Searching for drums and shoes

Took the axles and housing to a local hotrodder and machinist that lives about 5 miles away from me. He will redrill the axles to the 5 on 4 1/2 pattern that matches the new front suspension. He will also press off the old bearings and install new ones. The housing will get new seals too.
Meanwhile I was directed to another hotrodder who works at Advanced Auto Parts in Burlington. He is chasing the new drums and brake shoes. Trying to find new 11 inch by 1 3/4 inch drums with the 5 on 4 1/2 pattern may prove to be a problem. May have to clean up the old ones and redrill them. Finding the 11 x 1 3/4 inch shoes should be less of a problem.
The Friday morning group of rodders that gather together is proving to be a vast amount of information for me. These guys have the knowledge and contacts. All you have to do is ask and someone knows something or somebody. Great bunch of guys too. If your a novice like me, and you've never done a project like this, joining a group will save you a lot of time. Plus you get to hear a lot of interesting stories and see a lot of beautiful cars and trucks.

Grinding off the perches and shock mounts

After pulling the rear end all apart, I used an air cutoff wheel to remove the shock mounts and spring perches. I then used my angle grinder to smooth out the welds, Later, I will weld new spring perches on the bottom of the housing at the appropreate spacing.
Today I will try to contact the guy that may redrill the axles for me. I have decided to have the old bearings pulled off and put new ones on with new seals. Best to do that now and know whats inside. Preventative maintenance is the name of the game.

The Rear End is apart

Took the rear end all apart today except the pumpkin. Found out I have a 37 tooth ring gear and 10 tooth pinion which makes this set up a 3.70 gear ratio. It has the 28 spline axles and small bearings which should be fine. This will be perfect for the Small block 350 engine and 700R4 overdrive transmission thats going into the truck. All the parts in the rear end look great and it even had oil in it. Will have to have the axle bolt pads redrilled for a 5 on 4 1/2 bolt pattern to match the new front suspension pattern. Also will put in new brake cylinders, brake shoes and drums to fit the new drilled bolt pattern. I now have to cut off the old shock mounts and spring perches. New perches will be welded on the bottom of the housing later when the pinion angle is set. This won't happen until the engine and transmission are mocked up and a new driveline is built. I will check with my experts, but except for drilling the new bolt pattern, I think I can reassemble this baby since I didn't disturb the pumkin. That takes an expert to set up if you take it all apart. I may need to replace the bearings, but they are sealed and look, sound and feel good. Someone with more knowledge than I will tell me. Will do it if needed.
I still can't believe I fell into this one. My luck usually doesn't run that way.

Wheels and rear end

Well, I had a bit of luck this week. I found a set of older Ford Explorer wheels on craigslist that were somewhat close to the wheels I think I will eventually put on the F1. I bought them for two reasons. First as I said they look like the ones I want to put on and I thought this would be a chance to see what they would look like on the Ford. Second, I needed a set of rollers to move the frame around when it's done and they only cost 100 buck for the works. The tires are nothing to talk about, but will hold air. While talking to the guy I bought the wheels from, I told him I was looking for a 8.8 Ford rear end also. He said he had one if I wanted to look at it. We measured it and found it was too wide. Behind it was another one that was a 9 inch. He said it was going into a friends race car. I measured it and it looked like just the width I was looking for. I offered him 50 bucks more than the 150 his buddie was going to give him and he agreed. This was a total surprize. I had just about written off finding a 9 inch as they are very scarce now. I think his buddie isn't going to be too happy with him. Got to tear it apart and have the axles redrilled for a 5 x 4 1/2 inch pattern and go through the seals and bearings. Hope the ring and pinion gears are okay. I will find out.

Back to Blasting

Been busy doing "Stuff". Had family down with grandkids and then went North to help paint my daughters house and other stuff. Also been researching 9 inch and 8.8 inch rear ends for the F1. I'm finding the 9 inchers are tuff to find and expensive if you do. Thinking I will go for a 8.8 inch instead. Should be strong enough for this old girl even with the new horsepower. Also been learning about metal preperation and painting. I know thats a long way off yet, but Knowledge is knowledge.
Started blasting more panels (front inside fender wells) so I can hang some of the front clip back on for fitment of parts. Lot more blasting to do yet.

Nirvana

This morning I was invited to a local Rodders group up in Burlington. These guys meet every Friday for a BS/info session or Rod Run. I thought this might be a time I could ask questions of experienced guys. WOW, NIRVANA. About twenty guys showed up and I think all are retired. Most are within about a ten year age difference (my group). All either have a car, or multiple cars, or working on a car. They welcomed me into the group and I set back and listened for a bit. One of the guys asked me if I was working on a project, so I explained the F1. One other guy in the group is also working on a 48 F1. Within a few short minutes I was asked if I wanted to sell the old engine and transmission out of the F1, one fellow offered the use of a Ford 9" rearend for Mock-up, An offer to use a Chevy 350 block and 700R4 transmission for mock-up. I was amazed at the talent that looked like was available in the group. Toward the end of the gathering they stated and they would like to do a Rod Run to my place some Friday to see what I am doing. A real nice bunch of guys with years of experience and information.
This project just gets better all the time.