1952 F-6 Build

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Torchie

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
8,101
Location
Northern Michigan
Never done this before (posting a build thread) so here goes.
The project is a 52 F-6 Cab sitting on 1941 Ford car frame with stock front axle and trans and banjo rear end.
Running a 1953 Ford EAB flathead. Will still use the stock 3 on the tree as well.
This is what I started with.
Bought this car originaly for the suspension. Came with good title so after a few months of trying to sell the frame and title I decided to use it for my build.
Torchie
 

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So here is where the 52 F-6 comes into the picture.
I responded to an ad for a flathead motor. Called and talked to the guy who said that the motor was in a truck he was going to scrap.
I went to look at it and this is what I saw. Motor turned over by hand so I bought it. Started to take a good look at the cab and saw how solid it was so I asked the guy how much more for the truck. He said $100.00 and I said sold.
Torhie.
 

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There more stuff you drag home the more parts you have to piece something together.Good score.

The bitch of it is that this guy said that he scrapped 2 car trailer loads of flatheads last year when scrap prices around here were high.
He bought the neighboring property and it used to be a junk yard. The old guy that owned it kept every flathead and the parts that he got. Plus, all the engines were on home built stands and the guy had NOS parts as well.

He told me that he had a few responses to the add and everyone tryed to lowball him. He sold one motor and gave the guy that bought it all the NOS parts because he didn't want to throw them out.
Said he got $3000 in scrap and he was trying to sell it all for $2500.
I never saw the ad.
Enough to make a grown man cry:(
Torchie.
 
Looks like a great start to a project, that car would make a great roadster project too however...

That was my first plan for the 41. Cut off the top,chop the windshield and build a Carson style top. More or less a full custom. Floor pan and rockers were totaly shot as well as the fenders being full of mud. Stripped off what was useable and cut the top off and the body fell apart.Just to far gone to save.
Torchie.
 
So with the 41 body off the frame I dropped in the flathead which fit perfectly due to it being a truck engine(Rear sump oil pan and the right waterpumps). Then i set the 52 cab on the frame to prepare for the channel.
 

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Let the cutting begin.
As can be seen the floor on this cab was really solid. I thought about not cutting it up but what the hell. The truck was going to be scrapped if I hadn't gotten it.
With the cab blocked up on the frame I started to remove the floor.
I left the rockers intact as they were very solid and were not in the way of the frame rails.
Biggest bugaboo with using the 41 frame is the presence of the X-member-rear trans mount as it sits up higher than the frame rails.
Floor out and a drop of 6 inches.
Ride height will be a little lower by the time I Reverse the front spring eye and but a longer shackles in the back.
Not looking for a ground scraping look as I live way out in the boondocks and the roads around me are barely improved two tracks.
 

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So we continue on...
Now that the cab is where I want it time to weld in a frame for the floor.
There will have to be a slight bump up in the floor to allow for the x-member but not too bad.
Cab is now mounted to the frame and the doors are back on for a look-see. I am trying to figure out if I can run the hood and fab some sort of a grill/radiator shell or will just go with a grill shell (32 Ford?). The one pic is a CAD(cardboard assisted drawing) using the hood and some sort of side panel. I am not sure that I like this look or not.
I am also stripping the cab roof to repair some hail damage and then lay out the chop so this is the way it sits now.
Also got a line on a pickup box. But it is fom a Chevy. Was kind of leaning towards making it all Ford but we will see. If the price is right........
Torchie.
 

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I plan on cutting the floor out of my fifty and doing the same as you .

What are the mounts you are using to mount the cab?
icebox
 
I plan on cutting the floor out of my fifty and doing the same as you .

What are the mounts you are using to mount the cab?
icebox

The original front pads on the truck firewall actualy lined up with the firewall mounts on the 41 frame. I just cut them away from the side skirt and raised them up on the firewall to allow for the channel depth. Just used a store bought rubber biscut for those.
Under the cab I used hockey pucks(6 for $10) and heavey flat washers of the correct diamiter. One on each side of the puck. Or depending on the height, two.
To make sure that everything lined up I welded a smaller washer with the correct size bolt hole inside the large flat washer. I had to grind a little off the smaller washer to make if fit.
These were placed between the chassis and the floor frame that I built. Drilled straight thru then bolted.
As I used 1x1 for my floor frme I used 3/8 bolts to mount.

Keep in mind that at this point everything is just tack welded for the mock up and when i pull the cab off the frame it will all get the final welding.
Hope this helps.
Torchie
 

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Its a rat, chevy box on a ford is fitting for that type of build...

No doubt of that DirtyRat.
I kind of had in mind an all ford build using parts from all years. Like the Johnny Cash cadillac song:p
Plus the Chevy box is about 2 hours from me and I am somewhat disabled so getting around sometimes becomes problematic. Especialy in the snow which we are getting in abundance this winter. Over 140 inch's by now. And more on the way.
But as of this morning I have another lead on a Ford box that is nearby.Just have to wait until enough snow melts to get at it[cl
Torchie
 
Search through the builds on here, there a several that use the hood with no sides and look great. One made a tube frame under the hood line and a tube style grill - looked slick.

Maybe cut down a later model styleside bed into a fenderless flareside bed?

Here's the pic of what I was thinking:
100_0253.jpg
 
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Search through the builds on here, there a several that use the hood with no sides and look great. One made a tube frame under the hood line and a tube style grill - looked slick.

Maybe cut down a later model styleside bed into a fenderless flareside bed?

Here's the pic of what I was thinking:
100_0253.jpg

Thanks for the pic SamFear.
I most likely will not run sides on the hood mainly due to the 52 F-6 hood being so much wider than the 41 hood I would have problems with wheel clearance. That's why I like to use my CAD (Cardboard assisted drawing) system. I can sit back and take a look at it.
I have thought about something along the lines of the pic that you posted and am still considering that.
Also as far as the box goes nothing is set in stone. I am even looking into finding a trunk section from some older finned car and making that into the box. A lot of what I do is based on the same thing as everyone else. What funds are available and what parts can I dig up.

Just some how seems a shame to cover up the flatty. This truck was originaly slated to have a 364 nailhead in it. That is currently sitting on a engine stand awaiting a full rebuild $$$$$$.
My wife and both my daughters are artists and I guess it is rubbing off on me. Everything they do turns out different from what the original idea was. As my wife tells me. "Well it just took me where it wanted to go" More pics coming soon.
Torchie
 
In preparation for the upcoming chop we have some metal work to do.
The roof has the usual dents ,dinks, and flat spots that come with being 61 year old work horse.
In the first pic you can see some of them. The main issue is a fairly large flat spot in the center of the roof that has left a ridge all along the top of the rear roof.
We need to get all of this as straight as possible before we chop.
So to accomplish this we use two guys. One in side the cab and one out. We used the typical assortment of hammers and dolly's as well as a home made slapper bar. This could all be done with one guy but my 2 young friends wanted to help so I put them bothh to work.
Sometimes the guy in the cab had the hammer and some times the dolly. Same with the guy on the outside. But the majority of the work was done using the slapper and a bass clef shaped dolly.
Looks a lot better and except for a few high spots that need to be shrunk we are ready to lay out the chop.
Torchie
 

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