The restoration - 1935 Ford model 51, 1-1/2 ton farm truck

[wingerdinger]

I plan to post the build progress, mostly in pictures as I attempt a frame-up restoration of this truck. I am fortunate that the truck is mostly there, and in good shape.
I have some spare parts- if anyone needs a carb, distributor or fuel pump, let me know. I have a spare 85hp flathead, but won't have it available til I can analyze the one in the truck, and look at the other.
I was able to get the truck running the same weekend I brought it home. I was told it wasn't known how long it had been since the truck ran (the owner passed away).
It was a matter of fixing the distributor and some wiring issues, and reversed battery.
The truck won't drive, because the clutch won't disengage, so I am in the process of changing the clutch. I plan to get that back together so that I can move it around, and probably store it for the winter. I have many projects going, so this will be a longer process. I live in Minnesota, and have limited heated indoor space, so it may be a little of a `seasonal' project as well.
I will post pictures as I go. I will start with a few `before' photos. I will post a few clutch / transmission removal ones as well.

[Flowmeister]

Wow, that's a real solid start!
Don't be to quick to get rid of your spare parts, just sayin'

[41panelmark]

Yes very nice Tonner

[corvette8n]

Wow that looks great to begin with, it will be very nice when done.

[47 flatbed]

Nice have fun

[waterboychuck]

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Sweet looking truck.

[FortyNiner]

That's a handsome work truck. Glad it found a worthy home.

[jimTN]

Great truck. Love the striping which you never see on a large truck. How many miles are showing on the clock?

[Mart]

I agree, nice truck!

Gotta say, though (as already mentioned) don't get rid of the spares, you might need them. As someone signs off.. Never get rid of nuthin'.

Mart.

[BILL WZOREK]

wingerdinger:

You seem to have a deeper voice then the 1st picture indicates ~ ~ ~ LOL

Great truck:: Set your self a step by step plan and don't get to far ahead of your self or it could get over whelming , and end up as many ~
~ JUST A PROJECT FOR SALE ~

[wingerdinger]

Funny, just yesterday my fiance (in the picture) was asking me if she could pull off the stripe. The truck was painted several years ago, over some not-so-good body work. I think the stripe was part of that. It is the stick-on type, and is short in places.
You can't see it in the pictures, but there is bondo falling off the hood top and roof, and below that is unprimed bare metal. So it needs to be stripped and repainted.

[cmbrucew]

Welcome to the Ford Barn.
I like ford trucks, my biggest was a 1958 F 600 with a 292 Y block.
Worn out, but started and ran good.
Good luck with yours.
Bruce

[wingerdinger]

The odometer reads 90,040 miles, and works, it went up when I towed it a few hundred feet. I don't know if it's accurate, but many things on the truck seem original and complete, so it could be accurate.

[wingerdinger]

Well, it's been a few weeks since I posted, so time to catch up a little. I haven't done a lot with the truck, but I need to get it out of my garage to get to my snowmobiles. I'm not in a terrible hurry, because the weather turned `bad' (warmer) and melted all our snow. It's nicer for working on things outside though.
I got the clutch, pressure plate and flywheel out, in a manner I didn't expect. For the flathead V8s with anything but the 9" clutch, you are unable to remove even the pressure plate without dropping the oil pan. It turns out that the oil pan and lower bell housing are one piece, and the upper bell housing half is part of the engine block casting.
So, after dropping the pan, which wasn't a bad job at all, I got all the clutch parts out.
The clutch was worn to the rivets, which were brass, and the rivets were corroded right to the flywheel and pressure plate. It took some effort to separate them so it's no wonder I could not get the clutch to disengage with the petal.
This weekend I installed the resurfaced flywheel, new clutch and plate.
The bolts for the oil pan were all different, so I got new ones today, and have not yet reinstalled them.
I also made a serious error in judging clearances. I went under the hood to make sure I had enough clearance from the fan to the radiator. There was probably 4 inches, so I though I had plenty of room to raise the rear of the engine to remove the tranny and such. I ended up pushing the fan and generator into the radiator so hard that I cracked the generator mount on the intake manifold-- DAMN! I should have checked as I lifted, but I really thought I had plenty of clearance.
Do we have to learn the hard way so often??
Fortunately, worst case, I have the one off the spare motor. Best case, My next-door neighbor is a seasoned welder, and hopefully can make the repair.
No pictures this time around, I was trying to reduce the amount of getting up and down off the floor to save my knees and back.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by wingerdinger

I plan to post the build progress, mostly in pictures as I attempt a frame-up restoration of this truck. I am fortunate that the truck is mostly there, and in good shape.
I have some spare parts- if anyone needs a carb, distributor or fuel pump, let me know. I have a spare 85hp flathead, but won't have it available til I can analyze the one in the truck, and look at the other.
I was able to get the truck running the same weekend I brought it home. I was told it wasn't known how long it had been since the truck ran (the owner passed away).
It was a matter of fixing the distributor and some wiring issues, and reversed battery.
The truck won't drive, because the clutch won't disengage, so I am in the process of changing the clutch. I plan to get that back together so that I can move it around, and probably store it for the winter. I have many projects going, so this will be a longer process. I live in Minnesota, and have limited heated indoor space, so it may be a little of a `seasonal' project as well.
I will post pictures as I go. I will start with a few `before' photos. I will post a few clutch / transmission removal ones as well.

Beautiful truck! restoration? It looks like you have completed restoration already?

[wingerdinger]

Some of the pictures make the truck look pretty good. It had a bad paint job, with a ton of bondo that is now falling off the hood and roof.
There are a few body panels that are installed poorly, and some cab mounts that need work. Over all, it's pretty solid, but a lot is covered up.
Here is the hood.. probably the worst part.
I need to do some research, and could use some pointers on the type of paint to use on it, especially the hood, as it flexes quite a bit. I am assuming that the flex is normal, since there doesn't seem to be any material missing from it. It doesn't have to flex to open, so I looked a long time for some sort of reinforcement brackets, but there doesn't seem to be anything available.
I wanted to use a multiple coat paint (like candy), but I know I can't with all that flex.

[wingerdinger]

These pictures are from before I bought it. Please ignore the `for sale` sign. It is not for sale.

[Model51]

Your truck looks really good. I'm in the process of a frame-up restoration on my
35 157" wheel base truck. I plan to finish it as a stake truck. Let me know if you want any information or if I can be of any help.
Dave

[AlDeBear]

Very pretty! Nice truck too! "Do we have to learn the hard way so often??" Sounds like you do and I KNOW I do wingerdinger. You're rolling now though! Larry