My baby is home...!!!!

[Coffinmaker]

Finally....!! Spent 2 hours digging her out of the underbrush.. AND removed 11 hornet nests while we were at it...no one has ever seen an old man like me move so fast.....LMAO. but it will be worth it.We left the bed for the junk man..uh actually theres nothing left of it, kind looks like a large pile of rust dust..!! Got her into the trailer fine and back out with no problems.NOW the fun begins....!! I am so excited I almost called off of work BUT better make some overtime while I can.The birds nest was free,it came with the engine...Will start tomorrow night with a total removal of everything.Did notice this truck does have a front drop axle..Worth keeping..? I mean why buy one..dont I just need the start with that and add on..? I really dont know where to start to ask questions..!! But I do realize it will be a LOT of learning and taking my time...YES I am a one man team..!!And YES I wont forget to post pics as I go along..BUT I will warn you...It will be a SLOW process.Ok guys,gotta take a shower..early call tomorrow...all the way to Dayton,Ohio and back...gotta do it in one day too.... Oh yeah..got 2 pairs of doors with it and the cab corners are ROCK solid.

 

[22dodge]

Very Nice !!!

Congratulations, that looks like a great start for a build.
Well worth your effort... Nice birds nest too.
Keep us posted on your progress. '22

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Looks like a pretty nice start. I've always been a fan of the bullnose AD pickups. Luckily it doesn't take much to make them look REALLY cool. As far as the axle goes, yes it does have a "drop" in it from the factory, but it is set up that way for stock ride height. If you want to stick with the solid axle front end you can get one that is actually dropped. They come in 3" or 4" over stock. That and playing with the springs can get them setting pretty good, and is fairly easy to do for a novice builder. A bed shouldn't be too hard to come by. I do know of where there are a couple GMC grilles tucked away as well.

If you get back down around the Dayton area on the 25th of this month you should come check out our shop open house party & show. There are always lots of cool rides to check out and we have a ball...

 

[Thunder1]

That's a good looking truck Coffinmaker!! You DID figure out how to post pictures!! Congratulations on the truck and the pictures! It must feel good to have it home. It must also feel good to have a garage to put it in too! You'll have it built and rolling down the road before you know it. At the rate I'm moving, I'll be lucky to have a rolling frame by then! Things are moving really slow all of a sudden here. Now that I have my frame I can't get away from life long enough to even go look at it. Hopefully by Monday that'll change. I'm happy you found it and have it home.

Thunder1

 

[dmw56]

That truck look like it's in great shape. Glad you finally found one and got it home. Man, you you were giving us fits trying talk you out giving up on the whole thing. See all you needed was a little patience and it practically fell in your lap. Well except for the underbrush, the hornets, the bugs, dead rats, etc. it's all good. Now that you've got it get to work on it.

 

[Bonehead]

I am so glad you got a truck, and it looks like a great one. What rear axle is that? Bolt pattern on the rear cover?

 

[DirtWorshiper]

Congrats, good luck with your project!

 

[earthman]

Rat Rod front axle: remove axle, flip over, weld two more spring perchs on the bottom, replace on top of the springs. About a 5" drop

 

[50Ford]

looks good. Cant wait to see this progress. Good luck!

 

[Coffinmaker]

The rear end

I am so glad you got a truck, and it looks like a great one. What rear axle is that? Bolt pattern on the rear cover?

I FINALLY got a closer look at it today...bolt pattern is on the front of the rear end...Looks like I counted 14 BUT cant be sure...will clean off some more grime tomorrow.MAN,spent 4 and half hours today just taking stuff off..filled 3 garbage cans with crap from just INSIDE of the cab. LMAO..found the original radio too.!!Things are looking worse then I thought...A TON of rust to be found under what was left of the inside and outside windshield frame.FRICKING wires running EVERYWHERE. Found out the dash is just about trash too...rusted out in most of the places.Kinda wondering what to do about that..?I know its welded in BUT how do I replace it with something that will fit..? Seen some pretty cool looking dashes on here...Ok..off to go eat.

 

[Coffinmaker]

More pics and an update.

Ok..got started again today,another 4 hours..!! Man..how strong did they build them..?!?!? Doors are off,front fenders and the inners are off too.Finished cutting off GOD only knows the wiring from HELL..!!Cables that went nowhere and some I think they just put them in to confuse me..( VERY easy to do..).Now the newb questions will begin.Floor is nasty so I know I will have to cut that out BUT do I wait until the chop is done? ( IF it gets done.I KNOW I AINT doing it..!!! )How much do I take out..? Just where it starts to curve up into the area behind the dash is pretty solid.Do I cut all the way back to the rear of the cab..?The dash is pretty rotted out BUT how do I get it out and what would I replace it with..? Any if anyone is close to Dearborn,Michigan I have the whole front end for sale if anyone wants or needs it...150.00 is a good price I think.ANYWAY,heading back out for MORE FUN...!! Hi ho Hi Ho its off to fight rust we go...

 

[Bonehead]

You could leave the floor in until after the chop, or take it out and replace it before the chop. But it will help to have something holding the bottom of the cab together when you cut the top off.

Really can't see the rust in the pictures, but as far as the dash goes, try to figure out what you want to put back in there before you cut it out. Could be you leave the edges, to have something to attach to with the new dash.

Tearing it down goes pretty quick, the build may take a little longer.

 

[BruceR&C]

Trucks coming apart just fine. The floors look OK to me. They're in alot better shape than my wife's 47 was. Dash looks fine too. Looking forward to more progress pics.

 

[Coffinmaker]

Took forever...but

Wow...took 3 days to get all of the gauges and wiring out.I wish I could do it faster but I cant.I was hit by a drunk driver about a year and half ago..( I was stopped at a red light..he hit me at 60 mph...) and snapped my neck pretty good..( YES I has a seat belt on..first time !!..).The way it healed prevents me from laying on my back and tilting my head up in any direction..it give me sick feeling in my stomach and I have to stand up and wait for it to pass,which takes a long time..but I manage so I keep plugging along.These pics are what I found after everything was out.The support that held the steering wheel is rotted off and there is some major rust in behind it too.Dont know if I should weld in some more metal and re-attach that support.Now the floor isnt as bad as I thought and the area where the seats used to be is solid.I am hoping I wont have to add as much metal as I first thought.Going to remove the cab later today...You guys really dont like these truck without the fenders.. ? My brother said I should keep the frame and re-use it but I figure I would spend just as much having someone cut it and make the Z's on it as buying a new one.

 

[dmw56]

Take a look at Tiny's build of an AD truck it looks great with out fenders.
Keep on Truckin'

 

[Youngster]

It's your truck, build it for you. The approval will come.

I'd patch the floor before the chop. Anything you can do to stablize the body will pay dividends.

For the dash, you have several options. A stock one, yuk, a flat panel, yuk again, or swap another one in , That might save you some $$ on gauges too.

If you're talkin' in the weeds, don't mess with the old frame. By the time you get it cleaned up and modified you could have a cool tube frame with the same effort. JMO

Ron

 

[Old Gold]

I agree with youngster, build it how YOU like it. There are alot of the 50's cabs that look great with or without fenders. Here is a 54' Ford model, compliments of the HAMB, that I thought looked awsome without fenders.

 

[dawg]

For what you have in mind, build your own frame. It will be faster in the long run, and you can Z all of the drop you want into the frame on both ends. I would look for something else in a rear end, and there are a zillion ways to do the front suspension. You could use the axel you have and update to discs, or stay more traditional(?) and go with aftermarket drop stuff. That's what's great about a rat, you can go in any direction, and not be wrong, as long as you keep things safe. Keep thrashing, and post more pics as you go along...

 

[Thunder1]

You know my opinion! We've already had this conversation Coffin!!

I'm going with an all new steel floor (don't have any choice - unless I want to be like Fred Flintstone!) and NO FENDERS!! Awesome pic Old Gold! Thanks for putting it on here.

Thunder1

 

[bob w]

Coffinmaker, I have the exact same problem you have. If I crawl under a car, there are times I have to go in the house and lay down for an hour or more to get over the nausia. I have to build cars "from the top down". You might have to do that with your build. I'm envious of the fine cab you got. Good luck with the build.