tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87485772024-03-14T02:23:53.052-07:00Ron's 55 FordThis is the place to see my journey as we go frame up on a 1955 Ford F-100.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-71593094857450001502012-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:002012-01-17T20:00:02.994-08:00Heater Works!I finally got a 40 lb propane tank and got it filled which makes the shop "good enough" on cold days. Now all I need is the motivation to get out there and spend some serious time out there. The heater will work until I trench out a new gas line out to the shop. No real progress right now but football season IS winding down. Tri-State auto swap meet Super Bowl weekend!Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-43996679222021507252011-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:002011-10-11T10:37:58.315-07:00Summer turns to fallLooks like one of the hottest summers in Colorado history is finally giving way to a very pleasant fall here. Went to the swap meet a few weeks ago but there were no purchases for the 55. The shop is qute clean and ready for action. The FedEx truck stopped by a few minutes ago and dropped off this gem:<br />
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125K BTU Forced Air heater to keep things warm enough when winter really settles in.<br />
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$99 at Amazon with free shipping see it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Heaters-Propane-Forced-Air-125-F/dp/B0000DEZOA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318354470&sr=8-1">Here</a>. Net cost to me was ZERO dollars since I had money on my gift card from work for safety incentives earned. I love freebies! Now I'll cough up for a 40# propane tank (come on Craigslist!) and be ready for winter to do it's worst. Now that the truck is back I've taken a little time to get organized, finding stuff that was put away almost 2 1/2 years ago can be a bit of a challenge. All the big stuff has been located so at least we're good there. The main workbench is now visible after collecting a lot of junk lately.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-59956734201885876822011-09-07T14:56:00.000-07:002011-09-07T14:56:54.038-07:00More Parts!So as I found out a while ago, a car 390 oil pan will not work with the aftermarket engine crossmember. Due to its front sump design it will not clear. Where do rear sump oil pans for 360/390 engines come from you ask? Pre-76 4x4 pickups of course! Found one on Craigslist down in Aurora, pan, oil pump pickup and dipstick for $80. Picked it up and cleaned it up in the parts washer. Once I finish sandblasting it, I think I'll powdercoat it Ford Blue. Good chance to test out the oven.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-16961551137988875112011-08-08T07:50:00.001-07:002011-08-08T11:13:41.508-07:00Back to work!Front clip is off again, thanks Geoff!
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<br />One of the bad things about being on shift with me is you get roped in to all sorts of shenanigans. "Hey....what are you doing after work?" Now I'll be able to spot the engine front to back and FINALLY drill for the engine & transmission crossmembers. Can we have this thing running by Christmas? Stay tuned....
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<br />Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-75083781269697665252011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:002011-08-08T11:10:51.480-07:00It's back!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/IMAG0078.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 799px; height: 478px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/IMAG0078.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<br />Finally got motivated to make the trip back to Washington to pick up the 55. I had just bought a 2004 Excursion and had some time off to get it done. Borrowed a trailer and my friend Geoff and I hit the road 6 am Tuesday morning.
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<br />Rolled into Centralia about 2 pm Wednesday and made it to Keith's house where the old girl was stored. With the help of a borrowed winch and Doug Winslow's arrival the loadup was a breeze.
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<br />After a too short visit with my pals, we got back on the road to miss the Portland rush hour traffic. We decided to stop in Cascade Locks, OR for the night. After a great night's sleep we got about 20 minutes out of town and promptly blew a trailer tire. Luckily Pat had put a spare on the trailer which got us to the Les Schwab in Hood River.
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<br />After that it was a pretty easy trip, stopped in Burley, ID Thursday night and made the last 600 miles on Friday. Got the truck in the shop safe and sound, now it's time to get back to work!Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-84393137302912457002011-06-21T21:03:00.000-07:002011-06-21T21:08:32.764-07:00Upcoming Roadie!Making a 2500 mile round trip to FINALLY pick up the '55 and get it to Colorado. Bought an 04 Excursion and borrowing a car trailer to make the journey. Should be a lot of fun, I'll do a quick front brake job on it to make sure it's tip top for towing. If I get all the pieces here safe and sound, I'll get restarted. I have bought a few parts here and there, 1 great door, 1 average door and a sweet hood. Pics of the great adventure will be posted, I promise!Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-38681093234078728282010-09-21T01:45:00.000-07:002010-09-21T01:48:16.963-07:00Swap Meet SaturdayWent to a swap meet at the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland on Saturday. Nice cool day and actually a little rain in the air. Got a few parts for my 55 a beautiful hood, 1 great door and 1 not great door. Gotta take the good with the bad, especially at $65 for all 3 pieces. At least when the truck gets here I'll have some good parts to put on it. Also got a new parts washer and filled it with solvent.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-16082344082704968652010-07-25T19:19:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:21:24.733-07:00I still have a truck...I thinkSo you might or might not be wondering about any progress since my last post 21 months ago. Here's the Cliff's Notes<br /><br />Work Sucked, Health Sucked, had an opportunity to come back to Colorado after being gone 20 years and I jumped on it. Sold the house in WA, a couple of cars, and bought a house in Wellington, CO on an acre lot. Once the house in WA sold I had the resources to get my shop built, Cleary built me a 40'x64'x12' and it is magnificent. Added a 2 post lift and some pallet rack shelving for storage. The 55 is currently in WA at my friend Keith's house and he and Kyle should be bringing it out soon. Now I have a place to continue the restoration.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-82399666493240169172008-10-27T23:07:00.000-07:002008-10-27T23:10:29.943-07:00Where was I?Oh right..the truck!<br /><br />So work was a mess all summer and I threw a kitchen remodel in there as well just to keep things interesting. Should be a quiet fall and winter which should give me ample truck time. Going to get my propane tank for the shop heater refilled this week while prices are "low" and I should be all set. Picking up where I left off I still need to get the eng/trans crossmembers set. Wish me luck!Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-64922137694179626332008-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:002008-08-03T18:58:21.228-07:00Looks kinda like a truckWell, after too long of a break we got the cab back on the frame again. This is a necessary step so I can get the engine properly positioned and get the engine mount bolted into place.<br /><br />Thanks to John Larson and his brother for coming over to provide the necessary muscle.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0623.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0623.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0624.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0624.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />So my plan for now is to remove the radiator and saddle, bring the engine in from the front and set it in place. That engine hasn't been off the stand in 13 years, it should be a good time to see it move. Once I get eveything in place, mark the mounts, drill the holes and hopefully get the cab sent out for blasting. <br /><br />It's always nice to make progress, this has been a terrible year for getting stuff done on the truck. If I can just get the cab blasted & primed by the end of summer I will consider it a HUGE win. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever make it.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-40222865224616634102008-05-25T20:00:00.000-07:002008-05-25T20:06:24.074-07:00New look...any good?So not a lot to report on the 55 front, I did get the Cragars on the truck and they look pretty darn good. I also changed the layout of the blog a little bit. If you look at the top left you'll see a block for Twitter. This lets you know what I'm up to as long as I keep it updated. I don't lead a very exciting life, so prepared to be bored. Still trying to get the cab up on the frame hopefully we can get it done shortly.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-10914489441869179232008-04-05T17:47:00.000-07:002008-04-05T17:56:27.331-07:00Portland has come and gone againAnd at least I bought something 55 Ford related. I got a deal on a set (well actually 5) very clean Cragar SS wheels with decent tires. They are in great shape and I got a great deal. I could have sold them out in the parking lot for a profit, but I really want them. I had a set on my Barracuda when I was a kid, they are just classic musclecar wheels and should look great on the truck. I'll post up some pictures of them shortly.<br /><br />I also got a set of valve covers for the 390 as well. They're in very good shape but only a little ugly. It's OK since the plan is to sandblast them and then powder coat them Ford Blue. Should look pretty nice when they're done, stay tuned for pictures. Hopefully we can organize the troops this week to get the cab put on the truck. I'm falling behind on the truck and want to get a few things accomplished.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-40337782414102220632008-03-16T21:28:00.001-07:002008-03-16T21:34:13.224-07:00Transmission Problem Solved!Found a car C-6 on Craigslist in Tacoma. About 500 miles on it since it was rebuilt so I picked it up. Got the slip yoke, the convertor and everything so this was a pretty good score. Now I'm ready to get the cab on the frame and set the mounts. If I get a day off and can get enough help it is on!Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-5704943858042834582008-02-26T21:03:00.000-08:002008-02-26T21:16:57.556-08:00Found a sandblaster!Went and checked out the sandblaster Jeff recommended to me today. He's about a 1/2 hour north of me. The nice thing was he had a unibody Ford truck fresh out of the sandblast booth and it looked really good. Saw Jeff's frame all done too and it looked super. Now all I need to do is deliver the cab up there and he'll have it done in about a week. It's nice to find people that actually know what they're doing.<br /><br />I also got the rear shocks from Napa and got them put on today as well. Tomorrow might be a junkyard day since I need a few things. Still have the transmission problem to solve, might just have to get a car tranny to make life easier.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-54618664593075469642008-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:33:34.237-08:00My left or your left?Wait, now I'm confused. So I was looking at the rear shock mounts and I realized that I had the shock mounts facing the wrong direction. So out comes Thundergun and I swapped them around. So Keith comes over today and says hang on these lower shock mounts should be inboard of the leaf springs. You know what, he's right! Everyone's smart and I am dumb...AGAIN! When I flipped those mounts around, I should have swapped them side to side. So for the 3rd time I put those shock mounts on but at least they're right now. So now we're ready to put the rear shocks on, let's see if NAPA has these suckers!<br /><br />I got a tip from Jeff up in Olympia with the '56 about a good sandblasting guy up north. I think I'm going to check out his operation tomorrow. If it looks good and the prices are decent, I'm going to load him up with all my body parts.<br /><br />So one of the next projects I'm looking at is starting to plumb the brake lines. We'll need flex hoses with banjo fittings on one end for the Camaro calipers up front. The Camaro hoses are 15.25" long which should be long enough, if not I found some stainless lines that are 16" for about 2 bucks more each. After that it will be a matter of routing and plumbing steel brake line. I'll be using 3/16" steel line and I need to buy a tubing bender at the next swap meet.<br /><br />So I think I have an issue with the C-6 Auto I have for this project. I got this tranny from a late 60's truck with a 360. This tranny doesn't have a slip yoke on the back of it, only a 4 bolt flange. Apparently this was the way the 66-72 trucks were set up, they had a 2 piece drive shaft with a carrier bearing in the middle. All the car C-6's used a slip yoke. So now when I go to have a driveshaft made, I'm going to have to find the right ends to give the driveline shop. Hopefully find another old truck being parted out that has the right flange and get the 2 piece drive shaft or switch out to a car c-6. We'll see what happens.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-26656998780484669942008-02-22T15:59:00.000-08:002008-02-22T16:53:10.363-08:00(Some) Wheels on the ground!Ok,<br /><br />Well I got up fairly early today, thanks to Charlene for turning on the shop heater when she left for work. I got out there and rewatched a couple sections of the rear end assembly video. The 1st thing I did was bolt the empty housing up to the rear leaf springs. I figured it would be easier to reassemble it in sections so I didn't have to try and lift the whole thing up by myself.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So here's the empty housing bolted in<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0585.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0585.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Next step, take my completed center section (seen here fresh from it's pattern check)<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0587.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0587.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And install it in the housing. I hope it doesn't leak, I did a pretty good job of using RTV on both sides of the gasket, but the gasket didn't fit real great. Guess we'll see when I fill it up. Here it is all installed and torqued down<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0588.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0588.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Then I installed the axle seals in the axle ends and pressed on the new bearings and retainers. From there insert the axles and bolt it all together. The axle shafts took a little convincing with a rubber mallet to seat everything properly, but it all went together very nice<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0589.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0589.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Pulled my old brake drums out of storage and found 2 wheels that would fit the bolt pattern. Look, we're on the ground!!!! That only took 3 years.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0590.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0590.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Here's a pic from the rear, it's starting to look like a truck!<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0592.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0592.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Then I turned my attention to the front and got a few things done before quitting time. I put the lower shock mounts on the right sides (thanks again Kent!), and installed the shocks.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0593.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0593.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Here's a shot of all the stuff that has gone on lately from front to back<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0594.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0594.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><br />So what do we still need to do?<br /><br />Go get the grease gun and grease ALL chassis zerk fittings<br />Get 2 wheels from the junkyard and set the front end on the ground<br />Get prepared to set the cab and engine on the frame and drill some holes.<br /><br />These are exciting times, stay tuned.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-34335309059903325582008-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:002008-02-21T17:22:01.969-08:00Worky work...busy bee!Ok,<br /><br />Got some days off, the weather is good and I'm ready to do some truck stuff! Got up early and delivered the differential to Super Bill in the morning and said he'd get a chance to look at it later. So I headed off to Napa to look for some stuff. I had a Napa part # for the front shocks so I went to my local store here in Centralia. He said they weren't in stock which was not a huge surprise. I was getting ready to ask how long if I ordered them when he said the Chehalis store has them in stock. Nothing cooler than buying parts for a 50 year old truck off the shelf if you ask me. Since I was already there, they have a pretty decent bolt bin and I picked up a few fine thread bolts to finish up the radiator install. By the time I got home Bill had called and said to give him a call. He said the tooth contact wasn't great and the rear might be a little noisy due to the well worn out gear set. I'm ok with that, I didn't want to dump a bunch of money into a non-posi rear end anyway. If it's not satisfactory after I get the truck on the road, I'll build a posi unit with a new ring and pinion set.<br /><br />Tomorrow's plan is to buy a new air powered grease gun at Sears and lube the entire chassis, then install the front shocks. After that, I'm going to press on new bearings on the axle shafts and reassemble the rear end and hopefully get it installed. I know I have rear wheels and tires that will fit, but I'm going to have to hit the junkyard for fronts to accommodate the new disc brakes. <br /><br />I only need a couple parts here coming up soon and none of them are too backbreaking. I need a radiator cap, I may have to call the company to see which one is the correct one. I also need a universal joint for the steering to go from the column to my box. I can get it from Speedway motors and it's not a real pressing issue at the moment.<br /><br />Well, that's it for now. I've got a plan, parts, and time. I promise good times, skinned knuckles and lots of pictures. <br /><br />Rock on!<br /><br />RonRonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-52076235223918095982008-02-18T21:56:00.000-08:002008-02-18T22:12:14.830-08:00Kent is smart, I am dumb!So I was sitting at work trying to figure out why I was having such a problem mounting my stock lower shock mounts to my front axle. The pic in the service manual was not good and I just wasn't getting it. Luckily I went to Kevin Kessler's website and it had a good pic of the shock mount arrangement<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=u-bolts.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/u-bolts.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Here's what I had:<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0580.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0580.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <br /><br />Why were Kevin's pointing down and mine were pointing up and hitting the spring? If I flipped the mount over, the mounting stud for the shock would be on the wrong side. I sat there for a while when Kent said "Maybe they're on the wrong sides" You know what, he was right! I got home from work and checked it out in the shop. When I swapped them side to side they looked right and they fit right. Thanks old buddy, sometimes a fresh set of eyes can solve a problem. <br /><br />I'm going to pick up a set of front shocks on Thursday and drop off the rear differential at Bill's. In a perfect world, by the end of my week off I'd LIKE to have the engine & transmission mounted and the rear end bolted in. Can I do it? Probably not, but it's important to set goals right?Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-44187499298476978462008-02-17T16:52:00.000-08:002008-02-17T17:37:21.463-08:00Got stuff done today!So Friday my parts from Mid Fifty arrived. 2 draglink rebuild kits and the Toyota Pitman arm nut. Saturday we hit the swap meet, didn't buy a whole lot, but the weather was good. Talked to a guy about maybe doing an electric cooling fan, but I think we will have plenty of room to keep the regular metal fan in place. When I moved the radiator from where it had been sitting for a few months and lo and behold my long lost Pitman arm nut and washer were hidden underneath it. Oh well, you can never have too many spare parts right?<br /><br />I was visited today by Jeff who lives up in Olympia and is working on a 56 with a 406 in it. Always nice to talk to a fellow old car fan, and since our trucks are nearly identical drivetrain wise, it's always good to share information. I'm going to head up north and see what he's been up to real soon.<br /><br />Anyways, I got a few things knocked out today, so let's get some pictures going!<br /><br />So here's a pic of the Toyota box mounted to the frame<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0578.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0578.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A pic of the Pitman arm nut and washer torqued on<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0581.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0581.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Drag link with new guts and dust seals, I also got the tie rod reinstalled and made a crude alignment adjustment.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0583.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0583.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I also got the radiator saddle and my radiator installed today as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/?action=view¤t=CIMG0584.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0584.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />You can also see the engine crossmember sitting on the frame, It's almost time to set the engine in place!<br /><br />I looked at the engine today for the 1st time in probably 2 years today. It seems to be in good shape with no noticeable rust issues.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-49805866209314172192008-02-12T21:13:00.000-08:002008-02-12T21:22:10.810-08:00Parts on orderOrdered 2 drag link end rebuild kits and the Pitman arm nut from MidFifty F100. It's a shame that a little tiny order like that is going to cost me ten bucks to have it shipped from Arizona. I wanted to wait and make a big order, but I want to get some stuff accomplished on some upcoming days off. Sold my extra Pitman arm seals on the Ford Truck website, and a local fellow F-100 builder is buying my complete reseal kit this weekend. Parts=progress at this point. I finally got around to putting the HEPA filter in my shop vac the other day. Made a big difference in the sandblast cabinet. I can actually see what I'm doing, and as long as I wear earplugs the noise isn't too bad. Among other shop maintenance type items I need to do is an oil change in the compressor. It's been a while since I've changed it, and it's about time. I also need to cut the old wood stove out of the shop and patch the hole in the roof. I'll need a helper or 2 for this project, the stove pipe is actually made from old well casing and it's thick and heavy! I think the new plasma cutter is going to get a workout.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-51497289401507922782008-02-11T19:56:00.000-08:002008-02-11T20:05:35.060-08:00Still doing stuffOk,<br /><br />So now the steering box is in. I got extra seals from RockAuto.com in case I ever need another or another guy doing a Toyota swap needs one. So where am I headed from here? I'm in the process of bolting the radiator saddle to the frame. Then I can mount up the radiator so we can figure out where to place the engine and transmission mounts. I've got some time off coming up this weekend so I think we can make all this happen soon. The hard part will be getting some dudes together to help me lift the cab up onto the frame. Maybe next week on that, we'll see. I'm going to take my 3rd member to my buddy Super Bill at Lewis County Fleet Service for the final check before I put the rear end together. Still debating whether or not to rebuild the internals on my drag link. They look fine, but the rebuild kits are cheap ($19). I also can't find the nut that goes on the Pitman arm of my toyota steering box. 4 bucks for another if I can't find it, the joys of putting stuff together right. I'll get some pics up this weekend because everyone loves pictures right?Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-86903361646755298512008-01-31T20:28:00.000-08:002008-01-31T20:47:57.422-08:00Seal's in, let's rock!Sorry for the delay as usual, but you know how it is. So I finally got the right seal for the pitman arm. I had to order a whole seal kit ($50), but sometimes that's the way it goes. I'm pretty sure I got it installed without destroying it, guess we'll see. Shot a quick coat of Zero Rust black on the steering box and the bracket and installed it on the frame. So that's done at least, now we can move on. I also finally took the plunge and bought a plasma cutter. Yeah it's from China, but they seem to get pretty good reviews and the price was right. I bought it from parkermetalworking.com.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/pt40crf1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/pt40crf1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Got it all set up yesterday, and took it for a test cut. Cut 1/8" bar stock like butter right out of the box so I think it's going to be a great addition to the shop.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />More entries on the way soon.<br /><br />RonRonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-44387746299918429752007-10-10T14:59:00.000-07:002007-10-10T15:03:52.454-07:00My kingdom for a seal!Still no word from my local Toyota parts guy on the availability of the pitman arm seal. Boy, am I starting to regret pulling that thing out. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but may have been a HUGE mistake. In other 55 news, I got the center section of my rear axle assembled but I'm having some problems with the setup. I'll watch the video a few more times, but if I can't get it just right, I may farm the job out to Super Bill. Stay tuned to see if I ever get anything fully accomplished on this truck.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-23428503451087346722007-09-24T21:07:00.001-07:002007-09-28T03:55:25.401-07:00It's official: I'm an idiot!So I took a day off to go to the Harvest Swap Meet and watch some football with the wife. I figured that going on the 2nd day of the swap meet there wouldn't be that much good stuff so I wouldn't be tempted too bad. Great plan until I came around the corner and saw a '61 Econoline 5 window pickup. I've always been a fan of these even though many folks think they're ugly. No engine or transmission, but an outstanding body with only surface rust and no real cancer. The guy at the swap meet was selling it for a friend. I looked it over and talked to Charlene and decided to offer $1000. I was talking to the seller and he said his friend has $1700 invested but would take $900 since he wanted it gone. SCORE!! Done deal at $900. It was already on the trailer so I asked if he would deliver it to the house, since I only live a couple miles from the fairgrounds. He said "I'll get my truck" and the rest is history. Here's a pic of the new arrival:<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v180/Goobzilla/CIMG0533.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I've got a friend that has a line on 2 Econo vans, 1 of which should provide me a drivetrain. I think I have enough hot rods for now, so I'm just going to put a 6 in it and enjoy driving it. The big push is going to be getting the surface rust sanded and getting it in primer before the crap weather gets here.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8748577.post-90270618598901849372007-09-22T12:51:00.000-07:002007-09-22T13:10:46.945-07:00Power steering (mostly) doneSo my parts arrived for the Toyota power steering conversion, and I actually had a day off to work on it. 1st off, I'll say that the bracket that mounts the box to the frame is one heavy SOB, probably 1.5" thick steel. The 1st thing you have to do is mount the bracket to the box, which is a lot harder than it sounds. It's only 4 bolts, but the 2 at the bottom of the bracket were a pain. A socket wouldn't fit, and an open end wrench was too wide and a box end was too thick. So I made a tool by grinding an 11/16" box end wrench down pretty darn thin. I put it on and ran it tight with my impact. I was feeling pretty good...until I realized that with everything tightened up, there's no room to get the wrench off since the bolt sticking through is too close to the bracket. No problem, I loosened up the nut and got the wrench off. Then I cut a small pie shaped piece out of the box end so i could slip it off the bolt after everything was tight. It looked kind of like a skinny flare wrench by the time I was finished. Not the prettiest specialty tool made, but very effective. Once I got done with that, I had about an 1/8" off the box that hung over the mounting bracket. Hit it with the grinder and took it down flush, this will enable me to mount the box flush against the frame.<br /><br />To install the box on the frame I need to do a couple more things. I decided to replace the Pitman arm seal on the steering box. When I pulled the old Toyota arm off, I had to use a little heat on it so I was a little concerned that I may have melted the seal a little bit. Plus, who knows how old the original was? So I dug out the old seal and went to get it replaced. Ordered one at NAPA, but the one they showed me wasn't the same as the one I took out so I didn't buy it. Still need to find the right one and put it in. Paint the box and bracket and I'm in business. I'll take some pictures of everything if I get another chance to work on it soon.Ronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16590153142464937031noreply@blogger.com0