AD trucks. You know you like them!
 

We all seen to love these trucks. I stumbled on this, and couldn't be happier. Despite the patina, there's zero rust in this thing. Cab corners, floors, fenders, door bottoms. Solid as a rock and everything works, even the heater! Original 216 along with the Smash & Hit accessory bumpers. Price those out, if you're curious. A ranch truck from Marble Falls TX. Pretty cool piece of untouched history!
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Cheers
Dave

OMG that thing is a time capsule. I love it, it's awesome congratulations!!

Awesome!!!!! Congrats!!!

Uh o, there has to be a “plan” for this?!
I’m sure it will be cool!

Very Nice! My 51 3100 basket case looks nothing like that :)

Cool truck Dave, and a five window Deluxe Cab too!!

I learned to drive in one of these at age 10. By 12 I was cruising all over the area. At 14 I swapped in a 292 out of a '53 3600 after my older brother burned out a rod bearing in the babbit beater 216. Great memories!!

That’s awesome!! Love these trucks !! A friends older brother love out of state and he had a 53 Chevy pickup truck . It was the 70s when I was a kid this reminds me of that truck !!

Nice truck, Dave. Marble Falls is in my backyard........

Thanks guys! Yeah, everyone seems to have some old truck story in their upbringing.:cool2:

The plan for it? That’s a good question. First order of business is to address the 45yr old tires and wheels. I’m thinking a few upgrades on the mechanics/electrics, but that’s it. I’ve got a few “vision” ideas, but we’ll see how it all goes down in the plannification phase of things:grin:

I was a bit shocked when I googled that Smash - Hit grille guard bumper and grille guard. Those things are pretty coveted and not cheap!

More pics to come!:3gears:

Cheers
Dave

That grill is to open "bump gates" at the ranch. Lots of ranches out Marble Falls way.

I like these and looked at one in Prescott Az this winter. For a truck in that area it was full of putty and had been painted by the owner and orange peel would be a compliment. Looked good in the marketplace pictures but it was a mess. Had been parked by a wood pile and full of mice. Then I put my back out getting out from under it!! Maybe someday.

I can envision the first mod being a complete aftermarket chassis with 4 wheel independent suspension and disc brakes with a 650+ hp LS engine. Seems to be the way many go now days.
I brought a '52 6500 back from Pagosa Springs, CO about 10 years ago with big plans to remove the flat bed and install a roll back. Had a 292 built for it that is about 350 hp. Bought an '89 3500 a few years later with a Jerr-Dan roll back and decided swapping the beds was too much work and the "new" truck was so much nicer to drive. Yep, sold the AD a few years later.

Interesting, Tim. The company is/was out of Waco. Pretty neat!

That’s what appealed to me the most about this truck, Bill. Zero rot. I’ve never seen that in an AD truck. They always have something rotted. Cab corners and fender pockets are just a simple bowl to trap dirt which leads to mud which leads to a big hole!

I can tell you that ain’t happening here, Mitch. New wheels/tires show up Monday so I can get it back on the road. Three of the original rims were cracked, so I have to get new ones. Safety first!

More pics next week!

Now, how to get it into MCACN…:wink:

Cheers
Dave

That's interesting that the wheels are cracked..are they riveted ?
I'm sure with your connection to Bob, it would have a place in barn finds. Maybe use it as a stage prop to give a welder away to a young builder ?
The '52 I bought out of CO had no rust either, as you said, very unusual, but very pleasant to work on compared to the rust buckets we have up here.

There was a company at Barrett Jackson with these on display. They make frames and sounded like complete bodies where you could build a new truck. I think they are in Arizona. Looked like good parts

I don't recall ever seeing something like this. I'd bet in the heartland or Alaska, these would have been far more common. Out here on the west coast, uber rare. Very cool truck.

A bud did a 6100 series 57 Tow Truck, detailed under and under the bonnet, rest is saved. He made the calendar over at Stovebolt , found it out in the desert of Vegas, even brought a desert rat back with it. lol

----What an awesome parts chaser!....Bill S

Removed the bed plywood piece that was covering the original strips. This floor has the black wash on the pine still and original black divider strips! Just need to install some bolt hardware now. Love this thing!

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Cheers
Dave

Wow, I figured the plywood was in there because the original pine was gone from rot. What a nice discovery to find super nice, original wood !!

Doesnt look like it was used much.

I'm kinda surprised you didn't build one from scratch. I'm sure it would've looked awesome, but I think you would've ended up spending more. Nice clean find!

Been tinkering on the truck a bit and decided that three-on-the-tree gobbledygook shifter had to go. So what’s one to do? Simple, add a T5 to it!:scholar:

This of course, involved swapping the rear to a 58 Apache open axle which completely ditches the enclosed driveline. It drives MUCH better now. Added a few new engine bits, sealed up leaking gaskets, and now there’s not a drop of anything under the truck. Before I couldn’t put enough cardboard down to keep my floor clean.:eek2: New tires, master cylinder, and a few other bitsas. Coming out nice!

What’s next? I’m not sure but, I’m thinking a driver quality paint job in Washington Blue would look pretty killer in this. Everyone loves patina, but I’m not a fan of it. Of course if I go down that route I might have to yank the cab and bed off the frame, new glass, seals, interior, add an old school 392 Hemi….you know, just a few things.:crazy:

Cheers
Dave

392? NO!

It's a Chevy so you gotta put in a 409. THAT would be cool! (it is a truck motor after all):naughty:

Dave, I am hoping I could get more info on your trans swap.

I wanted a Tremec 5 speed for my 3100 but have the shifter location in the stock location (using stock floor shifter arm, but I can bend it some). I thought the TKO with the forward locations (7 inches) would be perfect. But the TKO is discontinued :(

I see the TKX mid position is 12.5 and the "S10" T-5 (yours I think) is 11.5"

I would like to see where your shifter comes up out the the floor and if it interferes with the factory bench seat?

I would like to tow with my truck (Chevy 350/300hp), but I think the T-5 would not hold up since max torque is 310ft/lbs. I think the TKX is a better choice for me @600 ft/lbs.

If you have some interior pics, that would be great! Thanks!

ps, my truck is all apart, cab is off the chassis, no mounted engine, so measuring is tough :D

Hi Kevin,

You got it. I’ll get some pics later today for you. Yeah, T5 might be a little weak for that kind of work.more in a bit!

Cheers
Dave

The shifter protrudes through the floor at roughly 8.25" to the center of the shifter when in neutral. This shifter is just one I made until the one I ordered gets here Monday. It clears the seat with no issues. That help?
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Contact Jody Haag at Jody's Transmissions in PA. He sells TKX transmissions and custom shifters to fit special applications. He's very helpful and great to work with.

Thanks for the pics Dave and the referral Freddie.

Its good to know that it clears the seat. I would still like to find something that is more forward, so maybe the extenders I see for other ford tremec applications would work. thx