you see in this picture. If you're looking for a re-creation of what the finish looked like when these things were new, I recommend the semi-gloss clear. Keep in mind I do not think a high gloss restoration is bad, I'm just looking for something else.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...24246a217a.jpg
Cab in the sun to dry the paint. It oddly looked quite terrible an poorly matched till it dried and had the final clear applied.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...6af7ba95b1.jpg
This is the lower driver side hinge backing plate removed. I broke all three screws in it, yay me. what you see below is a little trick I picked up from watching wheeler dealers and Ant working on the white Bronco. I piled up some weld on each of the busted screws, then welded this bolt to the top of that. I then slowly turned it till is began to unscrew itself out. What you see in the piles of weld are the three busted ends and a whole bunch of weld. This was arguably the most satisfying thing I have ever done. It's funny how chuffed with myself I was just simply because it worked so well!

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...fe264e092d.jpg
I hate that I can't rotate these while uploading, but the purpose of this pic was what amounted to an entire day of pounding, bending ad adjusting the hinges to get the door to fit correctly. I am quite certain it did not fit from the assembly line, as the driver door overlapped the cab at the top.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...6808267157.jpg
Door fits like a glove with some serious door frame bending. The door was simply not the same arch as the cab.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...3d9d6438ba.jpg
My first real attempt at heat shrinking a body panel to get rid of the dreaded Oil-Canning effect. I can attest that it did work like a charm. Thanks again youtube. :)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...eb2dfb753c.jpg
Getting the back of the cab ready for the KBS coating.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...8a19553a93.jpg
slowly pounding out this dent which was made harder due to the incredible thickness of these cabs.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...3f1a9d1714.jpg
The rust holes that needed to be repaired.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...89f6bca380.jpg
Lower cab corner repaired with backing metal, then essentially plug welded in, ground down flush.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...4daaefbf86.jpg
Half-way through the grinding process
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...b2c191624a.jpg
More patch work.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...e945c94b28.jpg
A quick picture of me trying my hand at tinning. Mehh... It was harder than it looked on youtube.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...5b0a2ea453.jpg
Inner passenger front cab corner.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...bf7eae10ab.jpg
Inner driver-side front cab corner.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...a7d2b19df2.jpg
Lots yet to do on the roof

Wow, you got a lot done, looks great!

👍Wow, nice build! I’m at the same stage on my build, but it’s taking me a lot longer than what you’ve done.
That’s nice, the way you’re preserving the original paint.

Never thought about the airbrush just for the rusty parts. The firewall looks good. I'm surprised the color's so even. This is a cool truck. Dumb guy question, you mentioned oil canning on the metal - what does that mean? Like metal distortion from welding?