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Thought I'd do a build thread on my panel even though it is finished. Hopefully I'll get things in order.

 

Anxiously awaiting more......

 

Well I'll start with a little bit of history in why I wanted to restore a panel in he first place. There is a short story behind it that dates back to when I was 13 years old but didn't involve a panel truck. There was a man who lived down the street from me who had a 36 Ford Tudor and it was offered to me for $50 because he always seen me looking over the fence dreaming about it and he was moving and had no place to keep it any longer. If I didn't take it, it would be sold to anyone else for $500. I run home and asked my dad if I could buy it and park it behind our garage but the answer was a flat out NO. So I watched the car being hoisted onto a trailer and carried away. I then got interested in motorcycles which worried the parents and when a 56 F100 panel truck came into the picture the parents said yes, if only I had known that was all it would have taken I could have had my 36. Then when I was about to turn 16 and apply for a driver license my dad made me get rid of the panel even though I had it in running condition.
Fast forward to Sept. 1999 , I found another 56 panel truck and a pickup, bought them both and basically started my plans for my first build.

 

This is what I brought home but it remained parked for about 5 years before I actually started any work on it
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In this picture it is already sitting on the 72 Chev C10 frame

 

The frame swap came about simply because I didn't know any better, this was my first build after all, a friend I work with offered me his old truck for a $100 and it had a good running motor, something of which I didn't have. When pricing out suspension upgrades it was much cheaper lowering this Chev frame than what it would cost doing the Ford, so I thought at the time. It's too bad hind sight doesn't kick in earlier in a build, I was still learning I shortened the frame and rolled it under the body.

 

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Couple more pics of my beauty

 

I'll follow the story/build

 

It might take awhile to get all the pictures in order as well as my memory Gerry so hang tight,lol

 

Watching this

 

anxiously watching, wishing i had time for mine.

 

I had to wait about 6 years before I started work to mine Jim, you have to get your ducks in a row,lol

 

Originally my thoughts were to raise the front cab mounts higher because of the rear kick up of the Chev frame but once I seen how badly rusted all the main sections in floor support was I decided to raise the rear floor of the panel instead by 3 " . There are a few pictures I'm missing or forgot to take but will post a picture with it braced up and sitting on the frame.
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I put a lot of bracing in it to keep it square and pretty much gutted the whole bottom end, I was glad it all hold together and will say it was a pain to work in there.

 

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The rear door post from the bottom hinges were also rusted out as well as the roll pan and structure underneath . So I had to make my own door post patches and a C channel from 16 gauge to support the 2"x2" square tube sub structure and tie everything together. I eliminated the hinges all together because of the hatch door I was planning to do.