1951 F16

[enjenjo]

Check out this tailgate scratch build. The process starts on this page and continues in the next several pages.

http://www.ozrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20217&start=3495

Many years ago I had a 73 Chevy stepside that I made a fiberglass insert for the tailgate. I painted a desert scene mural on the panel before installing it on the tailgate. It was eye catching.

Years later I parted out that truck. A guy here in town gave me $250 for the tailgate just for the mural to hang on the wall in his shop. I traded the engine for 100 pounds of fresh frozen shrimp.

[kb426]

Marcus sets the bar pretty high. I have been following his build for years.

[idrivejunk]

Yeah I do too, on AMS. Freakin amazing, that tailgate.

Frank, that sounds perfect. Put a couple flourescent tubes behind it like a billiards lamp. That was a cool thought exercise.

I'm rooting for radiused top outside lamp box corners.

[kb426]

Ask and yee shall receive!
O&S had a light day. I've been looking at the tail lights almost since I did them thinking it needed more work. I had thought about different ideas but kept wanting the back of the tail light covered and didn't have something like a small headlight receptacle to turn into a light holder. Modifying what I had won out. Every time I walk around the back, I smile now. The area under the bed rail after you put filler panels from the bed rail down becomes un-paintable for mere mortals like me. I fabbed a filler panel to take care of that. I have one side done before I decided I'd had enough fun for one day.

[chimp koose]

like what you did to the taillight mounts , they look more 'finished' now 

[idrivejunk]

+me.

The under-rail filler works fine for me in the abbreviated format, especially along with the reshaped pods.

Since its my day to buy a lottery ticket I'll go all in and wonder out loud if there are some old fender sections that could be spliced in to round the bottom corners of the roll pan. Because unless them fenders get a good sized width extension at bottom rear inner, theres kind of a square peg round hole thing going.

After the day's work, I am hung up on that grille-esque gate boxing sketch. I like it. Got an old, not plated 51 grille crossbar?

I imagined that briefly with a Team Marlboro paint job, tailgate scheme like the front of a pack with the V shape. But no white this time, I remember!

That set of thought rails brought me to Hirohata Junction. Where they were using black and silver to mix with a musty can of green metallic for a two tone menthol color scheme. Then somebody passed me in a no passing zone again and broke my train. I wouldn't put it past me to draw more stuffs though. Feedback is how to switch rails and get back to the idea mill if'n you care to venture. Meaning a few tailgate words might prompt further activity / participation in that party.     

[kb426]

Need time to think, Matt.

[jaybee]

I like the way those tail light housings came out, the whole back end of the truck looks better as a result.

That Willys Overland tailgate is also VERY sweet, Frank.

[enjenjo]

I'll second that. To me it looked like you had them on upside down

[kb426]

Another light day for O&S. I installed the other filler panel at the bed rail. I decided to use the bead rolled panel for the inside of the tail gate. The worst part of it will be hidden by the floor. The pic shows it clamped on an rough fit. I pulled the fenders and front panel. The front panel on theses trucks has open ends where it bolts to the sides. I left that open on the white 51 and it bothered me every time I washed the truck. I filled both ends of this one. 2 of the 4 wheels I ordered arrived. I put one on the rear to check spacing. I wanted the tread on the front and rear to be real close. I think I have accomplished that.

[kb426]

O&S was a worker today. Both drip rails are removed and welded. I was going to finish them but this has to sit outside so I thought if I left them that there would be less rust to deal with. I removed the cowl vent and have it filled. It needs more planishing but that won't be done until the welds are ground down. The to do list is getting shorter.  It's still a roll of toilet paper but now it's the standard size instead of the giant size. 

[idrivejunk]

Boy, yeah you hit it a good lick today!

How was the flushness you encountered after trimming the rail? Looks like it must not have been off by too much. I did a '62  that another had started once and that part was a struggle. What you just did looks beautiful.

[kb426]

Thank you, Matt. I went back and looked at the pics of the white 51 and it was the same as this one. It will take some bondo to be flat. I think if you tried to cut it to be flat you would end up with about a 1/2" hole on the top side of the door opening. My cowl vent isn't as nice as yours. I don't have a shrinker so I sliced the front side to pull it together to form the contour of the cowl. While the hole was open, I straightened an area on the firewall that had been abused a little.

[kb426]

O&S changer directions for a while today. I made a bracket to hold the power steering reservoir. I measured the dimension between the unused lugs on the ac compressor and used 2 3/8" nuts to run the bolts into and cut a piece of 5/8" chrome moly tubing for the center. I used the dro on the lathe to measure the cut to get it very close. I bent a piece of 14 gauge and welded it to the tube. A little flat black paint and it's finished. I started on the lower valance this afternoon. I worked on the bent area some more. I will never get it to metal finish level.  It's better than it was. I filled the 3 unused holes that were for the 51 grille. They are a little low so filler will be easier. I may not use the original turn signals. More decisions ahead. 

[enjenjo]

You don't happen to have a loose 4.6 crank pulley laying around do you? Josh just picked up a Procharger for his Mustang, and he has an underdrive pulley on it now. He needs a stocker or the blower won't make much boost.