New to group '52 F3 build

B

Bruce Koukalaka

Junior Member
Hi I just joined the group and feel I should introduce my truck and myself. I'm a proud Albertan born and raised (NOT in favour of the NDP (provincial) or Liberal (Federal) governments by any stretch of the imagination) and am a certified Journeyman automotive tech. The truck is a 1952 F3 I got in trade of a 1962 Mercury Unibody. My F3 is in decent condition for a 65 year old field find, it is mostly complete missing only the rear window, distributor cap, wires, and ashtray at first look. The engine is stuck but I feel it will be easily freed up, the box is a bit rough but complete, the wood floor is rotten in the box, the cab has no real bad parts (even the cab corners are good) the rims and tires on it are a mix mash of sizes and types including one true widow-maker RH5 (the type that is the absolute most dangerous of all rims) I haven't been able to crawl under the old girl to check such things as the frame or brakes. I am however quite optimistic as to their condition. I'm hoping if I can get the engine unstuck I will be able to drive the truck within a year. I'll keep updates coming on it.
 

Attachments

  • 1JPG.JPG
    1JPG.JPG
    66.4 KB · Views: 107
  • 2.JPG
    2.JPG
    67.3 KB · Views: 113
  • 4.JPG
    4.JPG
    55.8 KB · Views: 111
  • 20.jpg
    20.jpg
    46.5 KB · Views: 109
  • 12.jpg
    12.jpg
    46 KB · Views: 89
good to have another truck in the group. We are working on two F1 pick ups now, one 48, one 50 and have several parts trucks--all of these trucks the ash trays are gone! I wish I knew who got them all. use the old tried and true soaking fluid 1/2 Acetone 1/2 ATF and soak the valves and the pistons. a lot of the stuck parts are actually the valves stuck or rusted to the guides. cast iron guides and the oil drains out and they rust. I would advise removing the vale galley cover (intake manifold) and soak the valve guides
 
Looks like a good solid truck to start with. Keep us posted on your progress. Maybe you will inspire me to start on my 51 F-3.
 
Welcome to the Fordbarn. That looks like a pretty solid truck to start with. Good luck and keep us posted on details of your progress.
 
Welcome. You have a good group of people here to help you out. Post some pictures as you go. Don't have any experience with 51 and 52 but am getting my feet wet with a some 48-50 Merc M68's. Good luck.
 
Welcome to the "Barn". You will find a wealth of information and advise from folks on this site that have already "busted knuckles" from this hobby. Feel free to ask and most importantly, enjoy the adventure. Keep us posted, we love pictures.
 
Welcome on. I learned to drive in my Pop's old 52 F3. If yours is a Ford of Canada pickup it will be interesting to see what differences there might be from the Ford USA models. It looks to be near the condition of my Pop's old 52 Kansas farm truck before he sold it off (I wish he had told me he was going to do that or it would be down here in Texas now).

When you start in on working the motor, be aware that valves can stick a motor just as bad as pistons & rings can. Don't be temped to free it up without checking everything out first. I'd pull the manifold and the heads and start that way. If it turns out to be minor and you want to try and fire it up the way it is, it will only cost you a top end set of gaskets.
 
Agree that you'll want to study up on your 17" two piece wheels. Don't be fooled into thinking that they look to be one piece. Googling their trade name "Firestone RH-5°" and my user name will give pictures and other postings.

It's interesting that the F-3 was marketed in Canada as a "one ton" while in the US it was a heavy 3/4 ton. The US F-2 model, light 3/4, wasn't sold in Canada. The US one ton was the F-4. Otherwise I believe the US and Canadian trucks were alike, except that there was a DRW option available in Canada. Stu
 
Thanks for the welcome and advise I already Know about those widow maker rims, they are illegal here in Canada so I'll be substituting a set of 16" F 250 split rims that I have handy. and thanks for the input on the valves possibly being my stuck engine culprit.
 
truckdog62563 said:
Agree that you'll want to study up on your 17" two piece wheels. Don't be fooled into thinking that they look to be one piece. Googling their trade name "Firestone RH-5°" and my user name will give pictures and other postings.

It's interesting that the F-3 was marketed in Canada as a "one ton" while in the US it was a heavy 3/4 ton. The US F-2 model, light 3/4, wasn't sold in Canada. The US one ton was the F-4. Otherwise I believe the US and Canadian trucks were alike, except that there was a DRW option available in Canada. Stu
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure you are correct about the DRW, except they were not available with the parcel delivery box top the best of my knowledge. As for the RH5 rims I know all about them as I said earlier. I have a '68 F250 out back that will be losing it's rims for my '52 even though they are split rims (goodyear type LW-LBW)At least this type is as close to what they are as I can find.
 
Agree the DRW option was shown in combination with the stake bed. No DRW fenders existed for the Express pickup beds. I'll edit to add the DRW brochure. Also interesting that you find your 1968 wheels have the LW-LBW rims. I find references to the RHP, LTS, and Duo but not the LW-LBW. Maybe Ford of Canada used a slightly different combination of center discs and outer rims than on US production trucks. Stu


 
Last edited:
My wife is going to pick up some diesel fuel for me tonight after she finishes work. Tomorrow I'll dump some down the cylinders and carb to try to free the engine up. I hope to be able to turn it over before tearing it down. I'll also be crawling under the truck to check the frame, front end, etc. and probably start removing the tires to check brakes and so on. I haven't been feeling much like working on it recently as the weather has been cold and snowy and I have been a bit sick.
 
Well I didn't get the diesel fuel dumped into the engine yet, As the last couple days my wife took off with it in the back of her truck. I'll be doing it tomorrow however as I grabbed it tonight when I got home from doing some errands. The build may take more time than I want because I just lined up a camp job and will be away for most of the year doing some fracking water testing. I guess when I get home (whenever that will be) I'll spend as much time as possible on the old girl. I'll also need to find someone out here in Alberta that knows about machining the engine and rebuilding it (I doubt I'll have time) I will be disassembling it myself to see what I have to start with. By the way Stu, you may be absolutely correct about the rims being something other than what I stated earlier, this was just the only reference I could find in my limited resources.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top