No so Low buck 52 / 53 farm truck

[mikec4193]

I picked him up on one of the rat rod sites...supposed runs...right now I am assessing rear end options as the original one has rear brake drum issues and no one currently sells anything that will fit...




another view as he sits in my dry garage....



He is a 1 ton from a ranch in New Mexico, I bought it at a decent price, had to have it shipped from Indiana to upstate NY...I am old and smelly and is he...my plans are to update rear axle (1985 K5 Blazer)with better gearing, ditch the old school leaf springs with newer K5 Blazer units...

Also going from 8 lug wheels to 6 bolt...still thinking about how to do that. I am getting a set of 6 lug hubs off of a 1965 Chevy truck for free...hoping to make it work on the front....dual master cylinder upgrade too...



front brake drum came off but not without a fight....let the games begin...

So has anybody gone from 8 lug to 6 lug on one of these 1 ton trucks???

MikeC

[T Hilde]

I think you need the 1/2 ton axle and remove half of the spring leafs.

[mikec4193]

Yuppers should cutting this stuff out this weekend I hope...



I bet there is 10 leafs in that spring pack...way more than I will ever use...I wanna be able to tow a car trailer with it....so I need springs but nothing like this...also I wanna loose the hydraulic tilting mechanism...put this old truck on diet sorta kinda...

MikeC

[mikec4193]

I have procured a 1985 Chevy Blazer rear end...took me like 2 hours to get the rear drums off so it would roll...
out to out dimension this rear end is like 64" I think the rear end in the "Howard Knapp" truck is like 62.5"...


I also got 2 quotes for new leaf springs with hangers and all the misc hardware too...one guy was at $730.00 and the other was like $715.00...I was really scratching my head and thinking about this kind of money for 1985 Blazer parts...so I did the next best thing and I called up the local junk yard and they are pulling a a pair of rear springs with hangers for $200.00 off of a late 1990's Chevy truck. I am hoping to get everything except I will be having to purchase 4 u-bolts from the local NAPA store...Speedway sells a generic shock mount I can weld onto the rear housing for under $20.00.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/AFCO-2...ide,24371.html

MikeC

[T Hilde]

Sounds like a good plan. Mine is a 3800 too, but its on a Dakota chassis and now looks like a 3100.

[mikec4193]

Old clunky rear end assembly is out...trying to figure out how to mount the late 1990's 1/2 ton rear springs that I got from a local junk yard for $200.00.



new rear springs sorta kinda "mocked" up in place...



Lots of measuring left to do...cant wait to get it rolling on some 6 lug steel wheels...

Anybody out there have any 6 Chevy steel wheels that they wanna sell me???

MikeC

[mikec4193]

New (1985 Chevy K5 Blazer) rear end is in place...



New hardware from Speedway Motors...about $100.00 for the upper saddles, perches and ubolts too...



My goal is a driver...an old truck that I can actually go out and drive and not get run over by other traffic....

MikeC

[mikec4193]

I was on facebook asking about a 1/2 ton front spindles...and dont you know...I get front spindles and I am now I am waiting for the front axle next...all 1/2 ton too...


Next it the front springs and hanger swap...the 1 ton front springs are 2" wide and the 1/2 ton is 1.75" wide...so I found online a fellow parting out a 1951 1/2 ton frame...he is sending me hangers and springs and all the misc hardware too...

cant wait to get it home and get fiddling with it...

I found out Ecklers Chevy truck parts has a complete 6 lug disc brake kit for less than $700.00...includes brackets and mastercylinder and proportioning valve too..

Any body used this set up before?

MikeC

[Advanced Design]

Mike, I haven't used that set up though I really like the resourcefulness of your build. Thanks for sharing!

[mikec4193]

Just a little update....we are pluggin along...



Rock Auto shocks....I think they were less than $30.00 for the pair...made in the USA too!!! Oh yeah the rear is a 1985 K5 Chevy Blazer so I figured I would mount 1985 K5 Blazer shocks too...Rock Auto also supplied new drums and all the fixens that go inside....less than $250.00 for everything...



New Copper 215/75/15 tires on used 1966 Chevy wheels...the wheels were $100.00 for the set and the tires were $100.00 each off of EBAY...



another view...



I think I wanna round off the tops of the shock mounts....not sure how tall the stock bed rails are going to be....anybody know how tall they are???

MikeC

[mikec4193]

Passenger side cab corner is installed...so happy...it actually doesn't look all that bad...



Original one from Dec 1952...



I really love the South Western vintage sheet metal...it does have tin worms but nothing like the Northeast New Yrok stuff I have seen so much of in the past couple of projects...almost cherry like...

MikeC

[mikec4193]

Working through the rear braking system

Before



After



Never been a fan of drum brakes...

Slow going...cant wait to get it done...

MikeC

[mikec4193]

1/2 ton springs are all inplace...as is the 1/2 ton front axle..



Took the 1 ton stuff out...put all 1/2 ton stuff in...axle is from kentucky....front springs are from Conn...the truck is originally from New Mexico...currently sitting in my garage in upstate NY...

Howard Knapp is gonna be a truck salad for sure...cant wait to get it rolling again..

MikeC

[53 292]

Did you rebuild the wheel cylinders or get new ones?

[mikec4193]

Hey 53 292

I went online and found Rock Auto and they were able to supply everything brandy new and at about 1/2 the cost of my local NAPA store. I even got new rear brake drums too....I think I have less than $250.00 for all the brake parts...

Thanks for asking.

MikeC

[mikec4193]

I ordered some stuff to help this thing stop...

http://www.classicperform.com/Store/...954CBK-6HK.htm

they told me it would 5-7 days before it shipped from the left coast....I am on the east coast....so I am thinking another 7 days before it gets to me...so I have 2 weeks to get the old master cylinder out and all the other misc stuff that goes along with it...

Oh yeah....I have a bunch of bullet holes I can fill in while I wait...

Can't wait to get this thing rolling again...

MikeC

[Advanced Design]

Love it, parts from everywhere! My truck rear fenders came from Texas, cab from Kansas, one front Indiana fender, one from California, frame from Indiana....

[mikec4193]

Been grinding and hammering like crazy again....



Jim Carter to the rescue again...tie rod ends...king pins...

Howard Knapp needed both pivot balls replaced...before shot below



New ones are shown here...






I gotta say...this cold winter is getting old...I whacked my finger last night and it hurt but nothing like if I could actually have felt it...

Howard Knapp is coming along...it was a good night...I love the "Righty - Tighty" nights way better than the "Lefty - Lossey" nights...

Cant wait to get it rolling again...I have never been a fan of trucks on jack stands...ADHD is kicking again

MikeC

[Advanced Design]

Good progress..I like righty tighty too.

[mikec4193]

I finally got the parking brake/ emergency brake cables figured out...I am running a 1985 Chevy K5 Blazer rear end in this truck. I am also trying to keep the truck as close to stock as I can with the exception of all the junk under the frame rails...so modern rear end and new disc brakes on the front...So I cobble up this bracket to join the old to the new....I used the 1952/53 brackets and what was left of the fine threaded rod from that era...



I had to buy 2 short e-brake cables from Rock Auto that fit I believe the right side of the Blazer rear...a Sunday after noon spent cuttin/welding and grinding we have this...hope it works out...

Cant wait to get this thing rolling again...

Kinda thinking about selling it when I get it running again...sorta bored with it right now...

Any takers?

MikeC

[mikec4193]

A little under the fender time this week....
before shot here...

when I got done here...



I got the passenger side door off so I can patch the door post and the floor/cowl panel while I am at it...

Cant wait to get it rolling again...never been a fan of jack stand trucks...

MikeC

[mikec4193]

Hi Everyone
Been a long couple of weeks....still cuttin and grinding on Howaord Knapp....



Still no disc brake kit...CPP told me March 18, 2015 to maybe ship the parts out...

Never been a fan of jack stand trucks...this one is taking way too long to get back moving...

ADHD is kicking on me bad...

sorta gettting bored with it right now...nothing else to cut and grind on so we will keep doing what we have been doing...

My step son who suffers from ADHD also..... I was sharing with him the boredom that I am getting from this project....and he says with a total straight face...."There is no checkered flag.....".....all so true for sure...thinking about running oval track again...at least there is a checkered flag at the end of each night....these things never end do they???

MikeC

[Stepside Jim]

Hi Mike, welding and grinding, welding and grinding, I know how you feel.

No, there is no checkered flag, for me there is the late night walk out to the shop or in the morning before work just to get the satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

You are in the never ending stage where the victories are few and far between. This is the stage where I do what I call "zombie through". I put myself physically in at the project and physically do the work but I try to remove myself mentally from the project. Yes, enough to pay attention, but not emotionally involved in the moment.

Sooner or later you walk out to the shop and realize your ready for the next step, that's a happy moment, savor it, it doesn't always last long til the next step is finished.

Since you doing it for yourself I also try to stay away from a deadline. With no deadline you can focus on your accomplishments, and feel satisfaction.

With a deadline you will be focused on all that you still have to finish, this can be very draining.

You've made great progress with the sheet metal work so far, it's just one night at a time, keep up the good work.

Jim

[Stepside Jim]

I double posted...oops

[Sim6]

Looking good Mike!