58 TRUK intro

[_Ogre]

covered in vinyl

[_Ogre]

as for how much resin and mat? depends on how much you want to do.
these kicks maybe used 2 yards of .5oz mat and a quart of resin

kicks skeleton stays in, as do most mounting/face plates. cardboard can come out as can most diagonal bracing
use making tape and wax to make pieces removable, otherwise resin soaks into cardboard and wood making it part of the structure

[DransportGarage]

As always, great work, Ogre!

[78 K5]

Thanks! Now I have an idea of how to get started. Going to start my builds this weekend. I really appreciate the information! Custom interior on the Blazer now. I'll post pics as I go along.

[_Ogre]

back when i was 20 yrs old i bought a 1956 6800 school bus, this was not your fathers school bus
220 inch frame, 48 passenger, carpenter body, 4 speed granny, 2 speed axle (oem) and a 1970 pre-emissions 454 motor
it was partially outfitted for camping when i bought it, i finished it
the living room in back had 2 couches facing each other, that folded out into a super king bed
kitchen had a propane electric fridge, 3 burner stove, 4 seat dinette and 6 foot counter with a sink in it

for a 56 bus it had no problem cruising on the freeway, 80 mph barely broke a sweat
with the 454, hills and mountains were no problem either, low on the 2-speed axle would do 60 uphill
of course it never got better than 7 mpg but it got it in style

this pic was taken in 1980 on our honeymoon, gibb gilchrist ferry is still in service out on galveston island

[_Ogre]

didn't want to post 2 random pics of my bus to get lost in the forum forever, so i threw them in my build
this pic is 1984, daughter was born in 82 and the little guy in 84, he's a couple months old here
little guy is now 6'7"

living in morganton, north carolina at the time, we went on a 30 day, 9000 mile cruise
NC to: phoenix, LA, edwards afb (to watch the shuttle land), reno, corvailis, moscow ID, sun valley ID, milwaukee, chicago, back to NC
no mechanical issues, just a couple oil changes and over 1300 gallons of gas

[oldman3]

ogre, great pics, thanks for sharing...Jim

[DransportGarage]

Great memories, Ogre! You sure cleaned up in only 4 years! Were you living in the bus? You certainly could have with all the features.

[Denee007]

I Love pics like that! Awesome!!
dne'

[_Ogre]

my bad... i posted those and then left for a week to nashville

we did live in the bus quite a bit back then. bought it for the honeymoon that lasted 4 months, early august thru late november
honeymoon trip was almost as long: rawlins wyoming to LA, phoenix, hobbs NM, galveston, knoxville tn, lincolton nc, milwaukee and back to rawlins
hobbs detour was to 3 weeks to money up again, working the oil rigs. 3 weeks=$2500 back in '80
then an extended trip from rawlins to NC to look for work, unemployment paid more than any job i could find
we bought 5 acres in the mountains and lived in the bus for 8 months while building a house

i've been meaning to scan and post a couple of pics of the old bus.
my daughter stole one of the picture albums and scanned them to add to our 40th anniversary video the kids made
it brought back good memories

one memory is... i certainly was a stud muffin back then
i've reverted back to my 80s look with beard and ponytail, though it's all gray now
i wear more tie dye now

[DransportGarage]

stud·muf·fin
/ˈstədˌməfin/
Noun - Informal. North American.
Definition: A man perceived as sexually attractive, typically one with well-developed muscles.

Editor: Note the verb "perceived". If you worked in the oil fields I'll have to concede the muscles.

Awesome story!

[slammed57]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

didn't want to post 2 random pics of my bus to get lost in the forum forever, so i threw them in my build
this pic is 1984, daughter was born in 82 and the little guy in 84, he's a couple months old here
little guy is now 6'7"

living in morganton, north carolina at the time, we went on a 30 day, 9000 mile cruise
NC to: phoenix, LA, edwards afb (to watch the shuttle land), reno, corvailis, moscow ID, sun valley ID, milwaukee, chicago, back to NC
no mechanical issues, just a couple oil changes and over 1300 gallons of gas

thats awsome ogre!!!

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

stud·muf·fin
/ˈstədˌməfin/
Noun - Informal. North American.
Definition: A man perceived as sexually attractive, typically one with well-developed muscles.

Editor: Note the verb "perceived". If you worked in the oil fields I'll have to concede the muscles.

Awesome story!

leave it to bob to explain stud muffing to a bunch of guys (my apologies, denee)
i worked in the oilfield from late 78 thru 81, winters in rawlins wy were always fun 🤪
oil field was a cake walk compare to section gang on the railroad, in glenwood canyon, co. 💪
my other vehicle at the time was my 59 3800 lwb panel truk
i lived in it during the winter of 78 with frequent sub-zero days and lots of snow

[_Ogre]

found a few pics of the 6800 series school bus, carpenter body
rawlins wy 1980, getting ready for the trip to sun city ca for the wedding
a friend with little money but a job with a pressure washer came and cleaned the bus

[Denee007]

I love that picture!!!

Originally Posted by _Ogre

found a few pics of the 6800 series school bus, carpenter body
rawlins wy 1980, getting ready for the trip to sun city ca for the wedding
a friend with little money but a job with a pressure washer came and cleaned the bus

[autowrench]

I enjoy reading your thread! Many, many great ideas. I see that you installed a Fatman Fabrications Mustang 2 front suspension. Are you still happy with it? I am planning to buy a never installed kit for my 59 stepside. One of the guys on the forum bought it for his 55 and decided to go the C4 route. He got it off of Craigslist from someone who originally bought it from Fatman. If it happens, I will be making a long drive to pick it up. Did you make your own boxing plates? I have some 4" long cracks in the frame that will need repair and figured that boxing plates will help make it stronger. I really want to get a strong start on the project this Summer, because I ain't getting any younger!
Tom

[_Ogre]

Sorry Tom, I've been a winter Texan since Dec 5 and haven't checked in often. Oh yeah, still happy with the Fatman MII IFS, if you read thru the whole build thread, you see that I rebuilt it at 30k miles. Fatman recommended not lubing the bushings, I recommend lubing them with Energy brand lube designed for their bushings.

I often drive at 75+ mph and have no issues. As for the cracks in your frame, I don't see an issue IF YOU KNOW HOW TO WELD. I welded the whole TRUK with a 120v fluxcore welder. No issues to date, but I've been welding impossible stuff for 40 years

[autowrench]

That's what I was hoping to hear. I will be making that trip to pick it up next week. Dan included some items that I probably will not need, so I will be passing along some stuff later on. I am an okay welder. Not great looking beads, but they stay stuck! I am also thinking about using a bolt in crossmember from Chassis Engineering as a possibility. I will have to see if I can estimate how much the Fatman setup lowers the front.

[autowrench]

I like how your wheels sit in the fenders. Do you recall how much you moved the axle centerline forward? Fatman's instructions tell you to start at stock centerline and mock it up to see if it is where you want it. I know it's been a day or two. Just curious if it was a big thing or not. Anything you can remember will help. Thanks!

[dsraven]

in order to get the right look you really need to know the tire outside diameter that you intend to run when the truck is completed and also the amount of drop you will run-your ride height. if you use a stock axle center line and run really small diameter tires it wouldn't look as noticeable as if you did the same drop and axle center line location with larger diameter tires. sorry man, you gotta mock it up. if using a bolt in member you could tack it in place, assemble it and place the front clip on, over the tires, to see how you like it. then drill the holes and bolt it up when you find your sweet spot. maybe have to grind off the tacks and shuffle the member ahead a little as your mind's eye sees fit. it is a great idea to get the frame up on some sturdy stands where the stands are not gonna interfere with the removal and install of any parts. set the frame at the rake angle you want. get out a plumb bob and mark the floor under the old axle center line on each side. with a long straight edge or a laser connect those dots and extend the lines waaay out past the work area and make some new marks with tape on the floor so you can work and not worry about rubbbing off the marks off the floor. this way the axle old center line can be brought back to life again for reference. most of the cross member guys reference the original front spring mounts as a point to measure back from to get the new cross member center line so leaving those spring mounts in place on the frame, or center punching the frame at their center line, will help you. it's always good to read through the new member instructions too, so you are clear on how it goes together. also, some research on how IFS works would help just so you know if something is not right before you drill any holes.

[autowrench]

Thanks! I'm planning to use 235/70 or 75-15 tires on it. I have read through the instructions only once and as far as I can see they don't specify a measurement for locating axle centerline. Just find it and mark it. I still have to repair the frame cracks and check the frame for straightness before I get serious. I probably should have posted my question in the regular 47-59 message board or on my build thread as well. I thought I would have to mock it up anyway to have less weld to grind off if it looks funky.

[autowrench]

BTW, Thanks for sending me the "Understanding IFS" article from Heidt's. I will be reading that again in detail.

[_Ogre]

I believe that I moved the center line forward ¾" and am happy with the look

[_Ogre]

I forget what thread was asking about how the 3M paint protection film was holding up on TRUK. I took TRUK thru the carwash today and looking at my steps. Going on 13 years and 36000 miles, I think it's doing rather well. I forget what I dropped that left the 3 marks, but without the film it would be 3 big chips in the paint, probably a whole lot more damage involved.
I do remember that someone handed me something without making sure I had it. It made quite a bit of noise, I was expecting the worst.

[youngrodder]

Looks like it was well worth the money (and effort)

Marc