1972 Chevy 4wd Longhorn Project: Never Ending Changes

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by jbclassix

Congratulations by the way!

Thanks. How you liking the Ca landscape?

[propanemudtruck]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Yes, I have a 8 month old now, and another boy or girl due in April. I'm changing my mind because I won't be able to make any passes this year with the car. I also know if I put it back together I will just be wasting money going to diesel events racing it. I'm going to sit at least one year out. Rather than let the engine and tranny sit around rusting, I decided to use it and this will help me get my wife's truck on the road faster as well. Times are tough, and getting tougher. I don't want to sell the vette, so it can just be put away. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Hey Yeah Congrats! And I'm just yankin your chain You've made some awesome progress on this project and I sure do respect you for that! Two daughters myself.... 2 and 4 and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[watahyahknow]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I'm guessing Mercedes transmissions. That looks real similar to the 3.2 litre in the turd sprinters here. Parts are expensive for those things. The reason the engines loook so big is because they are over head cam and have massive cylinder heads. If I were you, I'd get one and do it for sure.

yeah there mounted in mercedes sprinters (dodge in america) there a little less powerfull that the ones mounted in passengercars its a cdi block and it has an electronic fuelpump , good thing is the bottomend is practicly the same as a older mercedes 5 or 6 cilinder and the old style mecanical pump will fit this engine without any adaptations
i live close to the sourse of the parts so i dont have to pay a lot for them , they dont have to include the shipping overseas , i have the same high price thing here for american parts so you know why i choose this engine now

as for transmissions yeah i would use the stock mercedes handtransmission and use some heavier duty clutchparts from gasolinepowered mercedeses , the automatics are a little finnicy though and hooked up to the ecu , if you keep the electronics you prolly be hitting youre head a couple of times because everything is linked intoo the ecu from the gearbox through the airbags to the interiourlighting allmost and its verry hard to impossible to put a different program into this ecu to work around it
i would make it mecanical injected for sure , there are kits available to bolt american automatics to the engine but i dont have links for those , the engineplate that holds the transmission is seperate from the engineblock itself , starterplacement can be custom made and any trans can be bolted straight up as it would if it was factorymade if you make this plate youreself

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by watahyahknow

yeah there mounted in mercedes sprinters (dodge in america) there a little less powerfull that the ones mounted in passengercars its a cdi block and it has an electronic fuelpump , good thing is the bottomend is practicly the same as a older mercedes 5 or 6 cilinder and the old style mecanical pump will fit this engine without any adaptations
i live close to the sourse of the parts so i dont have to pay a lot for them , they dont have to include the shipping overseas , i have the same high price thing here for american parts so you know why i choose this engine now

as for transmissions yeah i would use the stock mercedes handtransmission and use some heavier duty clutchparts from gasolinepowered mercedeses , the automatics are a little finnicy though and hooked up to the ecu , if you keep the electronics you prolly be hitting youre head a couple of times because everything is linked intoo the ecu from the gearbox through the airbags to the interiourlighting allmost and its verry hard to impossible to put a different program into this ecu to work around it
i would make it mecanical injected for sure , there are kits available to bolt american automatics to the engine but i dont have links for those , the engineplate that holds the transmission is seperate from the engineblock itself , starterplacement can be custom made and any trans can be bolted straight up as it would if it was factorymade if you make this plate youreself

What are you waiting for?

Originally Posted by propanemudtruck

Hey Yeah Congrats! And I'm just yankin your chain You've made some awesome progress on this project and I sure do respect you for that! Two daughters myself.... 2 and 4 and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I know, it's all good man. Progress? You're getting pretty generous now. It might actually start looking better here soon. I decided to farm out the paint work to my old boss. He thinks we might be able to get in next weekend. We'll see what happens.

[watahyahknow]

money and space to work on my trucks

[propanemudtruck]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I know, it's all good man. Progress? You're getting pretty generous now. It might actually start looking better here soon. I decided to farm out the paint work to my old boss. He thinks we might be able to get in next weekend. We'll see what happens.

since the only thing done to my 71 this year was robbing parts off it, I'd say you're making progress!

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by propanemudtruck

since the only thing done to my 71 this year was robbing parts off it, I'd say you're making progress!

I robbed parts off my 76 last year for this truck so now I get to buy 2 of a few things. oops.

[rome704]

nice build bro

[Dieselwrencher]

I purchased more Longhorn emblems for it and they arrived last week. Thanks Bucket!


Other than that it's just taking up shop space. How ever, it told me it's never spent this much time inside out of the weather ever in it's life.

[72cummins]

I just found this build. Looks like you are running into a lot of the same problems I found along the way as well. I redid the motor mounts twice to get the engine lower the second time. I have been looking for some good emblems too, so I am glad I found the thread.

Great work.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 72cummins

I just found this build. Looks like you are running into a lot of the same problems I found along the way as well. I redid the motor mounts twice to get the engine lower the second time. I have been looking for some good emblems too, so I am glad I found the thread.

Great work.

Thanks Bryce. I just need to get this big project ford done so I can get back on this. I'd like to do some burn outs before it snows.

[BLAZERMAN]

I know you have a Dodge seat for your truck...but how Cool would it be to have air ride buddy buckets in your truck??.....Plus I'll be in Des Moines for Thanksgiving!
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/pts/2672664424.html

[Dieselwrencher]

Rob, those look cool. When are you heading up here?

[72BlckButy]

Nice work Ryan.

How's the little one doing?

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Nice work Ryan.

How's the little one doing?

She is doing great Nate. I'll dig up the thread and see if I can put some Halloween pics up of her. Thanks for asking. How's your son doing?

[Dieselwrencher]

Well almost another month has went by and no dang progress. So..................................... I bit the bullet and am taking this thing to the body shop and my old boss is going to finish the body work and paint the cab and front clip. Then we'll set the box on the truck and he's going to fix the big dent in the RR box side. Once he has that done I'll have to get the steel floor installed and then he can paint it. Here's my dilema now. Seeing how this truck will have a steel floor and this truck will be used for real work, what do you guys feel about the box sides and floor being all welded together? I'm liking the idea of line-xing the entire inside after the box is painted and then the box will be done for good. The only real down side is if I ever need to replace a box side it'll be a real big PITA. But then again, it isn't like I can't just patch it or skin it like newer trucks. So what do you guys think about that?

[72BlckButy]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

She is doing great Nate. I'll dig up the thread and see if I can put some Halloween pics up of her. Thanks for asking. How's your son doing?

He's doing quite well. I just posted up some pics in my build thread of what we've been doing lately.

Glad to hear she is doing great. It's amazing what they bring to your life.

Hope to meet her either this summer or fall.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

He's doing quite well. I just posted up some pics in my build thread of what we've been doing lately.

Glad to hear she is doing great. It's amazing what they bring to your life.

Hope to meet her either this summer or fall.

Yes it is Nate. Hopefully we can meet up at Riverside or GG's or some thing.

[watahyahknow]

maibe you can just line x the bedsides and make a piece of daimondplate fit verry tightly on the floor and intoo the sides so theres no gap and make an inch high standing edge on it
that way when stuff rolls through the bed during cornering it will hit the daimondplate first and when you get damage you can take out the floorcovering and still get at the bolts and seperate the pieces with the line x on them and repair / replace it without it looking ugly at the seams

[Dieselwrencher]

Hopefully by Thursday the truck will be going to the body shop. I'm waiting on a stall to open up before it can go there. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to go back to trim in the windshield rubbers or not. Hmmmmm................................

[Vintage Windmills]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

what do you guys feel about the box sides and floor being all welded together? I'm liking the idea of line-xing the entire inside after the box is painted and then the box will be done for good. The only real down side is if I ever need to replace a box side it'll be a real big PITA. But then again, it isn't like I can't just patch it or skin it like newer trucks. So what do you guys think about that?

I'd just add a few bolts to the perimeter or invest in some tie down straps Damage to the sides will probably be halfway up the inner wall and not overload the bolt joints anyways?

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

I'd just add a few bolts to the perimeter or invest in some tie down straps Damage to the sides will probably be halfway up the inner wall and not overload the bolt joints anyways?

I was really thinking it would just be faster to weld it all up and be done with it. But I might just bolt it back together just in case. You never know.

[67chevy1series]

well ryan hows the hugger orange christmas coming along????

[Dieselwrencher]

It's off to a rough start. I was going to take the truck to the body shop today, but of course it's raining so I haven't decided if I will or not yet.

[Dieselwrencher]

It's at the body shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I removed the engine, cleaned it out, hung the new RH fender, put on a different cowl, and Mathew helped me hang the hood. Then we took it to the body shop and pushed it inside. We talked to my old boss and then I removed the wheels and tires. One so it can't be taken out side, and two so I can mount some 305's on the steel wheels. I'll try to get pics tomorrow.