I just bought a 48 Ford F1

[Ed ke6bnl]

Ed,
 What have you done to the rear of this truck? Changed rear ends? Springs? I like the way it sets. Also, what is the wheel and tire combinatiion?
Don



What I did in the rear which is a 9" out of a I believe a 70mustang is to do what No Limit Engineering suggested and remove every other spring leaf. so I now have 6 of the 10 original springs and I used some spring liner between the leafs.  I used the original mounts on the frame for the upper shock mount and the weld in home made lowe ones.  The truck rides really well and handles like a sports car.  The wheels are American torque thrust II and I have 17x8 in the rear and 17x7 in the front with 275x60x17 rear and 245x50x17 fronts.  I love the old truck just took it out last week end to the All Ford Show at Knottsberry Farm in So. Calif.  Just cruizes along at 75 to 80mph.  turned out there where only about a half dozen of our truck and for my 63 econoline there was one old econoline hundreds of mustangs and old broncos.  Ed ke6bnl

I have a 1949 Stock F1, but my first project has been my 1950 F1 that I put a mustang II, with 11" disc power brakes, power steering, 9" rear end 3.5:1 posi rear gears, and here goes a 327 63 vette motor with a 700r4, griffin al. radiator with dual spall fans, moved the gas tank to the back and the filler I put in the rear fender well, and to my surprise the truck runs great and handles great.  My first truck you guessed it was a 1950 F1 that I drove to college when they weren"t cool. Now my boy and I will be starting a auto body class in a couple of weeks to start on the outside. He did a large part of the tig welding and that was when he was 16 he now has decided to be a certified welder.  And top it off my wife loves the truck.  Ed ke6bnl

[av8]

Hi aV8,  
 
I cringed when I read the paragraph I highlighted in your text . . .

aV8... I would think long and hard before went the R&P on a solid axle route...  
 
Regaining my composure...  
 
I just love your truck... And I only came across your post because my project is now a '52 Chevy pickup (I traded it for the Studebaker 3 years ago, owned it for 31 years) and I did a word search for "Mor-Drop". I've been trying to purchase a 3" dropped axle made by a company called Cen-Pen (the axle is sold by Classic Performance Products). I say "trying" because I been given the run-around for delivery dates... They (Cen-Pen) keep pushing the date back 2 weeks later than whatever day I call on... That's why today, I called Mor-Drop in California. A Google search came up with a phone number which I called. They're still in business producing dropped axles same as they did back-in-the-day. I have an old index box of my Rodding magazines that I kept up until 1979. I checked it and sure enough, I found a 4 page article in the June '73 Street Rodder, p.28 dedicated to Mor-Drop (at the time they had been in business for 20 years). Interestingly, still at the same address, still run by the same owner. He must be in his late to mid sixties now (so what, I'll be 58 in June). Their prices have changed a bit, as has everything else, at $300. a drop instead of $15. quoted in the article... LOL  
 
aV8, can you get back to me? I'd like to know more about your great looking truck.  
 
My52Chebby

First, and most important, thanks for the heads-up on the R&P steering "problem" you encountered. That must have been a scary situation, particularly with your loved ones on board.

Kent Fuller, who helps me with some of my more-ambitious projects, has done several successful R&P conversions, but he prefers a flexible link and I would imagine that's what we would use, instead of a slip joint.  As it happens, "the jury is still out" on the R&P swap. Frankly, I have no quarrel at all with the original Ford steering, and if I were to replace it I would just as likely use a Toyota 4WD side-drag-link manual box.

Next, I want to share some concerns I have about Mor-Drop.  The company is still owned by the same family, but I'm told that the "patriarch" who was responsible for all those beautiful axles from the early '50s and up into the '60s passed on some time back.  About eight years ago I talked to the then-current owner about having an axle dropped  for an F-1 I had at the time. He was knowledgable but not terribly interested in doing the work for me on a timely basis. He said he preferred to drop old axles in batches because it was such a miserable job, and he was perhaps a couple of months away from doing another batch. I asked if he had any in inventory, and he said the only one he had   was a four-inch drop for an F-1 and then warned me that that much drop put the axle lower than the scrub line even with 15-inch wheels -- much appreciated info.

As we talked I had the distinct impression that he was trying to talk me out of having him do the work.  At one point in the conversation he asked, in all seriousness, if I would be interested in buying the axle-dropping side of his business!

I've heard several complaints about Mor-Drop's work and timelines in recent years. The most serious of these was an axle that had a difference in side-to-side drop of 3/8-inch. I've heard several complaints of distorted perch-pin and king-pin holes. Please understand that these complaints are second-hand and not my own experience. As it turned out, I opted to not have any axle work done by Mor-Drop because I wasn't comfortable with what I was told by the owner.

I have a 3-inch Mor-Drop, done in the early '50s, for my F-1, and it's a beauty.  But I have some doubts about the company's ability or willingness to do that sort of work today. Please keep in mind that this is my opinion. I would very much like to see Mor-Drop do the beautiful work they were known for in the past.

The axle dropper represented by Dave Mann is well worth consideration; his work is impeccable -- accurate, and just as handsome as the old Mor-Drop axles.

So, what do you want to know about my truck, other than I'm about six months behind on the upgrades? It's a decent driver, owing to the good care it's had throughout its life, and of course the radials have had their civilizing effect.

As much as I want to get the truck down front and rear, swapping out the old four-speed for the T-5 is my top priority. Aside from the quick and quiet shifting, I look forward to being able to run 10-12 mph faster on the highway at the same engine speed and still have good off-the-line performance.

My F-1 is an on-going, long-term work in progres that will probably never be finished -- in short, a true hot rod!

Mike

[My52Chebby]

Hi Mike,

Thank YOU for the heads up on Mor-Drop. I wasn't too reassured when I spoke to them either but your input sure has made up my mind.

If I ever thought I would revisit the R&P/solid axle setup, I surely would love to have Kent Fuller doing the work for me or at least looking over my shoulder. I have the utmost respect for Kent's work and I do like his idea for a flexible link, especially since you tell me he's tried it and it works well.  

Your situation is a bit different than mine. If I had an original Mor-Drop 3" axle in my shop, we wouldn't even be having this conversation... Traditional setups (even with disc brakes and Toyota box) would be the way to go in my book.  

As for my Cen-Pen problem, I finally got a response to my multiple emails and have made a promise to myself that I won't bother them with multiple emails. From now on, I'll email them every two weeks, they might even surprise me by contacting me before I have to contact them. It's amazing how just one quick email  to keep me in the loop has given me renewed hope that their axle is close at hand.

Nice chatting Mike, do you have a photo hosting site where I can see more pictures of your F-1?

Ray, aka My52Chebby

[av8]

Hi Mike,

Thank YOU for the heads up on Mor-Drop. I wasn't too reassured when I spoke to them either but your input sure has made up my mind.

If I ever thought I would revisit the R&P/solid axle setup, I surely would love to have Kent Fuller doing the work for me or at least looking over my shoulder. I have the utmost respect for Kent's work and I do like his idea for a flexible link, especially since you tell me he's tried it and it works well.  

Your situation is a bit different than mine. If I had an original Mor-Drop 3" axle in my shop, we wouldn't even be having this conversation... Traditional setups (even with disc brakes and Toyota box) would be the way to go in my book.  

As for my Cen-Pen problem, I finally got a response to my multiple emails and have made a promise to myself that I won't bother them with multiple emails. From now on, I'll email them every two weeks, they might even surprise me by contacting me before I have to contact them. It's amazing how just one quick email  to keep me in the loop has given me renewed hope that their axle is close at hand.

Nice chatting Mike, do you have a photo hosting site where I can see more pictures of your F-1?

Ray, aka My52Chebby

Ray -- I haven't put together a decent "album" on the F-1 so far, but here are some images parked on my photo server . . .

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=4170698&uid=2013751&members=1

Maybe it's time for me organize an album for the truck; I have a lot of images.

Mike