Restoration Beyond the Traditional

If you have gone through our Project Gallery, then one of the first things you have probably noticed is that our shop specializes primarily in pre-60's classic cars and hot rods with a few stellar trucks throw in. The 30's, 40's, and 50's are truly our specialty years and rare cars are our specialty models. That said, from time to time we take on work outside these eras and body styles and, in fact, some of our crew have their own pet projects that don't look anything like the classic restoration work we typically show off at hot rod shows. One such project currently underway is a 1957 Ford P350 Step Van.

Bradley's 57 P-350 Restoration Van aka Frank the Tank

This van was sold as the P Series Parcel Delivery van (or P350 for short) and due to it having 8 lug wheels on a 6.5 inch bolt circle. This style van was also popularly referred to as a 'bread truck' as so many bakeries utilized them to deliver their morning bread. They were built with a sliding front door and two back doors that opened wide to allow easy access to the interior cargo hold. Some versions of the van were also sold out to RV dealerships as a rolling chasis upon which a motor home body was built (as such, it's no surprise that today the P350s are a hot commodity among tiny home enthusiasts).

Unfortunately, due to the P350 being sold as primarily as a commercial van, when Ford released its E Series in 1960, production of aftermarket parts slowed down and finally grounded to a complete halt in 1977. This makes restoration of this model a bit frustrating

That is... unless you happen to be an ace fabricator and machinist such as our crewman or unless you take the model to us for revamping.

Custom Metalwork and Specialty Restoration

The metalwork and restoration on this '57 P350 started small and in the corners with repairs made along the rear lower corners. Then it was a ton of aluminum tubing welded alongside a 1/4" aluminum sheet floor to provide ample support for more intensive interior work -- such as the completion of this gorgeous and customized mounted door divider completely fabricated in-house. By finalizing these interior and rear panel bones,We were also was able to move on to build up and tack on a really nice set of aluminum bumpers.

But remember that bit about no aftermarket parts? One thing that really needed updating was the dash but instead of trying to find an original replacement, We got inventive and tore out a dash from a '50s panel truck, widened it, and added some key tech improvements via Resomod Air, Classic Instruments, and RideTech for a stellar end result.

Have Your Own Van Restoration Project You Need Help On? Contact CHRA

There's still a lot more work to be done on this van restoration project, but the journey is half the fun. If you have your own van restoration project that you need parts fabricated for or interior work on, don't hesitate to contact us, your local restoration shop!