"Pickup_man" (zekeh)
10/05/2018 at 17:58 • Filed to: None
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"Pickup_man" (zekeh)
10/05/2018 at 17:58 • Filed to: None | 0
| 19 |
The ‘48 - ‘50 Ford t ruck has been my dream truck for a long time. I’m lucky enough to own two (even though I don’t have a great place to build one yet), but lately I’ve been facing a dilemma. See, I’m having a child sometime within the next two weeks, and while building my 1950 F3 is my dream, another dream just as important to me is to be able to share these things with my kid. Now, it will be several years at a minimum before I even think about putting a small child into an old vehicle like this, but even when they’re old enough, a regular cab truck (and a small cab at that) really limits what I’ll be able to do with my kids, especially if I have more than one and want to bring the wife with as well.
So lately I’ve been contemplating selling/trading them off for a newer, but still cool, extended cab or crew cab truck, Bronco/Blazer/Scout etc, or even possibly a fun car, even though I’d prefer a truck. As I was scrolling through CL looking for potential options however, a thought hit me. It’s gonna be a quite while before I can bring my kid with me anyway, ideally long enough to at least build a running/driving truck, so why worry about replacing it now? This leads us down the rabbit hole I’m currently in. If I don’t need to replace it now, then I’ll still have time to build it, but I still run into the problem of it being a single cab, so buy a crew cab later? Keep this truck and buy a crew cab? But wait! I already have two trucks..... why not..... build a crew cab?!
I know this is going to be an insane amount of work, but I’m an engineer, how hard can it be ? (Famous last words) I’m sure I can figure it out. This way I get everything I want, my dream truck that I can still share with my kids, and do family activities in. It’s been done before, but not quite exactly how I’d do it, the picture below is pretty close though, I’d just keep mine 2wd, in a more traditional hot rod style, and keep the running boards.
Feel free to weigh in with how crazy you think this is, but keep in mine I won’t be online this weekend most likely so there will be plenty of time for this idea to permanently embed itself into my brain.
Spaceball-Two
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:04 |
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You’ll have a kid. You won’t have the time. Great idea but you’ll be short on time and energy for at least the first 8 months once the little one arrives. You’ll barely have enough push to work and you sure as shit won’t be sleeping.
MoCamino
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:07 |
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I’ve seen 60’s Chevy crew cabs turned into extended cab trucks, it can’t be THAT hard if you are good with a welder. Go for it!
Dusty Ventures
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:10 |
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“I’m an engineer, how hard can it be ?”
RIP
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:11 |
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Your idea is both wonderful and terrible. Therefore it should be pursued. But not at the cost of what's important.
lone_liberal
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:12 |
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It’s be easier just to bolt a couple of Brat seats in to the bed.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:15 |
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I think you’re almost as likely to end up out of your facility to pull it off *right* with using a spare cab as with using two doors and fresh/new metal. Not that it’s impossible in either case, I’d just hate to see one devoured to make parts.
That being said, a bunch of long cabs were built way back when for telephone and rail companies. Can’t be too hard, right?
There’s also another option - build a long-door. If the hinges are robust enough, you could section the doors and extend them by 6"-10" and extend the cab as well, by 24" or more. You’d need new glass cut for the windows, but visibility would be great, you could have a jump seat (or even real seats), and it’d be very unique, for about the same effort as building a crew.
My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:17 |
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I’ve seen it done really well and seen it done half assed. With the curves of the body work it is hard but not impossible.
But your pictures give me another idea, put the ford body on a 4 door Jeep JK frame.
Grindintosecond
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 18:34 |
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Sell both trucks. Clear a space. Get a Willys O verland. Lovingly restore with jeep XJ parts.
Cash Rewards
> Dusty Ventures
10/05/2018 at 18:50 |
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I could show this to my wife, parents, hell probably my toddler, and they'd look at me and laugh.
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Pickup_man
> Spaceball-Two
10/05/2018 at 18:50 |
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Yeah, I expect this to take several years at least, if not longer.
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Pickup_man
> Grindintosecond
10/05/2018 at 18:52 |
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Also a good idea, but still not my dream truck....
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Pickup_man
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/05/2018 at 18:57 |
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The second cab would basically be used for the doors/frame/rear panel, it would have to be widened at the front to match the rear of the front cab, but I still think it’s the right direction to go with it. The second truck is a non titled parts truck as it is, I never had plans to get it on the road anyway. Plus there's tons of these trucks, they're not rare at all so I won't feel too bad chopping up one, especially if it works out the way I hope.
I'd prefer to have a crew, I've seen some extended cabs done and while they don't look bad, I don't love how they look either.
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Pickup_man
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
10/05/2018 at 18:59 |
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4 door jeep is too short, I want to keep the 8' bed. Plus I want to keep it mildly period correct, straight axle, leaf springs, and maybe a more modern engine.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 19:24 |
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Got it. One tricky part will be, of course, the synthesis of a straight profile and the new and improved front door post for the front edge of the rear door. The top bow of the door is easy enough to alter to vertical, and the doorskin can easily be re-zipped once you’ve changed the front pan edge to straight and sectioned it to a new position (he says, as someone who h as altered doors vertically rather than horizontally).
You know, if you were feeling really adventurous, you could also
make the rear doors suicide doors... although that would be more fitting on a ‘30s truck, obviously.
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Pickup_man
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/05/2018 at 19:35 |
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Yeah, it would be tough, I’ll have to look at how the trucks are built but I was hoping to be able to fuse the front hinge area on to the back of the front cab. Of course this cab tapers heavily towards the front so the rear cab would have to be split lengthwise, widened, and reattached to the back of the front cab, eliminating the taper on the rear section which I think will look ok . Getting the roof to blend back in will be the toughest part probably. This is a very ambitious idea and who knows what I'll do, but it's fun to think about and I have a lot of planning to do before making a decision.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 20:01 |
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Well, I already cut the damaged roof skin off my Ranchero, raised the door sills 7", shortened the doors at the bottom to match, cut out the back of the cab adding a box structure to make a midgate, modified the support of the rear bed filler, modified the top of the back plate below the window to allow for a retracting window, modified the frame around the window to be adaptable for a window track, added a hidden roll tube system into the back hoop structure, modified the front door posts for different hinge location ...
In short, I’ve done a lot of stupid things not that different than what you’re looking at. I’ve only finished *most* of them, so far.
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Pickup_man
10/05/2018 at 23:06 |
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Keep the trucks and work on them as you’re able. You only need two seats anyway. That way you get to make your kid feel special when they ride in daddy’s truck. My boys love to ride in my Dakota and it becomes a special trip when we head out. I’m hanging onto mine to do a powertrain swap down the road and have a father-sons project down the road. My oldest just turned 6 and my youngest son is 2, so I’ll have garage helpers for many years :).
functionoverfashion
> Pickup_man
10/11/2018 at 14:39 |
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My ‘61 is pretty darn close to the perfect truck in my mind, but I do wish I could take more than one other person in it with me at a time, at least as far as my family goes.
I also know I have had next to zero time to work on my own cars - anything beyond the basics like brakes, oil changes, sensors, tune-ups - since kids arrived. There are times when I could pass the kids off on my wife to get things done, but that means less time with them. I put that time ahead of just about everything, but it’s a tough balance. You still need time to do your own thing now and then.
I think at age 6, my son is just getting interested in helping me with things, but his little sister always wants to do whatever he’s doing, so I need to try to find safe things for a 4 AND 6 year old to do, which is hard.
What were we talking about? Oh yeah. I’d see if you could buy something like what you’re talking about, and either keep one of your existing “dream” trucks anyway. Like a 1950 Suburban. I know, Chevy not ford, but still. It would be cool.
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Pickup_man
> functionoverfashion
10/11/2018 at 17:24 |
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After a couple days of contemplation I agree, my biggest problem right now is storage space, but hopefully I can get out of town and on to an acreage in the next 2- 5 years and have space for storage and work.
I’m not a diehard Ford guy (anymore) if I think it’s cool, I want one, and an old Suburban would be awesome too .
Hopefully I’ll have some time to tinker and build, but time will tell, kiddo will be priority number one.