56 task force on 80 1/2 ton frame pictures

[56hotrodred]

Thanks Jim.

Now that I have a had a few days on it in my shop I have found a few minor issues that the shop says they will help me fix. Some I am going to see what I can do.

They painted over the drain holes in the bottom of the doors and they filled in several of the holes in the box that are necessary to bolt on the spare tire mount!

Most of these are an easy fix but one of the holes that I have to re-drill for the spare tire mount is going to be a real pain.

The shop has assured me that they will mix me up more paint to touch up around the holes I have to drill and that they fix any other damage I may do!!!

On another front there appears to be some dust nibs in the paint! In my opinion the overall quality of the body shop work is very high but the few dust nibs greatly detracts from it! The shop again said that when I bring it back in they will fix them all. This probably won't happen till next spring and I am pretty sure there will be a few other minor fixes after I am done with my portion of the rebuild.

Overall I am still happy with their work and they assure me that they will make it all right. So I think it will all be good in the end.

I now have all my powder coating pieces back, 23 in all, back and for the most part they look really good. The colours look really good together.

More pictures coming soon!!!

[dsraven]

hey 56 hotrod, that looks great.
would you be able to grab a quick dimension from the center of the spare tire hole to the back of the cab? my box and cab set up is not stock and i wonder if my spare tire is gonna fit. don't really wanna try to find a good used non spare tire rear fender.
thanks man.

[dsraven]

is that base clear? nibs wouldn't be a big deal then.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by dsraven

hey 56 hotrod, that looks great.
would you be able to grab a quick dimension from the center of the spare tire hole to the back of the cab? my box and cab set up is not stock and i wonder if my spare tire is gonna fit. don't really wanna try to find a good used non spare tire rear fender.
thanks man.

Yes I can absolutely do that. Will do when I am out in the shop later today.

I am also looking for a picture of a part related to the spare tire mount!

There is some kind of brace for the one arm that goes through the hole in the fender. It bolts up to the side of the box inside the fender itself.

I can't seem to find it in my shop anywhere. Maybe I never got it with the truck as many of the parts were in boxes.

Will get back to you later with measurements and maybe a picture or two of what I am measuring.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by dsraven

is that base clear? nibs wouldn't be a big deal then.

Ya the shop said it would be no problem dealing with the nibs when I get it back in to them.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by dsraven

hey 56 hotrod, that looks great.
would you be able to grab a quick dimension from the center of the spare tire hole to the back of the cab? my box and cab set up is not stock and i wonder if my spare tire is gonna fit. don't really wanna try to find a good used non spare tire rear fender.
thanks man.

dsraven please find attached/included a few photos I took yesterday. I hope they show what you are looking for.

Sorry after just re-reading your post I see you were looking for measurement to back of cab! I did not do that but don't forget that my body is on an 80 1/2 ton frame and that I shortened that frame by 2 1/2 inches. In looking at it all now I could have stayed with 2 inches but it is what it is now!!! The middle of the front of the box is within 1/2 inch from the back middle of the cab.

I could still get you a measurement from the middle of the spare tire hole to back of cab if you need it.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by dsraven

hey 56 hotrod, that looks great.
would you be able to grab a quick dimension from the center of the spare tire hole to the back of the cab? my box and cab set up is not stock and i wonder if my spare tire is gonna fit. don't really wanna try to find a good used non spare tire rear fender.
thanks man.

From the centre of the spare tire hole to back of my cab is about 23 1/2 inches.

[dsraven]

thanks man, appreciate it.

[56hotrodred]

Its been a really busy few days since I got my truck back home.

I am putting on as much of the powder coating and other big parts at once so I can have a paint touch up party before I go south and put it away for the winter. Only a few small dings" so far!!!

Spare tire mount is pretty much on but I am still looking for the under-fender angle iron support piece.

Finally I also started working on a final mock up of rear roll pan and rear bumper in order to drill a few more holes to secure them on.

Also got tired of looking at paint overspray on my new tires! After
"googling" I decided to go with orange hand cleaner and a gray scotchbrite pad and water. Stuff I had in the shop. And it worked great as you can see in the one picture.

All in all very happy with results.

[joedoh]

so amazing, nice work!

[dsraven]

that looks awesome. roll pan looks like it is supposed to be there as well. great work.

[56hotrodred]

Hey thanks joedoh and dsraven.

[56hotrodred]

There really has been a lot going on in my shop lately!!!

Lots of little things that any picture would or could not illustrate in any way.

Wiring things being completed such as neutral safety switch, numerous grounds attached, remote battery boost terminal posts because my battery is hard to get to, figuring out 700r4 wiring including electric speedometer and torque converter lock up to name a few.

Interior is coming along nicely and I should have more pictures and more to say on that in a couple of days.

I have been preparing for our first anticipated winter storm of the season so I have not been in shop for a day or two.

In any case I did find a few pictures that show exterior photos of where I am at so hope you enjoy. I am really happy with the way the powder-coated grille, bumper and headlight eyebrows look with my paint.

[oldman3]

Looks great...Jim

[56hotrodred]

Here are some pictures of the cab and the lower dash extension we built.

I really like the way it looks.

Although the Vintage Air Heat/AC mostly eliminated the glove box - my lower dash extension completely eliminated it!

I think maybe I could have cut into the dash extension and got the glove box to open but I didn't think it was worth it.

Sorry some of the pictures are little dark.

[dug224]

Great work. The dash extension turned out great!!

[56hotrodred]

I have been home for a few weeks for the holidays and managed to get a few more small things done on the project most of which would not photograph. Wiring, transmission and fuel injection linkages and floor vent cables to name a few.

I have also decided at this time to not fill up the fluids and try to start it before I head back to Arizona for the rest of the winter. That will have to wait till I get back in March.

So I will cover it up for a couple of more months. Whats a coupe more months in my 12 or so years of building...

Heres a few pictures of where I am leaving it at now.

Check out the original fender emblems I am going to re-use. As it so happens these are pretty rare but denote that the truck was not only a V8 truck but it was an automatic. And for our American friends note the 1300 series confirming a Canadian truck. I am thinking of powder-coating them the silver I have been using on other things like the bumpers and grille but doing the lettering in Chevy orange. A colour that was put on some of our old 55-59 emblems I believe.

I have also added the small Fuel Injection emblem to hood. They are from a 57 Chev car so I though they would work well into my "theme."

Still have to get a new driveshaft built but otherwise it is 98% done!!!

The rear bumper is from a Fleetside and I have cut about 3 inches off each side to pull it in a bit.

[56hotrodred]

So I am heading home on Saturday a little bit early as we are expecting our first grandchild! My wife thinks she needs to be around for that and I kind of agree.

In any case while she is up helping with the new baby I am going to have some free time to maybe get the truck fired up for the first time.

What I was wondering: Is there any procedure(s) that I should follow before/after even installing a battery and fuel along with the rest of the fluids?

I am going to prime the engine.

I guess I will need to get a driveshaft built and install so I don't loose all my transmission fluid when I fill it up.

I have never done this complete a rebuild with pretty much everything being new including the engine, transmission rear end and of course the complete AAW wiring harness and Ron Frances Ramjet engine harness.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Barry

[dsraven]

sorry, don't know what engine you have there, but, if it has flat tappet lifters/cam the break in will be different than a roller cam. also ensure you use a good quality oil for flat tappets or the cam will soon be flat. these cams rely on splash lubrication and I know a few guys who add extra oil to the engine so there is lots of splash going on at initial start up. not recommended for driving around like that though.flat tappet cams usually start and run up to about 1800 rpm for a few minutes, then up to about 2500 rpm for a bit. for roller cams it doesn't matter so much. don't let a new engine idle forever though because it may overheat. cars were made top be driven down the road so air could be blown through the rad. a new engine has a lot going on so it gets hot. some guys will use a fan in front of the car to assist with air flow when first starting a rebuilt engine. a few runs with varying load and some decelleration like down a hill with foot off the gas should break in the rings. an oil change soon after, or at least a filter change soon after. I never endorse firing an engine for the first time inside an attached garage. I have seen many fires start from first start ups and you can easily burn down the house, plus all the smells of fresh paint getting hot, new exhaust burning oils off etc etc usually brings the fun police to the garage right when you are in the middle of something that needs your full attention.
friend in attendance in case you need help or first aid (seen that too)
fire extinguisher ready
absorbent material ready just in case there is a leak
adequate ventilation
fuel system primed or at least all the fittings/clamps checked for tightness
oil system primed and manual gauge ijstalled so you know what the oil pressure is, not just a light
timing set within range for start up
coolant filled and pressure tested and an engine temp gauge that works
oil filled (obviously for the oil prime)
throttle check for full throttle and full idle with no sticky spots, comes back to idle by itself right away
exhaust connected
timing light ready
no exposed wiring around anything that can get hot and burn through a wire
all the bolts are tight for engine mounts, starter etc
crank it a few times without starting to ensure nothing got missed
start it up, check oil pressure, set timing
rev if required for cam break in procedure
run up to temp
some guys will dump the oil right then and allow to run out the drain plug overnight. if you do this put a note on the keys so you don't forget the next time you go out there. hot oil drains quicker than cold oil.
allow to cool overnight and then check fluids the next day. maybe even change the oil then.
drive it 500 miles and change the oil again. a lot of metal gets in the system due to break in.

[ndeep]

i like the underdash panel, if you bought it, where. if you made it how ?

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by dsraven

sorry, don't know what engine you have there, but, if it has flat tappet lifters/cam the break in will be different than a roller cam. also ensure you use a good quality oil for flat tappets or the cam will soon be flat. these cams rely on splash lubrication and I know a few guys who add extra oil to the engine so there is lots of splash going on at initial start up. not recommended for driving around like that though.flat tappet cams usually start and run up to about 1800 rpm for a few minutes, then up to about 2500 rpm for a bit. for roller cams it doesn't matter so much. don't let a new engine idle forever though because it may overheat. cars were made top be driven down the road so air could be blown through the rad. a new engine has a lot going on so it gets hot. some guys will use a fan in front of the car to assist with air flow when first starting a rebuilt engine. a few runs with varying load and some decelleration like down a hill with foot off the gas should break in the rings. an oil change soon after, or at least a filter change soon after. I never endorse firing an engine for the first time inside an attached garage. I have seen many fires start from first start ups and you can easily burn down the house, plus all the smells of fresh paint getting hot, new exhaust burning oils off etc etc usually brings the fun police to the garage right when you are in the middle of something that needs your full attention.
friend in attendance in case you need help or first aid (seen that too)
fire extinguisher ready
absorbent material ready just in case there is a leak
adequate ventilation
fuel system primed or at least all the fittings/clamps checked for tightness
oil system primed and manual gauge ijstalled so you know what the oil pressure is, not just a light
timing set within range for start up
coolant filled and pressure tested and an engine temp gauge that works
oil filled (obviously for the oil prime)
throttle check for full throttle and full idle with no sticky spots, comes back to idle by itself right away
exhaust connected
timing light ready
no exposed wiring around anything that can get hot and burn through a wire
all the bolts are tight for engine mounts, starter etc
crank it a few times without starting to ensure nothing got missed
start it up, check oil pressure, set timing
rev if required for cam break in procedure
run up to temp
some guys will dump the oil right then and allow to run out the drain plug overnight. if you do this put a note on the keys so you don't forget the next time you go out there. hot oil drains quicker than cold oil.
allow to cool overnight and then check fluids the next day. maybe even change the oil then.
drive it 500 miles and change the oil again. a lot of metal gets in the system due to break in.

Thanks a bunch. The engine is a 350 Ramjet so I believe roller cam. That should help some.

Everything else makes perfect sense and I will follow all.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by ndeep

i like the underdash panel, if you bought it, where. if you made it how ?

We made the under dash panel. We first made a cardboard template cut out the piece and then used a bead roller. I had a metal worker friend help me as I don't think that if I made one it would have turned out so nice.