1959 ford f-500 superior 4 window - Page 2

GabbyVerse · 02-14-2021, 06:42 PM

This is AWESOME! You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of the bus before you started all this work. I would love to see how much effort you put in to restoring it to working shape.

Gabby

Lilbitfurthur · 02-14-2021, 10:48 PM

She's been in my family since 88'

GabbyVerse · 02-14-2021, 10:52 PM

Oh wow! You have definitely put a lot of work in to bringing her back to life. Keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing more progress on this beauty.

Lilbitfurthur · 02-20-2021, 09:24 PM

Roof vent looking good, window sills built

Lilbitfurthur · 02-28-2021, 11:46 PM

Moving right along...we have separation once again , lil seal, prime , soundproofing , undercoating....fun stuff really . we'll be painting in no time

Lilbitfurthur · 03-09-2021, 11:13 AM

Primed and undercoated

peteg59 · 03-09-2021, 11:27 AM

Nice work!
Keep em comin'...

Lilbitfurthur · 03-23-2021, 01:48 PM

Override springs have been fabricated and installed. New bushings on the front end, shocks are in too. Sound deadening and heat shield in place. Working on gauges soon....

Lilbitfurthur · 05-09-2021, 04:24 PM

My goodness it's a lot of work to do it right, but oh so worth it ! She's painted finally 😄1959 ford wedgewood blue, trim will be sterling silver. Extremely happy with how it's going! Everything's coming together beautifully and there will be a lot of process happining in the next few months!

peteg59 · 05-09-2021, 07:33 PM

Nice progress

Now the fun begins in getting it setup the way you want inside...

Lilbitfurthur · 05-24-2021, 10:21 AM

Trex on the back porch , what y'all think?

Frochevy · 05-24-2021, 10:25 AM

Love it! Very clean looking! I've had the same type of boards on our rear platform for about 3 years now and it has held up well!!
I also love the color of your bus! Looks great!!!

ewo1 · 05-28-2021, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilbitfurthur

My goodness it's a lot of work to do it right, but oh so worth it ! She's painted finally 😄1959 ford wedgewood blue, trim will be sterling silver. Extremely happy with how it's going! Everything's coming together beautifully and there will be a lot of process happining in the next few months!

WOW !

:

FRIGGIN AMAZING !!!

baipin · 06-11-2021, 11:16 PM

This is spectacular! What wheelbase is the new truck chassis by the way? Fairly close fit it seems?

Lilbitfurthur · 06-12-2021, 12:56 AM

It was a very close fit right off the get! Donor was 132" and old was 128" , so we cut about 4" out of the donor. Width was very nice, although the donor 3500 rear end was too narrow , so we swapped that for one ( I can't remember what) that did fit good, with proper gears too.
Roof deck is being put together (removable if needed) and I'm starting to tackle the rather daunting wiring tasks. It has been fun though planning out all the gizmos and thier locations, I can almost see light at end , be It quite a ways away still. Thanks for interest baipin!

baipin · 06-12-2021, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilbitfurthur

It was a very close fit right off the get! Donor was 132" and old was 128" , so we cut about 4" out of the donor. Width was very nice, although the donor 3500 rear end was too narrow , so we swapped that for one ( I can't remember what) that did fit good, with proper gears too.
Roof deck is being put together (removable if needed) and I'm starting to tackle the rather daunting wiring tasks. It has been fun though planning out all the gizmos and thier locations, I can almost see light at end , be It quite a ways away still. Thanks for interest baipin!

Thanks for all the info! That's great to hear about the wheelbase, as I am thinking of doing almost the exact same thing you are should I go the "classic bus restoration route", albeit with a GMC 4-window rather than Ford 4-window.

How did you mount the body to the frame - I might of missed it in your photos? Did you do some sort of torsion-free mounting like done on bigger expedition campers, or something closer to a traditional bus, where the body is mounted with clips to the frame? Also, what tools beyond a welder, angle grinder, drill press, and the usual things like hammers, wrenches, sockets, would you consider essential for this? Plasma torch and lift? Or do you think I could get creative with jackinig and cribbing?

Lilbitfurthur · 06-12-2021, 06:16 PM

Bus is mounted to frame pretty much same as it was originally, with (14) 1/2" x 2" bolts . the front spring loaded one is more traditional now , bolted into the cradle, no spring .
The lift and crane were absolutely essential . regular shop tools , the more the better. I went thru maybe 25 heavy duty wire grinding wheels , hundreds of 4" 180 discs...harbor freight all day. A project of this magnitude is much more doable with good tools, but 100% the most important thing is knowledge . my buddy is helping me with my project , and he's a bad ass . I could not have done this without him, and the help of other friends. And plan on spending a lot of money , I'm 50k into it already , but most everything is bought . It can seem very overwhelming , but just chip away the best you can and the progress will be so rewarding . feel free to ask any questions , I'll share what I've learned....good luck!!!!

baipin · 06-12-2021, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilbitfurthur

Bus is mounted to frame pretty much same as it was originally, with (14) 1/2" x 2" bolts . the front spring loaded one is more traditional now , bolted into the cradle, no spring .
The lift and crane were absolutely essential . regular shop tools , the more the better. I went thru maybe 25 heavy duty wire grinding wheels , hundreds of 4" 180 discs...harbor freight all day. A project of this magnitude is much more doable with good tools, but 100% the most important thing is knowledge . my buddy is helping me with my project , and he's a bad ass . I could not have done this without him, and the help of other friends. And plan on spending a lot of money , I'm 50k into it already , but most everything is bought . It can seem very overwhelming , but just chip away the best you can and the progress will be so rewarding . feel free to ask any questions , I'll share what I've learned....good luck!!!!

Thanks so much for your input, I appreciate it! 50k in is a lot more than I'd of expected - bus body and new chassis aside, what were your biggest expenses?

About chipping away at it; that's what I figure. I'm in no rush to get it done, but I would like to get started soon. I don't mind taking years and working at it here and there though - that's how my projects tend to go anyways!

Lilbitfurthur · 06-12-2021, 07:13 PM

Wheels,tires and adapters 6k
Steel for floor,decks, interior skin 2500
Undercoating , sound deadening , 1200
Shocks and override springs hardware 800
Paint 1500
Gauges 1700
Chair 1000
Latex foam for beds 1000
Sprayfoam 800
Wiring harness 800
Decking 800
Stereo 1500
Weatherstripping 600
Labor, friends want more than just beer!
So many more things you never think about , steering column, lights, fuse boxes, heaters,holding tanks, countertop, mirrors, horn ect ect, in addition to a working drivetrain....it really adds up. Things can be accomplished for less money, or more. Depends on what your after. It's a blast though, I highly recommend it lol!!!

baipin · 06-13-2021, 05:04 PM

Thanks for spellin' it out that way - it helps to see the cost breakdown! I'm guessing if I bought a bus like this, and kept the original chassis, it's going to be tough finding wheels for the old axles? They look like 10 lug, 20". I figure once you get to the point of replacing the axle, and perhaps swapping the engine for a diesel, which may necessitate a beefier trans, you've gotten to the point where it's easier to simply do a body swap with a new chassis? Was this along your own line of thinking and why you ended up doing what you did?

I have to say, that glossy pale blue looks absolutely incredible on this thing!! Couldn't have picked a better colour!

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