1941 1/2 ton project Hannah

[joedoh]

depends what you want to do with it, I like using every single part like the native americans did with buffalo. if you plan to use the drivetrain and its a v6 its a good donor, something I would look for although I like buying them running so I can put on some miles and haul off the last project trash.

if its a 4 banger, believe me I would still use it but some guys have a stigma against the 4 cylinders. I did a 65 big window on a 4 banger and I thought it was great, but when I sold it everyone wanted to know how to swap to a v8.

if you are just looking for a frame you might still make most of your money back selling the body and stuff you wont use, and having stuff like the brake booster/master and all the lines is sure better than putting them in. thats a 94, lots of one year only parts so it still uses the round steering column of the earlier trucks. saddle gas tank, seat, probably a lot you could use.

if you want to use the drivetrain you will need swing pedals and its tough getting them under the dash in the old trucks that taper as they go forward.

[paintman]

Hey thanx Joe! As of right now the plan is to use just the chassis. As far as a power plant for the Dodge, you know me I like the sixes. So I have my radar up for a 225 slant six I can build up. I personaly think they are wicked cool little engines. Plus it will look good alongside my 292!

[HAULIN' IT]

Originally Posted by paintman

Hey thanx Joe! As of right now the plan is to use just the chassis. As far as a power plant for the Dodge, you know me I like the sixes. So I have my radar up for a 225 slant six I can build up. I personaly think they are wicked cool little engines. Plus it will look good alongside my 292!

Just a thought from an experience I witnessed. I fellow I know had a '50's Dodge truck with a GM V6 that was a kinda decent piece. He drove it around for a few years & then like others...he decided he wanted to convert the money into something else. He had trouble selling it for any real amount of money because the "Dodge guys" wouldn't spend "good" money on it since it needed an engine/trans replacement before any of their friends saw it. The GM guys didn't want a Dodge, so this left someone just wanting an old rod truck that didn't care what is was to be the buyer. No one wanted to give any real money & he sat on it for several years before selling it to a guy who "just wanted a rod" for quite a bit less than he had planned.

My advise, use a Dakota as the donor so some day when/if you decide to part with it...it's desirable by the right crowd. The Dakota has some things to offer as well. Just my Thoughts...dem Dodge guys are a funny bunch! Lorne

[joedoh]

I love slant sixes. I worked with a kid in high school who drove an old volare, his dad had a built 383 and said when the slant gave up they would install it. he drained the coolant one day and drove to work, the next he drained the oil. he backed up against a high curb and did a reverse burnout. nothing killed that engine. he put the coolant and oil back in it and drove it the rest of the time I knew him.


oh and edit: I agree with haulin that the dakota is a good swap basis but be careful, I mess with a lot of trucks and see a lot for sale and the 40-50s dodges always come in at the lowest price as modified trucks. I dont know why that is, they have a great style, I love the grille especially. great looking truck!

[joedoh]

I had to powerwash the cab again after taking the tank out, it was full of squirrel mess.

IMG_7377 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I forgot what a real pain in the butt getting the dash out is, so many things attach. I got it out, and the windshield regulator too. needs rebuilt of course, I will probably just do the exchange this time. I repaired the one on fenix but it still needs some help going in and out.

IMG_7378 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

got the sheetmetal brake bolted down and tested a 28" piece of 20 gauge. works just fine!

IMG_7373 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7375 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

heres a new one. when a got the truck I knew that 95+ trucks with a 4.3 and a 5 spd have 8.5 rear axles. but this truck doesnt. I didnt think about it much till today, I wanted to take the mismatched tires off and put on my roller set. the back wheels will not budge, not even a mm. I have tried heat and wedges.

IMG_7380 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7382 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

nothing. looking at the axle it is missing the weighted collar at the pinion that most trucks have, and it looks to be a series 2 carrier. what I THINK has happened is the guy replaced the axle with an 82-94 axle. between 1st gen and 2nd gen s10 they changed the centerbore, the 1st gen was slightly slightly larger. second gen wheels dont fit unless you open the centers a tiny fraction. well, someone just pounded these on I guess. I will take any suggestions on getting them off.

[rusty76]

What kind of brake you have there?

[joedoh]

just the 40 dollar one from cardboard freight. I went to buy the big one on a stand and they were sold out, so I bought the one that uses c clamps, works perfect for what I need so woo hoo saved about 130 bucks. for now haha.



edit: what the freaking freak. if there exists a problem, I can sure have it.

looks promising, the wheel actually budged about 1/4 inch

IMG_7383 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

nope.
IMG_7384 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


snapped a picture of the motor mount

IMG_7385 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[joedoh]

I got them off this morning, I used a sledge and that was enough for the drivers wheel, the passenger popped off after I repaired my puller. the tape on the tire is for counting revolutions, I have another piece on the pinion, 10 tire revolutions was about 15 and a third pinion revolutions, double it, divide by 10, so the axle is a 3.08.

IMG_7406 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

the oil cooler lines were leaking all over everything, so I decided to remove it. the spin on adapter is held on (tight) by an allen hex in the center, turns out its the same allen size as the metric brake calipers.

IMG_7394 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

then a torx to remove the two bolts holding the cooler adapter on. well, on anything except one of my trucks, the second torx bolt stripped. I am not certain why every 10 minute project has to be such a giant pain in the dick on my trucks but there we go again.

IMG_7403 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I thought about welding a nut on and even tried a pair of vice grips but since I was removing it, and it was broken anyway, I just drilled the head off the bolt.
IMG_7404 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

ahh look at that worthless thing. you will never drip again.
IMG_7405 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


I got the motor loose and jacked up but it isnt very stable, so I will hook it up to the a frame tomrorow and just remove it.

[rusty76]

I know exactly how you feel. This whole week has been rediculous. Come on weekend.

[OutlawDrifter]

I'm feeling your pain! Sending good vibes your way. Francis is fighting me to the end, I will get him to the show on Saturday, endeavor to persevere!

[Dieselwrencher]

I feel for you and ensure you, you aren't alone. Those quick projects bite you in the rear in a hurry.

[joedoh]

thanks guys. I am not a quitter

made good headway today, the trans crossmember had two slots but the mount has a single pin, so a quick slice
IMG_7408 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

pulled the motor, was so worried about that 700lbs in the air that I didnt pay attention to the radiator, which caught on the frame as I lifted and broke the upper hose connector off. coolant everywhere. I love these carts, I bought this one and the body cart with 4k lb springs, use them all the time
IMG_7410 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7413 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

hey oldman, I pulled another clamshell
IMG_7411 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

trimmed and installed the motor mount crossmember, 10/10 would do this again. I farted around longer at home depot buying the parts for my home made mounts than I did trimming and welding this. note that its offset to the passenger side and has a 4 degree down angle
IMG_7415 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7418 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

fixed the reluctant passenger turn signal on fenix
tuuuurns by Joe Doh, on Flickr

and said goodbye!
IMG_7416 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[joedoh]

the green on this truck is darker than I have seen, with a lot of blue in it. most green trucks are more yellow and lighter. I wanted a can of rattle spritz to blend in some of the rustier parts, the front fenders and rear fenders dont have any paint at all and I am not a fan of that look, I would rather have matching color than straight surface rust.
IMG_7422 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I picked up a couple cans of greens at the hardware store and the first one was it. if you cant see it I have spritzed it on looking right above the lid. good match! matched even better dry.

IMG_7427 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I saw an ad for a garage sale that said old car parts, so I popped over and got some goodies, some 1/2 ton running boards, a 1940 cowl support rod, a toe board, a garden cart, a rolling storage cart, and a 55 chevy gauge surround.
IMG_7429 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7430 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7433 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I filled up the tires on the cart and used it right away, it said 400lb capacity so I used it to rescue my cherry picker.

IMG_7431 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


it was a good idea to pull the motor, I degreased it and now I can put a coat of paint on it.
IMG_7436 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

more to come

[rusty76]

Yard sales around here seem to seldom have old car or truck stuff. Bought a pair of speakers for my truck at a yard sale. Tools can be found but still hardly and old car stuff.

[joedoh]

yeah when I saw the notification I went right away.

painted the parts under the engine I wouldnt otherwise be able to reach with the motor installed and plopped the motor back in.
IMG_7437 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7438 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

I didnt show this before but I marked the angle of the engine/trans with a bubble level and set it that way again to install the trans crossmember
IMG_7447 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

trimmed the trans crossmember to fit the frame after setting the centerline of the trans and welded it in
IMG_7444 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7445 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

"but Russ," I hear you asking, "how will you get the trans out if the crossmember is welded in?"

well give me a little credit. the crossmembers came with a pair of bolt in ends each, total of 4. I had no plans to bolt the engine mount in, so I used all 4 on the trans crossmember. I had slipped them on before welding the crossmember to the frame, then I lined them up with my mini magnets (they have notches on the bottom to use with tubing) and tacked one side, then cut the tube with a sawzall, then bolted up the other side, and tacked it in too. I will take it out to weld it solid when I clean up the frame and redo the front cab mounts, they are just tacked for mockup and will need checked again when I fix the floor of the cab.
IMG_7448 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7449 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7453 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


while I was running around with the sawzall I cut the frame in a much more expeditious way than the last truck, since I know what needs to clear now.
IMG_7450 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

and I finished the oil cooler removal too, popped a filter on because there was some serious sludge in the pan so I will run a quart of motor flush through it. I have extra filters.
IMG_7454 by Joe Doh, on Flickr


and I have decided on the look for this one, I am going with artilleries again, with the 41 caps this time, and BLACKWALL bias look radials from coker. the dash will be shiny black, the seat recovered in black vinyl and jet black carpet for the floor. hannah will be a true fallen angel in her dark juniper green paint and the only chrome will be her grille and bumper and taillights. I can SEE IT.

[OutlawDrifter]

You're making good progress!

[Advanced Design]

Looks like the second build is faster. Color design plan description sounds really good.

[Old57]

Coming along nice! Following...

[joedoh]

thanks! I putzed around with the fuel lines today and looked at exhaust, I am avoiding the floor repair like the plague. I have all the tools, the sheet, and I dont wanna do it. there is a local ad for bare cabs on craigslist I have thought about cutting bait and going to look it over.

I did go look at a 55 big window TF truck today, its in the cards I think. He even has a loader sitting next to it, maybe I can work a package deal because moving this stuff from the back yard to the front can really suck

[Old57]

Originally Posted by joedoh

thanks! I putzed around with the fuel lines today and looked at exhaust, I am avoiding the floor repair like the plague. I have all the tools, the sheet, and I dont wanna do it. there is a local ad for bare cabs on craigslist I have thought about cutting bait and going to look it over.

I did go look at a 55 big window TF truck today, its in the cards I think. He even has a loader sitting next to it, maybe I can work a package deal because moving this stuff from the back yard to the front can really suck

I know what you mean, it sucks doing rust repairs. I had a lot to do on my cab, and still have to do some on my front fenders. I saw the ad for the cabs. They looked pretty good in the pics. Theres some nice fenders and parts on the facebook page "Wichita area vintage parts" too.

[joedoh]

I think I am going to stick, I like this trucks color and the little lights on top.

boxing in the frame, yay for plasma cutters.
IMG_7477 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7478 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7476 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

decided that I have talked about doing a small diameter dual exhaust with glass packs long enough. ordered some 30" smithys and some mandrel bends from speedway and used my coat hanger trick to get the right bends from the exhaust shop.
IMG_7479 by Joe Doh, on Flickr
IMG_7480 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

took the forms to the muffler guys and in a couple minutes had my parts, tacked them in and they are perfect fit. Just tacks, I will take them loose again when I have the rest of the exhaust
53004839269__AB8D9B32-910D-402C-B17C-A3903EE6FA95 (1) by Joe Doh, on Flickr

hope the mufflers show up by saturday, I did the fuel line shortening and replaced that rotted brake line. I stripped the rear hose fitting taking the rotted line off so I replaced that too.
IMG_7482 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

you can see I had them add an O2 bung, I tried a pipe wrench and a 3 ft breaker, I even turned it over and put the O2 sensor hex in the vise and used a 6ft pipe to try and turn the piece of exhaust. no movement, and even if I got it loose now the hex is ruined, so I will buy a new one.
IMG_7483 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

here is the 55 TF donor the other day, not much rust at all except over the windshield. I am still wrangling a fair deal but man I sure like omaha orange.
IMG_7461 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

[OutlawDrifter]

Originally Posted by joedoh

hope the mufflers show up by saturday, I did the fuel line shortening and replaced that rotted brake line. I stripped the rear hose fitting taking the rotted line off so I replaced that too.
IMG_7482 by Joe Doh, on Flickr

You have exceeded the number of wrenches allowed in one picture...just saying, it will go in your permanent file.

Looks like you're making good progress. When your Smithy's show up, check the tubes really good. The one on the drivers' side in my pickup has a nasty rattle when running. The inner tube wasn't loose when I welded it in, so who knows?

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by OutlawDrifter

You have exceeded the number of wrenches allowed in one picture...just saying, it will go in your permanent file.

Looks like you're making good progress. When your Smithy's show up, check the tubes really good. The one on the drivers' side in my pickup has a nasty rattle when running. The inner tube wasn't loose when I welded it in, so who knows?

thanks for the tip on the smithys, I have used them before and liked them but only as a single glasspack. I have also heard to install them backwards to get a little more rap out of them, might try that.

and the wrenches, sheesh, rear brake hoses 9/16 AND 14mm AND a 13mm bolt, then 9/16 and 7/16 for the brake line, then 9/16 and 9/16 for the union, then a crescent and a 16mm for the fuel filter, then a 1/2 and a 9/16 for the return line compression union and a 16 and a 9/16 for the feed line compression union. it was all open ends and elbows for a while, not shown is the big pair of channel locks when the front brake fitting rounded off.

[Katrina/10]

I always enjoy reading your updates. Found you also on the S10 forum, but I don't have a login there. Nice work!

[joedoh]

thanks for reading along, I sure enjoy building and talking about it haha

in fact right now I am sitting expectantly at the picture window waiting for the big brown truck.