1954 Ford F100/F250 4x4 Tow Vehicle

[Fordman75]

I'll keep that in mind!

I don't think I've seen very many 70's truck tilt columns period.

[MrMarquis]

Hell, I don't think I'd be able to cut apart that F150 Ranger...that thing looks pretty mean! Damn good deal on that.

[Fordman75]

Hell, I don't think I'd be able to cut apart that F150 Ranger...that thing looks pretty mean! Damn good deal on that.

I don't have a problem cutting up most vehicles.

But I must be getting a heart at my old age. I passed on a 69 F250 before I bought the 78. The 69 was just too solid to scrap. Even though it was $100 cheaper! I wished I had a place I could store them! But I've already got more then the city allows.:smirk:

[packman]

Midnight pumpkin? Are you talking about that old black RC 53-55 Ford monster truck? Mine is going to be a crappier version of this. With a lighter blue and Narrower BFG's on steel rims.

Yes, the RC truck. I was so jealous of my friend when his father bought that for him. From my experience with the CV, you'll probably end up with a '54 that's nicer than the pic you just posted. It's just the way it is with these old Fords.



Packman

[Fordman75]

Yea I wanted one of those RC trucks too!

I don't know about the 54 being nicer then the picture. I'll be happy if it's complete and drivable!

[Fordman75]

Well I've got a small update. First I've finally pulled the 78 off the trailer a couple weeks ago.

I pulled the stupid bug deflector off the front.




Here's a couple shots of it with most of a 2000 Dodge caravan in the box!







And after some more thinking ( yes I know that is dangerous for me! ) I have come to the conclusion that I'm not going to change the wheel base of the 78 F150 4x4. I've been looking over the frame on the 78. Sliding the axle forward just wasn't going to work. Due to the rear kick up and it's formed notches for shock clearance. So that would leave actually cutting out a chunk of the center of the frame. Since I don't have a welder that would handle welding the frame together I would have to buy or rent a bigger welder or pay someone else to weld the frame. And then I would still need to have the rear drive shaft shortened and correct the pinion angle on the rear diff. So that's what helped me decide to keep the wheelbase the way it is.


So that means I will have to make the body fit the frame. Instead of just making it a long box, I decided to make a change that will make the truck more comfortable to drive. I'm going to make it an extended cab. That will give me some more leg room and more clearance for my fat gut!:smirk: Plus I'll also have more room for storage and speakers!

I figure I can find another 53-55 cab and some rusty 53-55 doors fairly reasonable. It's going to take quite a bit of sheet metal work but I can handle that. And I'm pretty sure I can do it without having to change much of any of the floor work I've already got done. This will definitely be a one of kind truck! The difference in the chassis is 23". But Since I'm building the box from scratch I might split that between the cab and the box too. I'll decide on that once I have the parts for the cab. I'll lay it out and see what's most appealing to the eyes.

These pics were posted on another forum. This truck has a 2" chopped top too. But the pics give you the idea of what I plan.

[Fordman75]

Well today I hauled home some more junk!


I found a cab I can cut up for my extended cab project. And this ones in bad enough shape I can cut it up without feeling guilty. The guy I bought it from was going to swap it onto a Ranger chassis but gave up on the project. He already did a lot of the cutting so that saves me some work.

Here it is.









It does have some rust. I'm going to have replace the cab corners and the lower door jambs.







I also got a pair of doors. The passenger side is pretty nice.



The driver side has been stripped to the bare metal and needs some rust repair to the lower door skin and inner structure. And it has some damage to the door skin higher up the door. I'll get some better pics of the doors once I unload them out of my van.




I also got a box of parts from the cab and door.

[packman]

Nice find and nice project! Midnight Pumpkin w/ extended cab? Oh and that cab that you bought (I can't believe you found one in this day and age) is in much better condition than mine. I have rot in the same spots, but much.........much worse.




Packman

[Fordman75]

Nice find and nice project! Midnight Pumpkin w/ extended cab? Oh and that cab that you bought (I can't believe you found one in this day and age) is in much better condition than mine. I have rot in the same spots, but much.........much worse.




Packman

Thanks. Besides mine not being a monster truck, yea you could call it "Midnight pumpkin w/ extended cab". I actually found a few cabs but most were either way too far away or too much money. I paid $275 for this cab ( and $150 for the pair of doors, so $425 total ) and it was around 60 miles from my house. It was more then I wanted to pay but the other cab I found was $250 with no doors and it was 200 miles away.

And the cab is in rougher shape then it looks like in the pictures. But I can fix the problem areas.

I also think I found the last two doors I need. They are both rusted thru on the bottom ( inside and out ) . They are a little over priced, He asking $75.00 each and they are completely gutted. So they are just the door shells. I'd prefer to get them for less then $50.00 but the guy is firm on the price. So I'll probably just pay what he's asking so I'll have all the used parts I need to extend the cab. Then I'll just need to get about $300 in patch panels, get a bunch of 1"x1" tubing to brace up the cabs and a bunch more diamond plate steel for the rear floors.

[MrMarquis]

I can't remember if you said this before or not Ted...but do you plan on chopping the top on yours? The proportions on the example you posted make the truck look a little longer than what it probably is, but flows great.

[Fordman75]

I can't remember if you said this before or not Ted...but do you plan on chopping the top on yours? The proportions on the example you posted make the truck look a little longer than what it probably is, but flows great.

No I'm not going to chop the top. I need the head room and the glass is too much of a pain. It's going to be bad enough just getting the rear 1/4 windows cut for it.

Here's a pic of one that is the stock height. It just has a crappy 1/4 window set up on it. My cab will look more like this one except I'm going to do the rain gutter and 1/4 windows like on that aqua colored one.

[Fordman75]

I went on a little 150 mile road trip and picked up the last pair of doors I need. The one is a little rougher then I thought it was. But they should both be workable. So now I have 6 doors. That should be enough for one truck.

Here's the pics of my newest crusty doors. The blue door looks worse then the white one but it's actually quite a bit nicer.

[88grandmarq]

btw... if you need sheet metal, check this out;

http://www.greensalescompany.com/used_sheet_metal_from_19481972.htm

[Fordman75]

Thanks for the link!

But the panels I need would cost an arm and a leg to ship. But it's nice to have another option on where to get the stuff.

[packman]

No offense, but both of those doors look to be in better shape than the door on the car you got them leaning against. What year is that car?

Do you know the usual sources of parts for those trucks (Dennis Carpenter, etc....)? If not, I will give you the names of the companies I would use if I were at the point of fixing my truck.


Packman