1957 Chevy 3100, meet 1994 Dodge Ram 1500

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Old57

Looking good!

Thank you!

Two weeks ago I recorded another YouTube update that encompasses a lot of the little things I’ve been getting done.

https://youtu.be/rmHkPueKQ6U

In addition, I cleaned up the current seats. Ethyl is really looking the best she ever has and will be going to the Pauls Valley Brickfest at the end of this month.



-Joe

[joedoh]

it looks really good, way to see it through!

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by joedoh

it looks really good, way to see it through!

Thank you Joe. There is still much more to do, but Kim and I both like where we've managed to be with Ethyl so far.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I was digging around in my shed this morning, looking for my inner door panels and I stumbled across more than I expected. I didn't find the panels I was looking for, but I found two other sets, two extra sets of the lower hinge covers, and a hood emblem that I didn't realize I had. These are in addition to the copper and brass manual transmission radiator that I'm not using anymore. I think I might need to clean out my shed properly. Lord only knows what other parts I have stashed away out there.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I installed the door panels this afternoon. They still need a good cleaning and some fresh paint, but they fit nicely.

I also cleaned up the hood ornament and installed it. 0000 steel wool and WD-40 cleaned it up nicely.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Well, here is another video update for anyone with a half hour to kill. Lol! Enjoy.



https://youtu.be/adW0BxO2Iz0

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I got a bunch of little stuff done the past few weeks. One item was the door and window handles. For years, I had generic GM handles, like were found in Dad's 1960s-1970s Oldsmobiles. The sort of worked, but didn't fit well and eventually stripped out on the splines. I picked up some correct handles in OKC and fixed that issue.

I also finally installed a transfer case shift knob and I found a center console that works well between the seats.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

The console has a "locking" compartment, but a determined child could have it open in a minute or less. Also, the console needed a base of sorts to make the armrest usable. I figured 8" tall, above the mounting ribs for the seat would be a nice fit, so I began building myself a lock box out of leftover 10 gauge steel from the bed floor. The end result is a solid, albeit heavy, locking compartment that is 8" tall, 8" wide, and 21" deep. The base bolts to the cab floor and security hardware holds the top porting to the base. I haven't built the door yet, but when it is done, it will be like a small safe inside the cab.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

The new console bolts to the top of the lock box, providing an arm rest and a secure compartment inside the cab.

When done, I'm going to add some USB charging ports for convenience.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

I took Ethyl to the Pauls Valley Brickfest over the weekend. She didn't get any love from the judges in the "Unfinished" class, but the spectators liked her. There were a few folks who recognized that something was different underneath, which made it worthwhile to me. I didn't drive her down there, since I don't trust the unknown transmission. She rode the trailer and then drove around the block. Next year, she'll go on her own.

One advantage was Ethyl's paint. When the rain came through, I only had to wipe down her chrome.

-Joe

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Purcell69

Well, here is another video update for anyone with a half hour to kill. Lol! Enjoy.



https://youtu.be/adW0BxO2Iz0

-Joe

I watched it and forgot to let you know I had a half hour haha.


I bet looking at the beginning pictures again is bittersweet, I always like to see how far it has come anyway.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by joedoh

I watched it and forgot to let you know I had a half hour haha.


I bet looking at the beginning pictures again is bittersweet, I always like to see how far it has come anyway.

Joe, I have to admit it, a 30 minute video is a bit much. From now on, I'm going to try to keep things to no more than 15 minutes. If it is more involved, I will break it down into segments.

Finding those old pictures really was bittersweet. I remember where this project was going in the early days and the two other trucks I had started with before Ethyl came along. My first 1957 was a 3800 with no bed and a rear cab wall that had clearly been the victim of lots of farm use. The metal work was beyond my skill set and nobody was making replacement rear cab walls back then. For that matter, the only replacement fenders were fiberglass.. The best you could get was a patch panel.

Later on, I found a GMC cab to use as a donor, and swapped in the Chevrolet dashboard from the first truck. It wasn't until I went to put a bed on that I realized the 3800 had been a cab and chassis and that the frame was much longer (by two feet) than the 89" bed that came with the GMC. Of course, by this time, I had spent an Arizona summer sand blasting and repainting the 3800 frame. My front yard looked like White Sands, NM.

My biggest regret is that I don't have pictures of any of this.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

As to the mismatched gauges, I've settled on a Speedhut GPS based speedometer. It is very similar to the Arctic White Autometer gauges that I have, close enough that it won't be immediately noticeable, and has some features that I like that Autometer doesn't offer.

My center dash is garbage, so I'm going to put in a replacement panel and will mount a matching 2 1/16" tach and clock in that part of the dash, since they won't fit in my five gauge cluster.

Also, the parts came in to finish the door on my lock box. New flat hinge and a barrel keyed lock, (once I'm done repairing our water main, that is...).

[Purcell69]

With winter here in Oklahoma, things with Ethyl have been on the back burner for a while. As I have said before, I don't have a shop to work out of, so I am at the will of the weather and available daylight. Sure, I could run an extension cord and drop light, but when the sun goes down, the temperature drops like a rock. For me, it is really hard to get motivated to work on anything in the winter months when I get home from work, knowing I have 90 minutes or so of daylight left. If the weather is decent, I can do a little on my days off, but the past three weeks, the nice weather has been on the weekends, and the winter storms, (cold, drizzly, rain-soaked days), just have naturally aligned with my days off.

I had been targeting getting Ethyl out on this year's Hot Rod Power Tour, but it doesn't seem like that plan is going to fall in place. Kim won't be up to traveling like that unless something happens for her in the next few weeks and there are no consultations on the horizon for her, so I need to be looking ahead to 2021 I guess.

Still, in the effort of making the 2020 tour happen, we picked up a rebuilt 1996 46RE automatic transmission that is compatible with the OBD-II wire harness Ethyl is running. I also scored a 1996 PCM to match up with the transmission, so all the parts will be the same vintage before long. Once the new trans is in, I am going to get another rear driveshaft built to the correct length, as the current one is a bit too short for my liking. I'll also have a new front shaft built, 3" longer than stock to accommodate moving the engine and transmission back in the chassis 3".

Yesterday, we received about 5" of snow at the house, more than we have seen locally in the past few years. As a result, I took Ethyl out into the pasture for some "snownuts". I overlooked the new mud terrain tires Ethyl now wears, and dug down through the snow to damp earth in no time at all. Given we have had 5" of rain in the last 10 days of January, the new tires were actually quite useful.

https://youtu.be/aZPvwn0ddYs

I need to take a look at the throttle linkage. There is some sort of binding that causes the throttle to stop about 1/2 way. For the pasture, this was fine, albeit a tad annoying. On the few occasions I was able to push past the bind, that engine jumped to life with Ethyl's new non-stock cam. I just didn't push it, as I was afraid the throttle might stick open...and nobody wants to see that happen.

-Joe

[joedoh]

HAHAHAHAthat video was hilarious.

nice to get an update!

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by joedoh

HAHAHAHAthat video was hilarious.

nice to get an update!

Thanks Joe! I was having a blast out there. It's been a few years since we got a decent snow, which just happened to coincide with my days-off. I got to go play before it all melted.

I think I have a plan for the craptastic mess that is the center of my dashboard. I really wasn't looking to put a modern sound system in Ethyl, but we picked up a 2001 Grand Cherokee in November and I installed a Kenwood media player in it. I really like the touch screen and Apple CarPlay is handy, especially with the Maps navigation app.

The media player is a Kenwood DMX7706S. There is no CD/DVD in it, so the unit is only about 4" deep. This will leave plenty of room for the wiper motor and AC ducting behind the dash. The dashboard either needs patched or I install something like this. I'm starting to warm up to this.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Here’s the latest update.

First, Ethyl now has a front driveshaft. I went and saw the fine folks at Precision Drive a few weeks ago as this whole Coronavirus thing was beginning to blossom here in Oklahoma. In less than 24 hours, Precision Drive replaced the tube with a 3” longer section to accommodate the movement of the engine and transmission, (moved back 3” early on in the build), and rebuilt the double cardan joint and installed a new u-joint at the pinion end. After that, they balanced the whole assembly.

With the the driveshaft installed, I was still without 4wd because I had deleted the vacuum lines that controlled the CAD (Central Axle Disconnect) system in favor of something more reliable. I ordered a Posi-Lok kit for a 2nd Generation Dodge truck and some 3/4” heat shield sleeve from WireCare.com. The Posi-Lok replaces the vacuum lines and modulator assembly and actuates the engagement collar in the front axle via a cable with a pull control mounted under the dash. The unit is simple to use and is reliable as a hammer. The heat shield sleeve was installed over the plastic outer body of the actuator cable, to protect it from engine heat.

Yesterday, I finished the assembly and Ethyl now has 4wd. It is as simple as pushing the button and pulling the control knob out 1”, then shifting the transfer case in to 4wd.

Yesterday was busy all around. I got the AC vacuumed down in the son-in-law’s Jeep before recharging the system. While it was vacuuming down, I removed the damaged condenser core from our 2001 Grand Cherokee and installed a new one, only to repeat the vacuum and charge process one more time. Now both systems are charged and are nice and cold in anticipation of summer.

While I worked on Ethyl’s 4wd system, I did a bit of YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/kiMEdjoMygg

-Joe

[Katrina/10]

I put one of those Posi Locks on my YJ, it worked great! The Jeep axle disconnect looked exactly the same as yours. Nice video, too.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

I put one of those Posi Locks on my YJ, it worked great! The Jeep axle disconnect looked exactly the same as yours. Nice video, too.

Thank you! Yeah, being a Chrysler product, most of the Jeeps and 2nd/3rd Generation Dodges used this design. It wasn’t a bad design, but in harsh weather, it could be slow to react, or just not work at all. I found this out my first winter in Oklahoma with our 1995 Dodge diesel.

According to the folks at Posi-Lok, some Fords used a similar vacuum system.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Just a quick update...I've been working some 14 hours shifts lately, to buy more parts for Ethyl. Consequently, I have not done as much work on her this year as last, in spite of the now warmer weather.

I finally got around to purchasing the SCT X3 tuner from Utawesome Performance and sent a copy of my cam card to Marty Fletcher. He wrote an incredible tune that really makes the most of the cam. The idle is no where near as fat as it was and she pulls hard off idle, all the way through. My driveway is 600' and I had to back out before I found out what all there is.

I've also been parting out the son-in-law's 1996 Ram 1500 (Ugly Truckling) and acquired the Flowmaster muffler for use on Ethyl. The change from that stock Jeep XJ Cherokee muffler that I had been using to something that flows was amazing to say the least. Of course, now I need to add sound deadening inside the cab to my list. The muffler is a 40 series, 3" inlet, dual 2.5" outlets that I am going to exit under the passenger side running board.

Yesterday, I took Ethyl for a shakedown run to the gas station, just to see how she would do on the highway. Keep in mind, I am still using the 46RH hydraulically controlled transmission. I don't have Overdrive wired up and have a 46RE waiting to go in that will be 100% controlled by my PCM. Regardless, she did well. Aside from a squeaking serpentine belt and a fuel filler neck that I need to rework, everything went as planned. She drove nice and straight at highway speed, for the first time in 18 years, and she had no leaks on the ground while I very slowly filled her fuel tank. No drips from the motor, trans, transfer case or axles.

https://youtu.be/O0_W2yjqKUc

-Joe

[joedoh]

congrats on the 4x4! and the highway break in!

[Rickysnickers]

Nice job Joe!!!

[americanmusc1e]

Very nice to see you are still working on this truck! You've inspired me and I bought a 1996 Ram 2500 4x4 frame to put under my 49.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by americanmusc1e

Very nice to see you are still working on this truck! You've inspired me and I bought a 1996 Ram 2500 4x4 frame to put under my 49.

Nice! These frames are pretty easy to modify if you don't mind knocking out the rivets that hold the front and rear sections together. Just know that your tires will stick out past the fenders a little bit due to the axle width. The improved ride is worth it though.

-Joe

[Purcell69]

Alrighty! Ethyl is now highway legal with insurance. I've taken her out and about a few times as the shakedown continues. So far, the only issue I have seen might be a failing alternator. My voltmeter shows 9v at idle and up until the other day, would jump right to 13v under throttle. Then half way through a 26 mile drive, it started reading 12v while driving in town and would oscillate between 12v and 15v at highway speed. Regardless, my fan and lights didn't seem to be affected.

I did put together a few videos as well. The extra hours I am working have been doing well at paying for the things she needs, like sound deadening. I picked up a box of Kilmat last week and installed almost all of it in the cab the past two days. The improvement is amazing. I still have to order another box to finish out the floor and firewall, but the effort has been worth it.

https://youtu.be/CegI1LzRwms

https://youtu.be/cBd2gKUjXdA

-Joe