Very expensive project slick

[low6t4]

Well I am learning lessons every day and I guess that's what life is all about. But I would like to share with you guys my most recent lesson. Maybe you guys have already seen my 64... but if not here is a picture.



Keep in mind while reading this that I am overseas working... all transactions are completed by phone, internet, etc.

I bought this truck from a guy in Fort Worth named Michael.. his website is www.myrod.com . Michael had a very nice EBay ad up for this truck. He described it well.. he had lots of pictures... even a video. From the looks of the truck it was done well and ready for driving. It looked well done...

The truck was not up for auction but sale or best offer type deal. I made an offer... he didn't take it.... I increased another 500 and he took it. I asked questions about the truck... but I didn't have a third party look it over (lesson #1)

We made the deal.. I wired him the cash. I was happy... felt good about my purchase.

He delivered the truck... the better half was happy with it... said it looked real nice. Well, I wanted to have a hitch installed so I could pull my small bike trailer and take one of my Harleys top shows along with the truck so I sent the truck over to a local reputable collision center... he was the only one I could find around Houston that didn't mind modifying my roll pan and fabricating my hitch. She moves the truck out of the garage and theres two spots on the floor... not big spots... but spots... one is green the other a little pinkish red... she calls me up and I tell her to check everything and drive it on over to the collision center so the guy can do the hitch. .

The better half takes the truck over to the guy to install the hitch. I make contact with him and we discuss the hitch and I also mention the spots on my garage floor. Once my guy gets the truck up on the lift he realizes the truck is not coming up level... he checks the placement of his lift pads and starts over... still not coming up level... He gets it on up in the air and looks it over. It seems that during the fabrication to C notch the frame that the frame may have "walked" leading to a slight twist.




He investigates further... seems that to compensate they shimmed the bed on one side and it sitting hard on the frame on the other. Ok.... not what I was expecting to hear.

By the way... the leaks.... one is my water pump the other is the rear seal in my tranny due to the drive shaft being a little short.

Anyway.... I decide that I can deal with these issues... even though I am a little angry for the guy that sold me the truck "Michael" not mentioning any of this... despite the fact he is a car guy and took the pictures of it on the rack.

Well my guy tells me the next day that there is some issues with the front end... not major he just wanted me to know. It seems that all the rubber components in the suspension are all worn out... he says that from what he can tell they just used the front clip off the donor car and never replaced any parts.

Any final lesson learned... ALWAYS...ALWAYS... have a third party inspection on any vehicle you buy... especially a customized vehicle....

[Max]

Sorry to hear about these issues! Well, you'll have plenty of brothers in arms when you get back to H-town to help if you need it.

[stronger66ratfink]

sounds like he had the plan of
"Go slow and park" then all would be fine
and I'm sure it sucks being across the pond while this is all going on?
But, Patiences is a virtue, and deep pockets help
all in all it looks like you got a good deal, I remember the ebay add and looked at the truck, also did not see detailed description of issues.
sounds like you have folks here that you can trust to dig into your investment without worries over there.
I also have a person that would be real good for you to know when it comes to help with these trucks and a extremely reasonable price.
he's built serveral

[Gary Seymour]

Very sorry to hear these things. I appreciate you being open about it, and passing on your experience to all of us. Very hard lesson indeed, but I believe you'll get it all taken care of and will be happy with the truck. It's still got killer looks and interior!

[low6t4]

Appreciate the kind words... guess I just needed to rant a little about it and at the same time share my experience. I look forward to meeting some good folks around Houston with similar interests.

[The Big M]

Any recourse against the seller? Is the seller the one who built it? It wasn't really clear from the eBay listing.

It's a travesty really, because it was clear from the listing that the paint and bodywork was top-notch. It has nice seams, straight panels, and good attention to detail in the door jamb areas (something that's pretty atypical for eBay trucks and "restorations" in general).

Unfortunately it's clear that the attention to detail didn't carry through to the chassis and engine compartment. I hesitate to pile on, but there are a few features that stood out from my perspective. One is that the brake rotors seemed small for a heavy truck with oversize wheels, but admittedly that may be an optical illusion. The other is that the builder retained the original single-reservoir master cylinder, which was intended for drum brakes, not discs.

The good news is that neither of those are necessarily dealbreakers. Just something you may want to look into as a way to make your truck as safe as possible and make it perform as well as it looks. And with any luck the leaks are minor and the frame issues can be cured with a good straightening and alignment.

More good news: I'm sure there are a ton of members here eager to help you out or just answer questions. Good luck!

[jwh f-100]

Sorry to hear that... that is a sweet truck..


I can't see but is the c-knotch boxed in? I can't tell by the pics.. Maybe there is added support I can't see... I would think it should have..

I have one other question... The truck has been updated with a new front clip, correct??? Disc brakes????? If so, I think the single pot MC needs to be updated to a disc/ drum MC.. Not to worry it's a cheap easy upgrade

[mikewirth]

Love the color and wheels, I did look at the site you mentioned, found the link to the truck saw all the pics of the truck and not to put it down or anything like it but it seems alot of shortcuts were taken, I say this just by seeing the details in the obvious things such as the tapelines in the paint. it looks like the trans x-member was just thrown in as well as the way the frame was c-notched. I see alot of pictures of there builds but not many with all the steps taken from start to finish. I think I would have everything looked at on the truck not only for safety but for reliability as well, just my opinion. but hey there is enugh talent on this board that anything can be fixed.

[low6t4]

Big M, No recourse against the seller... and he didn't build it... claimed some guy in Oklahoma built it. You're right about the rotors.. seem a little small to me too. The single reservoir needs attention as well. I am just going to have to spend more to get the truck good and dependable like I thought it would be when I bought it. From what I know the front clip is probably from a Thunderbird. At least that's what he said the motor and tranny was from.

jwh f-100, I was told the c-notch is boxed in but its hard to tell from the pictures.

Mikewirth, you're right about the tranny x-member I noticed it has a missed bolt hole from the pictures. I will have it all checked over when I get home.

Can any of you guys from Houston recommend a trusted shop I can take it to...?

Thanks, D

[Tech]

I think that it will be fine, your just approaching this project from the opposite end as most of us. You have the paint and body work done. Now it is time to fix a few mechanical details. The good news is that there is nothing under that truck that can't be fixed and this is the right place to figure out what your options are. Throw a few more dollars into the hole now so that you can enjoy it when you get home.
Tech

[low6t4]

Good point Tech. I fell in love with the truck.. maybe it was lust... and now I just need to get it like I want it. Have had the same experience with Harley Davidsons' over the past few years. Now that its in my garage I can focus on getting it just right.

[mikewirth]

The last HD I bought was a 1981 Sturgis, and I bought it new, since then I have found it easier to build them myself and get it the way I want from the get go. It is the same with the slicks, always seem to find one I fall in love with but then this needs to be changed or that is not right or ..... so I have found it easier to start with a good bare bones project and build from there. I have suggested to a few in the past to take night courses in auto repair etc at the community college, not only can you work on your vehicle with there tools, you can learn what to do and how to do it if you dont know and that alone can save you thousands down the road.

[64 f100]

As many of us have experienced in the past and hope not to in the futurre, someitmes we leap before we should. I to have don a thing or two in thepast to only come up with a sour taste from the experience. I don't know what you paid for the truck, but at this point it doesn't matter. Front end bushings are no big thing, as are some 0othe problmes. The frame twist may have been there before the C-knoch or not. I would guess it was there before , or when it was done, the frame was not blocked level and held in place properly whil it was being done. A frma shp shoudl be able to correct most of the problme. I would suggest befoe tweaking on the fame all body mounts be loosened and some even removed. If the quality of work on the body is as poor as the work on the frame, I would be very carefull on twisting the body. As to bolting is baack solid, go carefully. Beautifull paint job, don't want cracking in any filler or seams.

Rich

[The Big M]

low6t4, I've looked over the photos of the front suspension again. I see some serious issues. I sent you a pm.

[Reds Rod Shop]

Nice ride. I saw it on ebay for sale. Save almost all of the pictures for future reference. You may have a few things to tweak here and there and maybe some of the things might be a little bigger than what you'd like for them to be but in the end you have one sweet Slick. I like it a lot. Nothing that I've seen from the pictures, can't be fixed with a little elbow grease and a little $$$. Nice truck.

[jammck66]

very nice truck. I have seen it before somewhere on the internet. infact it was my desktop background a couple of months ago. Its too bad all was not what it seemed.
good luck with the repairs, this forum is a well rounded bunch of guys and gals who can pretty much answer any questions you have.

[shawnsfordsrevenge]

I can't see the pictures of the front end but from the rear photo on this thread that does not look like a boxed in C notch. you can see where there is no metal on the inside of the chassis. that area should be filled in. If it is it must be deep inside the chassis where the camera can not see it.

It looks like it is a great truck with a few errors made during the build to save a few bucks.

[low6t4]

low6t4, I've looked over the photos of the front suspension again. I see some serious issues. I sent you a pm.

Thanks for the PM BIg M. Here's the pic of the front end. Would like some feedback from the rest of you guys on what would be your opinion. Now that I am getting an education from you guys I am seeing just how fowled up my damn trucks front end is...

My Truck


Heidts Front-end


Not a slick ( a Studebaker) but a mustang II style... it is painfully obvious I am missing a vital component... the crosssmember



Maybe I should just buy a whole new chassis and bolt the rest of my truck to it... like a Fatman chassis or something...

[oldtrucks]

low6t4

From my point of view I would take a deep breath and take the truck apart and from front to rear fix the frame and suspention components.

Other wise find a new frame and set it up correctly and to suit the truck and transfer the body over to the new frame when it's finished.

The worst problem that I see is the front end and it will need to be addressed sooner than later.

Other wise it is a very nice truck. Good score.

If you lived closer you could bring it to my shop if you needed a place to work. I can find you a frame if you would like.

[The Big M]

I think a good first step would be to identify the front suspension. Anyone recognize it? That will help determine if it's worthwhile rebuilding it with all new components, because if the bushings are shot it's possible the balljoints and tie rod ends need replacement as well. If it's from a big car it may be worth salvaging. One could always fabricate a proper crossmember for it. There appears to be plenty of clearance since you've got the dual-sump oilpan on your 5.0.

If it's from a small car then you'd likely be better off going to something more appropriate for our trucks, like a Dakota-style crossmember. Several members here have used the Industrial Chassis Dakota kit. That approach could allow you to salvage the existing frame.

It appears from some of the profile photos that the front clip may be mounted a bit too far back. Could be an optical illusion, but if the wheels aren't currently centred in the fender openings then this gives you an opportunity to correct that. You can also move the engine back a bit to correct your issues with the driveshaft length.