Rebuilding the brakes

This truck has drum brakes all around.  Since we were going to be rebuilding them, I checked in to disc brakes.  There are actually aftermarket kits you can install that add disc brakes to the front.  Unfortunately for me they are made for the Ford F1 which has 5 lugs.  The F3 has 8 lugs.  The spindles are the same size so I could install them on the front but I would have to get rid of the 8 lug alloy wheels and replace them with 5 lug wheels.  I decided to put that idea on the back burner for now so we turned each of the drums to get out any scratches, then installed everything new from the brake pedal to the wheels.

The tally so far for all of the maintenance and upgrades is $2200 above the purchase price.  I will be picking it up next week.  At that time I will be uploading some additional pictures.

It's Running!

After rebuilding the carburetor we only had to do a few more things like, change the spark plugs, change the spark plug wires, clean the distributor, add fresh oil to the engine block, and buy a new six volt battery.  At that point we were able to get it started and it runs great.  No pinging valves or missing.  After that we made sure that every fitting on the truck was greased.  Then it was time for a test drive on an old country road.  Fortunately it was an old country road because I could not stop it.  It had at least one brake shoe that was working because it was pulling to the left.  I was actually standing on the brakes and the truck seemed to go on forever.  I tried down shifting but the transmission is not "syncro mesh" which means you have to jam the shifter pretty hard to get it to down shift.  At this point we limped back to the garage and decided that the next project will be brakes.

Tires and Wheels

The tires for the truck are tube tires in a size of 17 by 7.5.  That is a size that is not in general use these days.  Of course, there is one manufacturer who makes the obsolete tires, for a price.  Restoration correct tires are $230 each plus $30 for the tube.  They are available online at www.Cokertire.com.  I asked my salesman at Discount Tire if he could order these.  He suggested I find some recent wheels that will fit the hub and buy tubeless truck tires.  These would cost $120 each.  Also, they will ride better.  (Another easy decision not to restore this thing as original.)

By the way, this is a one ton truck so it has 8 lug wheels (8 lug by 6.5 to be exact).  These wheels were popular until Ford and GM went to metric sizes in the 1990s (8 by 170mm).  Just different enough so nothing will fit.  So, I began looking for a set of rims that would fit.  After a week of looking, I found a set of alloy rims in 16 by 8 that fit the lug pattern.  I got the set of 4 for $150, then spent $600 on tires (Cooper 10 ply truck radials).  Looks like a good fit so we are ready to go.  I decided to keep the original rims in case I can sell them in the future.

The journey continues.

Carburator

The carburetor for the 239 Flathead engine is called the 8BA.  The one on the truck had some issues as someone had already tried to rebuild it.  In the process they broke the side off of the float bowl.  I looked on the Internet and replacement carburetors are available and cost around $300.  My mechanic, Kevin, said he could repair it so he took his liquid metal and started shaping the side of the float bowl that was broken off.  He said, if this doesn't work we can but an adaptor plate and get a Holly carburetor to fit.  Luckily the liquid metal worked and the carburetor is rebuilt and ready to go.  The next step is to check compression, replace the spark plugs and make sure the radiator holds water, then we can get it started.

Ignition and keys

The truck has no ignition key.  The owner I bought from did not have one and I looked thoroughly in the inside to see if there was a key.  I thought, no problem, we can take off the door lock.  Unfortunately, you cannot take the door lock off without a key.  There is a tab that covers a screw when you don't have the key.  Then I took off the ignition switch.  You can see two pictures of it here.

I took the ignition switch to a locksmith to see if he could "pick it" and create a key.  That was lost time because he kept the switch for a week and could not pick it without destroying it.  that is because the switch is pressed together.  You can see in the second photo that the metal case is pressed around the bakelite.  He felt that if he bent the metal and pulled the insides out, he would destroy the switch.

While he had the switch, I was looking for factory correct keys.  It turns out anything is available on ebay and I found keys, for $30 a pair.  This is when I make my first decision that we will not be restoring this to original.  I bought a modern replacement switch the exact size of the original with two keys for $20.

Purchasing

I purchased the 1951 Ford F3 after looking at lots of 51-55 Ford and Chevy pickups.  This one was not running when I bought it.  Also the tires were flat but held air when I inflated them. Here are the original pictures. 

It is is pretty good shape for a 62 year old truck.  someone has already done some body work on it.  Also you can see the brush bard on the front bumper and the wrap around rear bumper.  I heard that the original owner was a farmer and welder and he made the brush bard and the rear bumper.  Still trying to verify that the bumper was not original as it looks so good.  I found a mechanic in Sonoita Arizona (Dumont Family Auto) that works on old farm equipment and autos.  Kevin fixes things so he is the perfect person to help me get this beast running.

I rented a flat bed and took the truck the 30 miles to Sonoita.