Eastwood youtube videos of 1950 PH truck...

[Dan Babb]

Looks good.

You plan on covering up the holes in the front where the bumper goes?

Would look clean with a smooth front since you won't be running the bumper.

[IronTrap]

Looks good.

You plan on covering up the holes in the front where the bumper goes?

Would look clean with a smooth front since you won't be running the bumper.

Unfortunately the front bumper was stolen from our property so I need to decide if I want to run one or not. I have considered going back to the old guy I got it from and seeing if he has a basic front bumper without overriders I can buy and use. Just need to get time to get over there and dig around again!

[wendleburger]

Looks good.

You plan on covering up the holes in the front where the bumper goes?

Would look clean with a smooth front since you won't be running the bumper.

I did this and I'm still not completely sold on it. I think the bumper really does add to the overall look of the front of these trucks.

[HanksB3B]

I did this and I'm still not completely sold on it. I think the bumper really does add to the overall look of the front of these trucks.

To say nothing about how they detract from the overall look of the front of these trucks when you need one and don't have one.

Hank

[Dan Babb]

I remember reading here that a bumper off a Bronco of certain years was a suitable replacement for the rear bumper on our trucks.

Any ideas what he could hunt down that would work for the front?

[1952B3b23]

Its all personal preference but im actually a fan of the no front bumper look... but i bet someone has one that they dont want/need, i unfortunately do not.

By the way great work Matt those running boards are going to look great! Do you have any more up close pics of the 1"x1" frame work you built? I'd like to try my hand at making a set, but i dont have originals to go by.

Thanks,

-Chris

[IronTrap]

Its all personal preference but im actually a fan of the no front bumper look... but i bet someone has one that they dont want/need, i unfortunately do not.

By the way great work Matt those running boards are going to look great! Do you have any more up close pics of the 1"x1" frame work you built? I'd like to try my hand at making a set, but i dont have originals to go by.

Thanks,

-Chris

Thanks Chris,

I'll try and snap some more detailed pictures here shortly. I was out of the country shopping for a vintage german motorcycle project and picking up some parts for my vw projects..(I have wayyy too many projects!), so I haven't touched the truck in some time. I am planning to start on the framework of the other running board here shortly!

[1952B3b23]

Thanks Chris,

I'll try and snap some more detailed pictures here shortly. I was out of the country shopping for a vintage german motorcycle project and picking up some parts for my vw projects..(I have wayyy too many projects!), so I haven't touched the truck in some time. I am planning to start on the framework of the other running board here shortly!

Sounds good, i'd really appreciate the pics! It also sounds like you have a bunch of other awesome projects going on. That German motorcycle one really interests me, im a huge fan of custom motorcycles too.

[Dennis_MN]

I remember reading here that a bumper off a Bronco of certain years was a suitable replacement for the rear bumper on our trucks.

Any ideas what he could hunt down that would work for the front?

My truck originally came with the older Ranger front and rear bumpers.

The Rear works pretty good but I didn't like the looks of the front bumper plus it was too narrow. Here is a picture of the Front Ranger Bumper

a Link to more images https://sites.google.com/site/dennisjsullivan/Home/photo--sharing

Edited June 27, 2012 by Dennis_MN
show more images

[IronTrap]

I actually think the chrome ranger bumper would work if it was a tad wider, it looks pretty similar in shape to the chrome grill trim.. but with it not being wide enough, I think it ruins it a little. Truck still looks nice as hell! I have a pretty big yard about an hour from me with a huge classic car/truck section and I think I may go there with a sawzaw and a tape measure and cut one that looks cool off of a similar vintage truck for the front, the rear I'm not sure on yet.. I think I need to decide how I want to build the tailgate before I decide that.. but I appreciate the input guys!

I am currently working on the DIY video showing the custom bumper build step by step. It's a pretty simple process when you break it down.. right now I'm about to start rolling the 3/8" beads in the top skin. That will be the difficult part to get those looooooong beads straight and even!

Here is a couple more pics I took quickly of the build for the passenger running board.

The lines on the template will be the beads. I think running the bead around the perimiter of the top will make the top of the running board look less like a giant diving board

Stay tuned for the video, I should have that mostly wrapped up by the end of next week and we will have it edited and live within a week from there.

For any tri-state locals be sure to come check the truck out in person and say hello at our huge Eastwood Summer Classic show and shine this Saturday July 14th! More info here: http://www.eastwood.com/summerclassic. I'll be the heavily tattooed guy in an Eastwood t-shirt picking out the "Eastwood picks" for the best cars that roll into the show!

Edited July 12, 2012 by saddest6day66

[IronTrap]

I've been quite busy on the truck lately. I have the passenger side running board 90% done and we should be launching the video on the process tomorrow. Here's a couple pics of it so far. I'll link to the article/video once it's live on our YouTube channel.

Then I decided to tackle the front bumper, and I ended up going with a 60's Chevy Corvair van bumper, then chopping it up and changing the radius to match the Pilot House front end. I think it turned out pretty good! I just posted a tech article on the process here: http://blog.eastwood.com/50-dodge-project/custom-front-bumper/

I also had a friend do a quick photoshop of some possibly color schemes... I'm digging the one below.. figured I need to plan some of this out now since I'll be picking up the engine next week and will begin painting and detailing it to match the overal paint scheme. Thanks for anyone watching!

-Matt/EW

[IronTrap]

Here is the video for the running board fabrication. Enjoy!

[1952B3b23]

Thanks a lot, awesome video.

[1952B3b23]

Here is the video for the running board fabrication. Enjoy!

Matt,

What gauge sheet metal did you use to make those?

-Chris

[IronTrap]

Matt,

What gauge sheet metal did you use to make those?

-Chris

Chris,

In the end I decided to use 20 gauge to make it easier to roll crisp beads in the metal.. especially with the curves I designed into the top out bead. I reinforced the frame of the running board with the 1x1 box tubing pretty good.. so shouldn't be an issue if someone does stand on it a little...

Thanks for watching everyone!

My sight wasn't so good the other day when I went to run the beads for the other running board and I decided to trash that one, I'm hoping to try and get the other top built next week.

In the meantime I decided to start on the chop and shave.. cut the drip rails and cleaning the top with our stripping disc kit for the angle grinder. got the top half of the cab stripped to how you see it in about 45 minutes.

[1952B3b23]

Okay thanks for the info, how expensive is a sheet of 20 gauge? You said that you are shaving the drip rails thats actually what im working on right now on my '52. I have the passenger side completely re-welded and i started grinding down the welds. My current approach is to grind the welds most of the way down with a 60 grit flap disc. Then finish the blending with a 120 grit flap disc, what do you think? By the way how much are you going to chop the top?

-Chris

[IronTrap]

Okay thanks for the info, how expensive is a sheet of 20 gauge? You said that you are shaving the drip rails thats actually what im working on right now on my '52. I have the passenger side completely re-welded and i started grinding down the welds. My current approach is to grind the welds most of the way down with a 60 grit flap disc. Then finish the blending with a 120 grit flap disc, what do you think? By the way how much are you going to chop the top?

-Chris

Sheets vary in price.. but I've seen around $40-$50 for a sheet depending on where you get it, how it's treated, etc.

The way you're mentioning is the basic process, but you need to be sure you either bevel the joint to allow the weld to flow in or hammer the weld to flatten it some as you go. You don't want to grind 90% of your weld away or it may fail in the future and the seam could crack open. I'm planning to open the gap up enough or bevel the joint so I can drop the filler rod (or MIG wire depending how you do it) into the opening so the weld bead is pretty flush with the surface to reduce the amount of grinding needed.

Chopping 3" out of the rear and I need to check and see what looks best for the front. I just made the first cut today actually!