Progress on my 36'

banjoQ

banjoQ

Senior Member
I thought I would take a minute to send you all the best Holiday wishes and give an update on my 36' project. I know you guys like pictures, so I will try to upload a few. As some of you know, I was given this truck last January and began working on getting it out of it's resting place. It had been put into the shed back in 1963 with the hopes of getting it back on the road. Well, you know how that goes. It sat undisturbed for the next fifty years! In fact it had been there so long that the door it went in had been closed off! Using floor jacks and shop dollies, got it in position to come out another door. Brakes were frozen. clutch was stuck, motor was stuck, tank full of sludge. We moved it to a shop area so we could begin work. First we freed up the wheels and replaced all the hydraulics, lines and brake shoes. Cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings.Was able to free clutch, it lasted about 500 mi. before finally needing replacement. Rebuilt the carb, replaced the fuel pump, replaced the tank and ran a new fuel line. Was able to free the pistons with a soaking of MMO and ATF. Gentle use of a breaker bar and things started to look better. We actually then got it to start, only running on five cylinders. Then six, then seven. The eighth cylinder refused to hold pressure, rigged an IV of MMO trying to loosen these valves. No luck, ended up doing a ring and valve job to get things right. Now runs like a champ! I have been slowly re-wiring the truck a circuit at a time to get functioning lights. I get to drive it several times a week, cruising it up and down the Coast. I am now looking into putting shock absorbers on it and replacing window and door seals. All this would have been much harder without the advice and information I received from you all. Thanks again, you have been great. I hope the pics go thru, until next time - Q
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0130.jpg
    IMG_0130.jpg
    41.7 KB · Views: 141
  • IMG_0176.jpg
    IMG_0176.jpg
    62.5 KB · Views: 133
  • IMG_7501.jpg
    IMG_7501.jpg
    49.8 KB · Views: 143
  • IMG_3809.jpg
    IMG_3809.jpg
    65.7 KB · Views: 136
Last edited:
Very well done, and so nice to see you've kept it original, except for the front bumper...
 
I really like that truck and can relate to how you're going about working on it.

Mart.
 
This truck was assembled from parts out of a wrecking yard, literally. Those bumpers were the ones that fit that day, I'm sure. If you notice the cab, it's from a 37', the V8 is an 8BA from 50'. I've had to build my detective skills to determine what parts are from a 36' and which are not. Quite a few people said that it would not run and was not worth the effort. I get a great deal of satisfaction driving up to their house for a visit. It's not real fast, but it will get you there.
 
I like the story and the pictures. The 36 truck would have had mechanical brakes originally, right? I understand it was not until 39 that Ford went to hydraulic brakes. My 38 sedan runs cables.
 
FredB- You are right, the 36' trucks originally had the mech. binders. From the records I have seen this was put together in 50' or 51'. Since they were building it in the early fifties, they had the knowledge to use the juice over the mechanicals. The 8BA in it is actually a Mercury(bronze paint), not Ford. Since it was destined to be a work truck, why not go for more horsepower? It pulls real strong, but with the 4:11s out back it's top speed is about 45mph. All in all, this has been a great project that I can share with my family.
 
what size tires to you have in the rear, I run 650, 16 in the rear so it helps a little bit. I like your truck, the photo of it being pulled out of the garage in the City, was that where it sat for a long time? Brendan
 
Brendan- There was no money in my budget for tires, so I had to get them on the cheap. A friend of mine has a tire shop, he let me dig through his discard pile. Those are 215/70/16s. These are common on SUV's, so I was able to find some pretty good ones. 0$ was just what I needed at the time. Hopefully I will be able to get correct tires down the road. Yes, that's the building where the truck sat for fifty years. It's a neighborhood up above the Mission Dist. Buildings like that were used as barns in the city 100 yrs. ago.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0127.jpg
    IMG_0127.jpg
    41.7 KB · Views: 32
banjoQ said:
Brendan- There was no money in my budget for tires, so I had to get them on the cheap. A friend of mine has a tire shop, he let me dig through his discard pile. Those are 215/70/16s. These are common on SUV's, so I was able to find some pretty good ones. 0$ was just what I needed at the time. Hopefully I will be able to get correct tires down the road. Yes, that's the building where the truck sat for fifty years. It's a neighborhood up above the Mission Dist. Buildings like that were used as barns in the city 100 yrs. ago.
Click to expand...


that looks like my cousin's neighborhood he lives on 24th and Diamond
 
Brendan- You have a good eye, it's just a block or so away. It's a real nice neighborhood. There are still a few barns and haylofts there if you know where to look for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top