Thank you, Fred. I think the hoist will come in handy. Sort of OT, I think I figured out why Warner Gear changed the helix direction of the gears in the '56 and later T98s. When I engaged the pto to raise the bed, the pto lever will not stay in gear. It only takes light pressure on the lever to hold it in. If my truck had a cable, instead of the lever, to engage the pto, I don't think it would jump out of gear. With the helix angle reversed, it would eliminate the tendency for the pto to jump out of gear. I will add a lock out/in handle, like those used on tractor cultivator lift levers, to my pto lever to solve the problem.
Thanks again, Mark

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This is all that is left of my original floor.

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I was able to work on the bed floor for awhile this afternoon. Ten years ago of so, my brother in law sawed me some post oak and white oak boards for the floor. They have been stripped and stacked on the top of my metal rack in my shed ever since. Today we ran them thru the sawmill and trued them up to width. We also planed them to about 1 3/8" thick. I may still need to reduce the thickness to about 1 1/4" I sawed them to length and laid them in place on the bed. I will rabbet the outer edge of the bottom of the two outer boards so they will lay flat on the crossmembers. I also need to rout grooves in the top edges for the skid strips to fit into. I will paint them all over before I bolt them down. There are a few knots and worm holes, but I think it will make a very good floor.
Thanks, Mark

What kind of finish will you use? That will look great!

Thanks, Ross. My plan for a finish is to thin Rustolem Black 50/50 with acetone for a coat or two so it soaks into the wood deeply. Then a coat or more of unthinned paint for the surface. The wood is not good enough to use a clear finish to see the grain. I plan on using the truck, so paint may be more durable.
Mark

Mark, I just went thru all 16 pages and got to say that is pretty truck.
With the little bit of driving you have done how is it with the MB diesel and the 4 & 3 trany(s)?


Cant wait to see pictures of it done and outside.
Dave ----

The truck is coming along nicely. What a shame the wood couldn't be cleared to show that nice oak grain.

Dave, Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the thread. I believe the Mercedes engine is going to run fine in the truck. The 4&3 transmissions are definitely going to take a lot of practice on my part. I can upshift the Brownie easily but down shifting is a different matter. I believe the engine will benefit from split shifting the transmissions, but that is out of the question until I learn to shift better.:-hair
Thanks again,
Mark

Thanks pweng1. It is too bad the wood isn't nice enough to clearcoat, but then I would be afraid to use the truck.
Thanks again for the reply,
Mark

Looking good Mark. How is the re-assembly of the front sheet metal coming?

Thank you, Fred. All the inner fender pieces, air deflectors and fender braces are powder coated. I haven't started on the outer sheet metal yet. I have some repair work to do on the fenders where the running boards attach. I have welded the cracks in the hood, so it is ready to finish sanding and paint. I need to drill holes in the grill bars for the stainless grill strips to fasten, then the grill could be painted or powder coated. I haven't decided yet whether I will powder coat it or not. I will paint the hood red and the fenders black. The grill will be done in argent/silver. I want to build the wiring harness and install it after I get the bed floor finished, so the front sheet metal will probably be this fall/winter.
Thanks again,
Mark

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I posted this photo in my thread on seat belt questions. I bought these seats from my local salvage yard out of a 2006 Explorer. I was reluctant about using modern seats, but I plan on driving the truck a lot. In this photo they are just setting on blocks to check fit and to figure out the height for the base frame that I will have to fab. I spent the afternoon removing the belts, seat bases, and all the sensors. I will take them to the upholstery shop this week to have the side air bags removed. The drivers side seat is a six way power seat, so I also removed all the excess wiring from that seat and just left the wiring for the seat motors. The seats have a lot of fore and aft movement, so I will be able to access the tool box on top of the fuel tank and the master cylinder fill hole easily. I am not sure yet what I will do with the space between the seats. I may build a console.
Thanks for looking,
Mark

Why would you remove the air bags ??

The air bags are disconnected, so they probably don't need to come out, but they look and feel like there is a folded up piece of cardboard in the side of the seat. The upholstery shop said they would remove them for $20 a seat. The remote lumbar adjuster is not working on the drivers seat, so maybe he can fix that while he is in there.
Thanks for the reply,
Mark

An update on my build. I have been off work since Sept 29th with back issues. This week my Dr gave me a 15 lb max weight lifting limit, from here on out. Most here know that I own and operate a machine and welding shop for a living, and there is very little in my shop that weighs less than 15lbs. I said all that to say, that my build progress will definitely be affected. It was already slow, I worked on it as I felt like it and had time, but now it will be even slower.
I did work on the Explorer seats for about an hour and a half yesterday. I cut some wood blocks to bolt to the bottom of the Explorer seat base to set the height of the seat. With the help of my wife, we bolted the Explorer bases and blocks back on one of the seats and set it in position for the driver. I am only using the Explorer bases for mock up, I will build a base for both seats and a console. I drove the truck about a half mile down the road this afternoon to see how the seat felt. I was very comfortable. It is about 1 1/2"-2" off center of the steering wheel toward the door, but felt very good. In that position it is about 2 1/2" from the door and leaves about 7" space between the seats for a console.
I took all the front sheet metal, minus the grill, and had them media blasted about a month and a half ago. When they were finished, I took all the pieces to a friend that does auto restorations, and he is going to repair and paint them for me. Once I drill the hole pattern in the grill for the stainless strips, I will have it powder coated Argent (silver).
Thank you all for all of the help and for your interest in my build.
Mark

Mark, sorry to hear about the back problems, I can relate....I have chronic back pain everyday.
Work on the truck as you can, but take care of yourself first!