| StevieSax | -- 09-09-2014 @ 4:34 AM |
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Greetings! I'm new to the 'club' and website forum. I am restoring a 1947 Ford 1.5 ton with a flatbed dump body. Nice farm truck! My question is this: In what order do all the front sheet metal body parts go back together? I'm finding it very difficult to line everything up, get ready to bolt - only to find that I've got to take apart something else. I'm also looking for any good info on installing the 'piping' and cloth that goes between joints, under the hood on the cowl etc. Is any of this stuff written down anywhere? Please feel free to e-mail me at sleclaire@benjaminagency.com
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| TomO | -- 09-09-2014 @ 7:18 AM |
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That is a very nice truck. The usual method of aligning the front sheet metal is to align the hood with the body and then align the fenders to the hood. Cut the V shaped openings for the fender bolts in the welting and then mount the fenders loosely on the body. Staple some tabs to the welting and use the tabs to pull the welting into place. After everything is aligned and tightened, cut off the tabs for appearance. Tom
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| StevieSax | -- 09-09-2014 @ 8:44 AM |
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Great advice Tom, thanks! But I was asking - do the fenders generally go on BEFORE the front grill ? Is it easier to assemble the fenders to the grill and put the whole front end on at once? Stuff like that. I put the fender wells ( inside part ) on, connected to the cab cowl and the front pieces that mount to the radiator, and then realized its very difficult to get underneath the fenders to get at all the bolts you need to line up. In the front end alone, there are the fender wells, the fenders, the welting and the brackets - 4 layers - to line up with a bolt hole.
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| supereal | -- 09-09-2014 @ 12:10 PM |
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Most trucks were assembled by installing the engine and transmission to the cab and frame, then the radiator "cradle", followed by the "front clip" consisting of the front fenders and grill. The clip was attached to the cradle, and the rear part of the fenders bolted to the cowl. That said, trying to repeat that is very difficult because the front clip has to be suspended so it can be lowered in place. The hood and front bumper complete the job. I saw that assembly many years ago at a Ford factory, and it took several men to handle the chore, I agree that many bolts are tough to insert and tighten. The factory crew worked from underneath in a sort of trench to reach them. Follow Tom's advice and be prepared to do a lot of fitting before the bolts are fully tightened.
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