Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hmmm. How did you measure for rear track? I just went off the frame rails, now ya got me wondering.
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One possible method, assuming the rear end is square to the frame (dangerous assumption), is for one person to hold a string at the back of the rear tire at the vertical center of the tire. A second person pulls the string taut and moves it toward the frame. When the string just touches the front sidewall of the rear tire, you measure the distance from the string to a factory frame reference. Repeat the process on the other side and compare the two. If the rear end isn't square to the frame due to a difference in trailing arm length, bent frame or whatever, this method fails. But if you feel confident of your dimensions, it's a way to double check the frame rail method or identify a rear end that isn't square to the world.

After many measurements today, we have arrived at the conclusion my frame is tweaked. When I bought the truck, the rearmost crossmember had been bent, sorta straightened and welded. Frame looked good except for a tiny little cupped spot up in front of the trans mount on the driver side. Diagonal measurements today confirmed that the truck was probably hit very lightly in the left rear. This pushed the frame rail forward and down slightly. So I have a "diamond" instead of a rectangle plus it's racked somewhat. I'll have to transport it to the frame shop where they can verify the problem and correct it as needed. We removed the trailing arms as part of the forensics, so I went ahead and added some welds while they're out. I'm going to forego the strong arm modification and just paint and reinstall them. And the beat goes on...

[Xeen]

I always wondered why the rear intermediate crossmember was at an angle instead of straight across, I'm guessing that's part of this deal here with the shock mounts, it's all some sort of compensation for the track bar in direct relation with the trailing arm suspension, but I never gave it much thought, I just shrugged and thought they must have a reason and I don't really need to know why as long as it works
Ya know Vic since you have all the time in the world you could fabricate a 4-link just for fun, it wouldn't cost a lot and would be really cool.

[Low Elco]

I have a frame shop recommendation, If you don't have one. Do you need a lift?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

I have a frame shop recommendation, If you don't have one. Do you need a lift?

Planned to go to Leroy's in Independence unless you have another suggestion. What say you??

[Low Elco]

It's in good hands, hope it goes well!
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[Xeen]

Here comes the cab restoration, this is the part I like to watch.
I also can't wait to see Vic section the bed.

[sduckworth13]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Here comes the cab restoration, this is the part I like to watch.

X2 Brian
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[Vic1947]

Update...

Chassis is home from the frame shop. They were able to remove 100% of the twist and all but 3/32" of the diamond. LeRoy called and explained that if they pulled it all the way, the rearend wouldn't track straight. Told him the track was most important to me and not to worry about the small amount of diamond. I'll compensate for that when I align the cab and bed. It now sits nice and level. The small kinks in the frame up near the LF body mount are gone and the mount now sits in the correct location.

While it was out, I got back on the cab and finished laying the fiberglass. When I pulled the top off, there was a considerable amount of pitting and pinholes around the windshield and door frames. I welded in patches for the worst of it, but for the pitting I elected to use fiberglass for sealing and a bit of strength. After taping over the outside areas where resin might run out, I laid up a couple of layers of chopped mat. Then followed that in some places with a layer of cloth. Also fished a wire down the A-pillar and out a hole in the kick panel near where I will be installing the fuse box. This will allow me to pull wires for the dash cam, GPS antenna and map lights.

While the glass was setting up, I began welding pins for pulling the numerous small dents that cover the back of the cab. There are also some mystery holes in the back where it appears something unknown was screwed on at some point in the past. All will need to be welded shut.

[Vic1947]

Also, while on the subject of the cab, I previously grafted in a new inner panel which left an ugly seam that I'll cover with a headliner. The repro panel had slots in it for the headliner trim, but the rest of the inner roof did not. Following the instructions on Brother's website, I'm working my way around the perimeter cutting slots as needed. In the front, due to two layers of metal and fiberglass, I knew the clips wouldn't snap into place. Using the Dremel cutter, I put some small windows around the inner panel slots so there would only be one thickness of metal. Not sure trying to make the cheesy plastic trim look nice saved me anything over reworking the inner panel to look good without a headliner. I'm committed to the headliner now, so no use second guessing ...I guess.

[Vic1947]

Oh, and one other thing. Now that the chassis is square and the drivetrain components are in place, I thought I'd do a trial measurement for the driveshaft length. The trans yoke had very little spline engagement when the clearance for suspension movement was factored in. Turns out the PO had mated a 3R yoke to a driveshaft setup for 1310. The TH400 trans is out of a truck (has the threaded hole in the output shaft) but the yoke had no counterbore. Could have welded a ring on the end and machined it, but I'm not a big fan of welding on a part like that, so I ordered the correct 1310 yoke from Denny's Driveshafts. It properly adapts a one-piece driveshaft to a truck TH400 originally setup for the two piece d/s.

[sduckworth13]

Nice write up on everything Vic. Glad you got your frame straightened out.

[Xeen]

Fun fun, it looks like you are making good progress.
Are you planning on coating the inner roof skin with anything before you lay down the thermal barrier to keep any exposed metal from rerusting, if so I would be interested in knowing what product you are going to use.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Fun fun, it looks like you are making good progress.
Are you planning on coating the inner roof skin with anything before you lay down the thermal barrier to keep any exposed metal from rerusting, if so I would be interested in knowing what product you are going to use.

Yes, I plan to spray epoxy on everything but the edges where the adhesive goes that bonds the outer roof skin. All my primer products: epoxy, high build 2K and their associated catalysts / reducers are from Southern Polyurethanes. (www.southernpolyurethanes.com) Been using them for a while now and really like their primers. Never used their topcoats, but I believe they have a good reputation as well.

[Vic1947]

Primer Day 1 arrived today. Weather was pretty close to ideal for laying on some epoxy. I had a few loose items that needed a protective coating, plus I needed to get a couple of layers to hold out any moisture on the inner roof panel before applying the thermal barrier (which is next up).

Bought a three wheel electric scooter off Craigslist for my dad (who's pushing 90) and delivered it to him yesterday. He emailed me this morning to say he'd rolled it on his first trip around the neighborhood. Now he's laid up with a bum shoulder and the scooter's croaked. Hope my brother can fix it. I'm not sure if they can arrest you for contributing to the delinquency of a senior citizen. I feel bad about providing the crash test vehicle, but I know from a couple of past deals that when he decides he wants something, he doesn't rest until he gets it.

[Low Elco]

Glad the frame shop worked out well. Can't wait to see the next step!

[Xeen]

The inner roof looks great Vic.
I can't wait to see the firewall installed.

[Low Elco]

Mmmmmm.... I love the smell of epoxy in the morning. Smells like victory!

[mcbassin]

Good work on the cab. You are making it look too easy....

[Vic1947]

The thermal barrier is on the inner roof except for one small area front and center. Need to get out to Pick and Pull to yank a map light assembly out of a Shhh! (Ford Taurus) to graft into the area between the visors. Once that is done, I'll be very close to buttoning up the roof. Went to Wholesale Paint today and purchased the 3M adhesive I'll use along with a few other supplies.

Meanwhile, today was epoxy primer Day 2... The weatherman assured us last night that there was no rain in the forecast until late tonight. So before lunch, I loaded a small amount of the cream color I used on the engine into the detail gun to paint a couple of small items. As I was finishing up, I felt the air get a little cooler and the wind kick up. Not good, I figured, so I carefully transferred the items from the driveway to inside the workshop. About five minutes later, it started to sprinkle. Didn't last long, but that's what you get when you believe "Kansas City's Most Accurate Forecast".

After lunch, the sun was out and interactive radar on the Weather Channel showed no precipitation anywhere near us, so I uncorked the HVLP and shot a bit more epoxy. It's supposed to turn cool next week and from here on out I'll have fewer days that will be good for primer. I need to quit putting it off.

The correct yoke for the truck TH400 arrived yesterday and I was able to get a measurement on the driveshaft. Will have to have it shortened by 2.75" for it to work. Guess I'll run it down to Inland Truck next week while it's rainy and cold.

[sduckworth13]

Looking good Vic.

[Xeen]

Very nice Vic, no more radiant heat bleeding into the cab when the sun is beating down mercilessly durring the summer.

[69CST-V]

Nice work as always. Keep up the great post with all the detail.

[Vic1947]

I took the afternoon "off" yesterday and ran a few errands. Dropped off the driveshaft to be shortened 2.75" and handed off the accessory brackets to DeTray Plating for satin nickel coating. Also cruised thru the Pick and Pull and found a map light assembly I think I can modify to fit in the area between the visors. Last stop was at Metal by the Foot to pick up some materials to build a set of outriggers and wheelie bars for my dad's scooter. (A story for another time.)

What little time was left yesterday I spent prepping the cowl for the new firewall. Had to remove the remains of the original f/w and trim the rot away to make way for the new lip I'll build from some sheetmetal strips. I drilled the spotwelds to remove the subframe pieces that attach to the firewall. The new f/w doesn't come with those components and they add a lot of strength, so I'll transfer them before I start the final welding.

[Vic1947]

With the old firewall cleared away, I scrounged up some material to patch the hole where the heater motor originally fit. The new Vintage Air setup came with a bolt-in patch, but I prefer to weld it in. Plus, the new contour for the passenger side of the firewall (see page 8 of this thread) will cross over the hole, so I want it smoothed out and ready to attach the new lip.

I have several choices for making a patch like this. Most of the time I just grab up a pair of tin snips, but for bigger jobs I'll occasionally use a Rodman nibbler attached to either a power drill or a cordless (when I'm away from the shop.) It doesn't leave a particularly smooth edge unless you're using a rip fence, but nothing works better for complex shapes. I also have a great little tool made by Sykes-Pickavant out of England. I really like it for long straight cuts, and it will also do curves if you first trim it close to the cut line. You can see that I used it to take the corners off the square piece and make a circle. Only problem is, you crave a cup of tea after using it.

[Vic1947]

I left a little extra around the patch and then used tin snips to fit it to the hole which wasn't exactly round. Before welding in the patch, I filled and ground any pinholes in the general vicinity and then shot the area behind the patch with a couple of coats of rubberized undercoating. With that done, I positioned the patch with magnets and tacked it in place.