My first rod 42 Ford pickup(on a budget)

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tnrodder

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
88
Location
Mid.TN
hey guys, here is my truck that me and my dad dug out of the trees and am in the process of putting on the road.I found this in an old junkyard that had been closed since the 60s(yes,Ihave lots more pics of some cool old tin that i will post later). I got it home and ran all the critters out and started cleaning things up and putting a plan together. I am building the chassis from scratch.It is zd 4 inches in front and 14 in the rear.shooting for about a 6 inch ride height. drivetrain for now will be sbc/350turbo and nine inch. i know thats not very original but i am trying to use things that i already have or can easily get.cab will be chopped 4 inches. i am thinking about running ford smoothies with about a 30 inch rear tire and a 26 up front. i scored a cool mopar box out of a real superbee(same junkyard)that i am thinking about doing a cowl steering setup. still looking for a front axle(transverse spring).I have been working on this for about 2 1/2 months so i have lots of pics that i will continue to post. comments and constructive criticizm are welcomed and advice is appreciated. 100_0926 (Medium).jpg

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Heres a few more pics of when i first started laying things out and bracing up.Anybody want to guess what brand my hi-tech frame jig is? Ill give ya a hint-it used to haul dirt and gravel.

Hey Bonehead, thanks for the info on the company. On the bottom of the logo it says they were a chemical co, but i have lived in Middle TN all my life and have never heard of a Davco Chemical Co.100_0964 (Medium).jpg

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hey guys, heres a few more. got the frame setup on the jig and since my knees and legs arent as good as they used to be i decided to do as much as possible on the jig. so i got the cab set on and in place and the mockup motor and tranny in100_1009 (Medium).jpg

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Heres a few of the cab floor. i am waiting on shifter and master cyl. and brake pedal to get started on sheetmetal work100_1042 (Medium).jpg

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Holy mackeral, talk about reviving a car or truck from the DEAD !! :eek: How did you even know there was something back in those trees? I would have been afraid to even go in there. But it sure is shaping up nicely now. :)

Don't apologize for using the venerable sbc engine and tranny. There is a reason they are done so often.............they work great, fit nice, and are plentiful and reasonably priced. I'm using the first one I have used in probably 30 years and love it. What a dependable, pretty powerful engine. Does everything I need it to do and more.

Keep the pictures coming. :D

Don
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys

Yea Mike your pretty close, its about half of a tri axle International frame. It never hurts to have plenty of junk lying around.
 
tnrodder - That looks like a great build! I really like the cab door graphics too! I'm just over the hill in Hermitage and I've never heard of the company either. Must be old as heck! I have a 51 f-1 Ford that I'm about ready to get crankin on. I'd really like to see your truck up close some time. If that might be possible private mail me.

Thanks,
Thunder1
 
hey guys, here is my truck that me and my dad dug out of the trees and am in the process of putting on the road.I found this in an old junkyard that had been closed since the 60s(yes,Ihave lots more pics of some cool old tin that i will post later). I got it home and ran all the critters out and started cleaning things up and putting a plan together. I am building the chassis from scratch.It is zd 4 inches in front and 14 in the rear.shooting for about a 6 inch ride height. drivetrain for now will be sbc/350turbo and nine inch. i know thats not very original but i am trying to use things that i already have or can easily get.cab will be chopped 4 inches. i am thinking about running ford smoothies with about a 30 inch rear tire and a 26 up front. i scored a cool mopar box out of a real superbee(same junkyard)that i am thinking about doing a cowl steering setup. still looking for a front axle(transverse spring).I have been working on this for about 2 1/2 months so i have lots of pics that i will continue to post. comments and constructive criticizm are welcomed and advice is appreciated.View attachment 11830

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I think I saw Bigfoot hiding in that first picture!!!!:eek:
 
Hey everyone... heres a few more pics to get me up to date.

I picked up a 9 inch out of an early bronco with 3.50 gears and limited slip. the width is about perfect at 58 1/2 inches.got all the brackets and perches cut off and mocked up on the jig. I have spent a lot of time thinking about rear springs and after seeing some of the really neat 1/4 ellip. setups on here that is what i have decided to do. I had these control arms left over from my Jeeping days,so i cut them up and used some 1 3/4 DOM tubing to fab up some lower arms. it will have a third link on top with a 3/4 adj heim.100_1086 (Medium).jpg

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Heres a couple more.....

one is the mockup of the bedside at 55" long. that rear tire looks silly, its about 4 inches too short(spare off the boat). the other pic is the crossmember i built. I set it up for a 1 3/4 " spring and i read to build in about 7degrees of angle to prevent spring bind. I sure hope it works ok. If not I guess that new pack of sawzall blades will come in handy.100_1082 (Medium).jpg

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A little progress

Well, nothing earthshattering been happening in the shop but i managed to whip up a set of motor mounts, I'm still trying to decide if I like them or not. I'll have to look at em for a while to see if they grow on me. I was also thinking of running a 3 duece setup but I ran across this edelbrock TR and valve covers for 125 bucks so I think I will give em a try. They need a good cleaning but are really solid.chassis (Medium).jpg

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I've also been tinkering with my rear 3 link, its getting there slowly but surely. I keep changing my mind on things...you know,cut -weld- fabricate-throw away ,then repeat. ha ha3 link (Medium).jpg

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