The plan

[Dirtcrasher]

How many times in our lives do we tear and pull and grind and smash things apart only to learn that the 1 step you forgot screwed you

[fabiodriven]

As of late I've only been able to work in dribs and drabs. The house went on the market about a week ago and the viewings have been constant, just about every day. If there's one in the morning and one in the evening (sometimes there are 4 or 5 viewings in a day) then I have a very short window to get anything done. It makes "heavy" projects tough to schedule. Combine that with doctor appointments, VA appointments, dentist appointments, and even a follow-up orthodontic appointment (tomorrow), and it's tough to fit the heavy lifting in.

Yesterday I went and picked up one brand new body mount, as the final stubborn mount ended up facing the sawzall. It refused to separate. The mount was a very affordable $60, I should have bought all 8! (Kidding!) The mount pictured is actually one of the two very front nose mounts which are smaller than the other six this cab requires. This is technically the wrong mount for the position I am using it in, but all I needed was the hardware, not the bushings (which are not right for the position this mount is going). I have all the correct poly bushings so it is now correct. I removed the rubber bushings to get my hardware, then installed the mount with the poly bushings in place. So I essentially paid $60 for these two small pieces of hardware. Evil? Yes, but necessary.





After installing the new mount, I moved on to the "doghouse" I needed to build for the shifter. If you'd like to experience how this process went, ask someone to kick you in the nuts. That's how it went. My first rendition yesterday was a failure. It was a ball buster working under the dashboard and between the top of the transmission and the bottom of the floor. I had to rig a drill bit into a right angle wizzer just to get the holes drilled in the floor. After I got the timber in place, it was too tight under there to screw the boot to the wood, so fail. I was frustrated and had a house viewing coming up so I had to shut it down and sleep on it. The solution came to me in my sleep while I was dreaming I was at work with Dan Redsox. I had to make this "box" outside of the truck in two pieces with plywood on the bottom as a mounting surface so I could send the hardware through from the top down. It took me a while, wood working is my bane, but that's a big obstacle overcome.

[plastikosmd]

I have never done this job. Would it be wrong to put on a shift boot upside down and rivet or fasten it to underside of floor or do you need the solid stop that the wood provides?

[fabiodriven]

See the problem is, that boot is very thick rubber in order to isolate from the heat and noise you would get in the truck. Because the rubber is so thick, it doesn't have a lot of side to side give. It's designed to pivot on the axis of the base of the shifter, not slide back and forth. Upon moving that boot 3" up the shifter shaft, the transmission would barely go into low or reverse. I can guarantee if the truck were running it would have popped out of gear.

Similarly, the interior boot is very thick rubber as well. Although it doesn't have the same exact problem, it too is an issue. Because it's now 3" higher, it bunches up and also causes shifting problems. The solution should be to extend the shifter, but as many of us know when it comes to engineering, fixing one problem can have a butterfly effect on three other things. So the next step is going to be an extension for the shifter with my fingers crossed that will be the end of it. If you're familiar with geometry, you can imagine that extending the shifter will absolutely put it right back at the height it was, however the throw will be increased. That means that every gear selection, the shifter is now moving further in whichever direction you're sending it. Ideally it will not collide with anything but stay tuned!

To answer your question plasticos, there's more than one way to skin a cat! There's no instruction manual for this!

[Scootertrash]

Something like this:

[fabiodriven]

Something like this:

Precisely!

[Scootertrash]

Couldn't find one of a truck........

[coolpool]

Looking good fabio! It'll be just like the old 6x6 army trucks where you had to keep your hand open when going in 5th because the shifter would hit the dash at times.

[fabiodriven]

Music is such an important part of everything. It's been discussed in great detail on the forums lately, and it means so much to so many of us. I guide my life in response to signs I get from the universe which others might take as fleeting thoughts, coincidences, or just odd circumstances. Music has a heavy hand on the direction I choose in life which is something I've learned to follow more as the years pass, however one way music has always had an impact in my life is the ties music has to memories. Every big event in my life, every chapter, every place I've been can be tied to a song. Every time I hear those songs I am instantly transported back to those places and times with emotion so evoking it has at time brought me to tears. I'd like to thank the Keister brothers who even though we only see each other for a few hours a year, seem to know me so well.

It reminds me of some song lyrics that I will leave you with:

"It takes smart choices and dumb luck
That's why there's billionaire dumbfucks
Geniuses driving dump trucks
Suckers with Lexuses, experts who won't make one buck
I've seen dreams die fast and wither slow
I've also seen 'em blooming where they're not supposed to grow
And I've seen the ones I've planned and watched 'em blossom in the snow"

Sir, that was very eerie ^^^^^^
I almost posted those same exact lyrics in his blog thread.
Or maybe I even did? I can't remember now, but there are 3 reasons it is very fitting:

1. That is one of my very most favorite songs right now
2. Every time I hear about 'geniuses driving dump trucks' I think of Fabio
3. That verse is performed and presumably written by George Watsky who matriculated at Emerson College located in the heart of .......


..... wait for it....



Boston, Mass. And Watsky got out too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHqiATVuxnA

This song is the theme for this chapter. Not this build, not the truck, but rather this chapter of my life. As these boys said, it fits this situation to a "T". It's as if it were written for me, haha. Boys, thank you for your guidance and help and I look forward to our next reunion.

Looking good fabio! It'll be just like the old 6x6 army trucks where you had to keep your hand open when going in 5th because the shifter would hit the dash at times.

If only more people knew that pain Pete! Haha, great reference!


It took me a few days of work, welding, cutting, heating and beating, and grinding to make an extension for the shifter. I had to install it, see where the shifter was in the truck, then remove and heat and beat to where I needed the shifter to go. I had to install and remove the shifter and extension at least ten times, very time consuming. The factory interior shifter boot is simply not going to work, so I'll have to come up with something for that. I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment.











When I went to install the lower radiator hoses and transmission lines, I quickly found out that the body lift had moved the outlets on the radiator directly in front of the sway bar for the front suspension. Very briefly I contemplated lifting the radiator somehow, but then realized it would be far easier to lower the sway bar, so that's what I did. I brought it down 3" which put it right where I needed it.





Over the last few weeks I've been through so many parts of this truck, too many to remember, that I was nervous to start the engine today. Injector/glow plug harnesses, valve covers were off, oil pump removed, front crank seal replaced, all kinds of transmission and steering lines.... All of these surfaces must all be checked to ensure they are sealed properly. That's a lot of potential leaks to check for, many mating surfaces. Today I got everything all hooked up, radiator hoses, tranny lines, etc. Got everything topped up and filled, and put the driver's seat in the truck. I put the batteries in and the anxiety was killing me. I really didn't want to start the truck because I was nervous to find out how well everything had sealed. I got my courage up, got in the truck, and put the key in the ignition. Everything came to life on the dashboard, chime was chiming the way it always did. I turned the key to "on" and the glow plugs began to cycle. It looked like all systems go, but when I turned the key nothing happened. That's because I had forgotten to install the starter.



Upon installation of the starter, I tried to start the truck again. It came right to life. I was happy about that, but I didn't want to get out of the truck and look underneath. Obviously I did get out and look, and everything looked A-OK initially. I drove it back and forth up and down the driveway steering lock to lock to bleed the air from the hydroboost pump. Everything seemed fine. I left the truck running for a while to warm it up and see what happened. Well what happened is it started hemorrhaging oil from the seal between the pan and the block. I know exactly what happened. The first time I installed the pan it went up just fine. I got it in and was very happy with the silicone application and everything. I had four or five pan bolts started but hadn't tightened any of them yet, and it was at that point I realized that I had forgotten to install the dipstick tube base which needs to be installed from the inside out. I immediately removed the pan and installed the base without re-doing the silicone for the pan. I'm fairly confident it was this critical mistake which caused the issue I now have. It does suck, yes, however everything happens for a reason. I'm confident that I'll be able to jack the engine back up, now with room to work with because of the cab lift, separate the pan from the block, clean the old sealer off, and get it sealed back up. I was confident I could have done this in the first place, however there was far too much grime and too many question marks to not completely remove the pan. This time with everything clean and painted, I should be able to weasel my way in there without removing the pan and get it sealed up correctly.



https://youtu.be/43tKhTKszCM

[El Camexican]

LOL! I'm laughing with you, not at you, I swear!

A year or so back I put an engine together, fired it, let it get hot and shut it off. Started cleaning the shop and found a wrist pin clip on the bench. Stuff happens, live goes on.

[coolpool]

El Cam nailed it, sometimes we get in the groove and stuff happens. At least it was in a controlled environment and not on the road. Forgetting the starter, well.............

[fabiodriven]

I've been a busy, busy man, haha. It's been really great working as hard for myself as I used to work for someone else and very rewarding watching this truck come together. The weather has been cooperating more lately, but this spring has been rather chilly and wet. It's cold and rainy as I type this. As long as it's not raining, I bundle up and get my arse outside all day every day and work on this truck.

One thing that I should be used to is the rate at which the salt causes corrosion on vehicles where I live. I know over the last few years the towns have been experimenting with different liquid solutions to spray on the roads to prevent or melt ice, one of those solutions being calcium chloride I believe. Whatever the frig it is they're using, it should be outlawed in my opinion. There was a time not very long ago where during the winters here we'd have hard-pack snow on the roads consistently and that was very acceptable. Now they spray and salt the crap out of the roads even if there's the inclination there might be a snowflake. It's ridiculous. My front brakes are a year old and I had to fight hard to get just one bleeder out and the other one is not coming out. The wiring I just did three months ago on the rear fenders is corroded to shite, it's disgusting. After all I'm doing to this truck now, it's unlikely it will see snowy roads again. God forbid anyone have enough brains and skill to drive on anything worse than just damp pavement. Before I get on a rant about that, I digress...

So the second attempt at sealing the oil pan was a failure. I jacked the cab and engine (not as high as the first time) and weaseled myself in there. I wasn't able to completely remove the pan from the truck this time, nor did I need to. With everything cleaned and painted removal of the pan was unnecessary. I just needed a few inches to drop it on the crossmember, clean everything, re-goop, and install. Well that's what I did, but it still didn't seal. This is why you're supposed to remove the engine to do this job. I didn't let this setback get to me and instead moved on to other aspects of the truck that need attention just as much. The oil pan is sealing enough to drive for the time being, so time to give it a rest and come back to it later. I did purchase a Moroso oil pan gasket this time. The truck doesn't call for a gasket, just goop, but I'm going to use a gasket this time.

My rear brakes were smoked, metal on metal. Not only that, but just last week a line blew just moving the truck around the yard here. I deadlined this truck at the absolute perfect time I'd say, haha. So two calipers, two rotors, and some pads. I was pumped to have a working parking brake again, as the front cable broke about two years ago. Yet another unexpected result of lifting the cab 3" was the need to relocate the mounting point for the front parking brake cable. The old mounting point goes underneath the frame bracket that the cab mount sits on. Now with the cab lifted, the cable no longer reached its mounting hole. I ended up welding a little bracket in place allowing me to relocate the cable to where it could now reach. It still needs a little fine-tuning yet, but it's getting there.





One part of this build I'd been chomping at the bit to begin work on is was the front bumper. My old bumper was rotted through and anyone who will be traveling like I will be needs to have a suitable bumper. This is going to be my home and it's going to contain a good portion of my belongings. I'd prefer to avoid having it downed or even totaled by an animal in the road or a careless driver who decides they'd like to cut me off, not to mention I don't like protesters who block roads regardless of their beliefs, and zombies can frig right off as well. All these reasons and more made me decide this would not be a real truck unless it had a real bumper. For $1000-$2000 you can buy the same sheet metal bumper that Bubba and Bubba's friend Bubba have, then you too can look like everyone else. That's not what I wanted to do. I didn't want to spend that money on something that I could build in a far better quality for far less money myself. This is my signature. This is sleepless nights during a Massachusetts winter when I was unable to build with my hands, so I built with my brain. This was all engineered months ago with plans only I could see, so it was a huge release for me to crack open my oxy/acetylene bottles for the first time and fire up my Guinea welder. It was my escape from the oil pan failure (again) and truly there wasn't anything else I'd have rather been doing once the cutting and welding got underway. It has been a huge form of therapy and self-expression for me.

It began with the cutting of the first brackets, of which there are four. It has four brackets on either side, so a total of eight. Four made from the 10" C-channel, two made from the existing tow hooks, and two made from 3" C-channel. Eight bolts hold each side to the frame of the truck for a total of sixteen. The two bolts on the 3" C-channel reach past the crumple zones on the front of the frame and help to tie in as much of the truck's frame as possible. I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome of this fabrication project and as good as I think it looks from the outside, it's just as beautiful underneath when you see the "inner workings" of this bumper and how well engineered it is. I was flattered when a friend assumed I built this with my other buddy at his fabrication shop, which is not the case. This bumper was built by me, and me only, with very little assistance from anyone else. Dave Little stopped by one night for a few hours to assist a bit and Crazy Jason Brooks helped me with some final fitment grunt work, but this was built by me using an oxy/acetylene torch, a Guinea mig welder, a little plastic angle finder, a drill, and a small angle grinder. I don't even have a bench vise mounted currently. It took me roughly five days to do, with dribs and drabs here and there with finishing touches and such. It's painted with POR-15 on the beams and pieces of metal that were pre-rusted and Rustoleum on the diamond plate which wasn't rusty yet. I used the other half of the sheet of diamond plate I had from the rear fender build. The bumper and rear fenders will be coated with Raptor liner (bed liner) at my nearest convenience.





































I don't yet know what the bumper weighs, but it's probably 250-300 lbs and it would smash a sheet metal aftermarket Cletus bumper. This much the manufacturer guarantees. Prior to the creating of this bumper, I was very happy with the stance my truck had. "Perfectly" level. The bumper brought down my front end about an inch, which if I were towing you would never see because the back of the truck would be brought down. I want this truck to ride where I want it to ride loaded or empty and it already has airbags in the rear, so I decided to add airbags to the front as well. That way regardless of what I have for a load on it (or don't), I can have the truck ride at exactly the height I want it to. I installed the front airbags and I am extremely pleased with them so far. The truck drives great with this weight up front. Any one ton truck (aside from a GM with its torsion bar car front end that collapses if a butterfly lands on the hood) rides rough, and mine was no exception. I love the Twin-I-Beam front end and that's been a staple of Ford trucks for probably half a century now, but harsh bumps empty were, well, harsh. Now the front is very supple and it tracks great, even with the alignment off. It's going for an alignment Tuesday by the way. Then after that it's off to NY with the toy hauler in tow on Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to driving my "new" truck with a load on it, it's really come a long way.



Just a few more odds and ends to do on the truck and I can move on to the cargo trailer. Thanks so much for reading!

[knappyfeet]

Bravo on the bumper...........very nice and good quality work.

I'd like on of those on my Titan but I think it could handle the weight.

[El Camexican]

Mad Max approves that bumper!

[Dirtcrasher]

I hope someday I see a video of some protesters blocking the highway with this truck headed towards them

That is the strongest bumper I've ever seen!!