EBEARS 53 f100 build
- Thread starter EBEAR
- Start date
This was the set up I used in my F100.
I used the A/C bracket with some modifications.
click on photo to enlarge.
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Due to very limited space in my shop and still actually trying to work for a living I decided that the only way there was going to be any winter progress was to put the cab in the corner with hopes of convincing myself to work on it . Seats , steering column , pedals and seat belts have been " roughed in " . Still in the budget build mode I purchased an underdash ac unit since I already had all of the underhood stuff . This meant that I needed the heater controls . The factory f100 had a little " ugly " bracket attached to the underside of the dash . So I set in search of a vintage style in dash mounted heater control unit that could be fitted . After numerous hours of interweb and combing through junkyards I came upon a 65 mustang unit that looked somewhat promising . Being that they are readily available aftermarket there was measurements available . They are designed to fit on a curved dash but the width was about right for the spot my ashtray was using . I didn't want to spend the big bucks on something I wasn't sure that would work for me so ebay it is . I found a reasonably priced used unit with the cables and heater switch so this should be perfect for testing without huge cost . As it turned out the uncleaned unit I got was in excellent condition once cleaned and with the swapping of one cable the appropriate cables reached . A little manufacturing of a curved plate to replace the ash tray was done .
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A win from this electronic view point! I like the look of that! Great eye for repurposing.
Greg
Greg
One of the things that I dislike about the 53-56 f100's is the small back window in relation to the front and side glass and the expanse of metal between the top of the box and the window bottom that this leaves . So a little mod to even things up . 2"s looked about right . I wanted it to follow the pillar angle not straight down .
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Of course it needs to get a little wider to keep the proper look . All in all this is a pretty straight forward mod . The inner brace came down accordingly with a little lengthening . Side gaps and center gap pieces made and welded in . PS still needs finish welding and metawork in this pic .
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One of my budget minded decisions was to try to utilize as much of the AC from my donors as possible , so I purchased a very budget underdash AC unit . The truck will not be winter driven but with experience gained from my coupe I knew that some heat for the cooler nights and keeping the windshield clear was a must . After some mockup it was clear the heater needed to be shrunk some . I don't particularly care for the fresh air vent on the outside of the truck but having fresh air makes it much easier to keep windows clear and since I filled the cowl vent and am illiminating the vent windows the thinking was to be able to use the heater fan bring in cool outside air for the marginal days . 
Do you happen to have a link?
I bought the underdash 3 or 4 years ago on ebay if you like I can try to look for a make and model but at the time there were hundreds of choices .
Vintage Air now has an underdash retro model.
A small addition just to keep things going around here because my cars not ready to drive yet . lol The po had built a ridiculously heavy x frame which in all fairness made the frame very stiff as it should . But " and there always seems to be one " everything I tried to do seem to run into it . After having to raise the engine the long tube headers that had cleared nicely didn't . The exhaust was still doable but I have all stainless and it doesn't like being bent , the driveshaft needed a little clearanceing , fuel lines , brake lines and wiring needed to be finessed around it . I don't really remember what it was that broke the camels back but out she goes . Luckily it was still just tacked in not finish welded . 
As far as crossmembers the flatout c4 kit adds a heavy welded one in the front and two plus the actual diff in the rear so with the boxing strength will not really be an issue . So my decision is to wait until my next and " hopefully " final engine trans install to make a crossmember for the rear trany mount and some lateral support . Something along the lines of this " but only one lateral section " that will allow room for exhaust and everything else .
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A little slow on here so I'll add a little . Another one of my pet design flaw peaves is the drip rail . Understandably for function the roof drip rail slants rearward to drain water . This leaves the front side glass and corresponding frame deeper at the front than the rear , working against the general forward flow ( at least in my mind ) . So here begins the dilemma . I mostly do not care for these trucks when they have been chopped and I would like to avoid a cut windshield . So this leaves a limited amount of options especially considering I have a perfect dent free roof that I would hate to cut . After a few threads and many discussions on the subject on FTE I publicly announced that I needed to put the brakes on mods or the truck will never see the road . Well hmm the cab is just sitting there in my shop . Pic of a stock cab .
Yur funny . I guess I should point out this is all stuff that was done quite some time ago I'm just slowly updating to keep thing interesting . Stay tuned to find out what happened . LOL