sounds like you have some options to think about. let us know what you come up with.
maybe you can find the same rims in both sizes.

 

My, how time flies! I think it's time for at least a little update, since it's been a long while.

I just went the the Ol' Marais River Run up in Ottawa, KS last weekend, and it stoked the coals a little. I've been making a little progress with the truck, but most of it isn't visible. Well, if you look at the cab sitting on the dolly, none of it is visible. But, I did pick up another car a couple of months ago. I still need to get it stripped down and decide what to use off of it. This car has a 4.6L in it, so it has the heavier half-shafts. I was told by somebody that my other rear-end may be a 7.5", but I never made it back out to check the tag. I was going to be limited as far as power goes, though, so this make sense. Now, I have a Ford engine and a rear end to handle it. I don't know if I'll keep the other rear end or not. It could be useful for a smaller project, so we'll see.

Anyway, I was planning on discarding the subframe that the rear suspension attaches to, but after seeing a couple other installs, where it was lopped off at the frame rail and welded in, I don't think it looks too bad. So, back to the drawing board on that. Now I have a decision to make there. And since I'm not going to use the SBC now, I need to mock up the 4.6 and tranny. Man is that motor wide or what!?

As I keep telling people, it'll be ready by September!

Dave

 

I've been thinking about the steering on this beast for awhile now, and haven't really come up with much. I could do a rack-and-pinion, but because of the location, I'm wondering if a steering box and drag link wouldn't be a better idea. That way, I can push it forward as far as I need to to keep it out of the middle of the floorboard. I may be able to use a rack and pinion, but most of the one's I see are backward for my application. The mount behind the crossmember. I need to be in front. Unless there is a way to flip one, it won't work. One problem I see either way, is getting it pointed in the right direction - up. Most steering boxes I see around are angled back quite a bit. I haven't looked at an old van to see if it is more vertical. I could tilt it up, but then the pitman arm will be swinging downward. Again, depending on where it is located, maybe it won't hurt anything, but it seems like it would be better to use one intended to be used the way I will be using it.

What do y'all think?

Dave

 

Not much to report. I did confirm that the first rear-end I picked up is a 7.5". Not sure what to do with it. Maybe I'll put it on CL and see if I can get some of the money back for it. I could save it and the rest of the drivetrain for another smaller project, but that takes up space. I dunno. Anyway, anybody know if a rack and pinion must be mounted a particular way? In other words, if I rotate it up, say 30 degrees from normal, will it hurt anything?

Dave

 

Well, it's been awhile since any visible progress was made, but I've been making some plans on virtual paper. In the mean time...

My brother's truck made it into print. Now I'm motivated. Well, more motivated than I was anyway. I've actually spent the past few evenings in the garage working on the floor. You know those tasks where you spend hours on something that will save you minutes?

I had decided to make the floor in smaller pieces that I could manage. To that end, I am starting on the edge of the floor. Lacking an e-wheel with a tipping wheel, and having not braced my HF bead roller enough yet, and lacking a set of dies that will roll in a 3/8" offset anyway, I decided that I would make it the way the factory made it - by pressing it! It took 3 sets of prototypes before ending up with dies that will press in the profile I was after, but in the end, I'm quite happy with the results.

Here are 2 sets of prototypes. (The first set was used in the construction of the second set.)


Here is what I ended up using. The pieces of 1/2"x3 1/4" provide the horizontal distribution across the width of the press.


Here's the end, showing the profile I was after. (The small piece of 3/8"x3/4" at the left is a spacer to keep the upper die level.)


Dave

 

Here you can see a couple of spacers used to fine-tune how tall the offset would be. Tall being how spread out the 3/8" offset would end up.


This is the profile I was after. It took 2 operations, but ended up exactly as I wanted.


Here is where the pieces (I made 2) will go.


One nice benefit of doing this the way I did, is that I'll be able to make other dies to go under the press for other shapes. I think now that I am making this in smaller pieces, even though there will be more welding, it will go more quickly - at least for a little while.

Dave

 

I did a very similar press job to make a replacement piece for the beads on My running board, 3/8" round stock welded between some 1+1/8 flat for bottom with 1" flat for top. It turned out almost perfect.

 

I'm back at making tools again. I need to put a 0.125" radius in some of the bends I'm getting ready to make. Decided that the best thing to do would be to make a new clamping bar. Made a couple of test bends in some 18 ga. and I think does quite nicely.

New clamping bar.


Here is the outside radius.


Here is the inside radius.


Dave

 

Made a few pieces for under the seat. Because I won't have a gas tank under the seat, I don't really need the recess under there. And a flat surface will make it easier to mount other things there should I decide to do so. Using the press and the dies I made the other night, I was able to make this much in 3 pieces and then tack them together.

Here is the section sitting on a couple pieces of angle across the cab.


Here are the 3 sections that will become 1.






Dave

 

So, I've been working on another prototype for the floor. Well, it wasn't really intended to be a prototype. Having decided not to follow the OEM bends and such, I started to make it a little differently. Now, having started that, I have decided that since I am doing my own thing, I should incorporate a better way to mount the seat risers, as well as allowing space for a threshold at each door. Back to the drawing board.

Dave

 

Progress is a beautiful thing. Visible progress that you can take pictures of and post on internet forums is even better!

Spent the better part of the afternoon and evening in the garage and backyard working on the floor. Having a new and better idea of how I wanted the floor to work out, the day went much better.

Here are all the pieces prior to fitting them in the cab and tacking them together.


Here are all of the pieces placed and clamped in the cab.


Dave

 

I made use of the press for the rocker panels and all offsets in the area under the seat. I had to use a piece of 1/8" thick strap to achieve a 1/4" offset on one piece. Otherwise, I made the dies for a 3/8" offset the other night and used that again.

Here is the difference in what I did a few nights ago and decided to scrap and what I ended up with today.


I also re-did the rocker panels. Between the press and the dies I made for it, and the apron brake with the different clamping bars (different edge profiles), I was able to do everything seen here. I wish I had the capability of doing up to 4' pieces. That would have eliminated some welds. (Bigger brake is on the to-do list...)

Here is the passenger-side rocker panel clamped in place.


Dave

 

There is about 1-1/4" at the back of the rocker panel where it is welded to the b-pillar where the lower section is offset from the rest of the lower portion of the rocker by about the thickness of the metal. I decided to use the prototype dies that I used see whether it was feasible to make the floor pieces in the press. I did have to modify it a little bit by taping pieces of sheetmetal strategically.

This is the die-set that I used to make the tail-end of the rocker panels. I swapped the vertical pieces' places to get the mirror.


Here is part of the driver side rocker panel still in the lower die.


I left the passenger side a little big when I pressed it. All of the excess on both pieces was removed with the bandsaw prior to use.


This is the whole rocker panel. Well, the front portion is cut off, but it looks like the middle seen here.


Dave

 

Obviously the welding needs to be done. Each minor section is just tacked together right now. I'll finish welding it when all of the other little pieces are done.

On a side note, I bought 20 2" clamps at HF the other day when they were on sale. I figured someday, I might need that many. I could actually use another 20 right now. When I started clamping sections together and then braces and such in the cab to hold the floor in place, I just kept reaching for more and more clamps until there were no more to reach for. You can never have to many clamps!

Dave

 

Little steps... Little pieces... It will all come together in the end! This afternoon I made another set of dies to put in the press. This one makes rounded corners for the recesses portions of the floor.

Here is the working part of each die. The angle at the back of the piece on the right side keeps the female die pressing against the male die. Shims are used to tweak the angle of the offset.


Here is what this contraption produces...


Here are a bunch of them ready to be trimmed and fit...


It fits...


Dave