1952 F-6 Build

[Torchie]

Success is bliss isn't it.
Hope all is good at the Docs.

On the project front. This evenings efforts....
Hooked up the clutch pedal linkage. And It worked.[cl
Also got the hood put back on.
Fenders and inner panels are undercoated and painted on the engine compartment side and ready to be hung.

On the medical front...........
Back in the leg today for the first time in 10 days. Conclusion is that the swelling is/was due to trauma perhaps caused by some of the PT exercises.[S
Up early in the a.m for my back to back DR appts. The cardiologist one will be interesting.[ddd
Thanks for checking in on me..........
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

The Drs appointments went well. Baring any incidents I don't have to go back to the Cardiologists for 6 months.
Got the front sheet metal back on. I'm not thrilled with the hood to fender gap on the PS as I had it fitting better before. [S DS is good though.
Time to get out the tape measure and start to make some adjustments.
I also need to see If I have suspension to oil pan clearance to put on a set of longer shackles in the front to bring down the front end and put the tires up farther into the fenders.
My frustration level is fairly high right now due to the fact that after 2 days of wearing my leg I am back in the chair again. My new leg seems to be echoing this build. More adjustment is still needed......
Venting over.
Torchie

 

[Dirtyrat]

Glad to hear you are doing ok! Sorry your leg isn't tuned properly!
The front end is turning out so great!

 

[Bamamav]

Maybe the wrong fellow is working on your leg Torchie! I had an Uncle, every time he had to get new dentures ended up "adjusting" them to fit. A whittle here, a shave there until he was happy with the fit. Did his eyeglasses the same way. I bet you could make the leg fit better! [cl

Truck is looking great. Waiting on some paint now! [P[P

 

[Torchie]

No progress because we were struck by a freak storm here on Sunday evening resulting in wide spread damage and power outages. We just got power back on this evening after 3 days without.
The weather term for this storm is Derecho winds. Stronger than a Tornado we had winds clocked at over 100 mph.
Huge trees pulled out roots and all as well as snapped off power poles. Luckily my house sustained no damage even though I lost a few trees on the property.
Hopefully I can get back to work now.
Torchie.

 

[Bamamav]

Wow, glad you didn't have any major damage! We had one of those come through a few years ago, about blew me off the road in the semi!

 

[Torchie]

Long night last night...

as I thought that we were losing one of the old dogs.

Pic 1. My helper dog Maggie has been close at hand all day.

Pics 2-4. When I switched to the floor style trans it changed my floor board configuration as well. So I broke out my CAD system and made up a new template for the floor around the shift tower. Also made one to mark the holes for the pedals and steering column.

Pics 5-9. Also started to work on mounting the generator on top of the motor instead of the stock position on the PS exhaust manifold. Used the mounting holes from the power steering pump that I won't be using.
The earlier versions of this engine had the gen up on top. Will have to fab up a new adjustment arm and drill a new front hole in the mounting bracket.
Last pic shows best angle of the gen for belt contact as well as clearance.
That's it for tonight.
Thanks for stopping by.............
Torchie

 

[I-R-POPS]

I like your cad system Torchie. Very techy for an old guy like us.
Generator bracket looks good too but I don't know how long that belt will run. More good progress stay after it.

 

[Torchie]

I like your cad system Torchie. Very techy for an old guy like us.
Generator bracket looks good too but I don't know how long that belt will run. More good progress stay after it.

CAD in my shop stands for Cardboard Assisted Drawing POPS.
I don't know POPS. Saw a guy make an emergency belt out of his wife's panty hose once.
Torchie

 

[earthman]

Just checking on the progress as usual.

 

[Torchie]

Todays effort...... Whew!

Pics 1-2. Finally got my drill back with the big chuck on it so I was able to finish up the floor panels.


Pics 3-4. Feeling kind of frisky so I unpacked the the bed sides and end panel and put them together.


Pics 5-6. Now came the interesting part. managed to get the bed up and into place using some scrap tubing and a little duct tape.(Hey it is a Rat Rod after all... )

Pics 7-8. Here is the bed sitting at what would be the factory setup but lowered to align with the 6" channel that I gave the cab.

Pics 9-10. In my mock up I raised the bed up to match the belt line on the cab. Now I am not so sure.[S
As always all thoughts and opinions are welcomed.
Well that's all for tonight as I have to give my stump a rest.
Thanks for looking in.........
Torchie.

 

[Bamamav]

Need the rear fenders up there to get the full effect.

 

[Torchie]

Need the rear fenders up there to get the full effect.

I hear you brother. I have got them hanging up on the wall over my workbench. Trying to figure a way to get then down without hurting them or my self.[ddd
Torchie.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I like the first mock up... runs well with the hood height and looks more "factory" if you know what I mean. [S

.

 

[Torchie]

I like the first mock up... runs well with the hood height and looks more "factory" if you know what I mean. [S

.

Agreed Doc. This is just an exercise in "What if"...

Mounted the rear fenders in their stock position using the exsisting holes. And this is the result.
As can be seen the wheels are not centered in the openings. When I did the mock up not only did I raise the box but I moved the fenders forward as well..
Since i don't really want to weld up 8 mounting holes on each side of the box only to put in 8 more I am considering taking about 4 inches off the front edge of the box and moving the whole box forward to get my tire/wheel opening alignment. That way I should be able to use the stock fender mounting holes.
Tomorrow I will lift the box back up to where it was in the mock up and make a decision.......

 

[soltz]

Looking good. A little shorter in the bed won't hurt a thing [

Sounds like your doing better, health wise [cl[cl

 

[Skip]

Are the beauty lines in the front and rear fenders at the same level?

I like the bed top lined up on the same plane as the hood top/belt-line of the cab, but to me the rear fenders seem kinda' low. Makes the bed sides look a little tall.

I know, it makes the rear wheel openings look too high then.

I have a feeling you will find that sweet spot where all the parts to fit together and look right.

Maybe split the difference between the top of the bed sides and the top of the fenders in pic 9, and keep everything else right where it is.

 

[Torchie]

Looking good. A little shorter in the bed won't hurt a thing [

Sounds like your doing better, health wise [cl[cl

Hanging in there soltz. Things will be better once the new leg is right. I agree with you on shortening the bed. We are only talking about maybe 4 inches. Plus I don't really like the look of having more box stick out behind the rear fender if I leave the box length stock and just move the fender forward.

Are the beauty lines in the front and rear fenders at the same level?

I like the bed top lined up on the same plane as the hood top/belt-line of the cab, but to me the rear fenders seem kinda' low. Makes the bed sides look a little tall.

I know, it makes the rear wheel openings look too high then.

I have a feeling you will find that sweet spot where all the parts to fit together and look right.

Maybe split the difference between the top of the bed sides and the top of the fenders in pic 9, and keep everything else right where it is.

skip. If you look at the pic of the Jack Rushton truck which is the inspiration for mine you will see that he lined up the top of the bed with the belt line like I did in my mock up. And yes his fenders appear to be higher up on the side of the box. It does show more tire that way but I don't have a problem with that as he shows a lot of tire in the front as well.
The other thing that I did was to line up the top of the front and rear fenders so that I had a nice horizontal line.
The beauty lines pretty much fall into place.
Torchie

 

[1952B3b23]

Looking good Torchie. I'm looking forward to seeing it with the rear wheels centered in the fenders. Maybe then you can roll the old girl outside and get a nice side shot from a distance. That will be a real milestone and then allow you to compare your creation to the Rushton truck.

Very Impressive Work,

-Chris

 

[Torchie]

Out in the shop this morning.
Pics 1-2. Raised up the box back to the level it was in the mock up. Left the fenders mounted to the original Ford holes in the box sides. Front to back Wheel placement in opening remained unchanged.

Pics 3-5. Ran a line from the top of the front fender to the top of the rear. That line looks good which tells me that I can use the stock mounting position for the rear fender and just chop off the front of the box and move it forward if I choose to. [ddd

Pics 6-7. Looks like about 4 inches is what I will need to get the wheel centered in the opening. Works out to about the width of the front pocket.
More later...........
Torchie