Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

It's 3.5" and steel. Saw some of the carbon fiber ones made by QA1 on Power Tour last month and did some serious drooling.

Those are big dollar shafts... I saw them here in Wichita Power Tour... Like you I was drooling all over them... I am going to go with a 4"Aluminum shaft...

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Glad it is all coming together Vic... can't wait to see it rolling along again.

Thanks, Dan! I'm past ready too. Chip may have to break down and trailer me out to the Nats one final time, but it absolutely, positively will be under its own power next year.

[Elliot949]

When are the Nats there

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

When are the Nats there

Weekend of September 9, 10, 11. They've had a rod run on Friday night in the past, but it wasn't mentioned on this year's flyer. I'm guessing it was just an oversight. Saturday and Sunday are show days and awards at the end. Cookouts mixed with burnouts in between.

[swamp rat]

Good news Vic!

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Weekend of September 9, 10, 11. They've had a rod run on Friday night in the past, but it wasn't mentioned on this year's flyer. I'm guessing it was just an oversight. Saturday and Sunday are show days and awards at the end. Cookouts mixed with burnouts in between.

Thanks... not sure the 67 will make it this year...

[Run Away]

I've just finished reading all 66 pages over the past few weeks and I just wanted to let you know your thread has been a HUGE inspiration to keep the drive going for my own truck.
It really helps to see all the work done to replace rusted panels.


Hope you get the frame situation sorted out soon.

[Bubba4spd]

Vic:

Have you ever considered contacting Leno for a job? With your talents, you could be saving Cords, Packards, and Ferraris.

Bubba

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Run Away

I've just finished reading all 66 pages over the past few weeks and I just wanted to let you know your thread has been a HUGE inspiration to keep the drive going for my own truck.
It really helps to see all the work done to replace rusted panels.


Hope you get the frame situation sorted out soon.

Thanks for the kind words! Hope to have some good news on the frame this week. My brother dropped off my old car trailer this morning, so I'm ready when they call.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Bubba4spd

Vic:

Have you ever considered contacting Leno for a job? With your talents, you could be saving Cords, Packards, and Ferraris.

Bubba

Bubba, I'm older than dirt! It would kill me to have to go back to a real job.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Bubba, I'm older than dirt! It would kill me to have to go back to a real job.

I got a picture that says otherwise!

[Elliot949]

Awe Vic... Working for Leno would be a play time for ya... LOL

[Vic1947]

UPDATE:

The shop called yesterday to say the frame was done so I rustled up a truck and trailer and went to get it. Talked at length with the tech that did the work and could tell from what he said it was unlikely the frame moved enough to fix the problem. I got the impression that the pulls he made were right at the limit of his hydraulics. When I got home and unloaded it, the preliminary measurements indicated it had moved some, but not nearly enough. I took my time this morning laying out a centerline and setting up the laser tool and confirmed that the issue is still present, albeit to a slightly lesser degree.

I think what's happening is that, separately, the front and back halves of the frame X out perfectly, but when you measure from all the way in the back to all the way in the front, the frame has a banana or shallow hockey stick shape. By focusing on just the front half or the back half, the big picture is overlooked.

The list of options looks pretty slim. 1) Find another shop with sturdier equipment and make another run at fixing this frame. 2) Start over with another shortbed frame/truck and hope the problem isn't even worse with different parts. 3) Align the cab and front clip to fit this frame, then remove the steel bed floor and replace it with a wood floor that will allow me to fudge the bedsides to match the cab. 4) Pick up a long bed frame and convert it to a short bed like others have done on the forum. 5) Go completely off the deep end and buy an aftermarket frame.

I'll keep you posted as I mull over what to do. My next move is to reinstall the body panels and see how far off they are after this most recent thrash.

[Bubba4spd]

I know I'd trust whatever decision and direction you go Vic.

[Elliot949]

Wow... that really blows..

[Xeen]

One interesting thing about buying a used frame is that it will be all stripped down and you can put your laser on it and make sure it's true before you even buy it.
Obviously that would eliminate the worry of getting another problem frame entirely.
If you have to shorten one at least you have the skills to do it right so there are no worries there.
Long bed frames don't exactly sell like hot cakes so guys are practically giving them away, I bet you can find one locally in good shape within a few days.
There are a bunch of active guys in your area with truck parts.
Keep your head up Vic, it's not as bad as it seems man you will be fine.
As always I am pulling for you and watching with interest.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

One interesting thing about buying a used frame is that it will be all stripped down and you can put your laser on it and make sure it's true before you even buy it.
Obviously that would eliminate the worry of getting another problem frame entirely.
If you have to shorten one at least you have the skills to do it right so there are no worries there.
Long bed frames don't exactly sell like hot cakes so guys are practically giving them away, I bet you can find one locally in good shape within a few days.
There are a bunch of active guys in your area with truck parts.
Keep your head up Vic, it's not as bad as it seems man you will be fine.
As always I am pulling for you and watching with interest.

Thanks, Brian. I'm leaning that direction at this point. I believe I could graft the front half of a long bed frame onto the back half of mine and end up with a good straight piece if I take my time. This would allow me to keep all the mods to the front crossmember and the air suspension mounts in the back. You're right that it's much easier to find the long frames, so I shouldn't have to travel far to acquire one.

[snipescastle2]

Vic,
Knowing you and the diligence you put towards a project, it's doubtful anyone would even know if it were in fact a long bed frame! Impressive metal working skills hardly describe your talent!
I'll be at the Cedar Oaks training center (KCP&L training center) Saturday for the Reach benefit fundraiser car show with mine, as far as I know, it's open to the public, $20 entrance fee (for entering a Car, truck Or bike) free admission
The Cedar Oaks facility is off I-470 and Raytown Road, going north on Raytown road, it's just over the crest of the hill, on the left.
Come by if you get a chance!
Ben

[swamp rat]

I have seen cross members removed and frame halves blasted and powder coated, whats the chance of a fab shop being able to straighten a frame rail if the frame is blown apart and put on a fab table? Outlandish thought??

Whatever you decide i'm sure it will be perfect!

[snipescastle2]

Vic,
I got the name of the training facility wrong,
It's "Cedar Point" not "Cedar Oaks" sorry about the confusion...
Ben
Posted via Mobile Device

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by snipescastle2

Vic,
I got the name of the training facility wrong,
It's "Cedar Point" not "Cedar Oaks" sorry about the confusion...
Ben
Posted via Mobile Device

Found it on "The Google", will try to see you tomorrow!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I have seen cross members removed and frame halves blasted and powder coated, whats the chance of a fab shop being able to straighten a frame rail if the frame is blown apart and put on a fab table? Outlandish thought?? Whatever you decide i'm sure it will be perfect!

If you had just the rails on a flat table, it's possible you could get them fairly straight. Removing all those rivets would be a treat, though.

I think I've settled on grafting two frame halves together. Talked to Bob over in Lenexa last night and he thinks he has a good long bed frame. He's going to check and get back with me. Meanwhile, I spent some time yesterday doing some serious measuring and I've narrowed down the location of the splice to a couple of possibilities. I think the best place would be right at the center of the mid cross member. When I measured, the centerline behind the mid c/m was perfect. However, as you moved in front of it, the side to side values began to deviate. By the time you got to the front cab mounts, it was off nearly an inch. So I'm thinking I'll split the rails at the mid point (red arrow) and that way I can use the stock reinforcement on the bottom of the rails and add new ones on top and inside. The other choice (yellow arrow) would allow me to keep the factory rivets in the c/m, but might actually be more difficult to reinforce. Just welding the frame by itself is not an option.

Note the missing rivet head on the passenger side of the mid cross member. Judging from the paint around the hole, it's been missing from the start. Can't believe I overlooked that as much as I've inspected the frame looking for damage.

[jlsanborn]

Red arrow looks like a good plan to me Vic. Well thought out!

[knomadd]

Bummer about your frame. Sounds like you've got a good game plan together to get it sorted though. I knew you'd be able to figure something out.

[Vic1947]

The donor frame is at the house! After Kathy and I dropped my Dad off this morning, we stopped by the KCP&L car show for a quick look at "Serious Black" and a visit with Ben. The truck looked terrific and the drum wrap on the instrument panel and glove box door was even better than the build thread pictures. Ben was worried that he might have some pinion bearing noise, but other than that SB performed just fine on the trip up here. Hope he made it home in one piece.

We returned home from the show and picked up voice mail from Scott saying he was already off work for the day. He came over and we hooked the trailer to his Mountaineer and headed over to Chevy Bob's in Lenexa. What you see on the trailer looks like it will be a great donor for the project. Even though it's a '68 frame, it doesn't have the dimple for the power steering, but I can fix that like I did on my '67 frame. It still has the x-member for the manual trans, so that should make it even more rigid for the surgery. I'll remove it after all the welding and reinforcement is done. The mid x-member is in a different place than the short bed trucks, but again, not a problem as I can drill new holes where necessary. Won't be long now!