51 Ford

[kb426]

The pic is of a friends brother's truck. That is the running boards I removed from the f6. Looks very unfinished. Raising the bed is something I like and can be done very easily. The shape of the wheel wells not being symmetrical bothers me. I want to enlarge the rear opening some. As much as anything, I want to be able to remove a wheel without 2 jacks and stands. That was one thing about a 56 rear fender that would simplify that rapidly. It also leaves the mismatching fender profiles. I'm hunting for f2 rear fenders. They have the larger openings that are similar to the fronts. I might modify the openings in length but not height. Still lots of thinking before spending funds.

[idrivejunk]

Yeah that looks incomplete, he needs the steps off a smog era narrow bed.

Your F2 fender idea sounds promising, I have not surfed up all the Fs for a comparo.

Altering length of F1 wheel openings sounds good also and that is easy enough to show / peek later.

What appeals to me is the more slant at rear. Stock seems too stodgy and upright... until lowered, then it hugs sidewall like a street rod oughta.

I think what is in that top pic last night is '57 openings just transferred over with bottoms matched up. Toned that down lowering them for the bottom pic and leaving the lip bead.

I ran out of gumption trying to decide where in relation to the stepped line to put them. But I like them the same front and rear too.

At the end I got confused which version was what and why are two the same oh oops... saved in wrong config. Etc. Can't win.

Lost a semi annual GP forum post last night and didn't go ballistic. Being overly chatty, like now. So I am doing good, posting peacefully before noon.

It is wet and gloomy out. Less cold but don't feel like garage today although some GTP stuff needs attention. I'll do good just to get groceries today but if it don't rain too much I may prime carb, make noise.

The thought of rocker panels blipped my radar. Not unlike a roll pan but on the side. There could still be a step if you wanted but I picture yours sufficiently in-the-weeds to just step out of.

You also have control over how much fender bottom length to leave while you are right there tailoring.

I take it that you'd prefer to stay away from borrowing this or that from the next generation.

Do you by chance have a choice of color family for the paint?

[kb426]

I've seen these trucks without running boards several times. I think it makes the fenders look way too fat. If I was to put some kind of panel, I would want it close to the edge of the cab but parallel to the frame. I would think it would need to have the same bottom height of the fenders so the visual line from front to rear was the same. If it followed the rake of the truck, it would make sense to me. I'm not adverse to using mixed year components. The major part of this truck is the outline of the front end and the cab. Everything else can compliment or detract. The shape of the front fender is what dictates so much of the look to me. I liked the idea of panel truck quarters for bed sides. When I started out with the white 51, I was going to paint it the same green as the last gen of bullitt. I noticed that the only time it looks right is in the sunlight and clean. That's common for all darker colors with pearl and metallic in the formulation. I walked away from that. One of my ideas was to paint the truck as if it was part of the Gulfpride racing team as a support vehicle. I was concerned about aligning all the paint areas when completed properly. Remember that I 'm half blind. Before I sold the 32, I had planned on redoing the truck. After 11 years, it was beat up. I had purchased 2 gallons of the same green for the repaint. That is a possible also. I have a formulation that one of the members from Pro-Touring was kind enough to provide that is a cross from candy red and brandywine also. It's a single stage with clear that I think I could do. It was also real expensive in my world. So, the bottom line is there isn't a clear choice at this point.
For the rest of the forum members, if this is boring you to sleep, I apologize.

[idrivejunk]

I was on the edge of my seat. Absorbing henceforth.

But I was about to get up anyhow and stretch. Adequate reference pics was slim pickins but with what I found, I did this. Every F truck pic on the web it seems is mismatched parts once I find decent angles. With as much diligence as I could muster and as few pic blending distortion issues as possible, the easy way that finishes today was good old pencil.

If I was to be a reckoning man, why I reckon you may want an extra inch of wheelbase with F6 fenders all around. I think the look would fly with a little racecar vibe. You could not be conservative with tire size for that, IMHO. $$$ But I do like the hint of rowdy idea and monster rubber. Well, at least some truck size sidewall and respectable girth.

Best I can tell, heres the difference-





Best I came up with this go round. It ain't perfect and is just to show proportions. Started feeling like work so I paused to post. Off to utilize the remaining fully clouded daylight. :-} Study hard. I think with those, the lower you can go, the better the look.

[kb426]

I saved the last image to my computer. That's a great starting point unless I find a panel wagon to donate it's sides and rear to my project.

[enjenjo]

I saved the last image to my computer. That's a great starting point unless I find a panel wagon to donate it's sides and rear to my project.

If you do, I know the whereabouts of a nice pair of panel truck rear fenders.

[idrivejunk]

Glad that was useful.  Based on how that looks just on the side view, heck yeah I'd move forward on that plan. Until yeah, a panel wagon falls from the sky.

It looks to me like the F6 fronts center the opening over a wheel thats farther forward. The bigger tire spaces look meaner but that body has to be down far enough to pull off the illusion of being a half ton.

And I was gonna say in case not heard of... and hopefully I am not mistaken...

the rears are wider fenders on the F6 and they were only put on the long beds and of the earlier style with stepped area on bedside. That spells needing to move (re-bend?) the inside mounting flange.

Bonus observation- Since the F6 rears only came on longbeds, they had to duck under a center stake pocket and thats why the tops sit lower than the fronts. To me, that area of the fender looks pinched. The short distance to the step above the lip and pancaked-looking top section above the step line adds to the effect. Together and on a short, flat sided 51 box... I just see potential for improvement there IF a guy had the desire to tackle alterations. Those would be easy to plan with the drawing.

Putting myself in your shoes, Bill... and listening... I knew you'd just have to see a picture like that. Because even if you had all the fenders to look at, they would have to be on, etc. That made it important enough to draw when I did. You are in that phase and have enthusiasm. I can kick out a plain 51 one for comparisons probably just modifying that on the PC.

[idrivejunk]

Scavenging shield strips for fronts on the 250 got into the flared area of the original bedsides. I wheeled a little on em then slip rollered away. All good now and the first one is in place, just sitting. Gonna work fine. Edge weatherstrip, shims and longer fender bolts, and a hunnert push clip pile are all here. Gravy cake! No extra charge for the shoe.











Nice work on the Imp so far-

[kb426]

Matt, no more pics needed for a while. I'm about to be in chassis mode. I need one more measurement and I'm ready to be a fabricator. I barely have enough brain energy to do one thing at a time.

[idrivejunk]

Nice. Let me know.

If any of ya got time to kill:

A guy linked me to this because I'm anti-TV and I thought the cylinder exercise was a great test. Its a show where Mr. Kindig culls fabricator applicants reality show style. It was painful to watch but I got an enjoy off it. Sit back and watch some other people work and sweat it. This is the type of individuals that are out there going to work at places. Staffing is murder for custom shop bosses and this is good proof

=524

I got one F250 front shield in place but want supper worse than to upload late model scrapola.  

[idrivejunk]

Matt, no more pics needed for a while. I'm about to be in chassis mode. I need one more measurement and I'm ready to be a fabricator. I barely have enough brain energy to do one thing at a time.

I'll bring popcorn and lawnchair for that mode but hey don't put it past me to review comments and play grille playtime.  Sometime. I just ain't a big fan of what they came with. Enjoy building your chassis. I think that is your favorite thing of all, to do.

[chimp koose]

KB ,serious question , as I have lost count . How many trucks have you built in the last say 10 years ?I did not see the build of the deuce truck but I can only remember the 51? and the blue and white dent sides. Have there been more ? You are sure a lot more productive than me.

[kb426]

C.K., the deuce was in 2007. I drove it in 2008 and then disassembled it and redid a bunch of stuff including a repaint. The 51 was started in 2013. I didn't work on the 51 every day as I did with the deuce. I started the 1st day of July in 13 and really finished in April of 17. I had been driving it for sometime before that but kept making changes. After that, the 49 I called the rolling dumpster. Then the 72 and the 78.

[idrivejunk]

When that ^^^ guy says built, he means it. :!: At the other end of the spectrum, when I did my last paint-an-older-used-car without so much as removing fenders... (69GP)

After mournfully removing tri-power, I had lopped off everything outside the filter on a stock air cleaner and with chalk emblazoned Rolling Death Trap on the lid. And it was one! Had every color of primer on it except tan.  

If theres enough rubber I will probably put some at the ends of these shields. Optimal would be riveting some angled brackets there to keep dirt out. Fourth pic shows a sample.











If it was mine I suspect I might want body color on them. In the last pic you can see the edge of the weatherstrip. It should actually be fairly effective.

But I been eating neighbor mud this morning. My eye view-



His eye view-

[kb426]

Looks like they changed from Rage to the cheap stuff. Did you guys run out of Rage?