Hey been lurking around, kinda bored so I thought I'd document my build here being that I've been using your guys info and what not. The other site I had my progress on went kaput.

Bought the truck in August of 2010 and drove it home, PO tried to make it a solid truck into a ?rat? or some rockabilly dungheap. This is me rebuild the rear brakes because the PO took out the shoes and kinked the rear lines 2 hours home on the interstate with only the fronts.


Anyway teardown started around Christmas and ever so slowly been working.
my workspace


Out with the old

WAit?! that doesn't go there!

Po's idea of a safe fuel tank

Anyway motor out and new suspension!!!

Old stuff out, new stuff in




mockup of the 351W that was EFI but will be carbed

motor teardown.



Wow that was alot of pics. The motor is now being machined and I have to get back to fabbing stuff up. Hope to be road worthy this summer. Also putting AOD in unless I can find a cheap bellhousing and clutch assembly for the T5 I have sitting in the corner. I have left out some of the finer points but you get the idea.

 

what front IFS are you useing thanks jim ford30

 

05 crown vic

 

Thanks for the pics Blacked out!!! I just got an 05 CV PI front end this week to go into my '57 Panel. By what I've read, the swap isn't too hard. Yours looks good!! I'm already running a 351W with an FMX, but I'll swap the trans for an AOD while I have it out. I think I'll also swap an early CV rear into it to make the rear wheels look better. Keep up the post. It's looking Good!!

 

Thanks. The worst part was chiseling out the old parts.

 

Been awhile since i've updated, but still working on it when funds allow.
Tranny cross memeber i fabbed

Lower control arms mount

Motor mounts


And now the block is back form machining and being peiced together,

 

Those 'rat rod' guys sure know how to mess up old vehicles. Great progress getting it done up right, any plans for the rear suspension yet?

Scott

 

Probably flip the
Rear axle to level out the front. Next winter I plan to swap it out for
Posi and discs

 

Nice job you're doing there. Looks like you found a truck with a great body. When I see snow in a photo I think about salt on the roads, but that truck obviously hasn't suffered the curse. Lately I have been wondering if it's possible to remove the complete nose from our fridge trucks in one piece, and your photo answered my question. Are all the bolts obvious and accessable? Thanks

 

Apparently this was an arizona truck however the cab corners have been "repaired" but it is in excellent shape for the shape its in. The front clip was pretty easy, the worst bolts to get to are back by the doors. The hold the rear of the fender to the firewall, those wer a pain in the ****.

 

Not a ton of progress, but looks more like a motor now. I have been doing a home paort job on the stock ET7E heads. I had no idea how much time that takes. I probably have 19 hours in them. They go to that machine shop for a valve job tomorrow.

 

So the idea for a gas tank is to side mount tank under the bed. I am thinking an older ranger tank and use the stock filler location. Any thoughts? I would like to stay away from the mustang tank in the bed idea.

 

Sounds interesting. Have you done any measurements?

 

Not yet waiting for the weather to warm up so crawling around the junk yard isn't so bad.

 

Got to the junkyard and found a brake pedal assembly and master cylinder/booster. Mocked that up built a support bracket. Ranger tank is a no go so I ordered a 68 mustang tank to go between the rear frame rails. Turns out my ET7E heads were junk before I started in o them. That was a bummer, but I now have a set of freshly machines GT40s. I ended up having to patch in some holes in the firewall for the brake asembly. I also picked up a proportioning valve and rebuilt an edelbrock 1406 carb.