FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Yo! Y'all!
Just back from "my tire dudes" at Peerless in Greeley! The light is getting poor, but here's the pics I got after I got home:

Attachment 421515

Attachment 421516

We all had to sit around and drool at Peerless for awhile. Some guy at the store was so impressed he gave me his card so I could email pics to him after I paint the truck!
Alot of drooling happened again when I stopped off at the NAPA in Eaton (where I buy all my parts,...they've been following along with FRANKENTRUCKs' build since last January!) on the way home, so I didn't get back until about four.
Here's the wheel and new 285x70x17 rubber up close:

Attachment 421517

And the special splined lugs that the Foose Spanks require for mounting on the 3/4 tons' 9/16" studs:

Attachment 421518

Obviously I'm going to be pulling the wheels, and cleaning and painting the hubs. They'll be satin black, and I'll polish up those Warn hubs at the same time.
Damn the truck REALLY needs paint NOW!!
Todd.

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Daaang, that looks sweet. Those wheels really set the truck off. It looks like it needs about one more inch of lift though. You need to start sanding panel at a time and get some Frankie green sealer on that thing.

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Nice truck where did you get the lugs. I bet those where hard to find

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Ken: This may be obvious looking at my avatar, but what's Frankie green sealer? I googled it with nothing obvious coming back.

Nice wheels, Todd!

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Looks great!! I got a lot of "like trying to polish a turd" when I put the new wheels on my '85. Some people just don't understand taking advantage of a deal when you find one. Like I said before, I bet you're itchin' to get it painted now.

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Looks great Todd! One thing about having that type of lug nuts is that some jackass with a jack and regular 4-way lug wrench can't make off with them! I'm getting anxious to see what Frankentruck is going to look like with some fresh green paint! Are you repainting with the original green? ...Joe

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

pretty sweet......!!

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Looks good man! The wheels really fit the body lines on the truck. I'm with N2TRUX on this. A little more lift and a fresh shiney coat of color would really turn heads.

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I`m guessing that since Frankensein is green then he`s talking about green sealer because of the name of the truck being Frankentruck. I like the color on Dino`s 66. It would look great with those wheels.

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I guess you'd be right. Can't paint it any other color now.

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the wheels look good Todd

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That is correct. I was ribbing him in one of his gazillion posts about painting it Frankenstein green. I just shortened it down to Frankie green. I figure it needs to be sealer since he plans to abuse it and shiny paint wouldn't last long...:)

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

very nice!!
what a difference!!

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Yo! THANKS ALL!
Just got back from a rare dinner out and checked posts! Thanks for checkin' the truck out and the nice comments!
The name came from my wife because of parts coming from the '73 Missouri 3/4 ton 4x4 donor flatbed, new parts, junkyards, and from the free Wyoming 3/4 ton 4x4 P/U. It stuck: FRANKENTRUCK.
We decided that it's origonal factory color would be the proper color for a FRANKENTRUCK. Getting the truck sanded and sealed for protection will be next, and I'd sure like to find a sealer in green (like N2TRUX suggests) for a temporary solid color while I'm working on the body, prepping it for paint!
Those lugs are great looking and nearly theft-proof too, huh!? They're actually what is necessary to mount the Foose Spanks on the 3/4 ton 9/16" studs due to the Fooses' small, deep, lug nut recesses! Peerless Tires got me this "installation kit" which includes all the lug nuts and the matching lug wrench.
And, I understand the reaction of alot of folks about something that has this outward appearance, but that's all it is: outward,...and appearance. This truck is all new underneath that ugly (and nearly rust-free) body, and ready for many 1,000s of miles on the road and trail! Whenever I start a project, everybodys' first question is "when are you going to paint it?", and that's the LAST item I attend to! Mechanics is number one in my book, appearance comes last.
Not sure about working on further lift, but when I've finished the truck, I'll probably need SOMETHING more to do to it!!
Thanks again, Todd.

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Todd, at first, i had my doubts. But god do those wheels look perfect. The rim size and tire size just fits, what is the rough inch size of the tires if you know off the top of your head? Hopefully if i can get a crew cab going this summer i was thinking some form of 17 inch steel wheels and 31s or 33s.

Right click...save.... I am loving those wheels todd.

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Yo! I was pretty nervous about all of it! The "bling" wheels (turns out they were produced in 2003 and have been stored ever since!), fitment of those, the look, the Firestones (not cheap!), their fitment (especially on 8.5" wide rims!), the final height, result at the speedometer,...geeze! Then I just went for it!
Seemed like they'd look good, especially without the caps, and everything else fell into place as I'd hoped! Spent more than I'd wanted to on the tires, but saved enough on the wheels to make the overall outlay in cash about right,...and I'm not even considering it's a 3/4 ton (seems like everything is more expensive due to the heavy-duty nature). What I mean is, I could load 2000lbs into this truck and it would still be well within it's GVWR! And the engine, tranny, and tcase would be quite capable of handling the load too.
Anyway, the tires are 285x70x17s and I measured them to be 33" in height and 8.5" of actual tread.
Re-torquing headbolts stating tomorrow,...I sure hate to pull those headers off, but it needs to be done. The final engine break-in step. I'll just have to keep the rpms under about 4000 for about another 400 miles and no asphaltburning yet!
Todd.

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I'll try for some better pics in the daylight tomorrow,...and I'll wash it first! Todd.

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Those look real good! that's just the right size wheel/tire combo.

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They look great Todd!

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Now why would you want to wash it?

Just kidding. Even I bought a power washer this year for my bolt bucket.

I happen to think the paint looks great as is. I also like your old wheels. If I were to chose shiny wheels for YOUR truck, I would have gone the route you did.

I love the fact that the thing is rock-solid under that, some would say rust, I say personality and experience.

Great project.

-Todd

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Congrats also on the new wheels!
There use to be a green epoxy primer called DP40. It's been too long since I've messed with any paint products,... but it still may be around.

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There is nothing ugly about a seasoned truck that has put in work. Id lift it a tad more and leave it as is. :smoke:

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:agree:
I LOVE it just how it sits, don't change it!!!
original paint is killer!

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I'll have to look it up, but that's exactly what I had in mind. Good "old" DP 40 PPG sealer/primer.


http://www.capitalhealeys.org/Assets...e-DP40_jpg.jpg

Re: FRANKENTRUCK's New Boots
 

Truck is lookin' good, Todd! Congrats on the new paws and skins! That DP40 would look good on it too.