Brad's 1954 R Series Build

did you tub the bed, or will these fit under the fenders?

A great question, to which i do not completely have an answer for yet.

I am confident that they will not fit under the fenders. But, i am unsure of the direction I am going to go with. I have thought about a fenderless look, modifying the fenders to widen them, or cutting up the bed. Some of that depends on how wide the fronts actually are when i space them where i want them. I want the rear wheels to ride the same line.....and i am not sure where that is yet.

Frankly, i have some work to do on the bed (i have never actually put it on the truck yet, but am about to). The floor is pretty rusty, so i am not opposed to cutting it out and putting a new floor in.....if needed. In the end, it's gotta look cool. I'll post more on that and get feedback here soon

On the stock rear axle, I was running 10" wide wheels with L60/15 tires before the rebuild. Now I am running 17" x 9.5" wide wheels on a 60" wide, Ford 9" rear. The back spacing on the 10" wide wheels was 2.5" and on my 9.5" wide wheels it is 3.5". I have not altered the rear fenders or bed - stock configuration. It's amazing how much space there is if you plan out and use the existing space wisely. Oh, and I have air ride suspension, and it goes up and down without rubbing anything!

On the stock rear axle, I was running 10" wide wheels with L60/15 tires before the rebuild. Now I am running 17" x 9.5" wide wheels on a 60" wide, Ford 9" rear. The back spacing on the 10" wide wheels was 2.5" and on my 9.5" wide wheels it is 3.5". I have not altered the rear fenders or bed - stock configuration. It's amazing how much space there is if you plan out and use the existing space wisely. Oh, and I have air ride suspension, and it goes up and down without rubbing anything!

that is awesome information! Thanks!

brad

By golly.....they do fit.....awesome!!

54 IHC by isu_phi, on Flickr

As usual, the shop foreman was making sure i stayed on track

54 IHC by isu_phi, on Flickr

I have been following your build and just wanted to thank you for taking the "intimidation" out of a project like this. I have a 1954 R112 that I have been "storing" in my garage for 6 years trying to decide which route to go: original or custom. being as the original 6 is seized, I have since decided to go SBF 68' 302 and a 5 speed manual trani with a Ford 9" rear end. But I wanted to Congratulate on all your hard work thru all the time and challenges that you have had to conquer. Yours will definitely be a head turner for sure. I am hoping to start deconstruction of mine soon. Good luck and look forward to seeing more pics and the finished project! By the way I noticed an Iowa State rug in one of your pics.... are you from Iowa or did you go to Iowa State? Just curious...

I have been following your build and just wanted to thank you for taking the "intimidation" out of a project like this. I have a 1954 R112 that I have been "storing" in my garage for 6 years trying to decide which route to go: original or custom. being as the original 6 is seized, I have since decided to go SBF 68' 302 and a 5 speed manual trani with a Ford 9" rear end. But I wanted to Congratulate on all your hard work thru all the time and challenges that you have had to conquer. Yours will definitely be a head turner for sure. I am hoping to start deconstruction of mine soon. Good luck and look forward to seeing more pics and the finished project! By the way I noticed an Iowa State rug in one of your pics.... are you from Iowa or did you go to Iowa State? Just curious...

Thanks for the kind words! I enjoy posting the progress and having people read through it and give suggestions or props. Sometimes i will go back through mine as well as others builds to keep finding ideas and inspiration. Nikki, Wes, Mark, and others have all contributed to my progress for sure. It'll get done eventually.....every little bit of time spent helps. Fingers crossed that it'll be driving down the road "straight" soon enough.

And yes, i grew up on a farm in NW Iowa....and graduated from Iowa State in '02. Most all of my family still lives there, so i make it back a couple times a year.

minor update....but the glass is all installed now. Also, last night i drilled holes and mounted the trans-crossmember.

I really do think i am ready for the back of the truck now. my brothers will be here next weekend. I'll need their help to put the box on the truck. I'll stick the wheels in their spots, gets some measurements, and get my rear end ordered.

looking good!

Just a little mock up work this weekend. And my axle is ordered!


54 IHC by isu_phi, on Flickr