Thinking about a Rig Rod

[GPster]

Frank has a link to a site that shows a lot of big trucks. Maybe you can get on it and see what that truck looked like at the start. To my eye the hood looks stock width. They weren't as wide as '48 to '53 hoods. The stock placement of the front axel on the '37 is going to make it look stubby with-out fenders. You might think about sliding the cab back on the frame some. I like the look with the two springs on the front though. Sometimes the "rat" look goes towards tall tires but not as pronounced as those trick tires and those tall tires called for low rear end gears and "Granny" first gear to get a load started.You'll have to add all that to your figuring. GPster

[ONE37TUDOR]

How does that pink truck get away with running the rear duals without fenders and mud flaps?

Scott...

[DRD57]

How does that pink truck get away with running the rear duals without fenders and mud flaps?

Scott...

If you don't drive it by any cops that know (or care) about that particular law, or don't drive it on the road at all, there's no problem.

Legally, it does need fenders in CA.

[taxpyer]

They're all cool. Very creative. I get more out of looking at anyones personal creation than any 10 pro-builts you see at the shows. Sirstudes pics make my mind spin ,,,,, love the low'n old look.

[Beck]

I went to look at the 47 Ford 1 1/2 ton. The owner said it was in nice condition. WRONG. As usual it turned out to be a wild goose chase. The truck was repairable with a lot of time and effort. More time and effort than it was worth. It is better to start with a better, more expensive, truck than try to do everything needed on this one.
I checked out the frame pretty closely. The pink truck appears to just run the stock frame upsided down as someone posted here. I like that idea. The frame is plenty strong without a lot of extra work. The springs can be tuned by removing liefs.  I do think the front of the pink truck has been narrowed.
I do like this body style. I will just keep looking. Some day one will turn up.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I like the dirt racer look the Doug posted.

Charlie

[Beck]

I like the dirt racer look the Doug posted.

Charlie

The original dirt modified Tobias frame I found is offset I think. These chassis were offset to the left for better cornering right? I don't know if it would be worth the work to center one up. It may be just as easy to scratch build a frame like the one in Dougs photos. I would think I could use the race type tortion bars in a home built frame.

I'm lazy. I want to use the easiest method possible to make a cool truck. I am considering using the big truck frame turned upside down like the pink truck. I would use regular sized axles and tires, not the big truck ones. The big flaw I see in this is with smaller tires the frame may not clear the ground. Looking at the pink truck there isn't much ground clearance. Those are 7,50 x 20 or 8.25 x 20 tires. Those babies are tall. I think the stock frame flipped would be much easier to build than the custom racer type.

I have located another truck. This one is a '45 Chevy 1 1/2 ton. I saw some small photos. There appears to be some rust on the bottom of the doors, but no where else. They always look better in the pictures. I know I tend to see what I want it to look like, and miss some of the flaws. When I go to look at the real thing the flaws are much more obvious. This truck is advertized for $1500. That is getting a little pricy if the cab isn't nice. If the frame is used it makes it seem a little more affordable. For just the cab it seems high to me.

I am in the mood to buy one now, but I should wait for 2 months. I have some work to do before leaving on an extended road trip early next month.

[34ford]

The truck is registered as a 47 ford p/u.

Beck, I sent you a pm with the guys name and phone # that's registered to the plate on the truck. let me know if you get it.

bc

[Beck]

This is an old post but I just had to bring it back. The new Hot Rod mag has a photo of another "Rig Rod" in it's rat rod section. I still just love these things. I just got back from looking at a 48 Ford 1 1/2 ton. All the glass is gone. The truck was sanded to bare metal about 8 years ago and parked outside. I'm in the midwest so it's rusty and pitted, but the body has little rust through. I couldn't get to the passanger side but the drivers side has just a 3" rust through on the bottom front of the door. The roof of the cab is nearly dent free. Most of the big truck cabs had someone sit on the cab and smash them at one time. All the chrome trim was missing. The owner said he had most of it, but I bet not. It has a box of new rubber for doors and windows. The asking price is $700. The drivers door opened and closed well. It didn't sag. There is a SBC in the engine bay that is greasy. The radiator looked original. I didn't check the outlets. A flathead would have had 2 on top right?

I am considering one of these setup for a tow vehicle. I don't know if it would get a fifth wheel in the bed or just a heavy rear crossmember for a bumper tow. I would make sure there was enough power under the hood to pull a barn down.

The big question: Do any of the rust remover products really work? A DA would knock down the big rust. Would anything work to kill the rest and still allow a slick paint job?
I have had a body dipped before. The result was good but a few years later bubbles appeared on the rockers and drip rails where I expect some of the chemical wasn't removed. The nice thing about dipping is it removes the rust in the seams. The bad thing about dipping is the product may get left in the seams.
I had bodies sand blasted before with mixed results. One door I had done was totally destroyed from warpage. A model A turned out the best but there were still some waves. Baking soda removes paint but not rust. What is the best media for blasting rust without warpage?

[enjenjo]

How about a Molasses dip? I am told it works well, and is water soluble. You would have to flip it around to get it all, but a kiddie pool would be big enough.

[Beck]

How about a Molasses dip? I am told it works well, and is water soluble. You would have to flip it around to get it all, but a kiddie pool would be big enough.

I read about this in one of your other posts while searching this site for rust removal. I had never heard of it before. By the time I roll it around and let it soak would the previously stripped side be rusty again? How long of a dip does it take? What concentration of molasses? That would look nice in my back yard. None of the neighbors would comment about a truck cab in a kiddie pool, right?

[enjenjo]

http://www.antiqueautoranch.com/montana500/adrian/rust.html

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Homemade-Natural-Rust-Remover-249783912

[phat46]

I went to look at the 47 Ford 1 1/2 ton. The owner said it was in nice condition. WRONG. As usual it turned out to be a wild goose chase. The truck was repairable with a lot of time and effort. More time and effort than it was worth. It is better to start with a better, more expensive, truck than try to do everything needed on this one.
I checked out the frame pretty closely. The pink truck appears to just run the stock frame upsided down as someone posted here. I like that idea. The frame is plenty strong without a lot of extra work. The springs can be tuned by removing liefs.  I do think the front of the pink truck has been narrowed.
I do like this body style. I will just keep looking. Some day one will turn up.

Try looking around old farms. I bought a big farm truck, a '41 ford, for $300. All I ended up using  was the cab and hood, but i got the whole thing. It had duals on the rear that looked to be fairly new, the owner said he'd buy them back if I wasn't going to use them. I took the cab and hood off at a friends farm and he sold the rest for scrap. I know of a few sitting around in this neck of the woods still.

[rumrumm]

There is something about that pink truck that I like, but I wouldn't want to ride in it for very long. I don't think my back and butt could take it. I am wondering if it is eventually going to be red since the lower panel in the rear is painted.

[crdnblu]

Pardon my ignorance, but how can an inverted spring stack, (regardless of the number of remaining leaves [sp?]), provide any usable suspension?  
I don't see "suspension" on this rig; only potential stress fractures over time. What am I missing here???