I call it the Bruise..........

[mimku1971]

Looking good, What is the adapter for or what transmission are you going to use ? Thanks, Mimku

[Canonman67]

Fordhillbilly it doesn't seem like I make any progress sometimes. I've had the truck apart since March when I drove a perfectly nice running truck into the shop and tore it apart. Well maybe it wasn't perfect but you get the idea. I thought I was going to be done by now, what a joke, at this point I'm thinking more like the beginning of December.

Mimku I'm using a Chevy (sorry for the bad language) version of the NV4500. Since I'm going to a 390 I wanted an economical way to get an overdrive for (somewhat) better mileage. I still have to change the input shaft to a Dodge (language again) so it'll work.

[Canonman67]

This weekend I decided to change the bushings and pins in the doors.

After struggling with the drivers door I decided to do the passenger door later.

It still needs to be adjusted but at least now it doesn't drop when I open it.

I managed to etch and seal the gas tank.
Here I'm getting all the excess sealer to one end so I can drain it out.

I also primed

and started painting it.

After getting the new oil pickup and oil pan on I put the harmonic balancer on, backwards!
Sometimes I think I need a sitter to keep me out of trouble.

I mocked up the brake booster so I could hang the pedal assembly.

One more thing to cross off the list.

I ruined the parking brake cable getting it out of the way of the gas tank brackets so I paid a visit to the parts truck for the one there.

That poor truck is looking more and more like an abandoned derelict.
I sometimes feel bad about that but then I remember that at least a dozen (if not more) trucks are still on the road or looking better because of parts from this truck.

I've almost finished the cleaning manifold I just need to find something that'll get into the nooks and crannies and clean them out. I'm going to try a Dremel type tool with a wire brush attachment.

I also bolted in the gas tank mounts but I didn't get any pictures, I still need to get some bolts to finish the job. I'll leave you with a final pic of the truck in the shop as I lock the door.
It's later than the light through the windows would have you think but the long shutter speed makes it brighter than it is.

[Canonman67]

Well I finally chose a color for the truck.
Acapulco Blue Metallic. I had one day in the shop before a trip to see Mark Knopfler in concert. We all know how difficult flaring brake lines can be. I was quite proud of myself when I managed to get the master cylinder hooked up and only had to make six flares. Then when I got back from Vegas I looked closely at this picture.
Do you see it? I'm assuming I was excited about the concert since it's the only trip I've made all year. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
Otherwise I'm quite proud of the lines I ran. When I get the new flaring kit I'll hook them up properly, should be here by Thursday. I spent a couple weeks looking for this little bugger, tore the shop and garage at home upside down trying to find it. Saturday I dropped the gas cap in the bed of the '93 and when I moved the pallet to get the cap discovered it'd been in the bed of the truck the whole time.
Saturday in the shop I finished cleaning the underside of the cab got everything primered and then shot it with a rattlecan undercoat.


Turned out pretty well. I pulled the front wheels off to get close to the firewall and discovered that the calipers were grinding on the rims.
Since I just put the tires on I'm going to use a 1/4" spacer to take care of the problem. I'm not thrilled by the idea but since it's so thin I can live with it.I started mocking up the gas tank and skid plate today. I'll hang them next weekend when I get all the hardware together.
On a side note does anyone know what kind of jack that is? I found it in the shop and it's the bomb for things like doors and gas tanks.
Here's the NV4500 I plan to put in. I finally got up the nerve to change out the input shaft today.
I found that the Chevy version is cheaper than the Dodge version though you have to change the input shaft for it to work on our trucks.
In spite of my fears nothing fell out and when reassembled everything works as it should.
All ready to be bolted up to the engine and go in the truck. All of which should happen next weekend. After that interior paint. Well, a bit of metal work on the interior, then paint.

[Canonman67]

It's been two weeks since my birthday holiday and I haven't done much to the truck due to overtime and side jobs on the weekends. I only had a short day in the shop yesterday since I promised a friend I'd have dinner with her so not much got done. I just had time to straighten out the brake lines.

Glue some rubber on the tank traps so they wouldn't squeek.

Finally get a decent coat of undercoating on the cab mount inspection covers and get those put on.

And finally I installed the sending unit in the gas tank.

Like I said not much done. Next week I'll get the fuel lines run to the selector valve and engine compartment, put the rear harness in place behind the gas tank and hopefully get the motor and trans in. Once that's in I can work on the trans mount and driveline. And I STILL need to finish the metal work in the cab and get the interior painted.

[Uni Moe]

In response to your caliper rubbing problem, I had the same alloy wheels on my 68 after the disc brake conversion. I discovered one side was rubbing a bit but the other side wasn't. I just took a grinder to the caliper and took a little off. Mine was rubbing on the top part of the caliper.

[Canonman67]

In response to your caliper rubbing problem, I had the same alloy wheels on my 68 after the disc brake conversion. I discovered one side was rubbing a bit but the other side wasn't. I just took a grinder to the caliper and took a little off. Mine was rubbing on the top part of the caliper.

Thanks, I took a closer look Sunday while I was at the shop and it's really not much is it? I think I'm going to do as you did and be happy. Maybe happier since I'm not putting spacers on my hubs.

[Canonman67]

All day in the shop and only got the gas tank in. I started with a bit of wiring since the taillight harnesss runs behind the tank.
I'm using a KwikWire 21 circuit kit. I don't know if I'd get that big a kit if I had it to do over.
I'm going to install two tanks and wanted the convenience of an electric valve. I found that the factory switch has enough poles to use it for the valve and gauge selection.
I'm a little concerned that the skid plate hanger is going to interfere with the driveshaft. I'm hoping to have the engine and transmission in tomorrow so I'll find out then.
I've decided to use weatherpack connectors in the engine bay and along the chassis. They're a bit more involved but hopefully they'll be worth the effort.

[Canonman67]

A red letter day for me, I finally got the engine in.
Started late this morning by drilling the pilot bushing out to fit the input shaft of the Nv4500, got that in and the flywheel bolted on.
When I discovered that I was going to have to grind the flywheel side of the clutch plate.
Happily it wasn't a big deal and once done it lay flat as it should. A little Duck Tape (it's a brand name) on the clutch alignment tool and I was ready to go.
The tape builds the tip out to the 3/4" I need for the bushing.
When I turned my attention to the bellhousing I found that the fork pivot was missing. Then I remembered that I pulled it off when I cleaned and painted the bellhousing because it was loose.
I started to tap the first hole but realized I needed to remove the adapter and I also needed a better tap. A quick trip to the hardware store and I was back in business.
I couldn't find a loose pivot around the shop but since it's easily accessible I figured I'd pick one up online.
It was a bit of a struggle mating the trans to the engine, I had planned to use another hoist to get the trans on a table but all the others were in use.
So here I am on the floor. It probably took an hour for me to get things together.
Here's a couple of shots from the underside of the truck.
As you can see I had to pull the gas tank back out so I can fit the trans crossmember.
I'm thinking next week will see the motor completed and the crossmember and mount at least figured out and started if not done.

[Canonman67]

This week I got the mount done for the transmission. It was interesting to find that the factory Ford mount with a couple additional holes worked.
I did have to move the crossmember back about six inches though.
It's going to require a bit of trimming on the floor and I'll have to relocate a bolt hole for the cover.
Sorry for the blurry photo but I thought you'd like to see how it fits in the floor.
With the cover on it could pass for a factory installation, well, once I patch the hole from the other transmission.
I plan to change the shift knob once I find something I like.
I still have some trimming to do on the crossmember for the in frame gas tank.
As you can see from the marks I made on the crossmember I've got to trim quite a bit before I get get the tank back in.
Here's what I'm planning on doing.
I'm hoping this drawing explains it better.
The red line is where I'm planning to weld in a flat piece vertically at the same height as the crossmember. The blue line represents how I'm planning to trim the flange. If flange is the right term to use.

[Canonman67]

Well I managed to get the crossmember done. (I think.)
I cut out quite a chunk of the flange and welded a piece back in so the gas tank would fit.
I also cut out the flange on the transmission side so it would clear the transmission and I could get the nut on the back side of the mount.
I cut up an old crossmember that was lying around the shop for filler material. I thought for a bit that it was the answer to my problems but it wouldn't work at all.

A shot of everything installed. It's close but everything has the space it needs to function.
I just now saw the bow. Oh well it fits, it works. I am thinking about boxing in the bottom though. A just in case kind of thing.
When I put the motor in I found the pivot was missing. Since the hole was rather large I thought no problem I can put the fork and the pivot in later. Yes, yes I can as long as I want to pull the transmission out again.
AAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!! Okay, it really wasn't that bad and lesson learned.
Also on the agenda was closing the hole in the trans cover. Well to be truthful I did this to see if the welder was in good nick and if I thought I could weld the crossmember. I'm going to pull the tank out again and paint it since as you can see I scratched the heck out of it fitting the crossmember, also on the agenda is fixing the potential manifold leak I seem to have installed. Then buttoning up the engine and moving on to paint the interior.

[my79f]

The truck looks good, and progress looks great!

That jack you really like, is a motorcycle jack.

[DuckRyder]

The truck looks good, and progress looks great!

That jack you really like, is a motorcycle jack.

Yep on both counts:

http://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-Motorcy ... B00JNY0SPG

http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 60536.html

[Canonman67]

Thank you gentleman, I appreciate the info and the encouragement.

[dcbullet]

Great documentation of your project. You're doing great and I'm enjoying reading / watching it.