First restore

[Trout]

Hello fellow members, I'm new to the forum and new to the world of restoration. However, I recently purchased a 1949 Ford F3 pickup. It has the flathead 6 with 55,000 miles on it and I drove it home. It was awesome. I want to restore this truck and I'm looking for some suggestions. Some tell me to keep it original and some tell me to mount the body on a newer frame with newer engine and tranny. All I know is I want to drive this truck. Any suggestions on the best route to go here? I like the idea of mounting it on a new frame but that sounds a little over my head.

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Congrats on your new old truck, and Welcome to The Ford Barn!

Taking a cool old truck and making a Frankenstein out of it by mounting on a newer chassis will kill the spirit of it. You want a new truck, buy a new truck. You want a project that will languish in the shop and 50/50 never get finished, and if it does get finished, 90% sure you won't like the finished product and then you dump it for 1/2 or 1/3 of what you have in it.

But like they say, your name is on the title, not mine, so do whatever suits you!

[FortyNiner]

Welcome! The best thing you can do is drive the truck. The worst plan is disassembly followed by a complicated reassembly, with heavy fabrication/engineering requirements, spread over a number of years with a collection of costs that were not forseen.

If the truck can be driven, do that first. This old iron will tell you things with use that are important. If you haven't already done so, pick up a 1949-52 Shop Manual. It will be the best investment on your journey.

The real question, that only you can answer is: What do you want the truck to be? Daily Driver? Show Truck? Low speed fun? Highway cruiser? What is your budget, skill level, available work space...

While the Ford Barn has a great knowledge base, the range in vehicles is fairly wide. There is a very focused truck forum on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts site for the 48-56 models. Good group with solid technical and practical expertise. Enjoy the ride.

[JSeery]

Welcome to the Barn. I vote for keeping it mostly stock unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise.

[Heard]

Congrats and welcome to the Barn!

I'm with the others on this. At the very least, drive it for a year or two as is. Then you'll probably have a much better feel for what YOU want. You said you drove it home and it was awesome. What more could you want?

[edhd58]

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I agree with others. drive it a while then decide. I am doing, 3 year so far process, of a poor boy restore of a 42 Fordor and wish now I hadn't done everything I am doing. It's gonna be something I will definitely have fun with and keep, but I do wish I hadn't torn it al apart and done all I am doing.

[Mike51Merc]

How much money do you want to put into it? Frame and power train swaps are not for beginners and can end up costing you a bundle and that's before you even consider body work, paint, and upholstery.

Better for you to diagnose and repair/restore the major systems one-by-one.

[cmbrucew]

Welcome Trout
I will cast my vote for stock.
Drive it as much as possible and enjoy all the praise for "your neat ole truck"
Every body and their daughter will tell you about "my uncle had one just like it"
Bruce

[Russ/40]

If you thought driving it was awesome, then the chassis replacement would change everything you liked about it. I'm assuming the truck is all original and geared as original. The advice you have received is dead on, "drive it for a year or two". That will expose what you want, and need, to do.

[Mike in AZ]

what Russ/40 said....if you loved driving it home, then drive it like it is and fix it up to be reliable and safe.....and drive.....with a big grin on your face....lol...and welcome to the 'Barn....got pics??....Mike

[gnolnor]

Trout, Welcome to the Ford Barn. If you can drive it now, do not start a restoration. There is value in a original truck, just fix the items that make
it road worthy and give you confidence to drive. I believe it is easier to sell an original car/truck rather than a modified. Enjoy it now!

[DD931]

As shown in my avatar, I have a '48 F-1 with the six cylinder H engine. I love it!! It is a low mileage truck (37,000 miles) and has been lovingly cared for in the 20 years it's been in my hands. I wouldn't dream of "restoring" it. I've fixed/improved stuff as I've gone along, but everything is exactly configured as Henry built it. I have added seat belts and will put in turn signals this summer, but otherwise dead stock. By the way, don't look down on Henry's six. When I was a kid we all knew that a six would beat a V8 from a stop!! Check out the torque curves!!

[40 Deluxe]

Are your well-meaning friends that tell you to put the body on a newer chassis experienced in this? Have they ever done it? Likely not! Do not do this!
Since it's a one ton, it is geared very low; maybe 4.56, 4.88, or even 5.14 to 1-great for hauling a load of feed through the mud to the cows, but not so good on the open road. If you just drive around town, no big deal but there are a lot of options for better highway manners: different gears, change the entire axle, or overdrive of some type. Maybe go for softer springs too.
But for now, just do maintenance (pack wheel bearings, lube the chassis, change the fluids, tune-up, etc.) and make it safe. Pull all the drums and check the brakes. Check tie rods, kingpins and steering box.
Next step: Just enjoy! Make people wonder what that silly grin is all about.

[Shu47]

I vote for keeping stock like it is. Drive it and have fun.

[Scotty's 52 F3]

Welcome Trout. You have joined a great forum. Lots of knowledge and experience here. Exactly why I joined.

I also have an F3 and I'm new to these old Fords. I'm driving mine as I fix it up. Once I get all the little things fixed, I will take it down for paint and body. Maybe in another year or so.

Like was suggested, drive it and decide what you want out of it. Be honest about your abilities and budget and go from there.

Scott

[Trout]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. You have me convinced to keep it stock and just drive it. I have a little rust to deal with on the bed sides but I don't feel that will be a big issue. I see there are a lot of replacement parts available for this truck and with the knowledge and willingness of the members of this forum I am really excited to get this project going. I'll post some pics as soon as I can. Thanks again

[waterboychuck]

Drive the hell out of your truck. If it boils over then fix that and continue driving. If you start to tear it down you may loose interest as you will not be driving it and the cost may be too much for your picket book. Good luck

[Karl]

Originally Posted by Trout

Thanks to everyone for your replies. You have me convinced to keep it stock and just drive it. I have a little rust to deal with on the bed sides but I don't feel that will be a big issue. I see there are a lot of replacement parts available for this truck and with the knowledge and willingness of the members of this forum I am really excited to get this project going. I'll post some pics as soon as I can. Thanks again

Wise decision I think. Original cars are a blast to drive. Karl

[41panelmark]

Keep as is. Share some photos.

[19Fordy]

Make it safe and drive it. If you park it and take it apart it will probably become a project you never complete. Join a club, meet fellow owners, partake of their knowledge and ENJOY your truck.