1974 Ford Cummins Crew cab

[HRDROKN]

That hole punch/flare tool that you have been using sure leaves a nice look to those pieces that you been fabing! Nice work as usual!

[Festus Hagen]

Originally Posted by ChaseTruck754

I still like my setup better

I would hope so!

Originally Posted by ChaseTruck754

I should have some noticeable progress here soon as I warp up the cross member plating/welding and move on to boxing the frame at the new steering box mount.

Intentional slip of the tongue..

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

[BradyCouchman]

Originally Posted by HRDROKN

That hole punch/flare tool that you have been using sure leaves a nice look to those pieces that you been fabing!

Nice work as usual!

a much more pro look, or even factory look too. but i am not sure that the factory ever used a flare tool did they?

[ChaseTruck754]

Originally Posted by BradyCouchman

a much more pro look, or even factory look too. but i am not sure that the factory ever used a flare tool did they?

Depends on which factory

I doubt Ford did though - haha

The dimples are cool in that they add looks, strength AND function. Especially on the motor mounts. The flare gives rigidity to a pretty much 2d form (the sheet/plate) by adding a "3rd" dimension. It also drops a little weight. Plus in the case of these motor mounts the holes are there to add access to the bolt. Having them makes it easier (possible really) to get the motor mounts off the frame

Originally Posted by Festus Hagen

Intentional slip of the tongue..
-Enjoy

fh : )_~

Not intentional - and funny that I even went back and changed it once for spelling errors. I highly doubt I can warp anything on that cross member though. With it's shape and attachment points to the stock frame it is not moving.


Sadly - no update for yesterday. We had another day of good (big) surf, and after that I took Suzy to dinner with friends, so no shop time.

The wind is picking up a TON today though, so tonight looks to be a shop night. I gotta get that front end up on jack stands and supported so I can drop the leafs and cut out that old, nasty steering box mount.

[ChaseTruck754]

I had a good and bad night last night. It was productive, but not as productive as it could have been thanks to 1 bolt. More on that later...

I continued to weld on the motor mounts. About an inch to an inch and a half at a time. Let cool and repeat. Still not done but tonight or tomorrow...


Next I finished welding the front of the cross member, and also got much of the pass side cleaned up. I need to add a plate here - but will do that in a bit.



Then came the crappy part of the evening...
I put the truck on jack stands and started bracing the front portion of the frame so I could drop the front portion of the leafs and take the load off the frame. That way I could hack off this mess


And make this fit


Well... The pass side seemed to work fine. It was then that I got to the driver side. No matter what I did the bolt would NOT come out of the sleeve in the leaf bushing. I think it rusted itself in there and the sleeve would just spin in the rubber of the bushing. It took me an hour and a half or so of working on the $&%@ing thing! I tried darn near every tool I had. I beat the piss out of it with a hammer trying to push it out after trying with a breaker bar and then a prybar to get it moving. I put heat on it, lubed it with penetrating oil, etc. I finally said F this and fit a cutoff wheel between the hanger and the leaf pack to cut the bolt. The damned bolt is STILL in the leafpack too...



All the tools used in trying to beat this ******* out of the hole...


And FINALLY at the end of the night - the truck is on jackstands and the cutting of the HACK JOB old steering box mount was beginning...



As always - more to come soon

[BradyCouchman]

did you have a clock this time so you didnt keey Suzy waiting tell midnight?

[ChaseTruck754]

Naw - wednesday night is my "free" night as Suzy has class from 7-10 or so, therefore she doesn't come over.

I did however start setting an alarm on my phone to go off at 10:30 PM to remind me it's time to start shutting down. The only bad thing is I usually can't hear it if I am welding, grinding, sanding, etc. which is what I am doing much of the time

I shut down at about 11 normally now unless I am really on a roll and excited about getting something done

[ChaseTruck754]

Last night again was semi productive. Not as much as I wanted, but I got a bit done.

More welding on the motor mounts. Still not done but 6" closer or so

I also almost wrapped up welding the back side of the engine cross member. Suzy thought my legs looked funny bent all weird trying to control the pedal. All I know is welding in weird positions makes you sore



I then got a bit of cutting done on the steering box area. Slow, time consuming cutting. It is getting there though, and a bit of cleanup with the flap wheel and it'll be ready to look at splicing in the dodge frame section.

[BradyCouchman]

not to bad. the frame section you posted looks bigger then the section you cut out....

[Festus Hagen]

Are you leaving the square cut or are you going to Z cut it?

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

[ChaseTruck754]

The frame section from the dodge is a different shape, therefore it will take some creative fab to get it in ans stock looking...

I hope to Z cut the section, but we'll see how I can end up getting the new section in. Unfortunately it will be Monday night or Tuesday before I get to it though, as I am spending the weekend helping my buddy make/weld a fence and then also down at my dad's place helping him.

[frankensteined_67]

i got to say good work! GEE wish my girl would help out on my build that would gravy!! oh ya i did subscribe to this i don't want to mess the finished product!

[ChaseTruck754]

Back to work again. The weekend was spent welding a fence for my buddy and then down at my dad's place where he helped me with a project for my Alfa. No work on Monday as I spent time w/ Suzy instead.


I am now back in the shop, but I am sick so I feel like crap and therefore progress is slow...

I did finish up welding the motor mounts last night, so now to see if they can get powdercoated...

I also looked a bit more at the steering box mount area and realized what a can of worms that is


1st the pics

Started sanding/grinding on the frame to remove the old welds


Made a cardboard template of the new frame piece and where the pitman arm comes off the box. This is MUCH lighter and easier to hold up to the frame than the actual box and dodge frame section



Now for the steering box stuff.

Problem/Decision 1 - I am trying to decide whether I should lay the Dodge frame hunk on top/outside of the Ford frame, or cut it in.
Putting it outside would make for more weld surface area on the frame section itself. It also will move the pitman arm just slightly over so as to hopefully not contact the leaf spring. I wouldn't add fishplates doing it this way though so I'm not sure...

Problem/Decision 2 - I currently have an early 80s D60 front. The spring perches for this are wider than the 70's. Therefore if I run this I would be putting the leafs outboard of the frame and therefore directly under the pitman arm. I would hope the leafs wouldn't hit the pitman, but I'd have to cycle it to see. I know running a 4 link front susp. would cure this, but I'm too lazy to do the fab for that right now. So I guess I am looking for a 78/79 D60. Anybody got a spare!?!?!

Problem/Decision 3 - I moved the steering bod mount back towards the cab a bit more so as to put the pitman arm end further into the arc of the leafs - trying to keep it from contacting the leafs. The issue is now the location of the engine cross member and if the pitman arm will contact it when I do crossover steering.

UGH! I have a lot to look at/think about on this, and I don't feel like it due to being sick. Welding is one thing as I can sit there and just go. Thinking hurts my little pea brain which is already hurting from being sick!!!!

[ChaseTruck754]

Here's the minimal report from last night.

Not much got done - I spent too long looking for bolts in the hardware store, and then the rest of the night cutting, fitting, cutting, fitting and cutting again on the hunk of dodge frame.

I had forgotten how long it takes to trim and properly fit these important pieces

Ford frame cleaned up a bit


A little more cutting/clearancing on the Ford frame


Dodge frame before

After last night (don't mind the sharpies sticking out of it - there were ALL running dry at the end of the night, so I set them in there like that to try and get the ink to soak/flow towards the front a bit)

[ChaseTruck754]

Back in the shop finally - although not a ton got done as I was doing some welding work for a charity function coming up. Suzy says I am "too nice, and can't say NO" - and therefore I'm always doing things for other people and it takes away from time spent working on my cars...

Anyways - I got the frame piece cleaned up, fitted and tacked last night. Next I will have to cycle the suspension to see if everything (tire, leaf, draglink, etc.) will clear on this before I weld and box it.

I looks like I will have to run the heim joint for the cross over off the bottom of the pitman arm to clear that cross member. That not only makes it sit closer to hitting the leaf, but it makes it so my double shear idea won't work here.