Cruising in Mater

[Archies Beater]

I’m at a point with my FJ40 build that it’s a driving work piece. They’re are plenty of things to fix and upgrade, but it’s too much fun to drive. In addition, my son (10) is starting to show some interest in working in the garage. He wanted a long bed truck. I wanted vintage metal and the entry fee had to be cheap. I wasn’t interested in a survivor specimen- I was planning on a modern drivetrain and rusted look. I was attracted to the lines of the Fridge Fords(57-60)- brutish and utilitarian.

What I found was a 59 F100, sort of…



Good-

• Body is kinda there, It’s got repairable rust issues. This will teach the kid to weld and body work.
• Drivertrain is missing from the fan blade to the rear axle. I’m planning to replace all this anyway.
• Patina- its got it.
• It has most of the parts that I’m looking for in the looks/ structure department

Bad-

• Rust- I was a little too enthusiastic when I found it and its more than I realized. I’m still planning to use it to teach the boy to weld on it, but if I found a reasonably priced donor sheet metal I’d definitely reevaluate my plan.
• I’ve never really considered a build like this- street performance. I’ve always leaned toward the 4x4 type builds. So I’ll be learning as I go…

The desired outcome: a truck that will cruise well and enter the occasional auto cross event. These are pretty rare in my area. I’m not really a car show guy, so I don’t think it’ll sport a high dollar paint job. Also, with the intent of having my son, at least partially, learn to drive in it, I can’t see spending a ton of coin on paint.



So the idea of the build-

• Full independent suspension- Crown Vic/S550 suspensions.
• Fully boxed frame to make the aforementioned suspension work the best.
• Modern 350-400 hp engine- remember, I’m going to let a 14.5 year old drive this thing, so I’m not looking for stupid power. Additionally, I want civilized manners on the street.
• Transmission- 6 speed manual or 8/10 speed auto. I’d like a modern stick, but the $$ cost may be the deciding factor here.
• Level stance with bags. Not necessarily looking to lay rocker, but low and lean.
• Full rewire. What’s there is beyond brittle. Also, it’ll tie into the modern drivetrain and a few creature items that may be added.
• Comfortable interior that retains the stock style. I’ll probably paint this and under the hood to a somewhat shiny state.
• Oh yeah, the kid insists on a stereo…

This is where I am at now: stripped and suspension mocked up.



I started a build on FTE fridge section, but I’m not sure that’s the right place for it. They’re are super knowledgeable and giving, but they are more in the restoration side of builds. This will be a f100 in looks only. So am I in the right place for this type of build?

[Archies Beater]

I know I’m not breaking new ground here- these have been used more than a few times. That’s a big part of the allure! This is my first street-only build, so being able to mimic others efforts helps me learn. For example: I didn’t realize I was going need to make a rigid structure until after I had chosen fully independent suspension. Oh learning by internet is fun.

So I have front and rear suspension mocked up. Front is set in pretty square with the frame. I still have the shock&springs (p71) in place, so I can determine natural ride for frame mounting. I’ll circle back to this when I start making boxing plates.



Then I moved on to the irs, like the YouTube videos I thought I’d simply fab up some mounts to the factory S550 mounting points. Then you get it set up and it’s just not the stance you were looking for!! This leads to question ”how much do I want to notch the frame to set it in?” For this, I ended up at less than 3”. With the cv axle at ~1deg, the frame and drip rail are level. So now the mounting points for the sway bar( on the subframe) are ~.5” proud of the f100 frame on each side. My plan is to build the frame out with a plate that fits around subframe and then plate over that plate and subframe. On the inside of the frame, Ill be gusseting the frame to the subframe. For the leading S550 mount, I’m planning to build a bracket that will in turn be welded to the frame. I’m hoping to end up something that makes up for the cut in the frame AND stiffens up the original f100 frame.



Here’s v1.0 of the means of mounting the airbags.



All that blathering leads us to my current situation. I think its time to remove the oem crossmembers for the frame boxing. In order to to prevent frame distortion, I’m planning to weld some brace across the top and bottom of the frame. How many braces do you think I’ll need?

Before boxing, I’m considering sending the frame out to be sandblasted. There’s not a lick of paint on the frame and I’d like to get it treated before I box it in.

Fortunately, work just purchased a 2’x2’ Plasma CNC table. [I may have influenced the purchase;-)]. I’m still perfecting the cuts, but stoked so far!!! At any rate, I will be cutting the boxing plates on the table; instead of ripping through cutting wheels. My plan is to weld and inch or so every foot and let it cool completely- Rinse and Repeat. I’ve noticed on a couple threads, that some people don’t completely weld the boxing plates in (1/3 to 1/2). Is there any good logic to this? Is there any thing else I should take into account?

[Jimbo1367]

Looks like a nice start. This should be fun

[Archies Beater]

Yeah you knew it was there and you bought it anyway, but you saw the diamond just under the dents and “patina”… but this time it’s different!!!

No it’s not, but hopefully I’m under control this time. I think it’s mostly the usual locations:



The passenger side front corner is soft enough that the door has a decent amount play in it. I saw something on FB that said there were some patch panels being made.

Attachment 201424

The drivers side is actually solid, for a win. What is hidden, by my lack of photography skills, is the cab mounts are rotten. These too seem to be available as well, so there’s hope. On top of each cab mounts is a storage hole. They are full of dirt and debris. This will likely be the easiest patch- famous last words.

Attachment 201423

The bed sides are beaten and oddly patched with a light skim of finely aged bondo. This I have no plans of fixing this, unless I find a donor bed.

The bed floor is a complete loss. Believe it or not, the support cross bars are in good shape. Debating on a tilt bed floor, maybe wood…

Attachment 201422

Which brings us to the scariest bit of rust the driver door header. Unless I haven’t found it, there’s not any reproduction parts available. Best bet here is someone who wants to cut it out of a donor cab.



There’s more, but you’ve all seen it in your own diamond in the rough builds. The driver door needs lower skin, but it’s fixable. The cab corners are beat up, but rust free. Trailing bottom corner of the fenders need patching as well. The whole truck oozes “earned” patina.

I’ve identified two possible cab and front end donors that look good:
1)The first is simply more than I can pay for a truck without a title. (The current market has to ease soon!!!). Older respray, but straight. I’m waiting for the seller to realize he needs a title to ask that much.
2)The other one looks like a decent donor and the price isn’t bad. Also missing the title, but the price is inline. Sadly it’s six hours away and I can’t seem to talk myself into the drive.

On the upside, I have time. The chassis work will keep me busy into the fall at this rate. The kid (& I) needs some time to practice sheet metal repair anyway.

[Archies Beater]

Yeah I dig the look- rough. I don’t regret painting my land cruiser, but I miss the mismatched paint from all the donor vehicles that gave for mine to be usable. This truck we’ll see…

[Archies Beater]

Given all the rust in the bed and cab, I was a bit surprised at how good the frame turned out to be The paint is well hidden by the surface rust, but a little attention with a wire wheel and the black frame paint is still there. Before removing anything, braces were added to help hood the shape.

Today was about removing the four crossmembers in preparation for boxing the frame. This involves removing ~50 rivets. In the past I’ve ground a flat spot, and drilled the center out. Alternatively I’ve simply ground the smooth and pounded them out. I’ve heard of using the an air chisel, but never had one. This time I brought out the plasma and burned the head off and punched it out while it was still hot. I think this is my favorite method, but it’s kinda messy.

[Archies Beater]

Another day and the rear suspension is a little more refined. Currently I’m working on the upper mount for the bag or coil. ( I’m hoping to be able to switch back to coils if I don’t like the bags). Seems simple enough, but I’m on version 2 of the basic design. Each time I refine it gets closer to ready, but then I find another spot of interference. But I’m getting closer…
I need to think more room for the shock. I’m trying to use the S550 stock shock setup for the initial test run. Reason being - there’s already a ton of aftermarket and engineering into this setup. Also, I’m already playing with the coil vs bags, so I figure changing one variable at a time makes sense. I’m open to other suggestions, but this seems like the logical plan.
So the upper mount for the coil/bag is pretty close to the top of the frame. This means triangulating back to the frame will have little verticals surface area. Currently my thought is to run the shock mount off the upper bucket(?) and gusset from underneath for vertical resilience. My current bucket needs to be trimmed back for shock clearance, but should provide a good mounting point for the upper shock attachment.
In other news: I think I’ve found the right position for the bag& spacer(box). When I cycle the suspension, there’s no rubbing on the bag and I seem to have an inch or two clearance with the swaybar links. I’m a bit tight on the axle, so V 1.3 of the box will need to go on a slim fast diet. At least it’s headed in the right direction!!! Next on the box will be internal boxing, to give it torsional rigidity ( I feel so smart using big words).

[Archies Beater]

I’m trying to look ahead and get my game plan together. If my plan goes as I fore see it- I’ll be using a modern engine that won’t have power steering pump. This is a hurdle with options:
1) Adapt a pump to the accessory drive on the front of the engine and have appropriate lines made up. Possibly the easiest solution, might even have an aftermarket solution that bolts on to the engine(yet to be chosen).
2) Electric power steering pump. There are a variety of vehicle to steal from. Ford apparently makes the unit in Volvos, so it might even match up to the CV. This will involve additional wiring, but now is the time.
3) Swap the R&P for a fully electric one. This is attractive in that it does away with the hydraulic side completely. Possibly quicker steering, but I’m not a race track guy… This will require a new bracket and adapting the tie rod end, but after that it seems simple wiring.

Option 1 seems the tried and true method- they definitely have proven themselves over the years. Option 2 seems like added complication and clutter under the hood. Another issue here is that it now relays on electric and hydraulic systems. Option 3 is shiny and seems simple enough- if a bit more expensive. In this build I’m definitely open to new tech, this why I’m looking at these options.
So for those that have adapted their cv R&P to late model engines, what have you done and would you do it differently?

[Archies Beater]

Finally got some more done on the Ford. Fired up the cnc table and knocked out some frame boxing plates. I debated on wether or not to put windows in the plates, but reasoned this is a truck chassis and I only needed to add “some” stiffness. As a side benefit, this will save some weight(negotiable in the scheme of things…).Before I welded the boxing plates in, I slathered it with POR15 for some sort of protection. I know the welds aren’t perfect, I’ll be breaking the grinder out as soon as I finish the deck for the wife. Next step, is plating the CV mounting area and then the mustang IRS. Wish me luck

[Archies Beater]

So any time I needed a bend in a piece I was cutting, I used the torch to make a slit and then bend it in the vise. This would be followed by welding the bend slit up and smoothing with the grinder. It was time consuming to say the least. Took some time and scrap, but now I have a break(brake?) press. Found a bunch advise online and realized it was simple enough to mod the press at work. Should of done this long ago.



Last weekend was all about boxing in the ifs and raising the frame to meet the K member brackets. Made a pattern up that was pretty close to what I wanted and cut it out on the table. (I’m still learning on the table, if it’s getting faster and easier each time.) after finessing the fit by hand and the brake, I was ready to weld it in. The one on the far side was made with out the brake and you can see the slit that allowed me to bend 3/16” plate nicely. The one in the foreground I used the brake and what a difference. I added some additional vertical ribs, but I imagine they are overkill. I come from the 4x4 world where over kill is the norm…


Here they are all burned in and stout. Lots of grinding to do still, but my son needs to learn somewhere.


I cut out a mounting plate for the trailing arm bushing, but I’m still playing with the orientation of the bushing. The stock position put it mostly outside the frame. I’m looking to get them under the frame for strength and leaner looks. I found that swapping them side to side got them under the frame more so. I also tried rotating the bushing 180 deg to find the ideal spot.


The other reason I haven’t made the mounts is I need some input on the trailing arm bushing hieght. This is where mine sit:

I’m not sure if the arms should be in tension, compression or neutral? Any thoughts? Thanks

[skooli]

I like where you’re going with this. I went with a Mustang II set-up for my ‘57, and just did an axle flip for the rear. I’d like to do ridetech now to make it go around corners a little better. It’s been fun cruising it, but now I want to go fast.

[Mtrhd329]

Be sure to check your alignment specs before locking those LCA mounts in. When I did mine for my truck I made them as wide as possible to get the moster caster I could. Where you place those determines alignment in all three planes. It's been too long to remember the numbers with it though.

[Archies Beater]

I like where you’re going with this. I went with a Mustang II set-up for my ‘57, and just did an axle flip for the rear. I’d like to do ridetech now to make it go around corners a little better. It’s been fun cruising it, but now I want to go fast.

That looks like a sweet ride. Not sure this one will be that pretty. Or fast- I need to get a my son behind the wheel. So I’m hoping to make it fun, just not that fun.

[Archies Beater]

Be sure to check your alignment specs before locking those LCA mounts in. When I did mine for my truck I made them as wide as possible to get the moster caster I could. Where you place those determines alignment in all three planes. It's been too long to remember the numbers with it though.

I’d be interested in those numbers, if you do remember them. I’ve tacked together some OutKast knock off LCA mounts,but nothing is burned in yet.

I did some research when I designed them and sounded like 33” on center for the end of the stud. Does that sound right. This will see more Street than Track, so street performance is the priority. Hopefully, I can make shims to make minor changes. Otherwise, I’ll remake the mounts.