Bringing a 59 pickup back to life

About 3 years ago I acquired this 59 pickup in a trade. I never took a good look at the truck but I traded an old storage trailer for it so I did not have much invested. The truck ran and drove so I knew the drive line was decent. I had listed it on Craig's list and had a guy who was interested. We took the truck down the drive at my shop and wouldn't you know it the brake pedal went right to the floor. He still wanted the truck but we couldn't quite agree on a price so I kept it. I started to look at fixing the brakes and was surprised at what I found. The master cylinder was just a ball of rust. Then I noticed all four cab mounts had turned to dust. And why can I see daylight thru the frame rails? Damn I was glad I did not sell it to the guy now. I would not do that to any one. Here are some pics of what it looked like when I started.

So the truck kind of grew on me and during my winter layoff I decided to start on it.

And down to just the rolling chassis it went. Here is a pic of some of the frame damage.

If I were you, I would do what Pivnic did, drop the cab on a modern frame and drivetrain.

I don't blame you, I loved my old wagon when it was stock. It all depends on what your plans are for the vehicle. Stock just doesn't cut it for me, I really use my wagon for 4 wheeling. I can also jump in it and go anywhere, at any speed.

At this point in the story I need to go back to October of 2014. I had put the truck up on jack stands and decided to redo the braking system. At this time all I wanted to do was get the truck so it would start and stop so I could sell it. Once I got under the truck I saw all the rust damage to the frame,crossmember and noticed that the cab was sitting on the frame. All four cab mounts were gone. the rear leaf springs were also all rust jacked and were junk.

So in October of 2014 after a couple of phone calls I was on my way to Crawfordsville Indiana to Midwest Willys. Jo and Harry Sheets are two of the nicest folks you would ever want to meet. I came home with 2 like new rear leaf springs,a section of frame and a cross member some parking brake parts and a really nice cab. I think I drove over 700 miles that day but it was well worth the trip.

So back to present day. With the body all removed from the frame it was time to start the repairs. The frame had rusted thru at the left side rear cab mount. It was Swiss cheese clear back to and including the cross member.

i had just enough replacement frame to be able to cut in front of the next cross member and take it out all the way back. Lining up the repair was not that big of a deal since I had lots of rivit holes and measurements to use. Add some welding rod and grade 8 bolts and job done.

After removing the engine and grille it took lots of cleaning,wire brushing and 2 quarts of KBS rust stop to paint the frame and a bunch of misc parts.



i am very happy with the way it all came out.

Good job Frank. Would love to see a close up of how you repaired the frame rail if you get a chance.

Thanks Garth. If you look at the second and third picture you can see where I cut the frame just in front of the cross member. The piece of replacement frame had the rear cross member still attached to it. I removed the rivit from the right side frame rail. Those are the only two pics I have. I did fish plate the splice back together,welded it and also drilled and bolted it. It ain't going any where.

i just love the smell of new parts in the morning! Thanks Kaiser Willys!

I can't stand to have parts just lying around. Rebushed the brake and clutch pedal arms and installed them. The master cylinder and all new steel brake lines were installed earlier this week.

The right side rear cab mount was toast. Picked up this replacement part. With minimal tweeking it all lined up. I could not stand to weld the bottom bracket to the frame like origional. I drilled holes and bolted it on instead of screwing up the new paint job.

Next job is to clean and paint the motor. For now it is off to Moms house to celebrate her 85th birthday.

So, are you going to keep it or sell it when you're done ?

dahreno said:

So, are you going to keep it or sell it when you're done ?

Click to expand...

At this point I am not sure. I have some other projects I would like to work on after this one and may need to recoup some funds from this truck. I would be open to offers.

I spent the last couple of days cleaning my engine,transmission and transfer case. I set the engine back in the frame late this afternoon. I ran out of black paint so there are a few things left to paint. Good news is the clutch looks nice and clean like it has been replaced at some point.

Looks great Frank.

I am in the process of final assembly of the rear axle. It is a Dana with thr tapered axles. What is the correct procedure to install and torque the hub onto the axle? Should the taper be oiled or dry? Should the nut be torqued?

Thanks

It has been a while since I reported any progress. I have been steadily working on the chassis. It now sports all new brake lines. All new fuel line. Parking brake cables have been installed. All the petal linkage has been rebuilt. The motor has been detailed not to the extent that some of you guys do but it's acceptable. It's amazing how much times these things take.

the big job was the gas tank. It was in pretty good shape so I decided to put a liner in it. First it had to be cleaned out. It had some white calcium looking crud in it. I used lime a way to remove that and it also cleaned the rust deposits up. I used a KBS gold seal tank liner. I did a set of motorcycle tanks a year ago with this product and liked the results. I had some extra material so I coated the outside of the tank also.

The work on the chassis is pretty much finished and it's time to start on the cab. My 59 cab is really rough. Floors and rockers are gone and it is really bad around the windshield frame. I purchased a 56 cab from Midwestwillys wile I was there in October of 14. I had it blasted and primed when I brought it home. I think it was a good find. Needs some work on the floors and some dents pounded out. I have also purchased the instrument panel and speedometer for a 56. The only other challenge will be modifying the fire wall to accept the heater from the 59. That will be a matter of drilling mounting holes and cutting the holes for the air flow thru the firewall.

i spent the last few days assembling the cab. Mounted the fresh air heater from the 59 onto the 56 cab. Time consuming but worked out just fine. Windshield wipers went in next along with the air conditioning unit. I installed the dash panel and gauges. I really like the look of the Art Deco style dash better than the round speedometer that was in the 59. Sorted out the wiring and installed the harness. I had to run an extra wire to get the amp meter to work. The 59 only used an idiot light.

Reinstalled the cab back on the frame yesterday. Interesting job getting the steering box to drop down thru but it is in there. Time to hook everything back up.

Got enough wiring and plumbing done to put some fire in the hurricane today. Got it fired up and drove it outside to get some fresh air and sunshine.

I can't believe a month has gone by since my last post. Things have definitely changed in a month. My job in the pipeline industry has vanished with the lack of well drilling activity here in Ohio. I was lucky enough to find a job with a small excavating contractor here locally. The pay is ok but no benifits. Have you priced health insurance lately?

Anyhow working took my time away from my truck build but I still work on it during the weekends and a couple of hours in the evening. There hasent been much to post about. Hanging sheet metal and doing wiring is pretty routine stuff.

But tonight was different. My goal was to make this truck safe to drive and put it back on the road. Well tonight I reached that goal. The old yellow rust bucket has been resembled with the help of all the forum members who offered advice or posted their knowledge here on the forum. Thank you all.

This old beater is a blast to drive. It rattles and bangs. It has gear noise and rides like a stone boat. The steering will certainly build up my arm and chest muscles. It is everything I thought it would be. I love it!

i still have a couple of things to work out. The biggest issue is the vacuum wipers. They don't work...yet. The carb is another issue and I think I am going to go with a Webber 2 barrel.

Heres a couple pics from the maiden voyage. It don't look like much bit it is paid for!