I recently retired and decided that I wanted to restore a classic vehicle to keep myself busy. My wife, who has never hesitated to lend me a hand in the garage while maintaining our daily drivers, suggested finding an early 50's Ford pickup. She has fond memories of these trucks because when she was young her grandfather took her with him to farm sales in his early 50's Ford F1. I have always thought that the Ford Flathead V8s were pretty cool so I thought this would be a fun project. I am not a trained auto technician but my father, who was an Aviation Mechanic in the Navy taught me how to service and maintain my own cars. I also have a son who is an auto body tech so this just seemed to be a perfect opportunity to involve the whole family in a project that is meaningful to each of us. I found a 1952 Ford F1 in California that was originally purchased new by the US Navy. It has a brass serial number plate to prove it. Having a Navy connection reminded my of how my Father developed my love of vehicles and the fact that this was a California vehicle with relatively little rot struck me as this was what were going to start our project with. I disassembled it down to the frame, cleaned and blasted the frame and painted it. I have replaced all bearings and bushings in the rear end and spring ends and have installed a Mustang II IFS with disc brakes and rack and pinion steering. I have also updated the master cylinder with a vacuum assist, dual reservoir unit. I have also rebuilt the three speed transmission. The engine is currently at the machine shop and the cab has been totally disassemble for preparation for the sandblast shop. Finally, I have purchased an aftermarket bed assembly that we are currently welding together. When completed we plan to join local cruises and taking it to local car shows. Another way to share quality time with the family.
