Really excited about this, the long-tube headers were completed recently. Decided to get them built from scratch for a custom fit. I'm thrilled with how they turned out:
You can see the tube for cylinder 1 bumps out a little bit - that's to give clearance for the steering linkage. All 4 tubes were bent up so they have the exact same length to the collector:
Even though we don't need clearance for a steering linkage on the passenger side, I wanted the headers to be symmetrical on both sides, so everything is mirrored:
Next time I visit, exhaust should be complete back to the rear of the truck. Going with 2.5" tubing and Porter mufflers:
Also, I took another road trip to buy a bed from a guy in Michigan. Again, mine was too far gone to save (cost-effectively, anyway), and I was hoping to keep original steel. Made the trip, got the bed - it is in pretty good shape, but still looks like it will take a lot of work to save. Probably going to go with reproduction parts at this point. Oh well, I tried! Anybody in MN need an old bed?
Also wanted to post these - unrelated, but so cool I had to share. The guys had this in the shop a couple weeks ago. A true barn find - an International "truck," I think the year is 1912? All original, and it fired right up after a tune-up. This is when some trucks were still more like tractors in a lot of ways. I thought it was great to see an ancestor to our own trucks that we love:
