Truck based woody

[Mart]

Looks great, GB. Excellent progress.

Mart.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by Mart

Looks great, GB. Excellent progress.

Mart.

Thank you Mart, but the progress never seems quite excellent enough for me, particularly this winter. We were swamped with work, the weather was colder and wetter than usual so my unheated woodie space was miserable. I also have 4 kids and two stepkids, all in their 20's and thirties, six grandkids. My wife and I each have a son that lives on the island and the rest like to come 'home' to visit for a weekend now and then. Thus, my 2 hours each evening after my employee or two leaves and before my wife gets home from work are my opportunity to make progress. I'm very fortunate to work here on my place with no time lost in a commute. Well it's 5:45 am on a Saturday, and I think I'll go down and try to finish up that engine and maybe get it onto my run stand.

[GB SISSON]

Now that my engine is completed I have turned my attention to removing the front clip for access to all things mechanical up there. It will be brakes, front end and suspension (I have been stockpiling those parts) and engine/tranny and wiring etc. I have had some pretty nice 1/2 ton front fenders stashed in my shed on the lower property. Yesterday I went down and carried them up to the shop and sanded down a couple layers of paint to see what I had. They both look quite good but both have some damage just where they leave the running board. They came from the dry side of this state, East of the Cascades so the joint between fenders and running boards is far better than we see on this side. I guess for a while I will be spending a bit of time welding in some pieces, but all in all they checked out well. I have a better grill shell with the headlight mounts to go with them. The front metal on the existing vehicle is pretty horrible with the exception of the cowl. I have limited skills as a body man so I might be asking some questions as I go. The right side fender looks like a bunch of filler but it is just light blue and white paint.

[harvest]

GB, you are gonna have one beautiful woodie when your done. Can't wait to see it out of your shop and road ready. I've been poking every now and then over the winter at this thread to see your work. amazing!

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by harvest

GB, you are gonna have one beautiful woodie when your done. Can't wait to see it out of your shop and road ready. I've been poking every now and then over the winter at this thread to see your work. amazing!

Thanks! Well the clip is off and I have been cleaning the frame etc. I know I'll be doing the kingpins and the driver side shock is missing. Springs have crummy aftermarket coil helper springs on top and the spring shackles and bushings are totally shot. Haven't pulled the front drums but I have new wheel cyls from napa and excellent drums and shoes from a friend here that converted a restored '46 truck to disc brakes. I have a very dead 1/2 ton panel that seems to have good front shocks, so it's down to the boneyard this weekend. I have always enjoyed brake and suspension work for some reason.

[Mart]

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Thanks for the update, GB. I can understand why you did it the way you did. the new truck looks good too.

Mart.

[mhsprecher]

Your new truck is nice.

I am just finishing some of what you are doing on my 45. You need to have NOS or NORS shock links, as new ones are not available. I just got some from Fred Wilner. I should have gotten all of my bushings and shackle bolts from him, as I have one bushing that I need to ream in order to get the bolt through, darn it. It's good to know of another source. My kingpins are fine, it was the drag link and the shackle bushings and bolts that were shot. Good to know of another source for NOS parts.

As suggested by some here, I disassembled my springs and coated with Slip Plate. I hope to have it back on the road tomorrow.

[cmbrucew]

Thanks for the update, you are making progress.
Bruce

[GB SISSON]

Yes I got a ton of stuff taken care of today. Drove out all the spring bushings and drove in the new ones. Then I drove out the king pin buhings. I have devised ways to ream all this stuff here at the shop so I am good to go. I used deep sockets and pieces of pipe and bolts to remove all the worn out carnage....

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Yes I got a ton of stuff taken care of today. Drove out all the spring bushings and drove in the new ones. Then I drove out the king pin buhings. I have devised ways to ream all this stuff here at the shop so I am good to go. I used deep sockets and pieces of pipe and bolts to remove all the worn out carnage....

I forgot to add that at 64 years of age, all the kneeling on concrete, crawling in and out of the frame members a hundred times and the prying, wrenching and contortions necessary for this kind of work, along with the .... Oh never mind. My wife is out with some of the girls from work at a play, but I can't wait up for her because every bone in my body aches....

[mhsprecher]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

I forgot to add that at 64 years of age, all the kneeling on concrete, crawling in and out of the frame members a hundred times and the prying, wrenching and contortions necessary for this kind of work, along with the .... Oh never mind. My wife is out with some of the girls from work at a play, but I can't wait up for her because every bone in my body aches....

I am glad that I am not the only one.

[flatford8]

Good to see the progress!. Are you driving the tonner as is?....I'm piecing together a '37 half ton and I'm going to put parts together as I find them....I'm not qualified for no fancy restoration......You have a few tonners right?.....there must be more out West....I don't see that many around here in N-E......Mark

['36 5W]

I'm sure many of us here have full empathy for your pain!

Just finished the same job on a '34 pickup at the antique museum, where I volunteer.
Will repeat it again on my '36 coupe this month, now that I have recovered.
At 70, I find the secret is in the PACING, but let's "get 'er done" while we are still able!
Projects like yours help keep us motivated.....

[GB SISSON]

I have an easy project for this morning before my employee shows up. Reaming the kingpin bushings. I get to stand up and do this with the spindles held in my wood jawed vice in the cabinet shop. Then after work I hope to reassemble the front axle. Is there a front/rear or left/right to this axle or is it ambidextrous?

[GB SISSON]

Honing my woodie's kingpins with my slotted dowel and sanding belt strips driven by a cordless drill. Actually I couldn't find my 5/8" dowel and I didn't want to make the 24 mile trip to town so I ransacked my wife's wooden spoons and found a nice straight maple one that measured 5/8 on the handle. Worked great for another honing. The pins twist in with some encouragement when dry and with a light oil on them they glide smoothly in. This may look ridiculous to some, but it takes about 15 minutes per side and I'm in charge of the fit, not some new helper in a machine shop who doesn't care if they have a bit of slop in them because he went too far.

[PeteVS]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Honing my woodie's kingpins with my slotted dowel and sanding belt strips driven by a cordless drill. Actually I couldn't find my 5/8" dowel and I didn't want to make the 24 mile trip to town so I ransacked my wife's wooden spoons and found a nice straight maple one that measured 5/8 on the handle. Worked great for another honing. The pins twist in with some encouragement when dry and with a light oil on them they glide smoothly in. This may look ridiculous to some, but it takes about 15 minutes per side and I'm in charge of the fit, not some new helper in a machine shop who doesn't care if they have a bit of slop in them because he went too far.

Thank you so much for this idea!!

[Mart]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

So I ransacked my wife's wooden spoons and found a nice straight maple one that measured 5/8 on the handle.

Stirring stuff, there, GB.

Mart.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by Mart

Stirring stuff, there, GB.

Mart.

Now THAT'S funny! If my wife asks about it I'm going to say I saw it running away with a dish ....

[51504bat]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Honing my woodie's kingpins with my slotted dowel and sanding belt strips driven by a cordless drill. Actually I couldn't find my 5/8" dowel and I didn't want to make the 24 mile trip to town so I ransacked my wife's wooden spoons and found a nice straight maple one that measured 5/8 on the handle. Worked great for another honing. The pins twist in with some encouragement when dry and with a light oil on them they glide smoothly in. This may look ridiculous to some, but it takes about 15 minutes per side and I'm in charge of the fit, not some new helper in a machine shop who doesn't care if they have a bit of slop in them because he went too far.

Is that a Craftsman screw driver being used as a hinge pin or a Harbor Freight cheapie?

[GB SISSON]

I had a drill bit that was just a bit bigger than the original hinge pins. I used this on the worn hinges. Then I had to find a pin that fit... I found that some #2 phillips screwdrivers were a nice snug fit. On the driver's side I cut a #2 off and made two pins with washers for heads. When I got to the pass side I just couldn't cut my good crafstman off so I'm using it whole until I get around to finding another. In the meantime that pin's a lot easier to get in and out as I remove doors for latches and soon varnishing etc. You had to ask...