1951 Ford F1 Build

[travissilb]

I got some work done on the rear suspension. I decided on adjuster and tubing size so i began cutting out and weld prepping the brackets. CAD makes it easy and a waterjet makes it easier!!








Surface ground all the parts to get the scale off the hot rolled material. Also makes it look nice for instagram ;)



Gave all the slots and tongues .010” of clearance on either side so they fit together nicely as the waterjet doesn’t cut very square.



Here’s the brackets so far (not welded yet). The 4 on the left fit on the frame. The 2 on the right fit on the axle for the lower links. And the upper link housing brackets still need to be designed but i need to wait until i get the axle cut so the pinion will line up with the motor.

[mikidymac]

Just a FYI for you, that is a 48-50 cab not a 51'. The 51-52 had two round holes for the gauges instead of the long one like yours.
The other difference is yours has the smaller rear window, it was lengthened in 51'.

[travissilb]

Just a FYI for you, that is a 48-50 cab not a 51'. The 51-52 had two round holes for the gauges instead of the long one like yours.
The other difference is yours has the smaller rear window, it was lengthened in 51'.

Yes i know it's the previous year cab. it's VIN makes it a 51. to the best of my knowledge the cab is original to the truck, so i wonder what was going on in the ford factory!

[wfo guy]

Nice brackets. Technology is your friend if you have competency with it.

[RMMiller]

Yes i know it's the previous year cab. it's VIN makes it a 51. to the best of my knowledge the cab is original to the truck, so i wonder what was going on in the ford factory!

Maybe an early build with a left over cab.

[wfo guy]

Maybe someone has changed the tag on the firewall. Does that number match the one on the frame?

[travissilb]

Nice brackets. Technology is your friend if you have competency with it.

Thank you, and agreed!

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Maybe someone has changed the tag on the firewall. Does that number match the one on the frame?

The number on the firewall is engraved in. And it matched the number on the glove box (which is the VIN tag) and not sure about the frame, i cut it up and junked it! Couldn’t keep it in the yard ;)

[travissilb]

I have been waiting for what seems like an eternity to start the frame! But alast it has begun!


These braces will be welded on the inside or every joint and then the joint will be fully welded around it. For the braces i’ll do TIG rosette welds to make sure the weld penetrates fully, then fill in with MIG. I’ll show more when i begin the welding precess… which should be soon!




This is how i got the angles dialed in. I roughed them on a vertical band saw and milled them to finished dimension

[travissilb]

I got the 2 frame rails completed and straightened out. Now i have make brackets to bolt it to the suspension crossmember. I took out the transverse leaf spring in the suspension so that i could sit it as it would be when loaded. Then i made spacers (height blocks) from extra box tubing to hold it at that height. On the frame, i welded in 2 temporary crossmembers to line up the frame rails square and level. Then i made 11.85” height blocks out of box tubing to hold the frame where it will sit at ride height. Once that is lined up as it should be, i can take the measurements to make the brackets that will bolt them together.


Shimmed up the frame to make it perfectly level across and front to back


Just welded the top and bottom because these will need to be removed when i am ready to out the cab on


Tacked on the 11.85” height stands to hold the frame at ride height




Just mocked everything up to see the fitment. I will make the brackets soon!

[Peter Mc Mahon]

Looking good!

[travissilb]

Looking good!

Thank you, Peter!

[David Sloan]

Nice!
Cool build!

[wfo guy]

I'm looking at the equipment in the background. That doesn't look like my shop.

[jaybee]

This one is really coming along nicely!

[Peter Mc Mahon]

We need some updates here, need my fix!

[travissilb]

Progress has been a bit slow, but none the less, i got the material cut and weld prepped for the rear half of the frame. The waterjet will be taken up for the next 8 weeks or so so i had to mill all the inner structure pieces for this section…!




I wasn’t able to mill the 2x6s on the bridgeport because it’s in a corner and the tubing is almost 6’ long. So i had to set it up on the mori supported by a roller to mill the angle! I love setups like this haha


Instead of water jetting the braces, i took them to the old O and H mill. It took a 15 minute job and turned it into a several hour job!

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I'm looking at the equipment in the background. That doesn't look like my shop.

It’s definitely nice to have equiptment at your disposal!

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Thank you everyone for the nice comments, i really appreciate it and i’m glad you enjoy the project!

[travissilb]

I forgot to post all my progress here over the last year so i'll make a few posts to try and catch all of you up!

First up, I finished the frame...


TIG Rosette welds and a route pass on the joint before filling with MIG...


The finished rear frame rails ready to be mated with the front section


before i fit the rear of the frame i wanted to get the front end in and square. i made these brackets to bolt to the corvette front clip and then welded them to the frame. The corvette front clip is tricky to fit because none of the bolting surfaces are flat, level or square. so i just had to take rough measurements and make a few brackets until i got a design that fit.


Heres the frame tacked in place and ready to fit. i machined extra box tubing into height stands to hold the frame at ride height when i welded it. these will make things easier down the line when i start to fit the cab and rear suspension.

[travissilb]

Fit up the front cab mount supports and made the front cab mounts.


The front cab mount supports were tricky to fit because they are factory replacements and they mate up to a panel that i formed haha. the fit left something to be desired so i had to cut them up and make them fit as they should


The driver's side was in need of more work than the passenger's side. i had to cut relocate the outside edge and make a slice that fit in the gap. I welded it up and it fell right into place


Once the cab mount supports were made, i had to make a stand for the cab to set it where it will sit at ride height. The frame is also sitting where it will at ride height so this eliminates guess work.


With the cab on the stand, i took measurements to make the front cab mounts and modeled it up in fusion. i went with a design which will bolt to the frame and have some adjustability as i want the wheels to be centered in the arches and don't know where they'll sit yet.


The good thing about using CAD software is that i can print out the plates to size and cut them out of wood to see if it is a good fit. i'm glad i did it for these because i had to make a few before i got them to perfectly line up.


Here is the almost finished mount in place to check the fit up.

[travissilb]

For the rear body mounts, i went for the same level of adjustability front to back and also up and down. i decided a threaded link would be perfect for this application


This is the design i came up with on fusion. this will let me adjust the cab to sit right where i want it


I went with a 1"-12 pitch because i had to single point the threads and didn't have any tail stock support! if i went much thinner it would have chattered like a mofo!



Here's the assembly together. i have to take some generic bushings and turn them down to fit




i clamped them in place and put the front fenders on to make sure the wheels were where i wanted them in the arches


Took the cab stand out from under it and let it sit on the front and rear mounts!

[wfo guy]

It's coming along very nicely. I want to ad that the original rear cab mounts were designed to move because the frame flexed so much. With the chassis you have designed, you could have a solid out rigger mount similar to the front and be good. I did something similar to your mount on my 51. If I was to do it over, I'd through the original in the dumpster. My frame is 2 x 6 and 2 x 4 rectangle tubing.