Los_Control

I can imagine the torque that thing puts out .... your arms will be tired. There are times you just need the big tool to get the job done. Once on a home remodel, it included removing existing sidewalks and adding new .... this meant a jackhammer. My employer rented & delivered a small jackhammer .... he thought it would be easier to handle. We tried all morning, first my apprentice & then I took over .... all it did was beat us up with the shaking, but broke no concrete. I went to lunch early at 11:00, turned in the small hammer for the big daddy .... 90# hammer. By 1:30 I had all the concrete broke, over 100'. ..... Employer sent me to return the rental tool, flipped me $20 to buy a beer, sent me home with pay. .... He, my apprentice & the laborer spent the day loading the broken concrete into a dumpster. Sometimes, only a big tool will work. @Uluare you sure you need that big tool for this job? I have a 4" Makita with a 5" brush that does a great job of removing the same crud your 7" is doing. The times I have used a 7" grinder that takes two hands to operate, That is a job.

My long winded story about driving cross country with a bad fuel pump .... things don't always fail in the ways we expect them to ..... they make you scratch your head. Making it possible your mechanical pump works for awhile, then you need the electric pump to get back home. Exactly. One way to justify the cost ..... they are fairly cheap. Today you can find them, couple years from now they may be hard to find. If it fixes the issue so be it., if not .... you now have a good spare pump you can pack away and carry it with you on road trips in case needed in the future. I think trying the coil is a pretty decent shot in the dark assuming it was bad and overheating .... if it was a ignition issue, the electric pump would have no effect.

Here is a photo of it if you did not see it. Looks like they had some sort of tie downs installed so there are extra holes to weld up .... pretty simple to fix. Paint looks pretty rough, will take lots of sanding & prep. .... To be expected. It needs work, from photo it looks pretty straight. Possibly your painter could take care of the repairs. I see your location as Richmond, I was thinking VA .... a little closer then Kentucky. I'm not a big fan of facebook .... I use it mainly for marketplace. I did buy my truck from FB marketplace. I have bought parts from a seller who advertises on FB ..... Just another tool in the tool box for these old trucks. There is a seller named Douglas Crozier who I have bought from .... he ships everything. Probably have to ship it through fastenal. Is it worth it? I dunno, He would know because it is his business. I see DCM sells new low side bed sides for $800 each .... maybe someone sells the standard beds?

My experience with a bad fuel pump was on a 1993 Caravan with a electric pump in the tank Father inlaw picked the wife & I up in Albuquerque Heading to Washington state. ..... He said he had a fuel issue on the way. Was strange. Problem was we could drive all night in cool air but come about 10:00-11:00 AM, the black asphalt was collecting radiant heat, the fuel tank was heating up ... the pump would still run, but not move any fuel. ...... Were talking 80F-90F daytime temps. Leaving ABQ the hottest part of the trip in the afternoon, we only made it a few hours til it crapped out on us. We waited til dark then drove all night into Utah. Utah we had a bad tire, slept in the van at walmart, when they opened we got a new tire. It was a light rain that day, we were able to get almost to Idaho in the rain. Then the weather cleared up the sun came out .... acted like vapor lock again. We sat till dark. Then we made it into Oregon overnight, by 10:00AM-11:00AM it got warm ..... we hung out in the park all day like bums .... waiting for late afternoon. We drove all night again and made it to our destination in WA the next morning. We changed the fuel pump & never had the problem again .... We drove it from WA to TX a few times after that. Only saying I have seen first hand how we drove 1/2 way across country with a bad fuel pump. The OEM pump would not pump fuel when the weather got warm, work all day long in cooler weather. ..... We could hear the electric pump motor working. Must have been something to do with the rubber diaphragm stretching when it got warm?

IMHO, just seems to early to have issues with vapor lock. The symptoms you described could be vapor lock .... just not warm enough here in Texas to see this. But with a warm engine heating the fuel ..... Who knows. Because I never driven my truck yet I never seen vapor lock. I'm adding a return line to the fuel tank to prevent it ..... Before it happens. What you describe sounds exactly like fuel turning into vapor. Todays fuel is absolutely crap ..... Are you sure it is just not your fuel heating up inside your fuel line & turning to vapor?

I'm thinking is always 4 0'clock somewhere.

IIRC, Ford actually had a few blocks they did this from the factory ... for racing ..... or large truck blocks. the idea is the same for any flathead. Just improve airflow. While I can not point to any Dodge racers that did the same trick .... sure there are a few. I really thought it was incredible to watch a Dude do it free hand with basic power tools used on wood. It took 2 or 3 passes to get them where they wanted to be. When finished you could throw the tools away .... they did their job.

As a old wood butcher .... I'm surprised to see this task accomplished with a hand held router & a carbide bit ..... I guess it works. The only idea is to move air quicker sideways ...... Overhead valve were way ahead of the game. The Legend goes .... speed kills. Drive a Ford & live forever. I have a newer Ford engine then what @Snipershows ..... I'm not sure I'm brave enough to relieve the block myself ... No question about it .... that was a big thing to get more power out of a flathead.

Well, last time I put on a show in Seattle .... I went to the hospital to visit my mother. It was quite the show when the 1972 T-bird caught fire in the parking lot. There was 2 firetrucks & a EMT vehicle ... a few police cars .... was a show for sure. Been a long time since I've been back though.

For giggles, sometimes it pays to buy spare parts. This was posted on Facebook 5 hours ago .... $200 for everything ..... + shipping .... or located in PA. Just 1 decent side bed If you need it, or pay a panel beater 6 times that? https://www.facebook.com/groups/618593728345382/permalink/2100515440153196/ I saw this thing for sale 5 years ago for $200 & bought it .... Thinking I might need spare parts like suspension, brake drums ... might be fun to have a matching trailer to pull behind my truck .... today I have no plans for it. It is pretty straight & has a decent tailgate. .... It is not roadworthy, sure is a pile of spare parts though. I would bet a nickel, your truck being used to haul grain. It was always backed up to the grain pile & loaded by a tractor with a bucket. Then the operator would bump the bed side to get all the grain to fall out of the bucket. Would they then drive out to the field, open the door on the tailgate & leave a trail for the cattle to come eat?

Could be you just change the one plug & be done with it .... This is the lowest area of the block .... all the crud settles here. You could remove the plug above it and a wire coat hanger, a hose and fish & flush. It is common for casting sand from when the block was born to collect here .... the black dirt you see. Some engines seem to have more then others. Some engines have already been cleaned. You can imagine with the amount of space this crud is taking up, is less coolant your engine holds. Well worth the $3 to pull the top plug to run the hose into while fishing the crap out with a wire from the bottom plug Myself, I had a overheating issue. I pulled the water pump & all welsh plugs ... Running the hose through the water distribution tube & fishing with wire .... I'm glad I did. At least pull the top plug and fish wire through the block .... will be surprised how deep the crud builds up over 70 years.

Good job!

I always loved the old Fords .... Only replying to buy time .... I should be cutting my grass It has to be a truck to get me excited, I only get excited about trucks. I would pass up the cars above at a show, to go look at a truck sitting in the corner. In high school I drove a 1951 Ford flathead V8 truck. We all try to re-live our childhood .... There is nothing like the sound of a flathead V8. .... They are worthless engines .... boy they sure sound cool. @Plymouthy AdamsYou are correct ... just strange times we live in .... interesting to see who comes out on top.

You are correct it is a different process today .... still basic body work though. Being bowed outwards might be a blessing. Just easier to jig it up I mean. A hack like me, I would set it on top of cement blocks supporting the ends. Then back my chebby truck up to it and use a bottle jack as a press. Might need to add some weight in the bed of the truck to help. Thats the simple idea, might take 2 hours just cutting wooden wedges and setting the bed side at just the right angle. Then when you apply weight it will go back to it's natural shape. A body shop will have a frame table & anchor points to pull from .... will be more professional then my hackery Because the round pipe is so strong, they may want to just cut it out & replace it .... All out of range of my skill levels. With your level of restoration, a body shop with a plasma cutter & tig welder .... replacing it may be the quickest option to achieve the level of quality you want. Never know, you might take a swing at it .... might come out better then expected.

Last month Wife & I went for a drive to the next town for a swap meet. I was more excited about the pile of tires I passed on the way ..... I'm certain the one on top of the pile is what I'm looking for. I just got no guts to bother others ...... I would rather buy new online to get what I want. ..... I will just purchase new as needed.

It could end. I'm more worried about the authors response. 7-8 years ago I went to a psychiatrist thinking I may be getting the old timers disease. I could not remember my phone # ..... Took a few years, I have a clear memory now. When @MarcDeSoto talks about such stupid things as a seal .... I'm not against them .... just wish I could be there & give them a hug.

I only assume jfish knows this. The wheel they are showing is not original TBH, think I might prefer aftermarket Ford wheels over the Mopar wheels.

I think sniper set you on the right path. Hubcapmike is where I will be going. Only thing I can add is check your wheels. I have 3 wheels that will accept a 8" cap, the 4rth needs a 9" cap .... just not matching wheels. I'm only suggesting you check your wheels to see they are matching before ordering.

This can be a difficult issue. Any photos? Is it the top rail bent? Or the sheet metal warped? On my truck, the top rail is bent from being hit. Not much, maybe a 1/4". It will show when I close the tailgate. I have a few ideas .... Just wonder what you mean when you say warped.

Glad you have a decent painter .... the work looks awesome so far. I have heard so many horror stories about "paint jail" Technically my truck is in paint jail right now, waiting for the painter to finish so I can put it back together. Problem is, I'm the painter .... I have nobody to complain to, life just gets in the way. Locally a painter quoted $1500 for a cheap red paint with black stripes on a Ford Torino. Painter finished the car. When they removed the tape for the stripes, peeled the paint off. They were not going to fix it. Painter wants $3500 now, owner will not pay. Painter steals new 4bbl carb & other speed parts from car .... owner calls police & tow truck & starts a court battle. A fun story, my neighbor has a 65 chebby swb truck. Had his Cousin paint it ... beautiful job .... never finished the tail gate. A honest quality job at a quality price .... Got the truck back, I'll get the tail gate done soon as I can .... No problem Cousin, it looks great I love you let me know when the tailgate is done. Meantime the painters father passes, the painter inherits over $2million .... Neighbor hears from him ... somewhere in South America on a 2 year world cruise. My neighbor is looking for a 1965 chebby tailgate that he can get painted to match his truck. You just can't control life.

Pic of my 1949.... er it is a 1950 titled as a 49. What they look like with the grill bars removed. Having the E-brake on the floor, 49 was the last year. 1950 they were moved under the dash. Just joking about the best looking truck, they are all great looking imho.

48-50 for sure, nothing to worry about .... definitely without a doubt the best looking trucks ever.

I'm kinda impressed our small town has a radio station .... I feel like it is more important for small towns. The only television we can get is over satellite. .... Not everyone can afford a $100 + satellite tv bill. I hate paying it because we never watch it. So I'm impressed when a larger radio company bought our little AM radio station a few years ago, they rebuilt everything. Remodeled the building, all new equipment. They added a FM station while keeping AM working & functional. ....... I just assume it would have been cheaper, easier to just go straight FM while upgrading all the equipment. Just makes me wonder if there is any Federal regulations involved to keep AM active? Why would a a company who owns 30 radio stations buy & modernize a new station & keep AM active? ..... I really can not see how it would be profitable. I'm thinking Federal laws & emergency broadcasting system .... Not some larger corporation Keeping AM alive for old car enthusiast.

I use them to show my southern drawl coming out