ML builds an old truck

[Monsterlover]

There's a steer clear steering doohickey that helps relocate things when stuff gets tight if it's any help.

Not cheap, but I've heard good things about it.

I've seen these things and am loosely aware of them. Haven't really got that far yet.

Step one is get the engine/trans in and route steering around that.

[Speedbag]

Do not track the hours.

Burn the receipts.  

This. So much this. Trust me. 

Good move on the bellhousing, a friend of mine still has his feet after a 9,000 RPM flywheel and clutch explosion on a 289 Ford because of one.

[Monsterlover]

This. So much this. Trust me. 

Good move on the bellhousing, a friend of mine still has his feet after a 9,000 RPM flywheel and clutch explosion on a 289 Ford because of one.

 
Fuuuuuuuuuuuk can you imagine that happening with a cast alum bell???

[Speedbag]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuk can you imagine that happening with a cast alum bell???

It might have been bad. Really bad.

As it was, the steel bell ballooned out badly enough that it broke the lower two ears off the block and cracked a couple of the other bolt bosses. It was literally a bucket of shrapnel when it came off the block. My buddy had just used it a season or so, as I recall it was right after that particular engine combo went together (12:1, single carb tunnel ram, massive mechanical roller cam, etc.) and the 4-speed got an overhaul. We all got wise with that one.

[Monsterlover]

I don't think people realize just how much stored energy is inside that bellhousing area. Sobering.

[Randimus Maximus]

  to the progress!

[Monsterlover]

Happy New Year to everyone!

A couple days ago I was able to spend some time stripping the interior of the cab. The headliner was like a cardboard -fiber type cover that was hardened and cracked. Much of it was missing anyway so I pulled all of that out.

When I pulled the seat out, I discovered that this vehicle actually did come with seat belts. Who knew. I vacuumed out a ton of mouse poop from underneath the seat.
2023-01-01_10-27-34 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

I found out these door handles are aftermarket. Aftermarket meaning someone took drawer handles and screwed them to the door. Originally they did not come with these and international intended you to use the latch handle to pull the door closed. Apparently that resulted in those handles wearing out prematurely. Mine are both nice and tight so I'm going to consider myself lucky that someone decided to modify the door.
2023-01-01_10-27-45 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

I pulled the gauges out just to keep them protected. They're also 6 volts so unusable for my setup which will be 12 obviously. I had thought about a digital gauge cluster. And I'm also considering rehabbing these gauges for use with 12 volt with an updated speedometer etc.
2023-01-01_10-27-59 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

I put the engine and transmission more or less in place and you can see my sharpie lines where things needed to be cut. I put the engine and transmission up in there as far as I could and then took an angle reading off the transmission. It was about 15° and I needed to move that up about 13 more degrees to result in a roughly 2 degree downslope.

Using a tape measure and some trig I was able to figure out how much I needed to remove to hit my target. The firewall I got on the first crack. The area under the seats needed cut back a little further than I thought, just because the transmission was longer than I could really see my eye standing hunched over inside the cab.
2023-01-01_10-28-09 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

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2023-01-01_10-28-33 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

With the cuts made and the transmission jacked up to the angle I was looking for, which came out to about 2.5 °, things are looking decent. The engine is about as close to the firewall as i would want and the oil pan will clear the front axle at full compression. I'm going to add some hard stops to the frame just to be safe. The last thing I want to do is hit a big pothole and rip open my oil pan.
2023-01-01_10-28-40 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-01_10-28-56 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

I had a local fab shop bend me up a transmission tunnel and you can see that it test fits fairly well.
2023-01-01_10-29-04 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Whoever invented these cleeco clips, I tip my hat to you.  These things are a godsend for sheet metal work. I haven't really done much extensive sheet metal work before like this project will take. These clips came in a heap of tools and tool chests that I bought from a friend of mine's dad who was going into a home. I got a great deal on everything and they were happy that the tools were going to me. These clips are invaluable.
2023-01-01_10-29-10 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

If you look back at the second picture I posted here you can see an opening in the floor that's flanged. There is a large panel that is removable from the factory. I can only assume it's to allow work on the transmission. I can't see that it was just for the assembly process at the factory. Anyway, that panel always rots out and the one I got with the truck was homemade by somebody.

Since I'm cutting through that area with a transmission tunnel and I have compromised some of the strength of the floor by cutting out some sheet metal under the seats, I'm going to need to shore that up.

I'm thinking I'm going to make a grid from half inch square tubing to span the entire area between the sides and the transmission tunnel. Basically where your feet go. I'm also going to tie that grid into the slope of the firewall. The plan is then to skin it all with 1/16 sheet metal. Same thickness as the transmission tunnel.

If my math is right that will then match the level of the surrounding floor area. I'm going to do some padding/carpeting anyway so it's really not that big of a deal but I see no reason not to try and do the best job I can here.

I bought some universal motor mounts which should be here Tuesday. So I'm hoping by the weekend I can have permanent mounts for the engine and transmission in place.

Moving right along...

[Popeye the Sailor]

I invented those cleco clips. It was right after I invented coffee, but before I created the zip tie.

[Monsterlover]

I invented those cleco clips. It was right after I invented coffee, but before I created the zip tie.

Save some women for the rest of us, would you

[Monsterlover]

Back to it this weekend. Last weekend was...

Bad. I got food poisoning and lost 5.5lbs from Friday night to Sunday morning. It took until the following Thursday to feel right again.

So my tool collection had gotten out of hand and many of the drawers in my tool chests were not that organized. I weeded out all the stuff I haven't used in years and consolidated a bunch of things.

I used kaizen foam from Fastcap to organize a few drawers.

2023-01-15_10-43-39 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-15_10-43-48 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-15_10-43-57 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Some socket organizers from home Depot finished things off.

2023-01-15_10-50-24 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr


This weekend's project was motor and transmission mounts. I only got the motor mounts done but it's still a step in the right direction.

I picked up some universal LS mounts with poly bushings fairly cheap. I was able to modify the ears they included to mount to the frame.

I added a 3/16 x 2" plate on the top and bottom sides to stiffen things up. The mounts aren't fully welded in case they need to move.

I don't know where our how I'd move anything since this is all 10 lbs in a 5lb bag type of deal but the option is there.
2023-01-15_10-44-11 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-15_10-44-21 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-15_10-44-30 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-15_10-44-36 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

In addition to all this I ordered a Holley Dominator EFI unit along with a bunch of harnesses and sensors. If you want to see what it can do Google it. The answer is everything.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Looks good.

I'm considering a Holley EFI for my crossram setup.

I need to double check how it would handle such a mess of intake.

[Monsterlover]

Looks good.

I'm considering a Holley EFI for my crossram setup.

I need to double check how it would handle such a mess of intake.

I'm sure you can come up with a way to make it work. Word of warning, if you order now, you'll have it months from now.

[Monsterlover]

Got my friction discs exchanged so that meant pulling the trans off the motor and getting the clutch properly installed. Dual disc!  Hopefully it holds.
2023-01-29_11-19-29 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Turbos showed up
2023-01-29_11-19-46 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

A fun graphic a friend made when I commented that this engine is either going to make a lot of power or it's going to be Earth's newest satellite.  I may have this made into an actual poster.
2023-01-29_11-20-11 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Hydraulic throw out bearing. Hopefully I have this thing shimmed correctly. Time will tell.
2023-01-29_11-20-20 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Ended up having to narrow my transmission cross member. Pretty much took it apart, section 1.5" (37mm) out of the middle and weld back together
2023-01-29_11-20-40 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-20-47 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-20-53 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Seats are ordered and due in this week. In the meantime I have to build some support structure for the floor skin and also to strengthen the cab since I cut out some of the middle to make room for a transmission tunnel.

I built this I beam thing to span the front of the original seat box. All the square tube in the next few pics is 1/2 sq x 1/16 wall (12mmx1.5mm)

On it's own it's pretty flexible. Sandwich some 3/16 (4.5mm) plate between two of them and it's a different story.
2023-01-29_11-21-13 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

There's a recessed area in the floor to accommodate a removable panel. My plan was to lay sq tube in the recess and build something that could support sheet metal floor and feet.  The two rear corners are curved and I don't have a tubing bender.

So I notched the tube to allow me to curve it.
2023-01-29_11-21-21 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-21-27 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-21-33 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-21-40 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

The mostly finished product
2023-01-29_11-21-46 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-01-29_11-21-55 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

[Popeye the Sailor]

Looking good!

[Monsterlover]

Time to figure out some seats. Mrs ML found these side by side seats that we decided to try out. I was originally looking at some Mercedes or Lincoln seats but they didn't really fit the overall theme of the truck. They were too new looking. I really like the diamond stitching on the ones we bought.
2023-02-25_12-30-56 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

One final shot of the floor. You can kind of see the section I had to cut away to make room for the transmission. Removing that piece in the middle really weakened the floor and allowed it to flex like crazy.  Part of the mission with designing seat brackets was to reintroduce some structural integrity back into the floor.

I ended up building that i-beam deal across the front edge. At the rear of where the seats are going to mount I did some diagonals and some stringers to try and shore things up there.  It made a huge difference and I can put my full weight basically anywhere inside the cab and the floor doesn't flex.

2023-02-25_12-31-15 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-02-25_12-31-31 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

2023-02-25_12-31-39 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

Here's the pair of them loosely mounted. I have the front's bolted but, despite my best efforts, the mounting holes at the rear did not line up with the brackets.

As it turns out, both seats are not the same. Since I built the pattern off of the one, it didn't entirely match the other. Close but not close enough. Nothing a little grinding won't take care of.

2023-02-25_12-31-48 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr

And finally a shot of the way it sits. Currently. Engine and transmission are permanently in place, or can be lol. They're going to have to come out at least one more time to facilitate frame boxing and this and that.

2023-02-25_12-31-56 by Kevin Ames, on Flickr