Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)

DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)

DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.

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5 posters

Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°1

Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:47 pm

Sorry to send you to PhotoBucket, but I have no idea how to post images on here.

Here's some of the highlights of my build thread. I bought the truck in May of 2008, but put it on the back-burner until the Spring of 2009 when I was much better able to work on it. The truck came with an 87 T-bird 5.0 EFI motor, tranny, seats, and wiring harness. It also came with a lot more rust than I realized from my inspection. Also hidden away was a bent frame that would have cost at least $600 up to $1,500 to straighten. As you'll see from the pictures, about the only thing remaining from the original truck will be the cab and inner fenders. I'd have been much better off just buying a good cab...oh well! I've always wanted a fat fendered ford truck. Aside from illness death or unemployment, I'm committed to see this through. As I tell my wife, it's just a big boy's version of those models I used to build when I had a paper route.

https://s1016.photobucket.com/albums/af287/carnut122/

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55f350: Posts : 127
Join date : 2009-04-29
Age : 59
Location : a corn field in illinois

Post n°2

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post 55f350 Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:37 pm

yep another one with a 53 !!!! cool i see ya stopped in on my thread so what's your plans ???????????? 5.0's are good solid hard running but beginning to be like small block chevies , freaking bellybuttons . yep understand the frame . thats why i bought the one from dave . it was going to cost about 15 - 1600 to pull it back into shape . easier and cheaper to get another . also had a freind of mines kid { owns a body shop } come by and look at my bed .... gonna cost a lot to fix . it's cheaper to buy a mar k bed and new fenders !!!!!!!!!!well c'mon lets hear what you got up your sleeve!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Suspect

Suspect

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°3

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:06 pm

55f350, I grew up in that "corn field" you call home. I sure miss those Mel-O-Cream donuts! I'd give my right...oh never mind. Anyway, yes, I'm going to stick a 5.0 SBF EFI back into the truck. Having just sold my 95 Mustang GT 5.0, I must say, I really like that motor. I have a "Cobra" intake from an Explorer that I've polished and powder-coated with clear. I'm planning on getting either a set of GT40 heads, or aluminum heads and buying a rebuilt short-block. The Explorer wheels are purely for rolling it around the garage. I like the Bullit style wheels, but I'll probably go to larger diameter rims and low profile tires. I already bought fiberglass fenders for all four corners; the rears are an extra 3" wider to accommodate a bit more rubber. I'm also going to stick the AOD tranny back in there too. It looks to be in pretty decent shape-we'll see. For the interior, I have some shorty leather buckets out of my Transport that I hope to mount to the power frames of the t-bird seats. I'm hoping to build a center console to house my head unit, an amplifier and at least one small sub -woofer. For the exterior, I filled in the seam on the top,back of the cab and the two seams under the corners of the windshield, I've also filled in the fire-wall holes and all emblem holes(although I kind of like the trim-bits too. I like the 55 grill best, so that's what I'll be running there. I was planning on ditching the front bumper, but I hate to cut up a brand new frame, so' I'll keep it after all(maybe I'll move it in closer to the gravel pan though). I won't run a rear bumper;I already have the pan instead. I'm not sure about rear lighting, but I'm leaning towards the long skinny flush mount LED strips. I also welded on the tear-drop caps onto the tops of the bed-sides. The last thing that comes to mind is I'll be using the spring loaded tail-gate latches that hide in the top tube of the tail-gate. I'm hoping to have it all done by next August-we'll see......Aren't you glad you asked?

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°4

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:50 pm

OK Carnut,

I put your pictures on your post. If you want to know how e-mail me.

Later...

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°5

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:44 am

Hi Tom,

After all the e-mail correspondence I finally got time to read through all the stuff in your build thread. I am assuming you bought the rolling chassis all together as one purchase... Did you put it together or did you get it assembled? Also, looking at the work on your cab I see you have bought a lot of premade floor sections. I can definitely see a lot money in there. Of course I have access to some sheet metal working equipment like pinch rolls, a shear and a break so I probably would have made most of that stuff myself. I was wondering, is there a passenger side floor panel available without the battery access cover? I doubt if you are going to mount your battery on the frame rail like the stock truck was. I know I wouldn't. When I saw you pictures of your original frame it didn't look as though it was all that bad. I was surprised when I read what you said it would cost to get it straightened out. Do those guys do that with a straight face??? Or do they hold a gun on you??? Do you still have the old chassis? I have straightened a few of those old frames myself. Contrary to belief, you really don't need a lot of famcy equipment. Is your old frame twisted, knocked out of square or both?

Speaking of equipment, you have a nice shop and I also noticed the lift which explains the high bay center section. If you get a chance you should put some shop pictures in the category we have here for that. I would really like to have a lift like that but I would have to have another building. that is something I have entertained but I doubt it will happen at my age with all the stuff I already have to do.

Later Man...

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°6

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:20 am

I put the chassis together and I did the powder coating myself too. I also painted the frame. The old frame was bowed sideways on both sides like it had been hit from the side. I also believe that it's twisted too. It was definitely out of square also. The body shop guy was the one who actually recommended buying a new frame. The set up cost was $100 and he figured about $500 dollars in labor. He also mentioned that once I mounted the bed, it might have to be brought back in for further straightening. The alternative was to wait for a frame to come up for sale and then drag it home, or buy another truck that might also have frame issues. Probably the smartest thing to do was to just give up...but I'm not like that. I'm just now getting semi-proficient with a welder and I already had the front and rear suspensions paid for and awaiting shipment, so I bit the bullet and ordered the whole frame. So far everything is spot on, there was no welding for me to mess up, it's structually superior to the old frame and saved me some assembly time(until they tried to weasel out of delivering it to my house). Although it was quite a jump in price, I know that I'll be much happier with the decision. I still have the old chassis. come and get it for free if you want it. If you don't want it, it's FCFS for free to anybody else. Otherwise, it'll be recycled by Spring. Yes, I plan on mounting the battery on the frame. I like a clean engine bay. Is there a reason I shouldn't? I don't know if a floor section without the hole is available. I'm thinking there is one for a 56 that might work???

My father-in-law and I put up the building two years ago as my vehicles were sitting out in the weather and degrading, and it was such a hassle to drag my tools out to work on something and then to have to put them back into the clutter pile. With my project parts piled everywhere, I'd be embarassed to post pics of the garage at this point. Maybe once I get it cleaned back up? Yes, the lift is great. It's the primary reason I designed the building this way. I was sure getting tired of laying under vehicles all of the time. However, now that the 53 is in the center bay, guess who is doing all of his work in the driveway again?

havi: Posts : 108
Join date : 2009-04-26
Location : Cardboard box

Post n°7

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post havi Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:28 am

Nice work! I had to find another frame for my F1 as well. Ended up with another truck altogether.

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°8

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:39 am

carnut122 wrote:I put the chassis together and I did the powder coating myself too. I also painted the frame. The old frame was bowed sideways on both sides like it had been hit from the side. I also believe that it's twisted too. It was definitely out of square also. The body shop guy was the one who actually recommended buying a new frame. The set up cost was $100 and he figured about $500 dollars in labor. He also mentioned that once I mounted the bed, it might have to be brought back in for further straightening. The alternative was to wait for a frame to come up for sale and then drag it home, or buy another truck that might also have frame issues. Probably the smartest thing to do was to just give up...but I'm not like that. I'm just now getting semi-proficient with a welder and I already had the front and rear suspensions paid for and awaiting shipment, so I bit the bullet and ordered the whole frame. So far everything is spot on, there was no welding for me to mess up, it's structually superior to the old frame and saved me some assembly time(until they tried to weasel out of delivering it to my house). Although it was quite a jump in price, I know that I'll be much happier with the decision. I still have the old chassis. come and get it for free if you want it. If you don't want it, it's FCFS for free to anybody else. Otherwise, it'll be recycled by Spring. Yes, I plan on mounting the battery on the frame. I like a clean engine bay. Is there a reason I shouldn't? I don't know if a floor section without the hole is available. I'm thinking there is one for a 56 that might work???

I don't like the battery underneath because of susceptability to damage bt rosd debris and exposure to a harsher environment. However, as I have stated before, I intend to drive the thing everyplace without too much concern for weather conditions or road conditions. Maybe even a long trip once in a while. Given the pristine nature and show quality of the truck you are building will have I can see how you would desire to have it on the frame. I do think I would have it mounted in one of those plastic boat battery boxes though. For me clean design is great for show quality but I'm kind of fond of seeing all the workings out there for show. I think it's kind of like seeing a jet engine without the cowlings. I see a certain beauty in engineering complexity. But Hey, that's just me...

My father-in-law and I put up the building two years ago as my vehicles were sitting out in the weather and degrading, and it was such a hassle to drag my tools out to work on something and then to have to put them back into the clutter pile. With my project parts piled everywhere, I'd be embarassed to post pics of the garage at this point. Maybe once I get it cleaned back up? Yes, the lift is great. It's the primary reason I designed the building this way. I was sure getting tired of laying under vehicles all of the time. However, now that the 53 is in the center bay, guess who is doing all of his work in the driveway again?

No need to be enbarrassed. I can spend a day cleaning up and starightening up the shop areas and in less than 15 minutes it looks like it did before I cleaned up the place. Just take pictures the next time you do a clean up job, only do it before you do anything else.

Later...

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°9

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Sat Oct 10, 2009 7:21 pm

havi wrote:Nice work! I had to find another frame for my F1 as well. Ended up with another truck altogether.

Thanks! Yep, I didn't want another truck; however, in hind-sight, I should have bought a different one.

55f350: Posts : 127
Join date : 2009-04-29
Age : 59
Location : a corn field in illinois

Post n°10

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post 55f350 Sat Oct 10, 2009 7:43 pm

i'd send ya big box of 'em but that might get me in trouble LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the doughnuts that is !!!!!! where'd ya live at ? i'm in springfield , the northend . i wan't putting the 5.0 down as they are a great motor and to be honest i'm still thinking hard on keeping the one out of my 91 donor , for my 95 when it's time for it to feel the glowering menace of my imagination . i'm going to go drag racing / bracket racing . it's got the 4.6 in it and it's a sweetheart and quite capable of suprising a few idgits who think they're fast . problem is the parts are so damn expensive !!!!! i love the frame . mustang 2 front i think ? may end up using that myself as i have to have some really high strut mounts intruding into the fenderwell for the bird clip . still going to use the irs though . found a web site ron hortons welding series . nice little shop full of precut you fold and weld goodies , for us who can't leave well enough alone .

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°11

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:56 pm

55-f350, I grew up at 1336 North Sixth St( and 1.5 blocks from Mel-O-Cream and across the street from St. Joe's- went to school there too). You don't have to give an exact location, but approximately where do you live? I didn't think you were putting down my 5.0. I'd consider a 4.6 but I already have the 5.0 parts, wiring harness and experience with the engine. If the 4.6 is anything like my wife's 2.5 L DOHV Cougar engine, I'll be much happier wrenching on the old-tech. Yes, it's a Mustang II front. I watched Trucks last Saturday and saw where they used a Ron Horton's foldable M II front on their old Chevy Truck project. I tried to watch again today, but the daughter wanted to talk, so I guess I'll watch tomorrow at 12:00. Oh, and ....yes, send me at least a dozen! they're the BEST donuts in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last edited by carnut122 on Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:57 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : To put in my Mel-O-Cream order! :))

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°12

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:25 pm

You Guys keep talkin' 'bout those donuts I'm gonna do somethin' drastic. it won't be pretty...

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°13

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:56 pm

Your just mad because you didn't have him throw in a dozen on the frame you sold him! Shocked

Shocked

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°14

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:22 am

As long as I kept that thing here and moved it around to get it out of my way, he should have just brought me a box of 'em. Not to mention the 10:00 PM load time in the dark.

the real joke is that I bought it in a bunch of stuff from a guy less that 100 miles from him. I paid to have the stuff hauled here. It is a really nice frame though. It had a little surface rust but no pitting. It was in better shape than the '99 Explorer frame I'm using.

BTW, I don't waste energy getting mad because it takes everything I have to keep my current pace. Anger would only be a time consuming detrement. I only said I would do something drastic because we don't have any of that kind of stuff around here to tempt me. As I am now older, the fun eating days are over. I used to abuse myself with lots of that stuff and gallons of coke but them days are gone. Desret is just for special occasions. I might consider murder for a bananna cream pie if I saw one.

55f350: Posts : 127
Join date : 2009-04-29
Age : 59
Location : a corn field in illinois

Post n°15

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post 55f350 Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:49 am

well it would have been earlier dave but we had some trailer light issues we had to fix and i'll be damned if we didna get lost about 2 miles from you then we finally found you ........... anyway you should'a asked me to bring you some !! they would have been safe with me as i'm diabetic i wouldn't have touched them , now jay .... well .......... yeah carnut i'm a north ender too . grew up on north wheeler , my grandparents pretty much raised me. they lived right behind the iga store on north grand there . bob and doris sager . i don't live to far from there now { they're house got sold by a relative who ended up with it when they passed . lets say i was extremely p.o.d } . i live on st. marys court . you know where st.cabrini's school / church is ??? to make it easier if you remember the clark station on dirksen i live straight behind it . the station is next to the old fleetwood resturant / truck stop . easy to find as i'm the local city bound redneck with all the non running ford cars and trucks in my drive LOL !!!!!!!! all i got now is my 53 more or less in one piece , the 95 bird driver , and the 91 bird parts car , and i was told no more after i get rid of the 91 . yeah right . somewhere ther's another old ford calling me ...............by the way i got a photobucket account but i dont have all my pictures up there yet of the ones past and present . the name over there is 53 flatty . nice neighborhood , but i broke them . always a rcae car , demo car or some old ford sitting around here ........ i wonder why they look at me kinda odd sometimes ???????????????????????? bounce

bounce

Darkside Dave: Admin; Posts : 1018
Join date : 2009-04-21
Age : 79
Location : Marietta, Ohio

Post n°16

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post Darkside Dave Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:28 am

Kevin,

I was just kidding about the donuts and I do remember the trouble you had getting here. The fact is I am a type 2 diabetic and although I don't have to take the meds for it I do have to watch what I eat. Occasionally I take a little plunge in the sugar pool but not very often and not too much of it. Come to think of it I haven't had a donut in a very long time. With me it's a matter of extreme moderation and when I eat something. OK, enough, here we go hi-jacking carnut's build thread. My Bad...

Later...

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°17

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Mon Oct 12, 2009 5:35 pm

55f350- Ahhhhhh,you lived down by the Day-Old Bread Store and on the way to K-Mart! I used to ride my bike down that way once in awhile(I pretty much rode it everywhere). I went to Lanphier my Sophomore year and would have graduated from there in 76, if I remember your profile correctly, I have a few years on you. I don't remember any Sagers. Yep. I vaguely remember the Clark station and Fleetwood. Currently, I'm opposite of you-I kind of think of myself as a city-boy in the middle of red-neck country(although, I have no desire to ever live inside a city limit again). My family is down to seven vehicles(4 drivers), so I have a bad collecting habit also. But, I'm not stuck on Blue Ovals-I like them all. Dave, go ahead and "hijack" all you want. I just did some body-work this week-end-nothing interesting enough to post.

55f350: Posts : 127
Join date : 2009-04-29
Age : 59
Location : a corn field in illinois

Post n°18

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post 55f350 Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:28 am

hijack ??? naw dave it's nice we can hold a conversation and it shift around from the subject at hand to other things and back without someone getting " bent " . i'm still waiting to see what's gonna happen about the doughnuts ............... playing devils advocate .................... LOL !!!!!! carnut things are " a " changing around here in the field . some good some bad as it usually is .if it weren't for kids and grandkids i honestly think i'd move . i'm not impressed with the way things are done in this state and in our fair city here , and i'm becoming pretty intolerant of winter driving .overall the small town / city feeling from the youth has left and we're developing or have i should say many of the issues that haunt the larger places and it sucks to be quite frank . so you're better off living in the country as it were . now back to the trucks ..........................

carnut122: Posts : 35
Join date : 2009-06-18
Location : Waleska, GA

Post n°19

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

Post carnut122 Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:15 pm

55f350, I still have a couple of friends who live there and they have told me that the old neighborhood has really gone down hill(it was already pretty low when I lived there). I pretty much had it with Illinois and the winter weather was the clincher for me. Although where I live is far from perfect, I sure don't regret the move. I hope to get some more pictures posted after this week-end. Progress is a bit slow.

tomget: Posts : 144
Join date : 2009-06-13
Location : California

Post n°20

frame crossmembers

Post tomget Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:47 pm

Hey Carnut

Really like those crossmembers in your frame. Super strong/good techy too.

Tom

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Post n°21

Re: Carnut122's 1953 Build Thread

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