Should I be concerned?
 

I'm looking at purchasing a 41' Ford F1 and the owner has shared several pics of the truck. One thing that has thrown up a red flag is the installation of the coolant hoses on top of the engine. They have been installed with a bow in them. There's a high spot in the middle and the hose is lower at the radiator and the heads. I've attached a couple pics so you can see what I mean. The truck has only been driven a few hundred miles since the engine was installed (claimed by the owner). Would the upper coolant hoses installed this way cause any issues down the road?

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

It's the wrong motor for a '41, that motor is an 8ba type used from 48-53 in trucks and 49-53 in cars. If the person who did the engine swap didn't take the time to get the hoses right how many other things could be "Mickey Mouse" together.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I'm not sure the hoses are a problem..overheating, etc. ....but, if at all possible, you need to see & drive it for yourself. I paid a "professional appraiser" to check a car out for me.
BIG MISTAKE !! He missed things that cost me big time just to make the car safe to drive.
Looks like a nice engine bay though.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Agreed. That's just a the way the hose is going to be do to the outlet location and rad location.

The lower part (where it attaches to the head) should have been made shorter to prevent that.

I don't know why, but stuff like that bugs me. I would start looking around to see where else they made shortcuts.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

To answer your question, so long as the hoses do not rub on anything, there should not be any issues.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I like it....I really like that the owner installed a fan shroud.

Charlie

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Agreed! I refuse to even make an offer on a car until I have driven it personally. Thanks for the advise.

The owner shared that upfront, and I imagine the mis-match of the 8BA in a 41' forced the hoses to be fitted this way.

Thanks. I have poured over the 30 some pictures the owner sent to me, and while I do see some problems (it's not perfect) I'm going to go look at it. This will be the 6th car I've looked at/driven. All of the others had major problems the owner "forgot" to mention.

Thanks for the replies, I really do appreciate it.

I attached a few more pics.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

The water pumps move a tremendous amount of water, hoses should be shorter but not a problem.
Paul in CT

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

quik, from your pictures, the truck...based on what we can see....looks to be in pretty good shape. Would be worthwhile to get the invoices for work done on the truck in the recent past. It's been lowered, at least in the front, so undercarriage should be looked at closely.

Welcome to the Barn!!

Keep us posted!!

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

That's good advise. The owner says he has almost all of his receipts, which I'll be sure to rummage through when I go look at it.

A few more details:

1. H&H Flatheads long block
2. Painted 2 years ago
3. Rebuilt original gauges
4. Rebuilt T5
5. Rebuilt Ford 8" rear with 3.00 gears
6. Parellel leafs in the rear
7. Radial WW's
8. New chrome
9. New glass

He says he's tired of working on it and wants to move so he needs to sell. It needs the headliner installed (how hard of a job is that?) and it needs kick panels.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

The hoses themselves are a very simple fix.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Any chances of posting more photos of the engine compartment and the engine? Where is the breather and oil fill. Are the hoses installed like that so the fan blade clears the hoses?
What kind of radiator is in the truck? Does it overheat?

It looks like a nice truck but, I am surprised that the owner didn't finish the interior. Wonder why? Be sure to drive it and look at the quality of the work done on the underside of the truck.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

IF you have 30 more pictures It might be worth while posting more of what you have, just like deer in a field, the"more" eyes on the the pictures, the more likely to catch a "hunter" or "danger" as the case "may" be!!! Also might yeild leads as to areas to concentrate on when you get there to "check it out". JMO!!!! Truck's didn't have headliners or kick panels so those most likely will have to be fabricated IF they did have anything of the sort then it was black Masonite (card board type material which if they did "Should" be avail from the usual suspects LMC, Drake, NPD, Carpenter's etc etc would be a good start). I'm sure the "truck" guys here on the Barn will have more "accurate" info on that!!!

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

The F designation originated in the 1948 model year.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Agreed, but seeing the money the guy put into it, I am curious as to why someone wouldn't fix it. Motor cost was around $6-$8K depending what is done to it. That's all.

By pictures, looks nice. I'm sure this isn't cheap and needs to be looked at and driven.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

you can go to an auto parts store and find some preformed 1 1/2 inch hoses that have enough length and a good 90 degree bend that will bring things into better alignment...

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

300 gears and an overdrive...should be good for about 200mph !

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I would think a flathead would have a difficult time pulling a 3:00 gear ratio in overdrive!

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Here is another set of pics.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Another set.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Another set

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Another set

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Can you give us a ball park what he's asking? This is an unique truck.

Paint is street rod, running gear is a mix of hot rod and street rod. It's interesting mix of the two. No longer a stocker, but that's not a necessarily a bad thing either.

If you plan on keeping it and you like what's done to it, then all is good and go for it.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I could post some pics of my 41 and you'd probably start seeing that one in a better light. It looks really nice from this side of my monitor.
To some the modifications will detract from the value. It looks to be in good condition and I imagine it's not cheap.

Lift the mats and have a look at the cab floor.
Look at the frame where it starts to kick up.
If you go and see it be sure to let us know how it goes.

Mart.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I agree that the 3.00 rear is a bad choice for that combo. If the price is right and everything else is good, it isn't a huge deal to swap out the entire rear end for another. Go see how it drives. If it has a 4" crank and the right cam it could be OK.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

No need "to swap out the entire rear end"! Just drop out the center section and change the ring and pinion to something like 3.89 or 4.11. With the overdrive trans, the final ratio would be about 2.8 to 1. With the current 3.00 gears, the final ratio is about 2.1 to 1. Way too tall!

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Parallel leafs in the rear are from the factory. I believe '41 was the first year.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

^^Wrong info above. 41s still had the transverse springs.

The truck has been mildly street rodded.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Little stuff like no flat or lock washers bother me(Rear bumper brackets and rear shock mounts).
Cobwebs under the car.
Also look at the body seam under the car in one of the last photos(the one showing the exhaust going thru the x member),is that rust or dirt on the fresh paint?
Did he ever drive it or did he build it to sell
As stated previously,it also depends on the price
I would not buy it without looking at it.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

More than mildly IMHO. Paint is a big cost and that color choice is 100% street rod. 9" with a T-5, totally street rod.

Again, not that its a bad thing, but I wouldn't call this truck a hot rod.

It may be apples to oranges, but the terms mean two different things. This truck appears to be a nice, street rodded truck.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I like everything I see but the color (red wheels included).

OK, the top hoses should be fixed too.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Let me see if I can answer some of the questions posted and I think aussiesteve had a pretty good list, so here goes

1. Price - $30,000 (asking)

2. Little stuff like no flat or lock washers bother me(Rear bumper brackets and rear shock mounts) - Agreed, which made me ask for a lot more pictures. I do see some issues that I can easily correct, but it also has my spidey-senses tingling so I plan to pay CLOSE attention to details when I go look at it.

3. Cobwebs under the car - Owner has only driven it 200-300 miles total while working on it over the past 7 years. He says he's tired of working on it and wants to move and needs the cash. He's moved from MD to CO and back during those 7 years and he's tired of transporting an unfinished project.

4. Also look at the body seam under the car in one of the last photos(the one showing the exhaust going thru the x member),is that rust or dirt on the fresh paint? Yes it is rust. The cab was soda blasted and then sprayed with a rust inhibitor, but the rust is coming from between two panels where they missed. I very good friend of mine has fixed spots like this before for me and it can be fixed easily. The owner claims all repairs were all metal repairs and no bondo cover up jobs. I've see bondo cover up jobs before, so I know what to look for when I go look at the truck.

5. Did he ever drive it or did he build it to sell - It was built to drive, but he's tired of working on it and wants it gone. I know how he feels. I did the same thing with a 1968 Mustang I sold about a month ago.

6. As stated previously,it also depends on the price - I think my top number on the truck is $27,500. I REALLY like the truck and what he's done with it. It's got good bones, but needs a few finishing touches. However, there's just too much left to finish for it to be worth $30,000 (IMO).

7. Rear is geared too high - Agreed, although I was thinking more like a 3.73's or 3.55's to keep the cruising speed on the interstate somewhere in the low 2K RPM's. Ring and pinions are cheap for a Ford 8" and there's all kinds of options for gearing. I would probably keep the 3.00 in it for now and just use gears 1-4 unless on the interstate.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Thanks for the correction, Mart! My belated research shows '42 to be the first year for the open driveline, parallel spring setup, not '41.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Does he have the paperwork/receipt from H&H. For being driven only 200-300 miles in the past 7 years, the motor looks like it has some miles on it.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I agree with the motor looking like it has some miles on it. He says he has the receipt for the motor from H&H and that he bought it, so it's not second hand. With all of the moving around he's done I'm wondering if maybe the motor was stored in a less than desirable place in it's history. He says it starts right up and runs great. That's something a test drive will prove/disprove.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

It looks to me like it has an 'early' style intake manifold on this 'late' engine. If so, I'd be concerned about how the engine will breathe like 19Fordy asks above, although it appears that oil can be added thru the blocked-off fuel pump stand. Ask the owner if the engine has been equipped with a PCV system of any sort. It may help you to review an article I just posted a few days ago explaining this situation with an 8BA in great detail. Click the link below, and good luck...nice looking truck, overall! DD


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284487


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...0&d=1596033535










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Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Come on guys It's only $30000 . It's a nice looking truck - Try building yourself one for only $30000 - 36fordguy

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

I think you are on the right track. Neat truck, looks good, sounds like it runs well, but needs to be inspected in person to verify or confirm what the seller is telling.

'40/'41 trucks are timeless and hopefully you plan to keep it for a long time.

Please report back with what you find.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

Without question it is a nice looking truck. While I agree with you that one would be hard pressed to build it for $30K, I don't share your thoughts on it only being $30K and what's the big deal.

That's a chunk of change and I think the OP is asking for thoughts so he can formulate questions in order to be as informed as possible as to what to look for.

If I was spending $30K on any vehicle, sure as heck I'd go over it with a fine tooth comb.

Re: Should I be concerned?
 

My '48 F-1 had a manifold like that when I bought it. The engine leaked oil all over and had fumes inside cab! I changed to the correct manifold and problem solved. Before and after pictures.