I found this front end ( grille, fenders ) for $100 and if you see what I currently have you will see why I'm pretty happy.




He doesn't show photos of the actual fenders, although he says they need work. They couldn't be worse than what I have. I am happy to pay $100 for the grill, so if the fenders are usable then that's a bonus.

 

I see the fenders are wider, I assume they are off a larger f series. Am I correct in assuming that the grille and lower cowling will be the same as my f1.

 

Nice score!

I have heard people state that the F7 F8 grills and upper/lower valences are wider but I'm pretty certain they are the same f1 -f8 (at least 51 52) but yes the fenders would be wider.

I have a 51 grill from an F7 and it looks and measures the same as near as I can tell.

good luck

josh

 

Ilya will have to weigh in...but it looks like a 52 front end...and I think it's a good score for $100.

I can't see where the fenders are wider, but if it's from an F2 (or bigger), the wheel openings would be bigger. If it's an F1 front end , it should be a direct fit for your panel.

There were a couple of really minor changes to the nose piece above the grill between 51 and 52 (I think).

 

Wait a minute....it does look wider in the pics.

 

The $100 front end is from a 1952 F7-F8 or Cabover engine, i.e. COE (can't see the back of the fenders to confirm if from a COE). The grille, upper latch panel (with FORD letters) and the lower valance (below the grille) are all the same size from F1-F8, including COE and Panel. The difference is in the fenders. F1-F6 fenders are the same width except for the larger wheel opening in the F2-F6 upper/lower fenders when compared to the F1. F7-F8 and COE upper/lower fenders are actually wider (you can see in the pictures) and have an even larger wheel opening than the F1, F2-F6 fenders.

The F7-F8 fenders will look way out of place on your Panel. They'll be too bulky, wide and have an extremely large wheelwell opening. However, for $100, you're getting a steal because you can still use the grille and lower valance. So, you didn't do too bad.

My suggestion to you is to remove the grille and lower valance panel and sell the rest to someone who's looking for F7/F8 or COE fenders. If the fenders are in decent shape, you can get $100+ for them as COE fenders are hard to find in good shape. You should be able to ship the upper fenders by Greyhound bus into the U.S. The lower fenders and the upper latch panel can be shipped by regular mail or UPS/FedEx.

I can also see a portion of the right running board in the picture. Grab that too. Matter of fact, grab both of them if they're there. The F7-F8 running boards are the same as on the Panel trucks. They just need a small square notch cut out in the rear corner to fit on the Panel truck. If the running boards are really short, then they're from a COE truck. COE truck running boards are hard to find. If they're solid, the pair is worth a lot more than $100.

Please post more pictures of the fenders, especially from the rear, and the running boards.

 

The upper grille panel on COE's are different than F 1-8....at least mine is. OP, can you post more pics of the fenders? If they are COE, I may be interested in what you don't need....Where in AB are you?

 

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm picking it up tonight so I can post more pictures after I get it home. I won't have any use for the fenders regardless of the shape they are in so if they would be of use to someone they will be available. Thanks

 

How is it different? I'm curious. I've had a 51/52 COE and compared to the parts from an F1. To me, they measured and appeared to be the same size.

 

Difference is in the latch part under the hood....probably to clear the radiator.

Mine has a big dent in it. Fixable, but a pain in the....

Pic, f-1 on top, COE on bottom.....

 

tinman, thanks for posting the pic. When I compared mine to the COE, the COEs hood was closed and strapped around the fenders with a metal band (for shipping), so I couldn't open the hood to compare inside. Dimensionally they're the same. However, they do not have the same construction due to the latch plate being different. The 51-52 COE latch plate is similar in shape to the 48-50 latch plate.

I agree with you on that dent. That's a very hard area to repair due to all of the bends and work hardening in the metal.

 

Also (I think) that the other difference in the upper grill (COE vs standard) is if you were to look at each piece from the end (section view) that the curvature along the front outer (exposed portion has a different curve to it? I think the COE has a flatter curve to it if I remember right, to accomodate the flatter /wider fenders??
Tinman can probably look at the parts he has there real quick and see that difference?