75 Dually build

[75Dually]

Bed Time!

So West Texas has had a string of really hot days. There was just enough breeze today to keep you from melting, so I got busy with the frame work for the sheet metal in the bed. I had to take out several of the old supports on the original frame work to work with what I have planned. I also put the front panel back in too.

So the plan is to have a couple of compartments in the front of the bed for tool storage. There will also be a luggage storage area right in the middle. The center section is going to raise up on gas lift cylinders, and I found an old bear claw latch I've had laying around forever to secure everything.

Stay tuned! This should be interesting...

[75Dually]

Some additional work got done on the bed last night. I finished welding up all the tack welds on the new bed frame pieces, and then I moved on to working on the front. I started the forward storage areas. I only got the basic frame work laid out, but it gave me a good idea as to how much space I had available to work with.

Looks like I'm going to have to use the center section above the drive shaft for a place to put the spare tire. I tried to put it under the gas tank, but that was not going to work (not enough space under there when air'd out). I was originally going to use this large space for a luggage area, but doesn't look like it is going to work out. Ah well live and learn...

[75Dually]

Stayed late in the shop tonight. Got the center section done. Now I need to figure out a hinge system. I have a couple good ideas in mind. I'll post it up when I get it finalized.

[Dieselwrencher]

Looking really nice! A heavy duty piano type hinge might work well? Or some trunk hinges from a newer car? (They may be too light duty though) IDK

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Looking really nice! A heavy duty piano type hinge might work well? Or some trunk hinges from a newer car? (They may be too light duty though) IDK

I thought about the piano hinge idea, but I did not want anything visible from the top. I just want a smooth bed when I am done. So my son and I went to the hardware store tonight and I am going to try a very simple approach. I should have something later tonight to post.

Plus I think you are going to like the latch system.

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

Tonight was interesting. I did the hinge for the center portion, really just 2 - 1/2" bolts drilled through both pieces of bow tubing acting as the pivot point. As you can see in the below pic I still have to modify the washer so that it does not stick above the box tubing, but that should not take long.

The rear latch was a much larger deal. It took a lot of tinkering with location and ability to accommodate the striker pin. In the end I tried to make it as simple of a solution as possible. After I got it all welded in I tested it several times, it closes so nicely with a solid click. Could not ask for better! I will add a rod assembly that will attach to the release knob on the bear claw latch, and the rod will go backwards towards the fuel door. This way I can release the latch without reaching up under the sheet metal every time. I will post pics on it when I get it completed.

So next is the 2 storage boxes up front, and the mount for the spare tire. Then it will be on to skinning the whole bed with 18 gauge sheet metal. Tons of fun!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

So a little show action this weekend. It was hot out, but we still had a great time hanging with all my car crazy friends.

I now have on all 4 corners billet Accuair arms from Grunion mfg. Got them off eBay. These guys are out of Phoenix, and I highly recommend them. The stock plastic Accuair arms break so easily. They are a pain to say the least. I also got my ECU's back and reflashed from Accuair. I put my original one back in and did the calibration the night before this weekend's show. Had no issues so far. Cross your fingers for me!!! At least now I have a backup ECU just in case...

So once I am able to get back in the shop this week I will start the balance of the bed fab work. I really like the new hinge, and a couple of buddies who build hot rods professionally gave me some killer ideas on the gas charged lifts, and the storage compartments. Should be fun!

Stay tuned!

[SCOTI]

What is going on w/the ECU's?

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice work on the bed door set up!

[DblTrbl]

Lol. I'm im preparing to do the exact same thing on my bed floor. Now I have to figure something out a little different so I'm not copying you!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by DblTrbl

Lol. I'm im preparing to do the exact same thing on my bed floor. Now I have to figure something out a little different so I'm not copying you!

MOM! HE'S COPYING ME!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

What is going on w/the ECU's?

Scoti,

Not 100% sure to be honest. I sent the 2 I have back to Accuair and they reflashed both of them and told me that both were in fine working order. So now what...

I have a feeling that the issue is on my side. I followed the exact instructions on the original install when I had the 2 link. The front end has never been an issue, so I think it is in the rear sensors. I think I am going to have to go through the complete ground up install again on the new 4 link. I think I am sending the sensors out of their reading zone. My plan is to take it all apart and start from scratch to make sure that the movement of the sensor arm stays within the spec. I will post something once I get that accomplished.

[75Dually]

So this is not a build pic. Last night however the wife and I went out to do some shopping at Best Buy and then stopped off at Sonic to get a couple slushies. So when we pulled into Sonic there was a young boy who walked up and told me how much he liked the truck. My wife and I talked with him and his dad for quite a while. You could see the look in that kids eye. "I can't wait until I can build my own stuff!" My wife is great with kids and she talked with him about what he likes. He could not get it out fast enough about the cars and trucks he likes, and what he plans on doing.

When we pulled out she said that kid must have been exactly like me as a child. Full of car dreams!

Remember that the hot rodders and truck guys of tomorrow all start out with that one vehicle they flip their lid over. Don't forget to engage them and make them feel important. They just might be the next Chip Foose or Boyd Coddington.

[aggie91]

I agree!

[75Dually]

Got the center section of the bed skinned today. Plus I threw some primer on it to have some protection. Yes it is heavy! And yes I will be adding lift assist off a mini van or a Tahoe.

Now to get busy with the rest of it!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

Ok here is a side note...

My wife and I like to go estate sale hunting on the weekends. I look for tools, and she finds stuff for the house. I stumbled across an add this weekend that showed a grungy garage with a ton of tools on the back shelf. So that was going to be our first stop for the day. Well we got there and it was an old garage with dirt floors, an inch of Lubbock dust over everything, and a treasure trove of tools stacked all over the place. I dug around for quite a while and found some cool stuff, most of the tools were worn out old rusty stuff, but there were some gems.

I found: 2 hand held metal shears (big ones for sheet metal), a hatchet, a ball peen, c-clamps, jack stands, several other small items, and an older grey craftsman tool box in excellent shape. The tool box was so covered in dust that at first I could not see what it was, however when I opened it (and stopped coughing from all the dirt I just disturbed) had several small tools (maybe about 20 in all), most of which were rusted up, but salvageable. One of which is the numberall stamp you see below. I have only seen these in machine shops, and very rarely. The dial has all the basic numbers plus a dash and an X. I just think it is super cool.

So a word to you guys who are starting out. Don't go buy all your tools at the box stores, harbor freight, or Sears. There are a ton of tools out there just waiting to be found at garage sales and estate sales. Oh yeah and if you can afford Snap on, can I be your friend!!!

BTW I paid $40 for the whole stash! I watch American Pickers, and yes I bundled!!!

[RNmatt87]

Damn son nice haul. Bed floor is looking good. Your post about the tools came at the right time. Finally got into my own garage and now looking to stock it with tools. I've been dreading buying tools but honestly never thought about garage sales or estate sales or things like that. And about that kid you saw at sonic, I was that kid only it happened in high school when I saw an acquaintance's Dodge Avenger roll in low as **** and then lay out. I was hooked from the word go.

[75Dually]

So guys I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post. I ran into a vibration issue on the Dually. I had a friend who is an automotive tech come over and we ran around town in it for a while to diagnose it. There was a slight bit of driveline vibration, so I sent the driveshaft off to get rebalanced.

While it was away I pulled both rear rims and adapters off. I first took the 4 rear rims off to be balanced, check! Then I brought them back and noticed that when I assembled the passenger side that there was a wobble to the rim!! Yikes. I pulled it apart a couple of times thinking that the rim was either bent or something else had happed to it. In the end I found out that the adapter was not sitting against the face of the brake drum fully. Upon closer inspection the axle has a 1/16" lip on the last 3/8" of the floater section. This 1/16" was keeping the adapter from fully seating against the brake drum due to the fact that the adapter was not machined to that diameter. Arg!!

So what to do? In the end I know that these adapters are nut-centric, and because of that they do not rely on the hub interface to center. So I simply took my grinder and clearanced the hole out a bit over the 1/16". Now I know what some of you are saying that I should of had it machined. And I agree, but the machine shops in my area don't like to touch anything automotive if they can help it. They all spout the same thing "It's a liability issue..." Yes that's a bunch of BS, but I guess my green backs don't spend as well as the other green backs they have falling out of their pockets. Sometimes you just have to do things yourself... Which is why I have such a big tool collection, but that is a story for another time and place. In the end it was a simple fix, but still what a pain in the....

Stay tuned because I am going to get back on the bed covering.

[travlinman]

What adapters do u have? All the ones I've ever seen are hub centric including all the newer alcoa wheels.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by travlinman

What adapters do u have? All the ones I've ever seen are hub centric including all the newer alcoa wheels.

Yeah I knew I should have been a bit clearer in my post, but it was getting pretty large as it was. Basically the adapter on my ride is nut centric. For those of you who don't know what that is, the lug nuts on the Chevy axle will center the adapter. My semi rims are hub centric. That means the hole in the center of the rim is the part that centers the wheel on the vehicle. Thus the adapter I'm using centers the rim on a machined lip. See the below pic for reference.

As far as what brand I'm using, they are American Force.

Great question!

[Dieselwrencher]

I've had to do the exact same thing on some wheel centers in the past on a dually with wide adapters in the rear. It never had an issue. It's not like you'll be loading the snot out of that rear axle any way.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I've had to do the exact same thing on some wheel centers in the past on a dually with wide adapters in the rear. It never had an issue. It's not like you'll be loading the snot out of that rear axle any way.

According to the experts on Facebook my truck is ruined and won't ever be useful again. That is all, nothing here to see, keep on moving. Oh yeah and just to tick those Facebook guys off some more I should never say that my truck is built not bought. Talk about stirring up some stuff!

[Ghostwhite]

My DRW hubs fit perfectly snug but I had a similar problem with my SRW hubs and had them machined down. I had more than a 1/16th issue though. I thought I had a pic of post machined but I don't right now.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

According to the experts on Facebook my truck is ruined and won't ever be useful again. That is all, nothing here to see, keep on moving. Oh yeah and just to tick those Facebook guys off some more I should never say that my truck is built not bought. Talk about stirring up some stuff!

All those trolls go to banks and buy stuff done, or drive cars with ugly wings. Ignore those goons!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by Ghostwhite

My DRW hubs fit perfectly snug but I had a similar problem with my SRW hubs and had them machined down. I had more than a 1/16th issue though. I thought I had a pic of post machined but I don't right now.

That is the exact lip I was talking about! Thankfully not an issue any more... Great pic, that really helps to show what the issue is. If any of you run into this in the future just be aware of this as a possible interference issue. Truck guys are awesome!!