Wampus Cat

[LT7A]

I enjoyed reading up on your build. You seem to be matter of fact and take most things in stride. I respect that and like the straightforwardness of your build.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by TxCajun

Finished the fuel filler in the rear corner of the bed. Still need to route the line to the tank. The vent can just be 5/8" flex hose, but I think the 1 1/2" fuel line will be some combination of flex hose and maybe a mandrel bent 90 degree tube.

Another thing I will be addressing,the siting of my filler as it is about 200mm from the corner.

[TxCajun]

Rubber Floor Mat Retainer Studs

When I repaired the rusted floor on my '66, several of the Rubber Floor Mat Retainer Studs were rusted too badly to re-use on the patch panels. The floors appear to have six (6) of these studs, but three (3) of mine were badly corroded and were removed when installing the patch panels. It looks like the originals may have been swaged in place.

I don't have access to a lathe to make these, so I looked for something similar in size and shape that could be welded on the repaired floor from the back side.

The approximate dimensions of the remaining "good" retainer studs are shown in the sketch below.

I did a little research on nail sizes and found that a 60D nail is about the right size. However, they do come with different head sizes/shapes. The best one that I found was at the orange big box store, called a 60D PoleBarn Nail (the one on the right in the pictures).

Following suggestions from this forum, I ordered a floor mat from the Truck Shop in Ca (http://www.truckandcarshop.com). The mat has the holes pre-punched for these retainer studs, so I laid the mat in place, aligned it with the three remaining studs, and then transfer punched the locations for the other three. Then I drilled holes in the floor, trimmed the nails to length, and plug welded them from the underside of the floor.
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[TxCajun]

And then after the Rubber Floor Mat Retainer Studs were installed, the mat lays in there nicely.
I think one could use the mat without the studs, but they will keep it from sliding around.

[TxCajun]

I've been watching a lot of videos on body work and paint since I am getting to that part of the truck project.

Along with hammer and dolly technique, I got interested in slapper spoons and slapper files for dent repair. Since I don't know how well these will actually work, I decided to make my own rather than buy expensive tools that I may decide I don't like.

For the slapper spoon, I started with a $4 pry bar and for the slapper file I started with a $5 flat double cut bastard file that I found in a clearance bin at a hardware store.

I made a jig from scrap wood and a couple bolts, heated the metal to allow bending, and epoxied on some white oak handles from a branch that fell off of one of my trees during the ice storm that we had a few months ago. I shaped the parts with a grinder and belt sander, then added some polyurethane finish to the wood just for looks.

I plan to try these out soon. I have lots of dents to practice on. :-)

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[The Rocknrod]

Very good, thanks for sharing.

[TxCajun]

I had been thinking for a while now that I would like to find a late 60's Saginaw 3 speed manual with R10 Borg Warner overdrive so that I could keep the three speed column shifter, but also have better gearing for cruising. I finally found one about 100 miles away. The owner said he had bought it 20 or so years ago with intentions to use it, but it has just been sitting on a shelf.

The transmission itself looks pretty clean inside, so for now I'm just cleaning it up and replacing gaskets/seals/tailshaft-bushing. However, the governor cap was loose and there appears to be a lot of gunk inside, and the solenoid that actuates the overdrive was not operational.
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[TxCajun]

I cleaned up the internals of the governor, lubricated the moving parts (pivot points on the centrifugal weights and on the "trip switch"), filed the electrical contacts, and installed a replacement shaft seal. The old seal was marked C/R 07412 M1; I found 330385 listed as an interchange and purchased that.

The cap on this governor was originally held in place with some swaged pins but those had broken and allowed the cap to be loose and allowed assorted gunk to get in to the mechanism. I drilled out those pins and tapped the body for 4-40 screws to secure the cap.

The pictures also show the rubber cover that I purchased.

The last picture shows a range of actuation rpm's. I can spin the governor with my drill and it appears to be opening and closing the contacts, but I have no way of measuring the actual rpm. Once I install the transmission in the truck, I'll have to play with the screw adjustment for the switch actuation to approximate the 28mph that is recommended.

[TxCajun]

I disassembled the solenoid, cleaned it up internally, filed the points, and lubricated the moving parts.

After some investigation and poking around, I was finally also able to remove the shaft seal for replacement. This is rather difficult because there is no access behind the seal to drive it out because the coil assembly is in the way. I fashioned a small chisel from the hardened shaft of a small screwdriver and gently tapped away at the metal housing of the seal until I could deform it sufficiently to pull it out. This seal is apparently the same shaft seal as is used to seal the shaft in the transmission tail-housing so I ordered a second one of those and installed it.

The solenoid bench tests ok now, but it will be awhile before I can test the transmission in the truck.
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[TxCajun]

Cleaned up the OD transmission, replaced the gaskets/seals/tailshaft-bushing, added a coat of paint.

Ready to go in the truck when I get to that point. This OD transmission is the same length as the current three-speed and I think the input shaft and tail shaft are the same so it should be a bolt-in; plus wiring and OD control cable.
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[TxCajun]

I've been getting by with using my roll-around portable engine hoist for lifting heavier items but that becomes a bit difficult reach when lifting something large like the truck bed.

I decided to try one of the cable hoists that are sold by various sources and is rated at 1300 lb. This one is from eBay, made in China but shipped from California in a couple days. The hoist comes with brackets to hang it from square tubing. I wanted to mount this to the peak of the workshop roof frame, so I welded up a bracket to hang it from the central beam joint bolts.

For some reason, all of these hoists are supplied with a short control cable, so I spliced in an extension.

So far, it works great. I've used it to take the bed on and off my truck a couple of times (and my bed has a 3/16 thick tread-plate floor so its pretty heavy).
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[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by TxCajun

I've been getting by with using my roll-around portable engine hoist for lifting heavier items but that becomes a bit difficult reach when lifting something large like the truck bed.

I decided to try one of the cable hoists that are sold by various sources and is rated at 1300 lb. This one is from eBay, made in China but shipped from California in a couple days. The hoist comes with brackets to hang it from square tubing. I wanted to mount this to the peak of the workshop roof frame, so I welded up a bracket to hang it from the central beam joint bolts.

For some reason, all of these hoists are supplied with a short control cable, so I spliced in an extension.

So far, it works great. I've used it to take the bed on and off my truck a couple of times (and my bed has a 3/16 thick tread-plate floor so its pretty heavy).
.

What did that one set you back? I was looking @ various ~120v electric hoists a while back but like you mentioned it's expensive as heck (commercial stuff) or 'made in china' cheap w/no real in between.

I have my pallet rack set-up as a budget gantry hoist frame. I wanted a portable set it up that would work indoor, outdoor, & allow using my trailer winch via 12v power if required. I planned to get an electric hoist until I ran into the issue stated above (price vs. quality). The racking is capable/rated @ 3k pounds total but max I would use it for is bed/cab/drivetrain lifting so I used 700# rated caster wheels for it & looked for something in the 2k pound range.

Thus far I've used a manual chain hoist but Harbor Freight had a ~$300/2k lb rated 120v hoist made by Pittsburg Automotive that was my possible choice. I was just skeptical on quality....

[TxCajun]

Scoti,
This 1300 lb hoist set me back $107.07 with free shipping in late 2020 on eBay.
Before buying, I read a lot of the reviews on this PA600 on eBay, Amazon, and elsewhere, and they weren't too bad.
The paint and plating finishes are not very good, but I've been using it off and on for several months now and it continues to work fine.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by TxCajun

Scoti,
This 1300 lb hoist set me back $107.07 with free shipping in late 2020 on eBay.
Before buying, I read a lot of the reviews on this PA600 on eBay, Amazon, and elsewhere, and they weren't too bad.
The paint and plating finishes are not very good, but I've been using it off and on for several months now and it continues to work fine.

Good to know. The reviews seemed to be hit & miss on the units I looked at but there's much interpretation from one mind/opinion vs another's when you can't ask specific questions.

Thanks. I'm diggin' that 3spd/OD set-up. Never really even knew about them.

[cwcarpenter98]

The transmission looks great! Makes me wish I had painted mine before I swapped it in. Live and learn

[Low Elco]

Great looking work here, thanks for the writeup!

[TxCajun]

Shop Improvements

I think I finally have all of the paint stripping, rust repair, and metal massaging done on the cab so it just needs a final light sanding and apply epoxy primer. However, its been too hot and humid for painting, so I've been working on some shop improvements.

I finished the bottom 4 feet of all of the walls with "R" panel corrugated metal, and the next 4 feet with tongue-and-groove 3/4" sheathing plywood with insulation behind all of the panels. I also added plywood on top of the 8 foot beam level to make 16" shelves all around. The underside of the metal roof is spray foam insulated, so I just need to finish the top 2 feet or so of wall to have finished, insulated walls all the way around.
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[TxCajun]

Shop Improvements (continued)

I bought a Harbor Freight abrasive blast cabinet late last year on sale. I read a lot of articles and watched a lot of videos regarding improvements so I did the following:
1. Added polyurethane sealant to all joints while assembling the cabinet.
2. Reworked the screen floor to sit lower in the cabinet.
3. Added a dust baffle to the air inlet.
4. Replaced the supplied LED bar light with two flood lights. Added switches on the side of the cabinet for the lights and for switched receptacles for powering the shop vac.
5. Purchased a cyclone dust separator and grafted it to a 5 gallon bucket.
6. Built a plywood platform on casters to hold the cabinet and the cyclone dust collector. This also raises the cabinet for ergonomics since I'm 6'2". Casters will allow me to move it around the shop or to the outside covered work area.
7. Replaced the supplied material pick up tube with a vortex material feed valve so the gun will siphon media from the bottom of the cabinet.
8. Added an air pressure regulator for the abrasive gun.
9. Added an air line in to the cabinet for a blow gun for cleaning media off of parts.
10. Added permanently mounted screws and knurled thumb nuts to the top for ease of removing and replacing the window glass. And while I was at it, added a stiffener brace to the inside of the cabinet top.

A lot of the sources recommend adding a foot valve for controlling the air to the abrasive gun and upgrading the gun but I haven't done that yet. So far I've used it to clean up a few truck brackets and it is working pretty good.
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[The Rocknrod]

Wow, nice work on the blast cabinet.

[88Stanger]

Damn, Great write up on the cabinet, gonna use this! I have that same cabinet ....

[justa dumb hick]

Is that a TR250 in the background? What year? It looks very straight and clean. Certainly seems your automotive interests cover the entire range of the spectrum.
And thanks for sharing so many of your brilliant concepts and solutions!

[TxCajun]

Rocknrod, 88Stanger,

Thanks for the encouraging words on the blast cabinet.

After Googling "Harbor Freight Blast Cabinet modifications" and checking out videos/articles on what other people did, I tried to incorporate the best of the ideas.

It turned out really well; I almost hated to start using it and get it dirty.

[TxCajun]

Originally Posted by justa dumb hick

Is that a TR250 in the background? What year? It looks very straight and clean. Certainly seems your automotive interests cover the entire range of the spectrum.
And thanks for sharing so many of your brilliant concepts and solutions!

That's a 1964 Triumph TR4 in the background, and it's fenders are on the wall. It doesn't have any significant body damage but it does have a lot of rust in the fenders and rocker panels. More rust than expected since it was from the Dallas area but it was parked in outside storage since the 90's with a rotten top.
I bought it about six years ago, I've rebuilt it mechanically, and and I'm now working on the rust/body issues.
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[TxCajun]

Shop Improvements (continued)

The corrugated roll up door on the shop is about 10'3" tall and 12' wide. There were big gaps around the sides and at the top there is a gap/opening of about 2"; lots of room for air, dust, and critters to get in.

I bought a 12' x 12' Brush Seal Kit with 3" Brushes from https://jacorinc.com/ for about $200 including shipping to Texas.
This kit consists of:

(2) 3″ Medium-Duty Brush x 1″ 45deg Holder x 8′ Long (Sides)

(2) 3″ Medium-Duty Brush x 1″ 45deg Holder x 4′ Long (Sides)

(1) 3″ Medium-Duty Brush x 1″ Straight Holder x 8′ Long (Top)

(1) 3″ Medium-Duty Brush x 1″ Straight Holder x 4′ Long (Top)

(1) Package of 1/8″ x 3/4″Lg self-tapping and drilling fasteners

Jacor Inc provides pretty good installation instructions with the kit, and also have some good installation videos on their website.

It took about 3 to 4 hours of labor to install this kit. The biggest effort is pre-drilling the holes in the steel building trim and support channels for the attachment screws, spaced about one every foot.

The brush seals add a little bit of drag to raising and lowering the door, but make a great seal.

[aggie91]

Nice upgrades to the shop and to the blast cabinet.