Loadmaster '47 COE

[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

[OneOffStroker]

Originally Posted by 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

I'm sure that this is purely a mock-up, so this may be unnecessary at the moment, but make sure that you clock the u-joint on your steering shaft correctly. It is not right in the pic. The ends of the sector shaft should match, top to bottom. It's hard to explain, but easy to find proper diagrams via Google.

[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.

[99 to Life]

looking swell man, great progress. Funny how one pic has no clip, then next does. People dont realize how much time it takes to put one on and get everything lined up and get a good core support going and how that all ties in with the cab placement. Its alot more work than it appears in photos thats for sure.

[47 Fasttoys]

So true 99 so true, actually what you see is just the fenders and the grill hanging on them. I still need to work out all the other stuff you mentioned. And yes it will be a ton of work.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

Progress, progress, I spent the better part of this week end setting up the front sheet metal. I was able to trim the lower parts of the inner fender wells and reuse some of the grill mount. I built a cross brace which will mount to the cross brace now added to the front of the frame. Speaking of the frame, I boxed the frame horns and added some extensions for a bumper mount. After all that was complete I set the front sheet metal back on and set all the alignments. Over all good progress for a couple of days. It's starting to look like a truck again.

[Kabwe]

One hell of a nice project. Love the COE trucks.