Hello everyone!

Hello Everyone, just want to introduce myself... I have been lurking around a few forums online and never joined, I dont like the idea of getting assaulted with posts about how I'm not doing something right just because I'm not doing it the way they do in the magazines...

I am 23 years old, originally from Asheville, NC but am currently stationed in San Diego, CA. I have always been a gearhead, have owned a bunch of different vehicles, I am not exactly a brand purist by any means... First car was a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500, I've had 3 jeeps, a 1978 Trans Am, a Ford Ranger and now drive a 03 Dodge 2500 diesel, and the wife drives a Chevy HHR... I dont care for the import scene though, never really interested me...

OK, so what brings me here... I sold my Jeep before I came to Cali and wanted a new project... I came across a 1948 Ford F1, someone cut the front frame off to do a IFS swap and quit there... It came with an extra cab and skirts, but everything had rust on it... but the price was right, so here I am.

After some research, I decided a Ford explorer frame was perfect for the swap. I found a 1996 Explorer 5.0 v8, I plan on using as much of the explorer as possible to keep the price down... this whole project will be a learning experiance, I am doing the best I can with the tools, time and space that I have.

I am looking forward to getting some ideas and feedback without the "it cant be done" and "go buy the $$$$ kit" I have seen on all the other forums.

Brandon

Looks like you came to the right place, no guarantee you won't get unsolicited advice, but so far i haven't and I try not to criticize. My wife would probably argue with that but....

1st off want to thank you for your service in protecting our fredome.<<<THANKS>>>..now sounds as if you have a good idea as to what you want to build . do it the way you want !!!

Thank you for your service and welcome to the site. It is unlike any I have joined.

No thanks is needed, but it is appreciated.

Darkside Dave, the explorer is 2wd, I was open to having an AWD F1 but I couldn't pass up the price of this one, only had 120k on it, drivetrain is strong, and since the interior is trashed I got it for dirt cheap.... the only problem is it won't pass Californa smog test cause the check engine light is on... EVAP sensor is throwing a code...

I have been reading your thread, looks like I am doing a lot of the same things. I want to use the explorer firewall and floorboard, then keep the hvac and dash, steering column ect... the f1 is a lot narrower than your 53, so I'm going to have to do more cutting on the dash to make it fit. I'll start my thread as soon as I get a chance...

f1explorer87 wrote:Darkside Dave, the explorer is 2wd, I was open to having an AWD F1 but I couldn't pass up the price of this one, only had 120k on it, drivetrain is strong, and since the interior is trashed I got it for dirt cheap.... the only problem is it won't pass Californa smog test cause the check engine light is on... EVAP sensor is throwing a code...

I have been reading your thread, looks like I am doing a lot of the same things. I want to use the explorer firewall and floorboard, then keep the hvac and dash, steering column ect... the f1 is a lot narrower than your 53, so I'm going to have to do more cutting on the dash to make it fit. I'll start my thread as soon as I get a chance...

I thought that you might be doing a 2WD. It seems there are a lot of those in the South and the Southwest. You will be glad to know that doing the 2WD as opposed to the 4WD is a lot easier if you are doing a different engine.

In Ohio the polution standards apply to the model of the vehicle as it is titled. I am assuming that you are registering it as a '48. I have heard that California is looking at the polution standards of the drive train you are using as opposed to the model of the vehicle. If so, that does create a problem for you. However, you probably just have dirty oxygen sensors. I have fixed that problem many times by just removing them and using carb cleaner or acetone with a fine brass wire brush and then thoroughly drying them out with compressed air. You didn't say but I am assuming that you have the 4.0L V6 and an automatic tranny. If so that is probably going to be your best bet.

In your situation using the firewall and the dash from the Explorer may present some real challenges. I'm not saying it can't be done but it may take a whole lot of modification work on a lot of different systems. If you looked at my build thread as well as other stuff I have online you probably noticed that the old explorer gutted test fit dash pretty much fills the cab from side to side. I don't know the inside width from door to door on your '48 so I can't be much help there. If I get a chance I'll take some measurements. I think that someplace on the FTE there are some drawings with dimensions for your style cab.

In my case I am using a different engine and drive train as well as trying to get the 4WD and headers all to work out together. I also want to use all the Explorer heat and air system. That is causing me a fair amount of problems. The A/C stuff on the outside of the firewall is a bit of a snag because the engine valve covers are in the way. The T-Bird SC engine is bigger than the 4.0L.

In your case trimming the dash and getting it to mount may be a real challenge. Allow me to suggest that you find another dash you can practice on before you start hacking on your dash.

I hope you have planned on taking lots of time with this project because I have been on mine for two years and I was collecting stuff at least two years befor that. I do admit that I have not been working steady on it though. I hope to get back on it about mid Januaray.

I hope to soon see your build thread started. If you need help with the pictures let me know. Get yourself a PhotoBucket account if you don't already have one because your pictures have to be hosted someplace online as the people who provide our server space do not want to accomodate the storage space required by pictures.

Later Man...