Thread: WOW, Where to start? 52 Ford Pickup

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I got a 52 Ford pickup and am about to embark on a full body off restoration in hopes of it turning into a high HP, complete custom pickup. Should I start by taking it all down and get the frame all redone and then get going on suspension and drivetrain? Where do most start?

Thanks for your time Guys!

take lots of pics, during disassembly, remove body as full sections, bed, front sheet metal, cab, set all aside, then frame work starts, decide on power / trans/rear axle / front suspension,,,

Pictures, Planning, More Pictures, More Planning....


I am nowhere near a professional but I am in the same boat as you it seems. Though my car had already been disassembled and the previous person didnt do a really good job.....

Like stated before pictures are an excellent idea. If you can take all the sheet metal off as one piece that will help you keep it all together. Ziplock bags labeled with what the fasteners go to will help also.

The plan I have for my car is to replace the floors and rockers. Once that is done I will remove the body from the frame and start on the suspension/frame work.

I would determine what you want to use equipment wise and get it. My car uses a torque tube but I am going to convert to an open driveline so the stock rear comes out. The new rear needs to have brackets etc... welded to the frame to get everything set up. I am also going to do a frame stub in the front. Once I get all the welding that will be done to the frame done I will send it in to be blasted and powder coated. Then I can slowly start putting things like the cab back on.

Hi Bump, I didn’t say hi yesterday, but welcome to the site.

As mentioned yesterday, probably the first step is really to spend some time figuring out exactly what you want the truck to be when it’s done. As much as possible figure it out down to the last detail, but as a start decide on at least the suspension and drive train you would like.

You mentioned “full blown street Rod” yesterday but that can be many things from hot rodding the original drive train (era correct kind of stuff) to a late model injected engine and OD trans. I’ve seen everything stuffed in these era of trucks from early HEMIs to (yuck) Small block Chevys.

Also look at any of the parts that you will be removing as a 52 with the V8 emblems it should have a 239 Flathead and if you don’t decide to use it for the project there is definitely a market for them especially if you can get it running prior to pulling it.

Depending on your situation I personally would leave it all together until you’re a little further along in the decision and parts collection process. Once you do get it all apart it’s going to take up the equivalent of 3 bays to store all the parts. It’s real easy to get it apart, and even do the grunge work of cleaning and painting stuff, but if you don’t have the resources to continue working on the project on a regular basis ( where to see continual progress forward) it’s also easy for it to turn into a forgotten project.

is it a long bed ? looks long for some reason to me ..

I'll be honest, those are recent pics sent to me from my grandmother I havent seen it in person in 15 years. I'll know friday when it gets to my house in Southern California, but I do not remember it being a long bed.

As far as the route with the truck I would like to go with a full Fuel Injected modernized pickup. Wanting to tub the rear end, on air-ride. Gonna be a loooong expensive project but worth every penny knowing where the truck came from. My grandfather (bump) gave it to me before he passed, I have the original bill of sale from 1967 when he purchased it for a whopping $25.00.

Originally Posted by Bumps52Ford

I got a 52 Ford pickup and am about to embark on a full body off restoration in hopes of it turning into a high HP, complete custom pickup. Should I start by taking it all down and get the frame all redone and then get going on suspension and drivetrain? Where do most start?
Thanks for your time Guys!

Joshua, like I said in the welcoming post and like others are telling you here you've got tons of planning and decision making to do before you start major disassembly. Specific to your question, once you have decided on your cruise ride height, suspension and power train you will be ready to start working the chassis, cutting off all the OEM brackets that you don't need, fabricating suspension brackets, motor mounts, etc, etc to get it rolling, then to get the power train all in place. You're probably going to get the truck fully assembled, or very nearly so, before you blow it all apart to paint the chassis, then tackle the final body work, then wire it, then interior. From the very start you need to be thinking about wiring and plumbing - where are the wires going to run for each compenent, and how much time and money do you want to invest hiding them, like conduits inside the frame rails, or even running your fuel lines inside the frame?? Lots of details, but if you review build threads here, go to shows and talk to people about how they did things, why, and what they would do different you'll be getting a head start on the build. Sorry if this is not the kind of info you want from your opening questions.

Originally Posted by rspears

Joshua, like I said in the welcoming post and like others are telling you here you've got tons of planning and decision making to do before you start major disassembly. Specific to your question, once you have decided on your cruise ride height, suspension and power train you will be ready to start working the chassis, cutting off all the OEM brackets that you don't need, fabricating suspension brackets, motor mounts, etc, etc to get it rolling, then to get the power train all in place. You're probably going to get the truck fully assembled, or very nearly so, before you blow it all apart to paint the chassis, then tackle the final body work, then wire it, then interior. From the very start you need to be thinking about wiring and plumbing - where are the wires going to run for each compenent, and how much time and money do you want to invest hiding them, like conduits inside the frame rails, or even running your fuel lines inside the frame?? Lots of details, but if you review build threads here, go to shows and talk to people about how they did things, why, and what they would do different you'll be getting a head start on the build. Sorry if this is not the kind of info you want from your opening questions.

Roger,
I am very thankful for any and all information given on any scale. I am still trying to get all my information together on vision for the truck before I start the disassemble.

Originally Posted by Bumps52Ford

Roger,
I am very thankful for any and all information given on any scale. I am still trying to get all my information together on vision for the truck before I start the disassemble.

I saw a later F100 last summer, like a '59 or '60 that had a dressed out Ford 4.6 modular in it - they look massive out of the confines of a Mustang. If you have the room (width) a wrecked late model Mustang would give you engine, tranny, computers and harness, plus it's Ford in Ford Just a thought....

I have a 52 F-1 i'm working on. I decided to keep the flathead V8 because everyone else stuffs a 350/350 combo in them. Just my decision...trying to be different, I guess. Anyway, I just installed a 4-speed T-10 and am re-building my exhaust system to clear the rear trans mount I crafted. The bed comes off as a unit, as does the front end, then the doors, and then the cab. That's about it...pull the engine/tranny and you're down to the frame. Sandblast it and use Por15 on it and it's done. Decide on springs, and rear end and front axle (rebuilt mine) and then work on the engine/trans install while the body is off. You can always drop the cab and front end for position only during that process. Mine was a rust bucket like yours....sand blaster and a plasma cutter are your friends. Clean all body panels down to bare metal and then fill and prime and paint. Steering, shocks, glass replacement, rubber parts and glass gaskets, etc. are in your future. Read everything you can on these trucks and keep exploring new vendors for pricing. I'll post some pics tomorrow. Good luck!

FordGuy,
Thanks for the post I really appreciate it. Sounds like a good plan you laid out. Thanks Again!

BTW Roger, You probably have on of the best sayings in your signature.

Does it run? If so, sand it, prime it, run it! Some hop up stuff on the flatmotor, some wheels and tires, maybe redo the seat, and enjoy it while you decide what else to do. A full redo can be daunting, too many big starts never get finished. That one doesn't look like it needs it anyway, the body is straight and sits up on the mounts good.
BTW, there was only one wheelbase available for half-tons back then. The 3/4 tons were longer.

Like Pope said....see if it will run, put some rims/tires on it and drive it! Patina is "in", ya' know! Photos coming shortly.

Good places to buy parts....Sacramento Vintage Ford (www.vintage-ford.com) and Speedwaymotors.com. Sacramento mostly for the F-1 parts and Speedway for the engine parts (flathead or others). As Mike P said, these projects are long-term "hobbies" and when you're working alone and have to make a living, the truck often gets on the back burner. I started my "pull-apart" in 1999! Just got it licensed and insured last year. Down again for 3 months for the trans pull and replace. Maybe a week or two from running again. But then, I need to install the blower, so that's more time. These things are never finished! Wifey just needs to understand her man! Lets' see if I can attach these photos. Later! Sorry about the file size on those yellow pix! Maybe someone can resize them.