1941 project fenix

[BIGglaSS]

Nice project! In for updates. I have those plasma circle stencils on my wish list, sooner or later I will buy them.

[99 to Life]

nice parts. I luuuv getting parts, never gets old.

[joedoh]

while it was warm I decided to bring the trailer with my parts 41 around to the front yard. My plan is to take the parts off I need, pass the rest on, and pull the cab off that gmc while its up front too. then sell the trailer haha. constant flux around here.



ugh. so many rusty screws. I decided since I had a new windshield frame I wouldnt worry so much about using penetrating oil and heat to extract aby of the screws. I used the spinny wheel to take the windshield regulator loose, then a jack to hold it up while I spinny wheeled the screws up there.


ready for someone else to restore.


this is where they always rust through, the bottom center. the parts truck has rust there too.


blessed be the designer who made the dash removable. I had to remove it anyway because the windshield regulator wasnt regulating




yep have another one like this. the pot metal wears and the gears dont mesh. I hoped this one was ok, but since its not I will do a rebuild in this thread.



this part is $18. so I need one of those too haha.


last thing tonight was to get the front part of the floor pan loose. little heat and some penetrating oil here, got all but the two right screws.



I need it out so I can set the mounts up. I ordered all the front end components control arms steering etc, mevotech has a kit that is only $300. Debating on drop spindles for this one too, I will decide between blazer dual piston brakes or s10 brakes before I order spindles and rotors and calipers.

[rusty76]

I decided to add this one to my low buck build threads. It will fit nicely.

[joedoh]

they always start out low buck, and then they end up, well not high buck but mid buck for sure haha

the s10 donor has some okay appearing seats with terrible covers, and a headrest. I am going to go for a nice rich burgundy interior on this one so I drew up what I want the upholstery to look like. the pleats will be half rounds, really bumpily. I think it will look nice with the bolsters. I think he said they were 89 fwd lebaron seats.



I cleaned out the garage and decided it was time to take out another shelving unit. I had cleaned off everything from the 49 and all the extra S10 parts I would never need (TCC or ECM for a 98 blazer? how do I even save these things). Eventually I will get rid of all the shelves on the right side of the garage but for now there IS SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!



did you ever have a moment of clarity? I marked the cut for the frame trim and started to get out the plasma cutter, but I wanted to make sure I knew where the fuel lines ran. usually they cross over on the trans and come up the back of the engine but I didnt see them, I figured it out and quickly decided to use the spinny wheel to make my frame cuts.




well that could have escalated quickly! luckily I am the uber careful, googles and a faceshield kind of careful.

did the other side. dont worry about where the cab is in relation to the cuts, I was pushing it side to side to make room. the cuts actually work out perfect with the taper of the cab.


Thats all I got done today but the real trick was organizing the garage and not burning the place down haha. we had some errands to run, time for a new work laptop since its a new year, self employed guys know the glory of Jan 1.

[lower50's]

Wow ya that could have been bad.

[Advanced Design]

Oh yeah, very good move on using the cut off wheel. Good thinking!

[CHIZZLER]

Great project. I ended up buying 3 windshield frames to make one good one. Hopefully your inside header panel covering the wiper motor is in good shape. Also bought 3 of those.

[joedoh]

yep, header is good! I have bought 5 of these trucks to build two, and still opted for the new windshield frame haha this was literally the nicest cab out of all of them. smells like cow poop inside, I will power wash it once the mounts are made. the other trucks all came from further south and smell like rat pee.

all squared up and roughly leveled.


I dont need it perfect yet, the mounts will be mirror images on either side and will level it, and the mounts will also have a little wiggle room. Still considering lowering it another inch on the frame.




but the mounts are designed in my mind so its just a matter of cutting steel. I may do a mid mount, or at least a support, once I cut the seat riser out I am worried the floor will get floppy.

looks like I can move the motor back 8.5 inches. I would like a little more, but cest la vie.

[joedoh]

little homework at the tag office, some records searching, and registered the old gal.

[rusty76]

That's crazy to me how you can get tags like that. Seems really easy.

[joedoh]

its not bad, there are a few caveats I have found though.

it doesnt work for ANY truck, it will have to be a Kansas truck originally, if the VIN is in the database as being from oklahoma or nebraska or I guess 47 other states, they will admonish you and slap your hand and tell you to go have an inspection done.

usually there will be an entry of the VIN and then 30-40 years of nothing, if there is a recent registration (last 20 years or so) they want you to find the last registered owner. this was the case with my trailer, it was old enough to be sold on a bill of sale but it was last registered in 99, I had to hunt down a title in order to regsiter it. I did that today too.

you have to be the expert. sometimes there is NO record, that is where provenance helps. The form the seller signs is a kind of affidavit to the history of the truck and a release from obligation. I also get an extra affidavit for farm use just in case. If it comes back with no record, you have to have supporting docs to how you determine the year and model. in this case the VIN was 5AL so a 41 3/4 ton, you also have to get the weight rating correct, the plate says 5800 lbs so that is easy.

they can always stop you at any point and tell you to get an inspection, in this trucks case I would have probably punted, I dont really invest any time or money until the title is taken care of. but the guy I bought it from was 93 and owned the truck since the 60s, I had the farm affidavit so I knew it was a local truck and pretty low risk. I will tell other Kansas guys, be careful buying on a bill of sale if the guy lives downtown and has only had the truck a couple months, unless he has a bill of sale from the farmer.

so it LOOKS easy, and in most cases it is, but only because I read the rules and know what to expect. I have seen guys just get rolled at the tag office, a good tip is: if they start smirking while you are talking, there is a good chance you arent going to be happy. I stick to 49 and down because everything else needs a MVE (VIN inspection) and the trooper that does it is... thorough. and super enthusiastic about his job on the front lines of auto theft where he has to wear a bulletproof vest over his medals for valor (/s).

[GR8-68]

Enjoying this build, I am in for the ride

[Palf70Step]

Originally Posted by joedoh

its not bad, there are a few caveats I have found though.

it doesnt work for ANY truck, it will have to be a Kansas truck originally, if the VIN is in the database as being from oklahoma or nebraska or I guess 47 other states, they will admonish you and slap your hand and tell you to go have an inspection done.

usually there will be an entry of the VIN and then 30-40 years of nothing, if there is a recent registration (last 20 years or so) they want you to find the last registered owner. this was the case with my trailer, it was old enough to be sold on a bill of sale but it was last registered in 99, I had to hunt down a title in order to regsiter it. I did that today too.

you have to be the expert. sometimes there is NO record, that is where provenance helps. The form the seller signs is a kind of affidavit to the history of the truck and a release from obligation. I also get an extra affidavit for farm use just in case. If it comes back with no record, you have to have supporting docs to how you determine the year and model. in this case the VIN was 5AL so a 41 3/4 ton, you also have to get the weight rating correct, the plate says 5800 lbs so that is easy.

they can always stop you at any point and tell you to get an inspection, in this trucks case I would have probably punted, I dont really invest any time or money until the title is taken care of. but the guy I bought it from was 93 and owned the truck since the 60s, I had the farm affidavit so I knew it was a local truck and pretty low risk. I will tell other Kansas guys, be careful buying on a bill of sale if the guy lives downtown and has only had the truck a couple months, unless he has a bill of sale from the farmer.

so it LOOKS easy, and in most cases it is, but only because I read the rules and know what to expect. I have seen guys just get rolled at the tag office, a good tip is: if they start smirking while you are talking, there is a good chance you arent going to be happy. I stick to 49 and down because everything else needs a MVE (VIN inspection) and the trooper that does it is... thorough. and super enthusiastic about his job on the front lines of auto theft where he has to wear a bulletproof vest over his medals for valor (/s).

I am glad there are others like me. NEVER start on a truck/car until title is processed. People give me the same looks/questions all the time about how I get things thru so easily. I checked into the stuff before I start and found out the rules. Then there was questions, I went down and asked the folks. When I was building my shop I had some contractors askingin how I got all my build permits done so quick. I looked up andf asked what the rules were. Some were goofy, but its a rule deal with it, get your stuff in line and go. What took them hours/days I got done normally in less than an hour.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I am glad there are others like me. NEVER start on a truck/car until title is processed. People give me the same looks/questions all the time about how I get things thru so easily. I checked into the stuff before I start and found out the rules. Then there was questions, I went down and asked the folks. When I was building my shop I had some contractors askingin how I got all my build permits done so quick. I looked up andf asked what the rules were. Some were goofy, but its a rule deal with it, get your stuff in line and go. What took them hours/days I got done normally in less than an hour.

yes, thats definitely the better way to do it! I wish I could say that it was because I am so smart but really it is because of experience. When I built the 65 it was first a 62 and I loosely interpreted the rules for tagging, and spent a lot of time arguing and a lot more time changing to a 65. lesson learned, be the expert and know the rules.

I think that is the fundamental difference that people miss when asking for help, that advice given without experience is only opinion. I try to give advice as often as possible, and when its my opinion I say it is.

[99 to Life]

I barely want to buy anything without a title these days. It can be daunting to get a title. Whats all that time and risk worth? To me that adds value to a truck, so if the condition is poor but has a nice clear title, than it makes it much more worth getting. In PA and I'm sure with alot of other states. If you do a bill of sale, say you paid 4-500 bucks for the truck pay them some sales tax and often they are happy to just issue the title if its in the system. I took an etching of a truck tag, got a BOS and luckily the truck came up as previously registered in PA. I was able to get a title. I have a few other titles that I'll have to do the same thing for and been putting it off. Now titles and anything DMV related has skyrocketed. So once again the procrastination has taught me a lesson.

[joedoh]

I feel, well not the opposite, because I would also buy a bucket of parts with a title, but I would also buy a really nice truck without one because of the HUNDREDS of hours I would save.

[joedoh]

I did as much as I could without the mounts. I found some dimensions online and the mounts I am using (70 camaro) should be as tall as the s10 mounts, so I did mock up with a couple S10 bushings.

my kingdom for another inch! I decided to lower the cab another inch, my reasoning is that s10 front suspension does some weird stuff at full droop, the wheels pull back in the wheelarches and the toe goes all wonky, I like setting the truck up to lay on the running boards (well, very close to it) while the frame is still a little off the ground and that keeps the suspension from needing expensive mods like tube arms and tie rod notches. I trimmed out the frame carefully, and the piece I cut out will flip over and weld back in. this lets the part of the rocker that hit the frame go by slightly.




this is as low as I can go without cutting the back of the cab.


you can see where the running board will be, it is about 6 1/4 tall, leaving 7 3/4 ground clearance before I install the 3" lowering springs.


I bolted the s10 body mount in to make templates for mounts.




front mounts made!


more tomorrow. I realized that the tag office put the wrong VIN on the paperwork, I will run in the morning and correct it. All the front end components came in yesterday, I bought the problem solver MOOG stuff for everything. If I can get the rear mounts built and everything tacked in when the camaro mounts show up, I can pull the cab to do the frame cleanup and engine move. on locating the cab, I set the centerline of the front wheels at 31 inches to the door edge. I will tack everything in and put the front clip on to make certain the wheels are centered. This was the measurement I took off the parts 41, so I think it is right, but I will still double check.

[lower50's]

Feels nice to have everything in your name. My 12 year old son bought a 1975 Jeep and to put it in my name the MTO (DMV) wanted a safety. I said it won't pass that for about 3 years, so we left. Still not in our name.

[joedoh]

haha yeah thats the way it is with 50 and newer here too. even though it is a VIN inspection it almost has to run and drive, the inspector wont inspect anything on a trailer, and if it doesnt have a motor they will push for a non-highway registration so that you have to bring it back again when it does run. I mean, I get it, theft is rampant but the laws are written to make it hard for a thief to buy a late model wrecked car and steal the same car and switch VINs, they werent written to give a car enthusiast a hard time, but that sure is the way it can seem.

The bushings came, I guess they were on the truck friday and the delivery guy thought whatever was in there was broken because of all the clinking and thumping. nope, just the bubble pack came open.


here is the part number, for anyone interested, its 6 bushings so I will be able to mount the core support as well.


got the front mounts in, need a little trim on one side


loooove my plasma cutter. love it. from design to cut in about 10 minutes.


cleaned up and tacked. I like my little switch mags too, handy here.



I need to clean the old body mount bracket off the outside of the frame though before welding these on, thinking of jacking the cab up to cut them off since I cant finagle these brackets up on top of the frame without doing that anyway. Then I will pull the cab and start the frame cleanup.

[Advanced Design]

That is some very nice plasma cutting work. Did you free hand the cuts?

Yep, those switch magnets and very handy...

[joedoh]

I use a drag tip and a straightedge, just a piece of 1 1/2 square tube. you can see a jagged cut there, the drag tip got some dross on it and I tried to drag it a couple times unsuccessfully haha. I usually tap the tip to clear the dross, forgot.

[lower50's]

Nice work!! Man I need a plasma.

[99 to Life]

looking good, I never seen an energy suspension kit with the big open hole washers like that. Its a PIA to get the cup style washers that come off stock s10s. I paid like 50 bucks or something just for the washers and only found one place that sold them. I'v since collected a few washers.

[joedoh]

yeah I needed something with a smaller under bushing because of the mount proximity to the frame, I was surprised when these came up but work perfect. The center hole is about an inch and the bolts are 5/8, so you can do a bit of wiggling, which I like.

edit: I am down with a cold so no work today BUT I am always on the scout for project parts and saw a longbed v6 truck with lowish miles on craigslist for way too much money, he was asking 1600 and I thought maybe 8 kind of too much. he dropped the price by 200 every couple days so today at $1000obo it was time to call. Body wasted, but who cares, I offered him about half and we settled close to that. I figure the toolbox and weirdo crane setup (mobility chair lift setup maybe?) are worth half what I paid, and even if I only used the seat and the frame the rest is worth it. so that 41 cab I havent picked up yet has a home when this 41 is done. its a 5 spd too! and the motor is clean enough to eat off of if you like eating spiderwebs and acorn shells I guess.

rearview mirror on the dash, musta benna EYEtalian (old joke)





the big scratches on the side are from me, dead limb I thought I would clear.

he showed me his other toys, I didnt know they made these stock I thought they were all conversions.


this was neat, a chain driven FWD 400hp car. I think I knew more about it than he did.




more progress saturday, if I make it. this colds a doozy.