Loadmaster '47 COE

[ghettoluxury]

Looking good, Rob.

[Advanced Design]

Good progress Rob, thank you for sharing.

[47 Fasttoys]

Got a good start on rotating the rack. To start with I welded a position reference to the frame. In my case I used some angle iron with one end butted on a step on the rack tube and a couple of hose clamps. By doing it this way I could turn the rack but still maintain the correct position for alignment issues. Next I removed the mounting bolts, loosened the hose clamps and rotated the rack. I ran into 2 minor issues: The cap bolt on the rack would hit the frame cross member and the hose would hit the cross member. Used a hole saw to solve #1 and a hot wrench and a big hammer to solve #2. After I had enough rotation, I just started building up a new mount for the rack (3/16 plate). If you do this type of work I recommend a profile gauge. It really helps when making templates. I first make cardboard templates. I have also found that Natural Lite 12 packs make the best template materiel. Sometimes I have friends over and we work on building up template stock. From there I go from cardboard to steel and weld it all up.
Rob

[99 to Life]

keep chipping away, looks good

[reaper71]

looks good!!! One more off the list?

[47 Fasttoys]

Boy, you have to stay busy to keep anywhere near the top of this forum. Did a little more work on the steering, I still need to build the right side rack (ran out of steel) but I did hook up a U joint and all looks good. I also added a high tech turn signal switch. I'm trying to keep the interior simple with not a lot of bells and whistles showing.
Rob

[Kim57]

You're doing a nice job on it.
Kim

[47 Fasttoys]

Thanks Kim. I did a little work on the rear of the cab. I bent and welded in place a brace for across the rear, I also cut the opening above the engine a little higher for clearance. Later I test fit the the radiator and modified the PS/Alt. mounting bracket to remove the Alt. mount.
Rob

[mud.man.rj]

So many different things to address compared to a normal truck, nice work, coming along very nice.

[47 Fasttoys]

You are correct about that Mud, seems like just about everything needs addressed in one way or the other.
Made a little more progress rear of the cab: boxed in the sides and built a cover for the rear section. Now for the bad news: I think my welder is taking a dump. It tripped a few times today, the weld is fine but it just won't run for any amount of time and takes longer and longer to reset. I guess I really can't complain, I gotten 10+ years and 4 complete builds out of it.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

Well I bit the the bullet and bought a new welder. It turns out I bought my Lincoln 135 MIG back in '98 so I would say I got my use out of it. I bought a Hobart Handler 190 Amp. The reviews where good and I wanted some more power so this unit should do the trick.
Photobucket started working again also here are some picks.
Rob

[reaper71]

Looking good Rob!!
New toy are always fun!!

[99 to Life]

nice progress. You'll love the hobart.

[Dieselwrencher]

Great work, it's looking awesome!

[Advanced Design]

Looking really good Rob!
Enjoy the new welder.

[47 Fasttoys]

OK, a little more progress. I picked a pair of Ford Taurus radiator fans. These are the widest I could fit and still get inside the frame rails. I built a shroud from 16 ga. and a mount from square tubing. It looks like I will be able to reuse the stock donor hoses with a little trimming.

[Kim57]

Nice job.
Kim

[reaper71]

Fit's really nice!!

[mud.man.rj]

Nice build on the fans and shroud.

[99 to Life]

that came out really good. One of the last things on my list is def a fan shroud, not necessarily just for cooling but something to mount my fan to and tie my rad support together.

[47 Fasttoys]

A little more progress on the cooling system. I am reusing the overflow tank from the donor. I welded a couple of pieces of 1/2" tube to the fire wall and mounted the tank there. I also ran the lines back to the engine and reused the original system as far as the tank is concerned. for the donor it uses the overflow tank as a pressurized unit with a 16# cap on it. The idea here is to be able to check the fluids under the hood with the exception on the oil and trans fluid which will be accessed behind the cab. I will build a cover for the brake linkage later. I remounted the front sheet metal and will start to work out the support for that.
Rob

[Advanced Design]

The firewall looks really good! Clean and organized.

[47 Fasttoys]

Thanks AD, I also ordered a Painless wiring kit and will be mounting the electronics behind the seat. Lets see here: ECU for engine, TAC module, fuse box, relays (fans, fuel pump, horn), control circuit board for the shifter. What am I missing?
Rob

[Advanced Design]

For engine start / controls....Battery cables?

[mud.man.rj]

I must say, every step on that build is a stop and think about it step, not a usual build at all, so considering that, beautifully thought out, each and evry part. Must be time consuming and head scratching too.