My 1941 Ford 1/2 ton pickup restoration

[oldrelics]

Here's some pics of hood fitment, which was a real bear, it was trashed. I think I'm happy.











Next up? Abused drive by feel fenders.....

[47 flatbed]

Nice work. I've got to get to work on our 41. This is definitely motivation.

[Kentf1003]

Appreciate the great photos. Perfect illustration for those who trying to map out their assembly of a pickup. What a contribution to the Barn. Thanks.

[oldrelics]

Spent many many hours already lining up fenders, hood and grille and its a BEAR, to say the least! Its close now. They are notorious for this and now I'm a believer. I'm getting a little burnt out, seems relentless some days.

[Seth Swoboda]

Sometimes you need to take a break. Walk away and enjoy something else. There are times when after you take a break and refresh your brain, you come back to your project and everything seems to work out well. I have felt the burn out but then I tell myself it is a hobby not a job. Most folks don't realize what a daunting task a total restoration is. They see your end product and pay you compliments. The real satisfaction for me is all the hours of hard work, perseverance, determination, problem solving and state of mind it takes to complete the job. It is a skill set that not everyone posesses. You have the ability to press on where others have given up. Take pride in that. In time you will be rewarded for all of your efforts and that is the ultimate goal. Just remember to have fun along the way.

[Barry Wolk]

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Nice gaps. I can't seem to get my hood to fit right. Yours is much better.

[perrysmith]

Hang in there, getting close! Do you mind saying how you came up with such a fine looking steering wheel? Is it an NOS, or is it a recast? thank you
Perry

[oldrelics]

Originally Posted by Barry Wolk

Nice gaps. I can't seem to get my hood to fit right. Yours is much better.


What? Yours looks great from here! I had to get mean with my hood and had to show it whos boss......that and 16 hours of grief getting it to fit. I betcha I had that hood on and off 25 times!

Originally Posted by perrysmith

Hang in there, getting close! Do you mind saying how you came up with such a fine looking steering wheel? Is it an NOS, or is it a recast? thank you
Perry

Its an original, and I 'panel bond' epoxied the cracks and the gray you see is primer! I have to sand and paint black yet.....

[41panelmark]

Very nice p/u Barry.

[al's28/33]

GREAT restoration work! keep on truckin!!!

[Barry Wolk]

Originally Posted by 41panelmark

Very nice p/u Barry.

Thanks. Wish I could lay claim to the work. I bought it as a "restored" truck. The body and interior were beautifully restored, but the chassis was a worn-out hunk of junk. The PO had added 3 full width leaf springs in the front and removed 5 from the back. It was godawful to drive.

I actually bought it 3 years ago and stashed it when by wife was struck with cancer just weeks after I bought it. I became her primary caregiver, a reversal of roles. I put away my toys for almost 2 years. She's doing great so I tackled a mechanical restoration from front to rear, replacing every wear part, seal and every bit of rubber.

I was very pleased with my work, until I hit a substantial bump. With no rear shocks the rear end came off the ground and moved over a good foot before landing with a screech. I installed a rear shock kit from Joe's and it became a very roadworthy vehicle.

I'm not saying there was hack work done on my truck, but of the 30 or so cotter pins required to keep the truck together only 3 were installed. I thank my lucky stars that it didn't come apart the 50-miles I drove it.

The engine compartment freshening turned into this.



I have a number of old cars. Some of the technology is unfamiliar to me and are worked on by others. Not this beauty. I must state that, categorically, the Ford products of this era are the best candidate for a first-time restoration. Every single wear part seems to be available at an incredibly low, almost laughable, price. Parts for my '55 Porsche are made of unobtanium and cost 3-5 times what these replacement parts cost. It was my first experience in doing a mechanical that didn't take months to complete. I'd order stuff from Joe's, and others, and it would be at my doorstep in two days. That certainly helped the flow.

I wish I had seen this thread before I did mine. I guess you're supposed to learn from your mistakes.

[oldrelics]

fitting more of the front end

[1great40]

Your work is awesome! Keep at it. I spent over 13 years building my 40 Resto-mod but I too left it sitting for a while now and then. Never let the stresses of building it get in the way of the hobby aspect. Here is a pic of mine (not HAMB friendly, maybe not Ford Barn friendly) but I had a ball doing it



It's great to see others spending time making these classics live again.
BTW, your hood latch plate and the mating part on the upper grille support are from a 41 six cylinder truck. If your frame was from that same truck, it had a different front crossmember. Just stuff I have happened upon over the years.

[oldrelics]

Originally Posted by 1great40

Your work is awesome! Keep at it. I spent over 13 years building my 40 Resto-mod but I too left it sitting for a while now and then. Never let the stresses of building it get in the way of the hobby aspect. Here is a pic of mine (not HAMB friendly, maybe not Ford Barn friendly) but I had a ball doing it



It's great to see others spending time making these classics live again.
BTW, your hood latch plate and the mating part on the upper grille support are from a 41 six cylinder truck. If your frame was from that same truck, it had a different front crossmember. Just stuff I have happened upon over the years.

Cool pickup, btw ALL (Canadian) '41's had the forward design latch plate and upper grille brace. Ford Canada verified all 3 of my '41 vins were V8's.
Also the non-deep X mem on one of the '41 was factory riveted (prob using left over parts from '40 - it had an early vin#).....

I've also noticed other variations comparing US-Canadian production.

[1great40]

Oldrelics, Thanks for that information. Just one more thing for me to know about these beautiful old trucks.

[OldFordFan]

Originally Posted by oldrelics

fitting more of the front end

The fit looks excellent to me. I really like those 40/41 pickups.

['41 Pickup Rob]

To 1941 Pickup:
I just jumped into this world of flatheads... definitely intrigued. Completed my first build project in 2012 which is night and day apart from my '41. This was a 7-year project. A professional builder did the paint/finishing work on the car. See photos. Engine is Ford 302.

My truck will be used to showcase my son's old school custom bike builds. He does joint artwork/design/build projects with Ducati as well- won the Ducati Monster Bike custom challenge in 2011 and unveiled a joint project at Indy Moto GP earlier this month.

Restoration on the truck occurred about 10 years ago so we are in the process of doing some touch up etc.

[oldrelics]

I've got some color now! Palisade Gray from TCP in acrylic enamel. I'm painting in stages, making sure I have small pieces ready to spray with leftovers in the gun. The rest is still in high build with guide coat.

[41panelmark]

Wow.

[oldrelics]

More color, now I can mount it back on. The rest will get painted assembled.....