Was able to get everything done for the rear gas tank mount. I still need to take it apart, bead blast the rear crossmember support I made, repaint the frame where I welded the spacers to support and bolt the sides of the tank, and put in the pickup/sending unit. I have some spray cans of undercoat and I think I may use them on the tank. Here are some pictures.



Installed some square tubing across the back to level the tank out and give it something to bolt through. Here is the crossmember laying in place to check fit. I am using u-nuts clipped on to the tank with bolts coming up from below. that way I can take the tank out without having to remove the bed.


Sits pretty close to level. Sitting on the frame without the rear piece, it was tilted down in the rear.


The rear crossmember also bolts from the bottom. I tacked a nut on each side so it can come out with the tank.


cut some spacers for the sides so the tank is supported and the sides can bolt to the frame as well. The bolts run up through the centers.


Spacers on the other side.


Everything in place. Looks like it was made for this truck. Its actually a 22 gallon 1970 Mustang tank.


I need to get the correct length locking shoulder bolts.


Top view showing the bolys running through the shock crossmember and into the u-nuts on the tank.


The side bolts from underneath.


The front from underneath.


Plenty of clearance.


With the frame crossmember back in place sorta, I'm gonna flip it so it's open in the back. Easier to get at the nuts/bolts holding it in.

 

Where did my pretty cop hands go?

 

You aren't working a cushy desk job anymore.......

Let me know if you have any issues with the bed hitting that last cross member. I think I will have to do some fab work on my '58 when I go to put the bed back on.

 

The crossmember actually is upside down in the picture. All of the pictures I have seen of others who have done this turn it down as the bed would hit. That top bolt might be in the way also depending on how thick the bushing is that goes in there. I was just gonna search for the dimensions....

 

Well since I am here answering a post, I might as well share my day. My buddy and I drove to Doyle Nevada and back today to pick up a set of doors and a hood I bought for $100 off the Facebook FridgeSwapper page. I'll post the link below. Great place to find parts. Took awhile as it was chain controls from Gold Run to the Nevada border on I-80. Very pleased with what I got for the money. Doors have some bondo towards the top of both doors but I am now thinking of using these doors as parts to for my doors. My doors are the right color and match the Patina of the rest of the tuck. I don't like the thought of hanging different color doors, especially if I will need to do some bodywork and try to paint them to look like 59 year old patina. I have yet to see a patina match paint job that looks real.I am good with some visible repairs and may even let them rust a little and then clear them that way. Either way I want them to be solid as well as kill all the rust.

So here are my thoughts:

The drivers door is rusted through on the bottom (sat in the dirt for about 50 years). The skin looks pretty good. A little bent up at the front edge almost like it was opened too far at one time. Shuts great and lines up now though. So if I try and open the pinch on the bottom and separate the skin from the door at the bottom, I can cut out the rusted area of the door leaving the bottom hinge and use the door I picked up today as a metal donor. (As well as all the guts... mine are toast..). Re-pinch the skin and spot weld it. That way the repairs are not visible when the door is closed.

On the passenger door, I need to replace the bottom of the skin but the bottom of the door may be salvageable. It's a little rusted but looks like it is only surface deep. If I find it it worse then I will do the same as the driver's door. So my plan would be to use the bottom half of the skin on the donor door and any of the bottom of the door as needed (same as driver's side). I would also use the guts... the doors came with hinges too that look like they are in good shape.

So for the hood, the supporting frame under the front and it is rusted pretty bad and is starting to come though the bottom of the front of the hood. Also, the support piece that runs under the rear of the hood is rusted and starting to separate from the skin, especially at the hinges. Looks like someone tried to force the hood open even though the hinged were rusted solid. I absolutely love the patina and color of my hood. I am going to lay them upside down side by side and stare at them until they tell me how to make them one.....

Ignore the rust on the cab, I have it's twin but with less rust....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4453...?ref=bookmarks



Drivers door skin is in pretty decent shape and the patina is perfect. The front edge is a little bent up but probably fixable with a rubber mallet and a dolly.


Inside of the driver's door is another story. Rusted through. I can push my finger through the bottom. Sat in the dirt and had a rats nest there. Thought is to separate the skin from the door at the bottom and cut the bottom of the door off across the bottom and below the hinge kinda at this line but maybe straighter. Do the same for the donor door and glue them together.


Inside of the passenger door looks good at first look. Some rust but I think I can neutralize it and save the bottom. If not, do the same as the driver's door.


Cut this area of the skin off and use skin from the donor door the replace it.

 

I am posting this here as well as a new thread to catch those that don’t follow this one.

I am hoping to start on the cab replacement this weekend which means new front cab braces and the sheet metal above them. The rust on the floor is just in the corners so I am going to fabricate my own pieces. I found a picture of new cab braces on another thread and was wondering if anyone else has made their own. I have metal, tools, and a welder and this is a ratrod so I’m not worried about the underside looking original. Is there any functional reason the braces are shaped the way they are?

I’ve searched for threads but all I find are pictures of factory looking replacements. If you have any input, threads, or pictures, please share.

 

Ok so a lot has been happening on the build but for some reason I have nothing to show for my efforts.... Story of my life..... I’m gonna make one long post now and then just post pictures with minimal text once I get moving so bare with me.

A couple of days ago my wife asked if the truck will be done by my daughter’s birthday on April 10th?!?!?! After a brief discussion about her telling me to cool it on the spending and how I need to get the honey do’s done before the truck, it was decided that even if I never sleep, it will be done. Good thing is I have the green light to put all other projects to the side and I can buy what I need (within reason).

Anyway, I have been gathering parts and more parts.... I rearranged the pad in front of the shop to better organize the chaos. All the sheetmetal is laid out so I can pressure wash them. It all makes sense to me but if I die, good luck to whomever buys this. I think my wife would have it on craigslist right after she calls our insurance agent and before she makes the funeral arrangements....

All I have to do is the sheet-metal work on the replacement cab, prep and paint the inside and firewall of the cab, swap the cabs, clean and paint the frame under the cab, the sheet-metal work on the fenders, sheet-metal work on the doors, run all the brake lines, run the fuel line and plumb the fuel tank, glass all around, all new rubber and weatherstripping for the cab, upholstery for the cab, build exhaust, all new wiring, finish up the rear brakes, do the bodywork on the bed, raise the bed floor about 3 inches, build a final trans crossmember, have a driveline built, mate the 76 radiator on to the radiator support so the fan will fit, build and install a power steering conversion kit, buy and install the aftermarket air conditioning/heater, mount the power booster/master cylinder and plumb the brakes, mount the new clutch master cylinder and plumb it, replace all the mocked up bolts on the frame with grade 8 bolts, clean up the welds on the tailgate so they look original and then patina it, mount all the doo dads on the motor so it will run, oh, and go camping for a week and plan my daughters 16th birthday party before then also. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few things and please feel free to comment to remind me.

Anyway, first I have been staring and measuring and staring some more from a different angle and then measuring some more and staring some more at the hole between the frame and the headers and clutch slave cylinder where the steering box mounts and it is not getting any bigger. I just don't see how I could fit a P/S box box in there so I have been researching power rack & pinion rear steer setups and so far I like what I see. As you may know, I am not a "buy a kit and bolt it on" kinda guy so the $750 to $1500 kits are out of the question. I would rather use a rack & pinion that I can buy at a parts store and build the rest. It’s cheaper, easy to replace if it breaks, adheres to my rat rod philosophy, and allows me to get it placed right where I want it.

So here is my thought. Find a part number for a suitable rear steer application (hopefully a Ford application) and make some mounts to attach it to the axle. With my axle over spring swap I may have to have the steering bracket holes for the tie rod ends filled and re-drilled so the tie rod ends can drop in from the top. Anyone know if they are forged steel? If so, our local fabrication/welding shop could probably just cut and flip the ends and weld them up correctly. They are pretty good, in fact they weld up most of the prototype builds for UC Davis. Either way I need some ideas for a year/make/model for the part number. Try calling any place that sells parts and say you are looking for a rear steer power rack and pinion with an overall length of 40” to 45”. Without year, make, model, engine size, and if it has AC and power windows, they can’t help you…. So I’m gonna be putting that up on the priority list… As for the steering column, original plan was to use the ’76 F250 column but I think I may cut down mine, buy or make a bottom bushing and a bottom rag joint.

Except for removing the pitman arm and unbolting the steering box from the frame, the old bed is ready to lift off. I am thinking about cancelling band practice tonight to do that. Once that is off, I can finish paining the frame, get the exhaust mocked up, and build a transmission crossmember.

With the bed off I can finish cleaning up the frame and painting it with the Rustolem Rust Reformer. The areas I have done so far have not rusted through even though the truck is outside. Very pleased. I have all the parts to mock up and weld the exhaust. It will be 2 ¼” pipe and dump out and down right before the rear tires. So from the headers will be an H balance pipe, a set of Flowmasters I bought maybe 20 years ago (still in the box) for a build I never got to and then turned out and down. Gonna be loud but if you knew my daughter, she would prefer no muffler. I need to figure out the front pulleys to run power steering and A/C. they are original to the motor (’76 F250) but it was a non A/C with Ca smog. Not sure if I will have enough room for a pulley driven fan or have to go electric. Hoping for pulley driven but that big block takes up a lot of real estate. Other than throttle linkage and cleaning up the wiring, the engine is ready to go. The original engine compartment wiring doesn’t look too bad and I may be able to use it as well as the wiring in the cab. May need some repairs but very usable. I will probably upgrade the fuse box though.

While the cab is off I’m going to build a transmission crossmember and have a driveline made. I will also run the brake line to the back as well as plumb the gas tank and run the fuel line up to the pump. I’m going to use a frame mounted filter like the newer F150s. I will also need to fab the gas tank filler. I’m undecided between a tilt down rear license plate frame or run it inside up the left rear corner of the bed and box it in for protection. I need to think what will be easiest for my daughter when she fills it up. She might break a nail with the rear license plate location and she needs those nails to scratch out boy’s eyes when they try to hold her hand…… I also need to mount the rear brakes and e brake cables. Anyone have some cables?

So on to the replacement cab. The front cab mounts are not as bad as I thought. Rust is contained to the corner. I can leave most of the mount there and just build pieces to replace what I cut out. Not much floor to replace either. I can get enough good metal from the old cab to do it. I am about 90% sure I am going to box in the steps versus new steps. Again, I think I have enough old metal from the floor of the old cab. The seat I have is from a ’76 F250 and it is a tad wider. It will give me more floor and I am thinking about using the space by putting in access plates on hinges or with flush machine screws. Maybe a top door that lifts up to hold the hidden stereo. I am also going to reinforce the rockers so when my daughter turns onto a parking bumper, it doesn’t fold up. We want to cherry the inside with either original Seaspray Green or pearl white. My vote is original but I’ve learned that my vote doesn’t really count. I’m gonna line everything with the foiled insulation and have a carpet made (probably one of the lat steps). The firewall and inner fenders will be semi gloss black. The cab corners as well as filling in the gas fill hole will be moved to the bottom of the priority list and done once this is a running beast. I am going to have the cabs side by side so I can strip the old cab and move everything to the new cab simultaneously. I want to buy a plug and play AC/heater (ya I know it’s a kit…) and get it in while the cab is off. I am still trying to decide which one to buy. I also need a complete headliner and matching door panels. Suggestions?

Doors: I bought donor doors a couple of weeks ago. Overall they are in better shape but they have bondo on the area just below the windows and they are the wrong color. The driver’s door inside bottom is rusted out but the skin is good so I will separate the skin from the area I will cut off and then use the donor door to replace it. Reattach the bottom of the skin and good to go. My passenger door has rust on thebottom of the skin as well as a long crease and some dents but the inside looks like it may be solid. Won’t know until I get in there. If it just needs skin I will probably have a tall patch panel made as I don’t think the skin on the donor door has enough good area and all the pre-fab ones I see are too short. I really want to keep the top of the door skin as that patina is cool and if I make my seam where the flat and curve meet, it will be easier to hide. Doors need glass and all new rubber and seals.

My fenders are rusted (like gone…) through the skin and the support brackets on the rear lowers where they bolt to the cab. Not enough to even repair. Luckily my free donor cab had what I needed. The drivers fender is in pretty good shape. The area that has rust is repairable and solid. The passenger fender was smushed but the bottom area was in good shape. I will use it to fix mine.

My hood has awesome patina but also has rust on the bottom under the very front edge and the support brace along the back is rusted and separating along the back seam. My replacement hood is solid but the wrong color and it has a large caliber bullet hole. I think I can separate the support braces from the skin of the original hood and remove them, leaving just the skin. I can do the same for the donor hood and transplant them onto the original skin as well as use the front bottom lip from the donor. The weld joint will be on the bottom of the front corner and easily hidden (I hope).

Bed: I need to make more clearance between the bed and differential and the plan is to raise the bed floor a few inches. It also needs rear caps. For now, I think I will weld 1” tubing widthwise side to side every 16” or so and then a couple on top of the braces lengthwise to keep the bed square and solid. I will then cut out the center corrugated piece to use later on the raised floor. That will give me the extra space. At this point I will mount it on the frame and finish the floor after it is running and on the road. I am still trying to find the post on who has the rear caps. I just need to dig a little deeper. Still need a simple but strong rear bumber. Maybe chrome.

For the front clip, the only real fab work will be mounting the radiator to the radiator support. I will have to cut down or even cut off the current radiator mounts. I may say to heck with it and cut it off clean and get an electric fan with a good shroud. Actually since I have the green light to buy, I may buy it now and I can always change my mind later. I do need to aquire a front bumper that will sit tight to the valance (rock panel?). Maybe chrome. I will probably need to cut the frame ears back. Whatever bumper I use, I’m going to hide some real American steel behind it so a 10 mph bump won’t cause any damage to her truck. Might total the Honda she hits though.

It’s a lot of work in a short amount of time but I may farm out the sheetmetal work on the doors, fenders, and hood as well as the cab interior prep and paint. Luckily it is a true rat rod which means it will never be finished even when we are done with it…… Here are some pictures....



Current condition before I cleaned up the pad Sunday.


Front clip and piled up parts before I took them apart and organized Sunday.


Replacement cab in the rain before I moved it. Now I can put them side by side out of the weather.


Bought these about 15 to 20 years ago at Summit. Finally getting some use.


All the exhaust pieces to build the exhaust.


1970 22 gallon Mustang tank. Daylight picture.


All the sheetmetal tore apart and ready for power washing.



Once I get the old cab off the frame it will sit to the left of this cab. I use the bike lift as a makeshift welding table.


Looks better and more organized. (organized chaos)


Only 1 think makes a Fridge look better.....

 

The good news is that she didn't mention a year, just April 10th!

 

Maybe you can call Chip Foose's crew

 

I'm thinking that I may have to take a couple days off work......

 

 

As promised, pictures on the fly.....

Just have to pull the doors, steering box/column, bed mounting bolts, and lift it off.


Doors came off pretty easy. Using my motorcycle jack made it a 1 man job.


Almost had to lift the motor to get the steering box out. Had to remove my clutch slave setup and then there was just enough room to muscle it out. Was pinched between the frame and bellhousing.


This is why I am going with a rack & pinion.


Still undecided if I want to cutthis up to use it or use the column out of the '76.


I only had to cut all 4 cab mounting bolts. With the rust on the bottom, they immediately rounded off.


Who needs friends.......


Done. Now I have no excuses........