1941 project fenix

[Hewfil1]

Originally Posted by joedoh

that what he said they were, I dont know myself. I used them because of two reasons

1. the mounts were all in the same plane, no weirdo out of level mounts. that will make mounting them easy.
2. I will never ever throw something useful away just to buy the exact same thing in a different color or style.

they should look better with new upholstery.

I took my buddies LeBaron with him every day 45 minutes to get to work. They're comfortable seats, and when redone look beautiful, I agree.

[99 to Life]

nice work on the engine mounts. like most of us, it means the world to have an extra hand when centering a cab or doing and engine. but.... thats rarely ever the luck we get. the seats will be stunning I'm sure.

[joedoh]

I have been wearing a detroit tigers ballcap for about 20 years, I have no affiliation with detroit nor an affinity for the tigers (I actually stopped watching MLB in 1994 when the overpaid babies had a fit), it is actually that my last name starts with a D and that old english script D is great. anyway I tripped across a maroon one the other day, it looks purple in the pic but its maroon.


put the steering together, this is old hat to me now.


hammer coated the sway bar after de-crudding.


the rotors are brand new, but crusty, so I cleaned them up too.


together, for now. belltech springs, everything is new except the rotors and spindles. I have new calipers and hoses. I will pull it all apart again one more time. this is my mock up phase where I try out spring heights, etc.


She rollin', rollin', rollin', though the streams are swollen, keep them doggies rollin', rawhide


changing the motor mounts, this was a nice surprise


will it fit?


yep



tomorrow I will get the trans mount squared away and pop the cab on to check if my ambitious motor move works. more to come!

[Palf70Step]

Nice work!

[rusty76]

Like the hat. Never have been a sports person but a good hat is hard to find.

[joedoh]

I forgot to relate why I posted the hat picture, it is the same color as the interior will be. I found it while looking for a good maroon/oxblood color when it showed up in a google search.

[mongocanfly]

I hope you didn't have the old hat for the last 20yrs..that thing would be funky by now..haha

[joedoh]

haha I still have the original one, but its washed and worn out by now, just an emergency cap when the sun is too high

wear your gloves! using the 4" brush on the grinder and the impossible happened, my thumb would have been hamburger.


moved the trans crossmember





I had already decided to replace this rear brake line but as I moved it to clean up the frame for my weld...


rolled out!


body on!


my motor move was ambitious but worked perfect, 9.5" rearward. only one bracket hit the firewall, although I did have to move some harnesses and wires.




I used moog problem solvers years ago and forgot that they have an eccentric for camber (solving the problem of excessive negative camber of worn springs). you flip the cross shaft one way or the other, I picked the wrong way.


oh well, everything still needs to come back apart.

mounts are dead on, near as I can tell anyway. they measure out the same way to all the monuments.

[Chevy Apache]

That's some mighty fine work will be starting mine soon,
Do you know if a 2.8 would have to be moved back as well.
As I have chance of one of them.
Keep the good work up gloves save fingers lol

[joedoh]

yes, all engines in the factory s10 location will need moved back. if you dont care about using the clutch fan, and it doesnt have a serpentine system on it, you can usually just buy (or make) S10 V8 swap mounts and flip them over, they will move the motor back 5". still need to do something about the trans crossmember but that is a fast way to move the engine.

but I still recommend my way, because getting the factory S10 mounts loose in trucks pre 95 is about as fun as a cactus butt plug. they are bolted from the top and getting to the bottom nuts requires you to, and I am not kidding, remove the lower control arms and springs.


last thing tonight, I needed the front clip from the back yard, but the body cart is still full of s10 cab (dont throw anything away till its time!) and the other small cart is behind the trailer, lots of moving and jostling to get it out. luckily my wife AND my daughter were home so I went ahead and did it myself.



needs a trim


still about 4 inches forward, looks like the wheels have a shot at lining up


the motor looks OUTSTANDING tucked in there, like a factory install. more tomorrow!

[northern 49]

Coming along nicely! I hear ya on doing things alone, seems like a common theme on these builds, but I take pride in finding a way to do the hard work alone.
Looking forward to seeing that sheet metal all mocked up.

[lower50's]

Wow you are screaming ahead!! I bet you almost fell over when your daughter sent you that pic of her ring lol. I had those exact seats in my Jeep for years got them out of a '89 Chrysler Daytona best seats ever till the sun killed them, and could not find another set . I like your motor mount relocation idea.

[joedoh]

thanks guys

I trimmed, trimmed and trimmed some more. I measured down from the support rods, added an inch (for my eventual crossmember) and cut the original core support



my adopted son helped and did the lifting (here is a funny aside, I could NOT find the handle for the picker! I had to use a jack handle, but the correct handle is in this picture... look around)


I got into a cycle where I couldnt get enough trimmed. turns out I didnt have any bolts in the cab mounts and it was walking around as I shoved on the frame. this did give me another 1/2 inch at the engine, good!


I did need to trim the frame horns a little more, but I left the meat on the bottom for the bumper mount.


I also drilled out the fender bolts. after 75 years there was no amount of heat or penetrant that was going to loosen them up, so I made them 5/16 and I will weld new 1/2" nuts inside.


after more trimming, this is where I am at




motor tucks in nice



The front needs to drop another 2 inches, I will check the alignment again after that, but I am thinking its good with the wheel slightly back. Its not a "more work" thing, I can move the cab mounts back easy because they are just tacked, and I havent mounted the core support yet. any thoughts?

[99 to Life]

I like the fitment right where it is.

[Advanced Design]

Me too. Is the picker handle laying on the truck cowl?

[Metalmaker]

Hi Russ, I have watching this build from the beginning, as I am working on my 1st build. A 46' 1/2 ton, 82' s10 frame, 98' 4.3 and 4L60E set back 8 inches. I am at about the same place as you. I was thinking of using 2" x 3/16 flat bar mounted vertical on the inside of the frame since the outside of the radiator support seems to be about the same place. I don't know if the steering box moved out 3/16 would be ok or not. Your thought on that? Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and fantastic sense of humor with us!

[joedoh]

AD yes, in fact you can see the jack handle on the cowl in later pictures, I laid it right next to the right one and still didnt notice. :/

metalmaker, I like mounting my core support "soft", using bushings, so I plan to run a 1x3 inch rectangle all the way across the bottom of the cut and use bushings on the outside of the framerails. here is a picture of how I did it on my 49



your way sounds like it would work too though, although instead of coming up between the steering box just use L brackets on the top of the frame like the 47-55 s10 swap guys do.


have you seen that S10 swap how to? a lot of good info in there.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=632686

[Metalmaker]

Yes thanks, indeed great info in there. Mine is a little different thanks to someone before me being hacksaw happy, (long story) coupled with my ridiculous need to think of every conceivable way to do something and taking way too long to do it. lol Carry on!

[lower50's]

Nice job!! Took me a bit but I did find the handle funny how that happens. I think the front clip looks good where it is.

[rusty76]

I found the handle too. Took me a hot second. Lol. I like to lay crap down and play look for it.

[docrock]

Are the front fenders on your truck the 1.5 ton? They look like they arc higher.
Will you use them or use half ton front fenders.
Are you going to install the running boards?
Great project, and excellent pics. I have another 42 that might this direction
Thanks

[joedoh]

they are definitely not 1.5 ton, I picked up a pair of 1.5 ton fenders yesterday and the wheel opening is huge.



I havent decided what to do with these yet, I have a third 41 cab that is rougher than the other two and I thought about getting a C30 DRW frame and putting a wacky diesel in it, maybe a 5 cylinder turbo diesel mercedes.

actually its the cab behind this project truck in some pictures, it has a 1.5 ton front axle and wheels but its also a 3/4 ton so it has the same fenders.

they arent in great shape, but I have another 1/2 ton front clip in the back yard and the wheel openings measure the same. I have had it for sale a while with almost no interest, so rather than scrapping it I will make a project. cant wait to hear the clacky diesel in it. it will be a poser with only 200 lbft of torque and less hp, but I never haul anything anyway, and it will get amazing mileage as I drive around and pick up cabs and beds.

yes I will be running running boards, I have a couple sets of those too.

I looked at the drivers side, it was hard to get a good look with it next to the trailer but the drivers wheel looks to be back a bit as well. I have decided to move the cab back 1 3/4", which should center the wheels or really close to it. I dont want to go forward of the wheel arch centerline because there is a bracket inside the fender I dont want the tire to hit in turns/bumps. (the wheel is turned slightly in the first picture)



and the seat guys called, I chose to go to more of a point on the pleats (on the right). They arent stuffed yet, so dont look to critically.

[mongocanfly]

"But I never haul anything anyway"??? What about all those cool old trucks you drag home and give new life to?

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

"But I never haul anything anyway"??? What about all those cool old trucks you drag home and give new life to?

I would probably put a flat bed on a 41 C30 chassis and use it to haul steel and maybe the odd cab or bed etc. I wouldnt ever put a trailer hitch on it though. I have my father in laws 2500HD, it tows stuff when I need it.

aside from that, the s10 donors drive home or they dont come home, and for the crusty old ones usually I opt for the adult option and call a tow truck haha. I have a car trailer, but only because it was cheaper than paying for 5 tows from 100 miles away to buy the trailer and tow it all myself, they towed the first one and it was $275 bucks! I said "maybe call me before you pick up another".

hey where did you get your 30s car taillights? thats what I want to run on this truck but I cant find anything but the LED lenses, I cant find any housings.

[99 to Life]

nice score on the fenders. I like the idea of the diesel poser too! By the looks of your DS pic, I agree that can come back some. pleats look good.