How does this even happen? This is under the first of two "mystery panels". Literally just sheet aluminum with sealant covering up a gouge in the floor. From the top down so they didn't bottom out?? It honestly looks like someone smacked a hatchet through the floor!

Maybe one of y'all can explain it??

 

The issue is resolved for now!






So who can tell me how to get the steering wheel out after this debacle??

 

The gouge looks like it was most likely made by a chisel and hammer to make a slot for a pto lever or hydraulic lever sometime in the past

 

Well, since the shaft is destroyed, I would use a small cut-oof or die grinder to get rid of the mushroomed over part of the shaft and start from the inside to get rid of the part that is in the steering wheel. Start with a drill and get incrementally bigger until you are almost to the splines. Ot personally I would use a small tapered die grinder burr and cut out to the side.

 

That's about what I was trying, the garage was starting to get colder and colder so I decided I'd try it today.... Even colder lol I will get that damn steering wheel off at some point! There used to be two toggle switches on a home made panel near the first hole in the floor, so it could have been PTO? The other hole is smaller and closer to the transmission cover. I'm finding more odd stuff about this truck and its making for interesting repairs

 

I absolutely love these big truck builds, and a diesel conversion to boot! AWESOME, definitely subscribed and hope to see progress

 

I feel bad for not updating! Been pulling 60 hour weeks so time to work on the truck is sparse. I'll have to post updated pictures this weekend!

The motor is about completed, had it machined, pistons milled a bit to allow for more boost without lifting the heads. In patching holes in the floor, I keep finding more things that make me scratch my head... Just wondering how the heck someone did these things heh

My brother got himself an IDI project truck and used quietkote as sound deadener, he sent me the 2.5 gallons leftover, I'll use that on the floor and halfway up the walls, then a nice even coat of truck bed liner or similar material for my floor. It appears the previous owner had good luck with truck bed liner in the spots they tried

In building those whole thing, the part I'm looking most forward to is the flatbed actually! I think a nice 10ft wood deck flatbed will look pretty sexy on the ol girl! Everyone tells me I've got to repaint old iron ranch on the doors again once she's painted... Its awful tempting if the previous owners don't mind it.

I'll see what photos I can get this weekend!

 

Good looking truck

Looking forward to more

 

Alright lets get y'all updated! It has been longer than I would have liked but isn't that how all of these big gran projects go?!

I'll take y'all back to my last update, having been cutting and fixing holes and other odd things the past owners have done.... but first, a good new years! ... yes, those are steak knives taped to RC cars, pop the balloon on your opponents car and don't stab yourself in the foot!





Next order of business was pistons being shaved .050 to bring compression down to about 18.5:1




Bit by bit working on the motor as I got time (which is hard to come by!)












Snapping bolts along the way! Damn oil pump




With the motor almost buttoned up, I needed space for the tools I was purchasing, first came a plasma cutter that I got a screaming deal on! A 4ft southbend lathe shows up Tuesday probably. I fed my room mate and bought him a six pack and we went to work building an overhead storage rack for the body panels and stuff to stay in till the underside of the cab is finished and set back on the frame... Which should happen when my brother is up visiting the end of June. Alex is 6'9 already, dang am I glad that garage has tall ceilings!









The cart that I built to move the cab around is still down there under it, everything in my garage is on wheels! Now I could get back to fixing rust spots, wire wheeling the sucker clean getting ready for under coating. The cab mounts were pretty much toast. Getting into the cab corners with my plasma showed me they were packed full of dirt and rocks!! I will see if I can track down those photos, glad I am tearing into it now though!













And finally.... I love this F600 but I knew my next project will be a cab over something, I didn't exactly know what I wanted until I saw this on a jobsite, she comes in this week sometime! DT swap?

 

Great pics. Your making good use of your space. Seeing the bottom side of your cab brings back a lot of memories. That engine is sounding promising as well.

 

Did you have similar issues with rust and such? I am not entirely sure how to rebuild all of those corners and edges, I kept the pieces I cut out just in case I need a reference piece.

I am just researching exactly which products I am going to use on the underside once its all cleaned up... lots of products out there!

 

My floor was worse so I could easily cut out the rotten cab mounts. They were rotted on the outside portion as yours are. I was able to fab up some replacement sections out of some 12 or 14 guage steel if I remember right and weld onto was was good in the supports. That sure was said in a very confusing way. I basically repaired the cab supports while out of the truck. Then I could replace the steel where they attached. That inside cab corner may end up as more once you touch a grinder to it. All part of the fun.

 

With so many projects in front of me, my plan is to have all the rust patched and my custom cuts finished then to clean up and coat the underside of the cab all in the week my brother is here at the end of June. On top of the cab shenanigans, we will tear down, clean up, coat and reassemble the front half of the frame to then set the cab on it.

That will clear up room in the garage for sanding body panels, I can sand the cab at work where I have the frame stashed

My plan for the motor is to go to the local wrecking yard where we know a few people and to chop out the front section of a ford truck frame that had an IDI in it, then bolt it to the motor, hang the motor in place and weld the new frame section to the 58 frame, then add extra cross members. Maybe boxing the frame or adding plating to the outside? Haven't decided yet but this is going to be a very high torque combination, and I have a feeling some of my friends may convince me to enter the sled pulls... lifting tires anyone?!