It's hard to know if the saying opposites attract might be the best choice to express the premise behind the ongoing build of our '53 F-100 but it's as good a place to start as any. For those of you who can't recollect CCT having a '53 Ford project in the works don't worry because up until now we've been calling it a '56 F-100 because that's the year of the chassis we started out with. To catch everyone up to speed, the '56 chassis we scored for $800 came equipped with a Volare frontend and a 9-inch Ford rearend, which is great, but there were some Mickey Mouse aspects to the deal. This brings us to the premise that we are going to build the truck from the ground up as inexpensively as possible, but we are not going to cut corners or cheap out. On the '56 chassis the dangerously inadequate stock Ford single master-cylinder was swapped out for a CPP dual master cylinder with a booster and the Volare torsion bar IFS suspension was lowered properly by installing Fatman Fabrications' Volare 2-inch drop spindles to maintain the correct tension on the torsion bar.
Although it wouldn't be that...
Although it wouldn't be that hard to straighten, the '53 chassis has a bend in the driver side front rail so we'll set it aside for another project.
Anyone's first choice for...
Anyone's first choice for removing a cab should be to use a forklift. A gantry, a big tree, or a bunch of strong friends to help lift it off will suffice but what a pain in the neck.
With the fork extensions Tony,...
With the fork extensions Tony, aka "the specialist," fabricated in place we hung the cab from a cradle and loaded it onto a tandem car trailer.
Moving on to the body for our project, frankly we were hoping to luck out and find a '56 F-100 for cheap, but when a complete '53 F-100 popped up for $500 we jumped at the opportunity. In this installment, we're preparing the '53 cab to be mounted on the '56 chassis. The absolute wrong way to go about it is to install the cab on the chassis and then do the bodywork and prepare the cab for paint. On a budget build one might be tempted to sand the old paint down or use a brush-on chemical stripper to get to the bare metal but trust us it will prove to be a major mistake on several counts. First, the cost of the materials needed will exceed the expense of media blasting and take a lot more time to do. Secondly, the results will not be nearly as nice. There is one big screw-up that can occur with media blasting and that's having the wrong media-blaster do the work. There's nothing worse than discovering every square inch of the steel body panels have been warped beyond repair.
Based on good past experiences...
Based on good past experiences we knew Don at Orange County Sandblasting in Orange, California, was the right guy to trust our '53 F-100 cab with.
Back in the day Don had a...
Back in the day Don had a souped-up Y-block in an F-100 that liked to eat Chevrolets for lunch. He knew exactly all the areas to check before he told us the cab was a good candidate to blast.
See, we told you a forklift...
See, we told you a forklift is the only way to go. There were a few cars ahead of us in line, but it wasn't long before Don called and said our cab was ready to pick up.
Once the cab has been blasted down to the bare metal the next step is paint it with the right primer. A good DTM (direct to metal) primer is what you'll want to be on the lookout for. We got real lucky here because we discovered a super good DTM epoxy primer that's marketed at a competitive price. It comes via mail order from the folks at Summit Racing, and lives up to all of the promises made on the can. We popped the lid off and were pleased to discover Summit's SUM-UP230 epoxy primer didn't have the clumps often found in products at the same price point, and provided good coverage. Good coverage with high build means you won't have to buy a lot of paint, and the ability to dry tack-free quickly means not a lot of dirt will settle into the finish.
The money we spent having...
The money we spent having OC Sandblasting use their special mix of glass bead and walnut shells to strip the cab down to the bare metal was worth every penny.
It's a good idea to get freshly...
It's a good idea to get freshly blasted bare metal into a good DTM (direct to metal) primer as soon as possible. Super Steve's Steve Neill used a DA loaded with a 120-grit stick-on disc to knock off the rust that appeared (from human hands) after the cab was blasted.
Without a rotisserie to rotate...
Without a rotisserie to rotate the cab on Steve and Fidel carefully laid the cab over on its side to access the bottom.
All in all our '53 cab was...
All in all our '53 cab was in pretty good shape, but had rust in the area all '53-56 Ford F-100 cabs rust, the cab corners. We'll show how to repair cab corners in next month's issue.
Typically, house brands aren't...
Typically, house brands aren't quite as good as major brands, so we were real pleased to discover Summit Racing's DTM epoxy primer wasn't lumpy like some of the el cheapo second string brands.
This paint stirrer stick standing...
This paint stirrer stick standing straight up in the DTM epoxy primer without falling demonstrates how heavy bodied the primer is.
Induction time means how long...
Induction time means how long the epoxy primer and the catalyst have to stand mixed before it can be sprayed.
The induction time for Summit's...
The induction time for Summit's DTM epoxy primer is zero, which means it can be sprayed as soon as it is thoroughly mixed.
This disposable respirator...
This disposable respirator from 3M fit perfectly and the charcoal filters didn't allow even a minute trace of paint smell into the nasal induction cavity, a healthy investment indeed.
Standing the cab on its end...
Standing the cab on its end made it easy to make sure areas that normally wouldn't be seen were sprayed with primer.
This held especially true...
This held especially true for spraying primer up under the dashboard and cab ceiling.
Summit Racing's DTM epoxy...
Summit Racing's DTM epoxy primer is pretty hard to get a run with, but if one uses too much pressure or doesn't move the gun quickly enough it is possible to get runs in the paint.
Using a business card to squeegee...
Using a business card to squeegee the DTM epoxy primer smooth while it is still wet, works easier than sanding the runs after it has dried.
The beauty of Summit Racing's...
The beauty of Summit Racing's DTM epoxy primer is that it mixes one part catalyst to one part primer and is isocyanate free, so one isn't exposed to irritation of skin and mucous membranes, which produces chest tightness and difficult breathing caused by primers that do contain isocyanates.
This angle shows good coverage...
This angle shows good coverage has been obtained by spraying the undersides (inside and out) of the cab first.
With the undersides completed...
With the undersides completed Steve and Fidel laid the cab flat on the ground and Steve was able to complete his work.
Notice how the semi-gloss...
Notice how the semi-gloss appearance of Summit Racing's DTM epoxy primer makes it easier to see where the dents are in the cab. We'll cover how to guide-coat for high and low spots as this story progresses in upcoming issues.
Thanks to Orange County Sandblasting...
Thanks to Orange County Sandblasting and Summit Racing's DTM epoxy primer the '53 cab almost looks like a new truck. Going this route has saved us months of labor and ultimately more expense.