Transmission swap is not as much fun as I'd hoped.

The swap of the original 3 on the tree transmission in combination with a diff swap makes a lot of sense on paper. The drivability of the old truck will be much improved, but the task has presented some worse than expected design issues.

I fully expected to have to cut and trim a bit to get the tranny in. I did not expect it to require a major mod of the center cross member. The shifter literally comes up right through the damn thing.

As you can see I've got some clearance issues. The cross member in the last picture is still 2" from it's mounting point the image shows the required area to be out. I'm also not sure if I need to provide support for the tranny it does have a mount position on the tail shaft housing.

The engine is in!

It's been a long road, but at last the engine is in frame. Tons of thanks to Pro Stock Performance Machining and my friend Richard for helping me get the engine between the frame rails.

Somehow I lost a year....

I have to say I was happy to see 2018 fade into the distance. I had some very unexpected health issues that cost me the whole summer and frankly derailed the project. Funny the way real life gets in the way of project schedules. As spring of 2019 approaches I'm well positioned to make some serious progress this summer. My motor is completed and that means the entire drive train can be installed. I thrilled at the prospect of having a hundred small detail intense projects to finish. Plumbing the brake system, converting the electrical to 12 volt, getting the drive shaft built, aligning the power train, updating the ignition to electronic and of course firing the damn thing up!

2017 not many posts lots of progress

So I had a really busy summer finishing up the projects I could afford to do. I had a few unwelcome surprises like a broken front leaf spring and kingpins from hell. I had to do the kingpins as a matter of safety and common sense. It was also a key part of my Scare Bird front disc brake conversion. The disassembly was a little surprising, when I dropped the front axle the passenger side leaf spring was cracked. That lead to the purchase of new leaf springs an unwelcome bill...

I had two major components rebuilt by the best shops in Edmonton. My scrap yard Dodge 4 speed got a complete rebuild. The rad had major surgery and upgrading to dual core. The upper rad tank was manufactured out in BC by a custom shop.

The engine rebuild has really stretched out, but I'm in no real hurry for the powerplant yet. That will all change next spring I'd like to see this thing moving under it's own power next summer.

Setting up for winter

I haven't got heat in my garage yet, so working late in the year is challenging and frankly chilling. I've been busy prepping the old girl for storage and carefully marking and packing away all the little parts for project. Soon I'll be heading to Arizona for a few weeks of snow-birding. I know, I know life is tough. One of the great thing about Arizona is the amazing array of vintage auto recycling businesses I'm hoping to find several items from this wonderful rust free zone. I'd like to acquire rear fenders, front fender skirts and both bumpers to finish off my body rebuild. In order to finish up the drive line and other major systems I also require a Dodge A833 manual transmission, fuel tank, front disc brake conversion, cam, custom intake, and exhaust manifolds. That's a big list but I'm confident I'll get most of it. Add to the mix of acquisitions the opportunity to attend the Good Guys car show in November and the Barrett Jackson auction in January and you have car lover heaven.

Turning the corner

Today marks an important day in my truck project. The work changed from disassembly to re-assembly mode. With the help of many friends including my welders Walter and Alicia the body of my truck has been ground, cut, welded, rebuilt, cleaned up and painted. With the help of my neighbors we were able to lift and remount the cab on new rubber mounts and bolt it back in position. This event marks a special achievement on my project schedule. Most importantly it means components can be put back on the truck.

I completed the installation of all the spring hanger components now the truck sits nice and square. The pins, shackles bushings all replaced and soon new front shocks too.

Blowing the doors off

You'd think a simple thing like removing the doors should go off without a hitch. Well with vintage vehicles nothing is ever easy. 16 bolts hold the doors on so of course 1 of them had to snap off and make the door removal a 2 day task.

As you can see the bolt broke off in the hinge so I could not slip the door off until the bolt was dealt with. Well I drilled and I drilled and I swore and I swore and then I bought cobalt drill bits and swore some more! I drilled several hours and only managed to put a tiny impression in the bolt. So I called on friends and the internet for help. My friend Richard suggested carbide rotary bits in a die grinder to shorten the bolt so I could slide the door out of the mounting pocket. Well I went to Richard's shop and borrowed some of his expensive carbide bits and 30 minutes later the door was off.

The tool did a little damage to the pocket but that was a small price to pay to get the damn door off at last! I then removed the kick panels from the cab and wire brushed the rust and crap off the door sill and coated the surfaces with Por15 rust paint. Now I have a fresh surface for new weatherstripping.