From the Garage 

In the last instalment of 'From the Garage' it was mentioned we would give an overview of the projects currently being undertaken. This week the focus is on the circa 1941 Ford project. 

Toward the end of 2019 the classes had completed most of the work on our previous projects – a 1992 Corolla hatch and a 1988 Corolla wagon. A new challenge was needed so the idea was floated to construct a Rat Rod! Why? Well, it does not have to look pretty and requires a great deal of mechanical knowledge and work. After looking into it and a bit of head scratching we started looking for a suitable vehicle. A visit to Gumtree revealed the availability of a 1941 Ford truck located at Willow Court in New Norfolk. 

After a couple of calls and visits we decided it would be a good starting point. The purchase was made and after a call to Darren at Hobart Towing Services it was arranged for the truck to be transported to the College. In the final part of 2019 and throughout 2020 it was stripped to a bare chassis and cab. All the parts have been kept and will be rebuilt if they are required, however, the plan is to only reuse the cab, bonnet and chassis. A new grille will be manufactured which will incorporate the surround and headlights. Work has begun on rebuilding the front and rear suspension. New bushes have been sourced and new pins have been made for the front suspension.  The front brakes and cylinders have been rebuilt and are ready for reassembly. New spring packs are being made for the rear, new bushes have been sourced and the material has been acquired to make new pins. The original engine has long gone so it is being replaced with a 351 V8 and auto gearbox we sourced from an F100.

 Work has commenced on setting up this combination and will be the focus for the next few weeks. It involves moving the front crossmember and manufacturing new engine and gearbox mounts. We still need to find a suitable rear differential as the original is missing some parts and they are proving difficult to source. Acquiring a complete rear unit seems a better option. It is hoped in the future the truck will be able to be registered so all work is being done with that aim in mind. At the moment the students have plenty of work ahead of them and we will give an update as progress is made. 

Next week we will give an overview of our other project – the 1972 F100.