O/T? - '46 Pickup 300 hauler nears completion

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

I hope to get this painted this year. It will pull my 300 hot rods. It will have a 460 / C6 / 9" posi. I have a spare 460 I may bore and stroke to 523 ci. Pics are kinda old - use your imagination to fill in the details. These '42 - '47s are so ugly they're cool.

3" chop, lowered



custom grille


the bruiser 460


instant tailgate party

[68ranger]

Thats nice. That 460 sits in there nicely, like a glove. That will turn some heads for sure.

[shmoozo]

I wonder if I'm the only one who saw the front end shot and thought that critter might look kinda cool set up to emulate the look of a '60s era gasser.

[Harte3]

Suicide doors would be cool too.

[woodbutcher]

Hi FTF,that is going to one slick looking beast when completed.
Theres a fellow here locally that has a 39 Ford PU that he did a complete frame off resto on,right down to the original V8 flattie.Now THAT thing will make you slobber your shirt front soggy.
Leo

[80broncoman]

I've seen one of those intakes up close I have never seen runners so big on a dual plane intake. I bet it would work even better on the 523 cube idea.

[FLSHBCK]

It will pull my 300 hot rods.

You have 300 hot rods? Your garage must be huge!!!

Seriously - looks like it's gonna be a cool ride!

[Stealth Bummer]

Suicide doors would be cool too.

Looks pretty suicidal without the doors!

[shmoozo]

Hmmm ... I've been thinking ... (scary, huh?)

What if somebody were to build an old pickup (late 30s to late 40s, perhaps) but instead of using a conventional pickup bed in the back, use one of the fiberglass bodies from one of the Mullins Trailer replicas that several companies are making these days. Here is a link to a page on the web site for Superior Glass Works which has info about theirs.

Superior Glass Works: Mullins Trailer - Hot Rod Trailer - Street Rod Trailer

From that web page:

Boasting more than 40 cubic feet of lockable storage, it is also completely weatherproof thanks to an improved lid design and elimination of the tailgate.

I figure you'd end up with something that looked sort of like a truck, but a bit swoopier in the back. It'd have 40 cubic feet of weather-proof, locking, trunk-like cargo space and it would wind up being a bit like a cross between a truck and a coupe with a really big trunk.

[Asa]

so ugly they're cool?
i love how it looks!

[80broncoman]

so ugly they're cool?
i love how it looks!

I think it looks like it get down to business.

[American Thunder]

Nice. I think power will be sufficient.

[Craigwell]

wow.

Gas must certainly not be the $5 per gallon that is here; nor would I bet you'd care if it was!!

give'r!

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

="FLSHBCK
You have 300 hot rods? Your garage must be huge!!!

My wife says if I hadn't married her I'd probably be living in an old single-wide with an attached 10-car garage.

I've still got a few dozen more dream cars to acquire to hit that 300 goal.

[Stealth Bummer]

="FLSHBCK
You have 300 hot rods? Your garage must be huge!!!

Not to mention the amount of torque that 460 must have

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

I wonder if I'm the only one who saw the front end shot and thought that critter might look kinda cool set up to emulate the look of a '60s era gasser.

I always liked '41 Willys. That was what I was trying to emulate with the grille mods. But I won't jack it up. The PO lowered the front by cutting off the frame horns above the front axle, turned the horns upside down and swapped them left-to-right, rewelded and boxed the frame, effectively lowering the truck 3" without affecting the steering at all. Clever.

[shmoozo]

I wonder if I'm the only one who saw the front end shot and thought that critter might look kinda cool set up to emulate the look of a '60s era gasser.

I always liked '41 Willys. That was what I was trying to emulate with the grille mods. But I won't jack it up. The PO lowered the front by cutting off the frame horns above the front axle, turned the horns upside down and swapped them left-to-right, rewelded and boxed the frame, effectively lowering the truck 3" without affecting the steering at all. Clever.

Yeah, the '41 Willys were good looking vehicles, though I suppose I say that having never seen what one looked like when it was stock. I've only ever seen them set up as hot rods and gassers.

Okay, I found a web page with some old photos of Willys cars from that vintage. Here is a link:

Willys-Overland, an Overview.

And a few images from that page:





They were good looking cars, weren't they?

Come to think of it, there might be more '41 Willys coupes running around today in Fiberglass than there were running around in steel back in the '40s. It's a popular body style for the guys who build those kinds of things.

Actually, they made some other kinds of interesting vehicles, too. Take this pickup, for example.



It looks a bit like a cross between a stake-side pickup truck and a bulldog. Ya gotta love it.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

I always loved Willys. When I was growing up in rural NE Ohio three brothers who lived next door to me had a '33 Willys D/Gasser - 268" SBC 9000 RPM screamer. Occasionally they took it out on the two-lane by our house and let 'er rip. The sound would echo and resonate off the hills even after they shut it down. One on my most vivid childhood auditory memories.

That car was the inspiration to build my '33 - except mine had to have a 300.

The '33 was a depression-era economy car - not unlike the VW Beetle that was to follow. But for the popularity of the gassers they might only be a footnote in automotive history today. Now for every one out there there are ten guys who want to own it.

Sorry, I guess I hijacked my own thread.

[American Thunder]

A buddy of mine has a (41?) Willys that goes 7.70s in the quarter.

Oh, I found a shot of it with a google search.

[Cool23]

Nice truck. May I suggest you fill in that cowl vent as that is a rust spot on most trucks of that era.I filled mine on the 48.

Also why the Big V8 ? gas / petrol is not getting any cheaper
A big six can be a good tow vehicle if geared correctly.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Nice truck. May I suggest you fill in that cowl vent as that is a rust spot on most trucks of that era.I filled mine on the 48.

Also why the Big V8 ? gas / petrol is not getting any cheaper
A big six can be a good tow vehicle if geared correctly.

The cowl vent stays. I don't have or want air conditioning. Mine had no rust there. Better paints today and new cowl seal should inhibit rust formation.

The truck was built by the prior owner with the 460. It is a fresh rebuild, never fired. I did have to disassemble it to make sure it was clean inside.
Pulling an enclosed trailer with a race car is what I will use it for mostly. I plan to use a smallish 600 Holley for good bottom end efficiency. I do not think the 300 will give much better mileage under that kind of duty cycle, and certainly not enough to justify the expense of rippng out the 460 / big C6 to replace it with a built 300 / small C6. Sure, if I were starting from scratch I might build it with a six, but steering / motor mounts / exhaust / driveshaft / etc are all good to go w/ the 460.

[Cool23]

Sounds likll the work is done for you. I would have considered a 460 for my F4 but if I had done that it would have to have run on LPG ( Propane ) due to the cost of petrol ( gas ) here.

Sure sounds like a great TOW rig. PLEASE Keep the photos coming as you progress.

If the cowl vent is OK then just make sure you keep the works oiled with CRC, WD40 or similar that way you will not have any hassles if the moisture does get in.

[Geezer 300]

Do ya think that umbrella might cause some drag

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Do ya think that umbrella might cause some drag

Actually, I considered replacing my altered parachute with the umbrella. That way at the end of a run instead of gathering up all those bothersome shroud lines and repacking them I could just hit the lock button and crank it back down.

[Harte3]

[Thad]

Friend's son making his first full pass after licensing runs in Alcohol FC.
Ole Man and I packed 'chute used full bottle of baby powder.

End of run, engine cuts, 'chute opens and there is this great huge cloud of white "smoke". My dad shout "OH SHIIIIT!" Should have seen his dad's face

We had fun.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

I started to paint the truck. I did the UNDERSIDE of the hood and the carb bonnet. The firewall will also be checkered flagged. A stunning home for the BBF.

[Geezer 300]

Interesting pattern, be interesting to see how it develops.

[Fordman75]

Looking good.

Are you going to paint the exterior of the truck to match that or is that just the under hood treatment?

Looks like it was a nice simple design with very little masking required.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Looking good.

Are you going to paint the exterior of the truck to match that or is that just the under hood treatment?

Looks like it was a nice simple design with very little masking required.

The exterior of the truck is going to be a subdued 50's era two-tone of rosewood and vanilla.

Yo, several layers of masking were indeed needed requiring the better part of a week for me to perform with my humble skill set. One tech tip that did make it a lot easier to lay out: I hung a laser level from the top of my garage door to lay out the checkered pattern.

[shmoozo]

Ah, so subtle and classy on the outside, but pop the hood and you're assaulted by a FACEFUL OF BIG BLOCK, HOT ROD KAH-BLAM!

Nice.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Ah, so subtle and classy on the outside, but pop the hood and you're assaulted by a FACEFUL OF BIG BLOCK, HOT ROD KAH-BLAM!

Nice.

Yup, that's the plan.

"Just some old milkshake sittin' at the traffic light in a cheap-a**ed Furd pickup."

'Til I hit the "loud" pedal.

Thanks.

[crash-harris]

Haha, loud pedal, I like that

He made a funny

[towmulef-250i6]

Well i guess i got the bassakward set up i use the 300 to pull my 460 hot rod.

[Geezer 300]

You all have them coming and going!!

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Today I finished the exhaust system in preparation for pulling the engine/trans for final paint work.

Of note on the exhaust system:
- all stainless steel 2 1/2" tube
- removeable X-over pipe doubles as a racing cutout when turnouts replace the X-over pipe
- Flowmaster series 50 stainless steel mufflers
- all welded construction - no clamps
- NASCAR-style homemade tips

[Geezer 300]

You could polish that to a mirror finish

[rmt]

You could polish that to a mirror finish

I disagree.

You should polish that to a mirror finish.

(I can hardly resist polishing stainless. The most rewarding of all metals polished, and it lasts and is easy to keep up. Especially easy if I'm not doing it.)

Roger

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

With the help of unbelieveably nice weather I have been working 12 hour days this past month trying to get paint on this truck. The high temperatures are going to drop twenty degrees by the end of this week, pretty much putting an end to my painting weather. I got everything done but the box and yet-to-be-built box cover. Those will have to wait until the spring. The cab etc. was painted where the photos were taken, in my back yard under a grove of cottonwood trees - not exactly paint booth conditions.

[mattri]

Looks awesome, great stance.
Love the choice of the 460 too, if all we were after was economy we'd all be driving hondas.
My dd is an 89 f250 with the 460, even stock they sound good, any way we can get a sound bite when you fire it up?
Keep up the good work, Matt.

[Geezer 300]

So that's rosewood and vanilla, I like

[ludwig]

Dang, man. You got a bunch of 20" bikes right next to your finish painted pieces and you won't be working on them until next spring?

Take my advice: leave the bikes out in the snow. No one will touch them for 6 months at least.

Those parts are waay too nice to let anybody close to.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

Fenders, front grille panel, etc are curing in my barn attic. The bikes are for visiting grandchildren and won't get used until spring. Hopefully the cab and front clip will be sitting on the chassis by then. I'm taking the C6 for a rebuild today. When that gets back the engine/trans can get decked and then final assembly of the body can begin. Over the winter I hope to build the gas shock assisted bed cover out of tubular aluminum. A pair of my stainless steel high heel shoes will serve as a "hood ornament" at the back of the bed.

[Geezer 300]

You have stainless steel high heel shoes ? What outfit do you wear them with? Bet you look cute

You should've expected I'd say something

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

You have stainless steel high heel shoes ? What outfit do you wear them with?

- studded dog collar
- chain mail boostier
- big hoop earings

oh,


and a S & W .38 in an ankle holster

So far nobody has said anything to me about the collar, boostier and earings.

[Fordman75]

That's a sweet paint job! No comment on your outfit!

[addo]

I'd always pictured you (FM75) as a bear.

Nice paintwork, FTF.

[mattri]

whats a bear?

[addo]

A solidly built fellow with lots of body hair.

[mattri]

Just got your pm addo, thanks for clearing that up, I think.