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    Results 81 to 100 of 273
    1. #81
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      You're doing a great job!

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
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      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    2. #82
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      I got back to working on the truck today. Our hours were reduced at work, so I havent spent any money in awhile, but I decided to try something I have been wanting to do. I have 2 dashes , and both had huge holes for radios. Both also looked like they had been cut with a screwdriver or an axe. Just horribly jagged holes, with twisted edges and all. I had someone else weld the holes on the first dash, and it warped bad. Im thinking the metal I had for the repair was too thick, but he put too much heat in it, and it warped at the speaker grill and between the radio hole and the ash tray. So I wanted to try it myself. I got some 20ga steel, and went at it.

      For you welders and body experts out there, be gentle on me. Im learning. This is the first time I have ever welded anything this thin. But, it didnt draw in too bad. It warped next to the coin patch on the lower portion, and only very slightly between the two large panels up top. I have more grinding to do, but Ill have to do it at work, because my air compressor at home is a piece of junk. Overall Im very happy with the results. Im going to take it to work, and strip it, then sandblast it. Then we will fill it, block it out and Im going to go ahead and paint it before install. I think it will give us motivation to keep going.

      Sorry, the pictures are on reverse order from what I wanted. Oh well.
      Attached Images Attached Images        

    3. #83
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      You did good. Anything you can hammer and dollie because of access to both sides will get easier.

    4. #84
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Ive been doing some small things. Im still trying to reach the goal of having the truck move under its own power by Dec 31. I still need fittings for the clutch, brake and fuel systems. And I found out I have the wrong return spring for the clutch fork. You can imagine how difficult it is to find a clutch fork return spring, for a 67 dodge d100.

      I did manage to get a starter and the exhaust kit and headers. We are still working 32 hours a week at work, so losing 20% of my paycheck had slowed progress. Im not complaining though, as some are still out of work completely. Im thankful to still have a job, a house, food and be able to still spend some money here and there.

      I will add an H-pipe, and 40 series flowmaster mufflers next. Im also starting to venture back out, little by little, and get some of the fittings. The only big part I need is a driveshaft, and I think Ill source that locally. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures. Dont criticize the welds too bad. Im still learning. Ill wrap the exhaust where it exits the headers and goes under tha cab to keep heat away from the starter and oil lines and such. I might wrap the headers too.

      Also in the drivers side picture, it looks like a bad transition on the exhaust, but it isnt. Thats a slip fit section that I welded up, so it was a little loose there. It is smoother than it looks, its just an odd angle.
      Attached Images Attached Images      

    5. #85
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      So I have tried to stay busy on the truck. I got the seat in, the back window in, and the dash and steering column are in temporarily. Im checking a few things out. I had to clean the garage, because it was getting crazy, but then we set the bed on for the time being. I havent been able to check the rear 4-link for clearance yet. And it is into the bed area, at least the shock mounts are. I have considered raising the bed floor anyway, because the original is just gone. If I raise it 2" I could get into the clean metal, and make clearance for the suspension also. I still need to look into it more. The bed has me worried. It has some serious issues. Here are a few pictures showing how it looks today.
      Attached Images Attached Images        

    6. #86
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      Don't let the bed worry you. It's simpler than many of the other tasks you have completed. Don't be concerned about asking questions. There are many of us that want to see you complete this truck. I will help in anyway I can.

    7. #87
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Quote Originally Posted by wfo guy View Post
      Don't let the bed worry you. It's simpler than many of the other tasks you have completed. Don't be concerned about asking questions. There are many of us that want to see you complete this truck. I will help in anyway I can.

      I appreciate that. You guys have been very helpful on this.

      After looking at the truck a little bit, the problem isnt the bed. The frame hump that goes over the rearend is into the bed area. This makes sense, because I dont have the 3 inch blocks that isolate the bed from the frame, so if I install those, itll raise the bed, enough I think, that it will clear the frame. Then I wouldnt have to raise the bed floor. The problem then would be that the cab is too low. I know the floorpans are bad in the truck now, and I noticed it sits a little crooked, but the body lines line up for the most part. If I raise the bed, they wont. I used the cab isolators from the parts truck, so they are correct, but they might be compressed.

      I think the way to proceed is to lift the bed up until it clears, then see if I can line the cab up with that. Ill have to bolt the front fenders on also.

    8. #88
      Join Date
      Nov 2018
      Posts
      642
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by drummerdad View Post
      I think the way to proceed is to lift the bed up until it clears, then see if I can line the cab up with that. Ill have to bolt the front fenders on also.
      I'm no bodywork expert, but I'd think that you would want to get the cab mounted where it should be first.

    9. #89
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Quote Originally Posted by Vimes View Post
      I'm no bodywork expert, but I'd think that you would want to get the cab mounted where it should be first.

      Im not either, but I would tend to agree. Except that the bed originally had wood blocks under it to isolate it from the frame. They arent in yet, so the bed is lower than it should be. This is a factory frame, which was originally a long bed frame, but that shouldnt matter. The rear hump has to be below the bed floor, and it isnt.

      I just spaced it up a bit and took pictures, and Ill post pictures in a minute to explain whats going on better.

    10. #90
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      So, here are a few pictures. I hope it makes sense whats going on. The bed HAS to be spaced. Originally the bed had wooden spacers, I kept one, and it measures about 2-1/4" tall. So, I spaced the bed up about 1-1/2" and the frame hump and shock mount clears the bed floor (or what would be a bed floor if I had one). But this throws the body lines off. Its possible I installed the rubber cab isolators wrong, or they could just be that compressed, but I have two sets, and they look the same. I think I would need about an inch to fix this.

      First picture is of the cab mounts. I did not relocate the cab mounts.

      Second picture is the bed with 1-1/2" spacers, and the frame hump is below the imaginary bed floor. You can see the original wooden spacer in the back.

      Third picture is of the body line.
      Attached Images Attached Images      

    11. #91
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      Lots of things happen with time. I would make spacers to go on top of the cab mounts if that is what it took. I usually end up making bed mounts, also. Do whatever takes the least amount of work to get the lines correct. You have said you will need to install the fenders and hood also. It's more work but the best way to do it. Never assume that anything is straight on older vehicles, especially trucks that might have had an interesting life. LOL.

    12. #92
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      No kidding. When we went to measure the frame for the IFS, there were no matching reference points. Nothing was straight or inline. The rivets, holes, and bolts were all over the place.

      I posted this on a sweptline forum, and we think we figured out whats going on. The bed is too high; its supposed to barely clear the frame. The cab is sagging because the floor pans are gone, and the rubber bushings are compressed. Ill lower the bed a little and set my bed mounts there. I can always adjust it with shims or bigger blocks. Ill shim the cab for now to straighten it until I get the floor pans done.

      The goal is to get the truck running and work out the bugs, then fix the 67 f100 I have while we drive this one for a year or two. Then the Dodge is going under the knife to get body work done. Of course Ill probably do a few things to it in that time frame. I just dont want to take it all right back apart.

    13. #93
      Join Date
      Nov 2018
      Posts
      642
      Country Flag: United States
      2.5 inches is actually quite a bit of wiggle room, and is very odd that wood would be used. Sounds like someone did a hack job in the past. I've never worked on anything older than a 79 where trucks are concerned, but every truck I have worked on has had the bed bolted directly to the frame mounts without even a rubber washer between them. Where the frame drops for the front bed mounts, there were what I'm going to call steel mounting towers welded to the frame.

      This may or may not help, but when the time comes for me to put mine together I was thinking of contacting these folks to see if they have something better in the way of cab isolators. Stopping vibrations from transmitting through equipment mounts is their sole mission in life, and some of their mounts look like they'll isolate the cab from the frame better than the factory hockey pucks.

    14. #94
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      These trucks originally came with wood blocks in them. Im told if its installed without them it will make horrible noises. The original wood was still good, after 50+ years, but the rust from the bed bolts had fused it in place, and it ruined them. Some people use poly-bushings, and I might later on. The truck will come back apart when we start body work.

    15. #95
      Join Date
      Nov 2018
      Posts
      642
      Country Flag: United States
      Wow, never would have thought they'd use wood in a hidden area as a support structure. At least when the wood was the bed floor, you knew it was there and knew to maintain it.



    16. #96
      Join Date
      Nov 2010
      Location
      Ma.
      Posts
      583
      Country Flag: United States
      I put new wood (white oak) back in mine. If the original ones lasted 50 years of normal use, they'll last another 50....

    17. #97
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Quote Originally Posted by Tincup View Post
      I put new wood (white oak) back in mine. If the original ones lasted 50 years of normal use, they'll last another 50....
      I agree. Itll last just fine. Plus the truck wont be used like it was in its previous life.

      Im waiting on parts, so I decided to practice my welding today. Ill be finishing the welding on the 4-link and the rear end of the frame with the MIG welder. Unfortunately Stephen, who did an outstanding job on the front of the frame, wont be able to help with the rest.


      I ran across some welding videos, and they show people doing cubes, and I thought it was a good idea, so I made one myself. I think I did good, but still need work, so Ill keep practicing. I also tried the TIG, but its a little less user friendly for me. I was able to get a bead or two that might be okay, but for the most part, they were all bad. Ill keep practicing with both.


      Tell me how Im doing. Just remember, Im not a welder, so dont bash me. Im learning.

      The plate is TIG. Just ugly. Dont even ask about the angle. Ill keep practicing.

      The cube pictures are all MIG. The bottom one was first, and I wasnt trying to close the ends. I started working on that, and making sure I get all the way out to the edges on the top picture. I think its much better. No clean up was done at all.
      Attached Images Attached Images      

    18. #98
      Join Date
      Sep 2013
      Location
      sw Kansas
      Posts
      1,640
      Country Flag: United States
      Atta Boy! Keep after it. I think if you work with the tig a little, you will be surprised at how fast you will learn.

    19. #99
      Join Date
      Oct 2018
      Location
      Phoenix, AZ
      Posts
      584
      Country Flag: United States
      First off, great job just picking them up and trying!

      Tig needs more heat which will melt the filler into the parent metal more effectively. Just also be aware this often requires you to move a little quicker to avoid overheating the material and causing warpage. Your dabs seem to be spaced correctly so that tells me you have the overall process down enough. Little more practice will surprise you how much progress you'll continue to make.

      Mig welding looks solid overall. I'd feel safe riding on something you welded like that.

      Overall, NEVER be afraid to just grind off the weld and redo if it doesn't come out like you want/need. That's my favorite thing about metal...you can actually put material back and try again.

      Keep it up!!!
      '95 F-150 track ready street beast
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    20. #100
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Posts
      218
      Thanks for the kind words. Im working on it. Im going to make another cube using TIG, when I get more practice.

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