yeah, there was no heat tube left when i got Clyde. I'm trying to find a way around it, as my air cleaner doesnt even have a spot for it.

 

Clyde dutifully drove me through the rest of the winter without a single hiccup, clocking 16 mpg and getting roughly 9,000 miles stacked on him. We were mates, we were.

Then, on Easter Sunday, Clyde left me.

My Uncle, a kind hearted soul with horrible luck, had been driving an old econoline an that was literally dangerous to drive, and as it was nearing 300,000 miles, was not worth tossing $2000 of parts into. After a long discussion with my faithful blue truck, i handed the keys over. He has been re-assigned, on a new mission, to take care of my uncle in his travels.

I'm glad I didn't watch him drive off, i may have cried. I did shed a tear the next morning when Clyde wasn't in the driveway. If i said I didn't miss him, I'd be lying.

 

You've done a wonderful thing by allowing Clyde to help someone else. I think we all know at least one person with a kind heart and zero luck. Those kind of people make this world a beautiful place to live in, and they deserve all the help us luckier folk can give them.

 

Wow! You love your uncle, that's for sure.

 

I'm usually the zero luck guy, but he needed my help more than i needed Clyde.

Even though my daily driver is currently now my 1995 F150 thats been hot rodded and lowered, i still miss driving my old rattly kingpin straight six F150.

 

Clyde came back to me last week, quite a bit worse for wear.

my uncle has been driving it nonstop, and has been getting a squeak, then a pop noise from the left front. he also told me he has blown 3 power steering lines in the last 3 months.

i get Clyde back into the shop, i notice all 4 tie rod ends had enough play that i was scared they may fall off. the front tires were showing cords. the front brakes were grinding metal to metal into the rotor on the driver's side. as i jacked it up, and started tearing off tie rod ends, i noticed something:

the drivers side kingpin wouldnt move.

well, i did what i felt the only thing to do was. i tore out everything from the front suspension. I beams, spindles, tie rods, all that was left was a set of springs and the gearbox. i replaced the poweer steering pump becuase im sure it had plenty of wear. and then, after Clyde had been gutted, i went out to the local salvage yard and plucked a set of beams from an 89 F150. I'm pulling the spindles off of my 95 F150 ( my lowered autocross truck) to get him the better caliper mounts, and the 89 beams will allow for caster camber adjustability. and then i walked into NAPA, plunked down the Visa, and have new ball joints, radius arm bushings, brakes, rotors, tie rods, and adjusters coming.

Nothing like a little side project, right guys??

heres the beams from the yard. i got them cleaned up.

 

Interesting how things have a habit of coming back when there's a problem. But, it looks like you are dealing with it well. Good job!

 

when Clyde was my truck, i had envisioned this frontend swap. I think eventually, the body will give way, and i will end up with this truck once again, a wonderful engine and chassis that needs a body.

Texas has bodies

 

Clyde once again came home. The bed, which was rough even in the days i owned the truck, finally gave up the ghost. As you can see, it was rough.



My uncle, pops, and I pulled a spare flatbed from one of pops old trucks and got Clyde rolling down the highway again.



Funny, my uncle has put nearly 40,000 miles on the truck since i sold it to him. I keep waiting for him to say he got something new and i'll get Clyde back, but it may be a long wait...

 

Clyde finally came home today.





the engine is barely running, i suspect an ignition issue. the battery was completely shot, oil was coming out of every gasket of the old six. the front fenders are missing more than they have, and the drivers door has a baseball sized rust hole through it. the frame has also started to get pencil sized rust holes through it.

Clyde did as he was told, he served my Uncle well as a daily driver for many years. I'm doing the fitting thing, i brought him home, and i'm rebuilding him.

 

Clyde has basically been on life support since i brought him home a year ago. I found out that the cab and frame both had suffered some major structural rust damage, as well as the six had jumped timing ( dang plastic timing gears). To most everyone else, the truck was destined for the scrap pile, but I couldn't let go. So i went searching for a donor, and now, Clyde is being reborn as something quite different.

Here's the donor:




The cab and chassis are a 1994 F250 4x4. The previous owner was starting to build an off road truck out of it, gave up, and sold a lot of the parts, but i got the chassis with axles and a 2" lift, and a pretty solid cab ( needs a driver's side cab corner, but it's just barely starting) for $200. the bed was garbage, and i promptly tossed it and put the flatbed on, and i set in a spare 460 EFI engine that i had ( the truck was formerly an EFI Auto truck).

So, I will use as many parts as i can off of Clyde, mostly interior, and front clip parts. I'll be swapping a ZF5 5 speed into the truck, and going through the brakes and suspension. The wheels and tires are leftovers from a different project, Pegasus. Some may call it a different truck, but i don't care, to me, Clyde will live again.

 

I got back to working on Clyde, now with a handful of new front end parts

Attachment 278040
Dana 60 front axle

i also have new springs, ball joints, brakes, and all the fixins to get this whole front end straightened out.
Attachment 278041