51 Ford

[jaybee]

The latest F1 pic reminded me of a place I spent some time reading in the past, until I decided I just didn't care for the way they thought. In short, The prevailing attitude was that nothing could be modified until the body was restored to absolute stock perfection, and low dollar or home built mods weren't welcome. Modified cars were very welcome, but only if your narrowed rear came off a truck that way brand new and your brakes came out of a Wilwood box. High dollar only.

There was also constant griping by posters about sheetmetal. They literally expected to cut the spot welds on a body that's now 65 years old, set a new panel in place, and have it fit perfectly without adjustments or modification.

[idrivejunk]

Well, OK. It, yeah-



did.-



And-



That was the worst spot. This is a missed spot, almost.



When admonished, I had been uncovering that big pitted area where it must have used to rub bed after damage. Glad to see it stops where I did-



But now, looky here... first mud. Awww.  



Just roughing it in, so I hear. Of course I had to be sure they weren't going to primer before being hung. Just the newest guy (this week) getting dipped with the mud hog and laying the filler foundation. I am gladly in the background now and the cab looks like a winner.

Roof has a smallish dent at center rear surrounded by some not too bad grinder marks but overall I think it is not too shabby-



PS: Bill, yep. Owner built up the Bandit car. A comment from the bodyman when asked indicated that yeah, you may notice things.

PSS: Its 37" tall tires that fit with only a 3" lift using this kit on the F250. For that baja look. And yes theres a tubular front bumper that goes with it so the fenders aren't all sticky-outy looking. Mike said this 3/4 ton packs like 800 foot pounds then the one ton is 1, 000  And the ghosts of many former  F1 owners may roll over in the grave at that.

psst... there was, aside from losing a post... something bothering me, a new condition at work, a change in the workday music but more than that... which has made recent days seem long. But I am now moving toward an amicable solution in baby steps. To eliminate fuss on my end and bring back the fun which speeds up the clock. Audio is a huge player in my state of mind's health (and the rest of the crew, as much so)... so theres that. In the loose cannon department. :? Working on it. And typing very meticulously here, which wow really eats time!

[idrivejunk]

The latest F1 pic reminded me of a place I spent some time reading in the past, until I decided I just didn't care for the way they thought. In short, The prevailing attitude was that nothing could be modified until the body was restored to absolute stock perfection, and low dollar or home built mods weren't welcome. Modified cars were very welcome, but only if your narrowed rear came off a truck that way brand new and your brakes came out of a Wilwood box. High dollar only.

There was also constant griping by posters about sheetmetal. They literally expected to cut the spot welds on a body that's now 65 years old, set a new panel in place, and have it fit perfectly without adjustments or modification.

I was once that way, on a lesser scale. Well, sort of. If a guy gets say a medium desireability cream puff low miles but weathered 60s or 70s car and wishes to push it to as close to day two reliability while maintaining survivor status as possible... and enjoy all the pure retro vibe left in it that way first until it becomes genuinely raggedy... I support the hell out of that.

But thats more of a chassis / drivetrain mantra. Bodymen who knew fit quality of last year's Galaxie replacement quarters, fenders, etc. for example... are long dead for bodyman reasons. It is a gigantic leap, the gorge between late model unibody mill and drill exactness and a ruler and string. But thats the leap modern folks must make if they want to play old car guy. Like yours truly, who did not back down from the realities. And now I am some folks' necessary evil.

Manufacturing is just different in all ways now and if a feller was to boil them cabbage down honest-like... at the root, he might find himself to have been complaining about... himself and his kin.

Its a reach maybe but without the bomb, think what cars would be now.

[kb426]

Work music is a big deal with me. If it was bad, I'd have ear protectors on all day.

[idrivejunk]

Work music is a big deal with me. If it was bad, I'd have ear protectors on all day.

Trouble is, that can be said of each individual. I have provided the music feed for several years because classic rock (theres only one station of any kind with strong enough signal for tuners to lock onto inside buildings and the programming seems to highlight playing only gay artists before lunch) stations only have about 40 songs and four sponsors. Same commercial four times in twenty minutes, same station and songs for a quarter century.

A valued employee just yanked radio cord from plug late last year because he didn't like an artist that came on one of my Pandora stations. That final bit of disrespect was my cue to stop providing a feed. Face spit, worthy of a clock cleaning by my reflex judgement. I have endured thus far but... it is a much less wantable job with the plain half-static broadcast radio station back. I watch the clock now and can't wait to leave and so yeah, ruins the whole deal.

Earplugs are not a fix, most hires now wear earbuds all day and the fly-by work days I have tried hard to engineer for the crew and myself are just too much to ask from a 2021 world. Any positive thing I accomplish which isn't a sheetmetal work project belonging to someone else... will be destroyed by factors beyond my control. Good music stayed too long so the universe did what it took to defeat it. Its a depressing existence where a jolly singalong world used to exist. Because people take things for granted.

F1 cab is primed. F250 right fender on but twice the work of left.

F1, F250, F Ford junk. I am a Ford truck specialist, FML.

Friday I couldn't take it anymore and brought a personal size bluetooth speaker which I keep at very low volume and 3 or 4 feet from my face, frequently stopping work to keep volume adjusted so that others cannot hear it. Best I can do. :?

[kb426]

I have some of those small speakers that I used at work. Most of the time I was the only one in a unit so it wasn't any concern. One of the contractors saw what I was using and remarked how good the sound quality was. I told him all there was to know about them and what they cost. Soon there after he closed his business down. LOL. I'm very aware that some people refer to music as noise.

[idrivejunk]

My default response to complaints has been grinder music, yours or mine. Or spiteful immersion in the undesired genre until I see fit or somebody else steps up with their feed (which I encourage frequently and willingly tolerate). But yeah this itty bitty ihome casino prize did an admirable job keeping us in tunes for years prior to an ex co worker abandoning the reciever and speakers in use last couple years.

When its right, every day feels like Saturday night. Keeping the mix moderate and fresh is important. Feed stoppage is critical, and flawless operation of devices involved is essential in avoiding groove breakage.

I believe sound to be much much more powerful than it is commonly recognized as. Right up there with light.

[idrivejunk]

Now heres a thing that could be for a guy. And some sparse thread fluff.







Took til about now to make it where the door could open so I could get to the last bolt location. Got a bolt tight in that at end of day and of course after that the door rubs or almost does. Again.

The more I think about the splash shields, the more worried I get about how to make steel ones and attach them. Not so much worry about bedsides but I am gonna have to make it snappy. As far as I can tell, I won't have to do the fiberglass fixups needed but that depends on fluctuating labor needs of a day so who knows.

[kb426]

Makes me itch.

[idrivejunk]

Makes me itch.

Didn't me.

Thank you Bill, for helping me see the error of my ways. Enjoy your project.

[chimp koose]

love the taillight idea on that sketch above!

[kb426]

Matt, the thought of fiberglass brings back the itching that I get everytime I work with it. I don't think it likes me.

[idrivejunk]

CK, its a wierd one ain't it? The reclocking of stake pockets with slight gate tilt was my favorite. The fins are dramatic, must have had Fairlane quarters in the subconscious.  

That was a one shot, who needs perspective sketch. Simply as I could convey the thought and of course it grew.

KB, I was handling fiberglass making boats at 17. I would say I am hypersensitive to all polyester type products but have my set of coping measures that I take and on this job so far only maybe one moment did I feel it. Around left cuff. Likely to be more dust flying with bedsides. Yay Monday!

It will be neat to see the 51 cab in epoxy. I did notice some daylight in that worst spot on the cab back panel.

Meanwhile, barely too cool and windy to bother the 455 today so I substituted a hot rod with tri power and stacked lights.

[kb426]

I'm absorbing the bed drawing. I may make a cardboard mockup of the bedrails to see how the proportions look hanging on the 51. The tail mimics the cameo in many ways.

[idrivejunk]

Be the sponge. No telling how many booby traps are in that arrangement but I thought it kinda tiptoes around the expected lines, disturbing the identity minimally but giving an illusion of what you've been considering. The rear fenders we got are super nice, for what thats worth. Way different from the fronts.

Heres the weekend art at my usual size. The car is 3 3/4" long on the original and the paint/draw/ing was done with almost no planning. Just sat down with cake watercolors I used when I was a kid and went at it. Pleasureable, but a spartan background so I could finish.



Theres a walkaround of pics of 51 cab for later but here-



This just feels wrong-