Well, another year has come and gone... lots of activity in my life but sadly little in the shop on the truck. A change in jobs and sometimes double the hours, (50 hours last week and I was out one day for a funeral)... but they treat me like family and pay me very well... truck fund is accumulating some.

The frame is still 'hangin' around on the cow cooker   It's ready to paint...I've given up on finding an 'available' booth.  The plan is to paint on the driveway in a homemade booth... now I'm waiting on the weather

Of course there will be sides and ends with cross ventilation and filters added, but it's large enough for the one time job and then it can be a party canopy again... with some nice "dark gray metallic" highlights. 

all the other parts are primed and ready for paint. Suspension parts are powder coated in "Nearly Chrome".  I think the guys at "Powder Coat Express" in Tennessee did a great job for a good price.

 There is a freshly built 3.0 L.S. rear end covered nicely on the workbench and ready to insert in the rear end... so I have made a little progress... but you got to look close to see it.  .

We didn't make the '07 Supernats this year.... I've missed the last three so I was bummed about that.. and '08 ain't looking good.  A family trip to Disneyworld won that week.. I was totally outvoted 9 to 1.  Go Figure !! This sounds like the last one so maybe the new Pigeon Forge show in June NEXT year. I still need to buy some more parts to put on the shelf with the others that I haven't used yet !!!

So that's the year in review... ain't much to talk about is it ???  My grandson Cole is doing great... he's in first grade and of course a star pupil.  He's part of the reason for slow progress... I'd rather spend time with him than work on the truck.

later

John     

more from last year below........

This last year with Cole at St. Jude has kinda shifted priorities and the truck has slipped down the list... other things are getting done, but not with much enthusiasm.  And to add to that... I had a forced retirement at the end of November.... about a year earlier than I wanted so priorities have again shifted with a shift in income... and another thing !!!! where's all that free time you're supposed to enjoy when you retire... I haven't had a day off since I retired !!!   Anyway... that's the update for this year... well last year (2005)   hopefully things will begin to settle down and I can get into some kind of routine that includes some truck time. 

Another job will have to be found to offset health insurance costs... my insurance is running a little over a grand a month now...don't you just love insurance companies ??? 

later

John

11-24-05

Received that shiny new Ididit column and got it installed... article link in the left frame

I moved the two Mustang II install and upgrade article links over to the left panel with the other articles...

The project we're working on now is the radiator. A new all aluminum PRC down flow radiator with SPAL hi-po puller fan and a/c condenser is assembled on the bench and waiting for my mentor/guru/helper to return from vacation in England to install it...

with that complete all the frame modifications will be finished and it will be time to start prepping for paint on the frame... 'course that involves a complete tear down to nuts/bolts again..prep...paint... then build it back for real (I hope).

Job responsibility has STILL left me with very little free time to work on anything else..

The MII install is complete and all lines rerun/rerouted and connected. so I'm back to where I was early last year. Lots of work, but it was worth it I think.. the install is detailed by clicking on one of the two buttons above. SOOOO until I get some more time/money.. you'll just have to be happy with what I've got here.. sorry.. I really want to get back to the truck soon... do some more stuff... write / sell some more articles and finish this thing... I'm ready to drive !!!

later

John

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Hi.......Welcome to my page...it contains a bunch of stuff that I find interesting. My main project right now is the building of a 1953 F-100 Ford truck... not a restoration, but a street truck. A frame off project that started by stripping the truck down to nuts and bolts level and starting over.

Other additions include a Ford 460 cu. in. engine and a shortened (by 5-1/2") Ford 9" rear end that includes disc brake setup. The rear suspension is all custom ladder bars and coil over shocks. Then there is tilt steering, new bench seats, new floor boards, third brake light, frenched antenna, power windows and door latches. The list goes on and on. I'm working now on the fiberglass tilt front end. This is a one piece front end unit including hood, fenders and grill that will tilt up electrically as one unit to access the engine compartment. Lots and lots of little custom details will be added as I go. The truck is about half finished with the rolling stock complete. The brake lines and cables and fuel lines are complete, when the exhaust system is done, the frame will be ready to paint.

I've written some articles on some of the additions I've made to the truck and they are available by clicking on the article name at the left. Maybe they will be of some help to others who are attempting this same type project. Future articles will include: tilt hood install, electric windows and door locks and more. The pictures will be updated as work progresses... Look around and see what I've done...

Other Interesting Stuff... (to me anyway)

 Grandaddy checks out St. Jude's

 Miracles