Frankentruck

[cwcarpenter98]

Did an oil change today on the truck. Had not done one since August of 2019, so it was definitely time Last time I did an oil change, I didn't have an odometer in the truck!
I'll be doing changes based on mileage rather than months now that I have a working odometer thanks to member TBONE1964

I've also been having an issue with the starter. I think the bendix doesn't always shoot out. The reman starter that failed on me still had a good solenoid, so I swapped solenoids. Seems like it got a little better, but I wouldn't be surprised if the starter ends up dying. I'm using the starter that was on the truck when I first bought the truck. I don't think the starter has been rebuilt, but if it has, it was done well before my time

[cwcarpenter98]

Today's project consists of replacing knock sensors on my dad's truck. Got the intake out before taking a lunch break, so now it's time to get back to it

[cwcarpenter98]

I broke the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line on my dad's truck on Wednesday. Got everything back together except for that part, so I had to track it down on Thursday. Got it done and back together though!

Yesterday morning, I hopped in Frankentruck and drove down to Milledgeville for the weekend. Several years ago, before the overdrive transmission and all the work that I've done related to the drivetrain, suspension, and steering this year, I was scared to drive the truck on the interstate. I got the overdrive in last year, and that made me less scared because I could actually go highway speeds, but I was always worn out whenever I got to my destination from sawing at the steering wheel the entire drive just to keep it in a lane. Finally replaced the steering gear, since that was the last steering component that needed my attention, and I didn't have to saw at the wheel as much to keep it going straight. It was a whole lot better, but the truck was still loose when I went over heavy bumps or potholes. As y'all read earlier this month, I had the u-bolts loosening on the rear axle this entire time, so now that the axle is actually bolted in solid, the truck drives super straight, doesn't wobble around, and actually goes the direction that I point the steering wheel at. I can now comfortably drive the truck on long trips without getting super tired, and I'm not longer scared of driving the interstate.

Long story short, the truck is not done yet, but it's at a point where I can really enjoy it and take some longer road trips without feeling exhausted about half way through the trip.

Also, my new front license plate showed up yesterday! Gotta rep my C10 Georgia club

[Johns 66]

Coming along more and more Christian.....Love It!!!!

[flashed]

Christian aint afraid to tackle anything on his trucks , love it , and his truck is just old school cool.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by Johns 66

Coming along more and more Christian.....Love It!!!!

Originally Posted by flashed

Christian aint afraid to tackle anything on his trucks , love it , and his truck is just old school cool.

Thanks John and John! I've still got plenty to do with it, but I've been driving and enjoying it this weekend

[cwcarpenter98]

I got back home yesterday around noon, ate some lunch, then pulled the bed wood out of the truck. I used a stain and sealer combo thingy when I put new wood in 3 years ago. Well, unfortunately, that product was not up to the task, so I need to refinish it again. This time, I'm going to use the same stain/sealer as before, but also put an additional sealer on top. Hopefully that will work better.

I started working on sanding the wood today to remove the dirt, grime, and old stain. It will probably look a little different than when I first installed the wood 3 years ago, but that's ok.

I did find one rotted board. The driver's side rear corner piece that goes under the flange got soft right under the flange. I think I might have scratched off the stain by accident when I was installing it 3 years ago. Good thing I kept all the scrap pieces because I still have a piece to replace it with.

The board leaning up against my truck all the way to the left is the rotted out piece. The bottom side of all the boards lasted pretty well since they were not exposed to the sun. The board on the saw horses has not been sanded at all. The board on top of that one has been sanded

[Johns 66]

Christian...the issue is heat and water....the sun and the heat from your truck wreaks havoc on wood and unfortunately it will continue.
There are a couple of things you can do to slow down the process.
First option is to not use pine simce pine is a softer wood, but no matter what wood you use this will become a periodic thing.
Secondly use a penetrating oil...like tung oil, linseed oil etc....this will penetrate into the wood and help protect it.
Lastly you will need to seal the wood on every edge and flat surface.
Water gets on the wood and it soaks it up, then the heat dries it out causing damage each time.
Something like a Spar Urethane works pretty good.
This wood is no different than wood put on houses, fences, decks etc...
If you look at cross ties and telephone poles it lets you kinda see what different types of preservatives do. While I dont recommend either chemicals used on telephone poles or cross ties, it kinda gives you a reference point to go from....especially if your truck sits outside and is exposed to the elements day in and day out

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by Johns 66

Christian...the issue is heat and water....the sun and the heat from your truck wreaks havoc on wood and unfortunately it will continue.
There are a couple of things you can do to slow down the process.
First option is to not use pine simce pine is a softer wood, but no matter what wood you use this will become a periodic thing.
Secondly use a penetrating oil...like tung oil, linseed oil etc....this will penetrate into the wood and help protect it.
Lastly you will need to seal the wood on every edge and flat surface.
Water gets on the wood and it soaks it up, then the heat dries it out causing damage each time.
Something like a Spar Urethane works pretty good.
This wood is no different than wood put on houses, fences, decks etc...
If you look at cross ties and telephone poles it lets you kinda see what different types of preservatives do. While I dont recommend either chemicals used on telephone poles or cross ties, it kinda gives you a reference point to go from....especially if your truck sits outside and is exposed to the elements day in and day out

Thanks John, that's some new knowledge to pack in the ol' noggin. What about using some sort of marine boat wood sealer?

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

Thanks John, that's some new knowledge to pack in the ol' noggin. What about using some sort of marine boat wood sealer?

I would use some type of penetrating oil suck as tung oil, boiled linseed etc....I would mix it 50/50 with thinner. This allows the wood to soak up the oil....I would do it a couple of times for sure...the thinner evaporates but allows the oil to get deep in the wood...once it dries then I would put a protective coating on it like Spar Urethane, etc....

The heat will pull the oil out of the wood over a period of time and you will need to reapply, but the oil should protect it from the elements..

On my wood I did 3 coats of tung/thinner mix and then applied many coats of spar urethane on mine...looks like glass now.

I have been tempted to put some epoxy on some wood just to see how it will fare outside...just hadn't had time lately.....Still steadily chasing bolts...lol

[cwcarpenter98]

That epoxy might be a good idea.

For now though, since I'm somewhat on a time crunch to finish up the truck before I go back to school, I'm using the same stain/sealer combo that I used the first time, but instead of doing just that, I'm going to also put some sort of actual sealer on top of that. Would the Spar Urethane be a good choice for that?



Today, I finished sanding down the boards. The underside of the boards still looked good in most places, so I put one coat of the stain/sealer down just on the back side. Going to be doing at least 2 coats of the stain on the top side starting tomorrow, then whatever sealer I use will start going down over the weekend or next week

[Johns 66]

Looks good..Spar Urethane will be just fine

[flashed]

Looks great Christian .

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by Johns 66

Looks good..Spar Urethane will be just fine

Thanks John, I'll be picking some up this weekend.

Originally Posted by flashed

Looks great Christian .

Thanks! How's your stepper coming along?

[flashed]

Im still taking the control arms apart , Im a rookie at that and found no help here with my questions . Im so Dang close to having the frame and everything else ready to send out for sandblasting and paint . So Close , more tomorrow after work .

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by flashed

Im still taking the control arms apart , Im a rookie at that and found no help here with my questions . Im so Dang close to having the frame and everything else ready to send out for sandblasting and paint . So Close , more tomorrow after work .

Shoot me a text on the control arms if you haven't figured them out yet. I can't wait to see it all shined up!

[aggie91]

Bed wood is looking good. Tell me again what you are studying is school?

[roll_the_dice]

He should be teaching post graduate classes in truck repair and restoration. Great job Christian!

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

That epoxy might be a good idea.

For now though, since I'm somewhat on a time crunch to finish up the truck before I go back to school, I'm using the same stain/sealer combo that I used the first time, but instead of doing just that, I'm going to also put some sort of actual sealer on top of that. Would the Spar Urethane be a good choice for that?



Today, I finished sanding down the boards. The underside of the boards still looked good in most places, so I put one coat of the stain/sealer down just on the back side. Going to be doing at least 2 coats of the stain on the top side starting tomorrow, then whatever sealer I use will start going down over the weekend or next week

Next time Im at my cousins house Im gonna see if I can find you some old Barn Wood for your bed....I think it would look killer.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Bed wood is looking good. Tell me again what you are studying is school?

Thanks! I am studying accounting.

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

He should be teaching post graduate classes in truck repair and restoration. Great job Christian!

Haha, thanks Andy, but I don't think I have enough knowledge to do that yet

Originally Posted by Johns 66

Next time Im at my cousins house Im gonna see if I can find you some old Barn Wood for your bed....I think it would look killer.

Thanks John, I appreciate the offer, and I think it would look cool, but I'm going to stick with the wood I have for now. Yeah, it's white pine, so not the strongest, but my dad and I were on a budget and time crunch when we did it 3 years ago, so we decided to use the white pine, then ripped it to size, used a small router to cut the grooves, and stained it. It was a fun project living up to our last name

[cwcarpenter98]

So a big life decision happened today. I accepted an internship offer at a CPA firm for the 2021 tax season. I'll be diving into the world of public accounting from January to April. I was blessed to have 3 firms to choose from, and the decision was a tough one, but I feel like I made the right choice.

I spent all morning and several hours into the afternoon making the decision, and then I also spent some time selling some parts locally. Didn't get anything done on Frankentruck, but I started replacing the AC compressor on my Dakota. The clutch went out on it a couple weeks ago, and I couldn't find just a clutch without grabbing a junkyard one, so I went ahead and got a new one. That'll be finished up tomorrow, and I hope to get one coat of stain on the top side of the boards

[roll_the_dice]

Congratulations Christian! One of the Big 4 Accounting firms? There are 7-8 accountants in my family. A great profession. My son was majoring in Accounting, but changed to Finance this past year. He had a somewhat weird internship this summer...2-3 days a week for about 6 hours a day.

[Johns 66]

AwesomeChristian...so very glad and proud of you.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

Congratulations Christian! One of the Big 4 Accounting firms? There are 7-8 accountants in my family. A great profession. My son was majoring in Accounting, but changed to Finance this past year. He had a somewhat weird internship this summer...2-3 days a week for about 6 hours a day.

Originally Posted by Johns 66

AwesomeChristian...so very glad and proud of you.

Thanks guys, I'm excited for it!

[cwcarpenter98]

Got the AC working in the Dakota again today. Also got a coat of stain on the top side of the boards. Going to get some sealer for them tomorrow and probably start on that on Monday