30 December 2018 First it's a roller, then it's not?

Made just a few small additions, but wanted to post something as we went along. We added the brake booster pump and master cylinder along with the brake pedal and brackets. I started laying down some of the sound deadening material, we tightened the body mounts and started the steering column. We still have to finish the steering shaft from the column to the steering box. We need to attach the power steering hoses. Here are pictures of the work so far:

Brake booster pump and master cylinder 

It's hard to see but I drew a line where the steering shaft needs to 

extended

Brake pedal and brackets, sound deadening material (silver)

steering column and wheel. The wheel is the original wheel. We need 

fill in the crack and sand it, polish it and buy the horn button

and center piece. I wanted as much original as possible.

All that wiring will be hooked up.

Why isn't it a roller? Farmer and I removed the Wheels and tires,

we wanted to brake down the tires so we could get the wheels powder coated and 

put the new tires on (after I buy them 😀).  

So for Christmas I got an old Southern Pacific engine cab seat, from all the kids.  This is like the ones I sat in for many years as a engineer. It is really cool, and now is placed in the shop for me to relax in (while everyone is working on the truck 😴)

Old SP emblem 

This emblem denotes my hire date with the SP

This emblem denotes my retirement date with the UP

Union Pacific bought out the SP in 1994

Moving along, still on a deadline 🙏. 

02 December 2018 "It's beginning to look a lot like...... a truck😀

02 December 2018  "It's beginning to look a lot like...... a truck😀
Well, I said it will look a little different in a couple of weeks and it does. George, Jeremy and I grabbed George's box trailer and loaded up the roller (frame) and headed to Cody's to pick up the motor and tranny. We took the frame so we could mount the motor and tranny all at the same time and safely put it in the box trailer. Here are a couple of pictures:

George and Cody strapping down the frame with the motor

Jeremy pushing the frame in the box trailer

The motor, it's hard to see much here but, believe me it's beautiful

After we dropped the roller back at the shop we took off again to get the cab. We need the cab on to mock up the brake booster and master cylinder, brake pedal, wiring and steering column.

Pictures with the cab and a couple of the wiring.

In the shop

Motor up close, it is pretty

Another look at the front end

Front to side view

Back side

Sun gone down, puts a different look

Wiring harness, some of it anyway

The first electrical item put in: the door- light button

The core support needs to be cleaned and painted black.

Things are looking up 

29 October 20018 I wonder if...... umm keeping the faith

I wonder if it will really get done, George was over and we were talking about this very thought. He said, "I remember when we were finishing the Cobra I was tightening the last bolts and said to my brother when we tighten these last bolts we're done". 3 years to build that car, well it's 2 years already. I know in that time we have served a mission, but I still wonder. When  (🙏) we finish on schedule it will be a 3 year project. I admit I can't wait till I say, "When we tighten these last bolts we are finished!" Anyway I have a couple of pictures of some work done, can't really tell but it is work. None the less it's a blast and I love doing it. When I sit back and think where we'll be in a couple of weeks, there will be some BIG changes in the look.  A little preview of the motor:

Cummins painted Ford Blue

With a little polish

These aren't the tires I'll be using, but they are the wheels

Sort of 😅

I plan to powder coat them

They are 20" wheels, that's a change from what I was going to use

which was 18"

If you look close you can see some of the brake lines we installed

I just had to post something, getting there I promise.

11 September 2018 It's a roller! Mostly,

First off it's been 17 years since 9/11/ (2001). So in memory of all those , in particular the first responders, who lost their lives and sacrificed all for the betterment of this country I say thank you and May God Bless America!
What's a roller and what's the big deal about that? Um, everything! It means that all the tedious work of getting it ready to build up is complete. For quite a long while it was a frame, just a frame sitting there on the floor then on jack stands. It looked good all powder coated and all, but it was a frame. Then we moved it to the center of the shop and put the axles on and the springs, this was the beginning of the build up. We built the rear end, put in 373 gears (from 411 gears) these higher gears are for better road travel. I felt I didn't need low gears for 4 wheeling because as I have been told (several times) you better not take this out mud bogging😇. Besides 373 gears and 35" tires will be better for road traveling. Brake lines are going on, speaking of brakes with the 1977 Dana 44 front axle it will have disc brakes. We had to buy a conversion kit for the Dana 60 rear axle, but it will be disc brakes also. Both axles have all new gears, bushings, races, seals and a new Warn hubs for the front axle. 4 all new Rancho shocks and a matching Rancho sway bar shock.

373 gears. there is some real work to getting the gears right and they are heavy too.💪

Rear differential and drive line yoke (powder coated)

Rear axle with rear rotors and brake pads. (this was a conversion kit)

Rear axle and rear Rancho Shocks. (Rancho just sounds cool)😎

Another Shot

Rear wheels on half a roller

Looking from the front to rear, on the upper right facing to the rear is the steering box.

You can see the modified cross member for the motor

Another look at the steering set up, springs and axle.

Jeremy trying to learn more from George

It's a roller, you can see some of the brake lines, front shocks, and differential.

I'm now looking at what tires and wheels I will use. I'm thinking LT 285 75 R18. That should be a 35" tire 10.5" wide on 18" wheel. Another reason I need it rolling is when the motor is done I need to be able to roll it on the trailer and haul it over to pick up the motor so we can slide it in with the transmission and transfer case. I don't want to set the new motor in the trailer to slide around as it will be freshly painted and polished. Here is what the motor looks like while it's getting cleaned and set up.

I sent the motor out to a young man named Cody

I met Cody one day when I listed some parts for sale from the pick up.

He came by and we talked about what we were doing and it was the first time I had heard about others doing a Cummins swap into a Ford. Since then we have been in contact talking about issues that come up. So when I decided to rebuild (some what) the motor 

I called Cody.  He sent me theses pictures with the caption "under all that grease and dirt was a motor".

Still looks a little beat, but it's getting a new face lift too.

Cody's working on it

10 July 2018 Back in the saddle again (so to speak)

Yep it's been awhile again since I have had anything to post, but that just changed a little. It seems that anytime I'm talking to Farmer or Jeremy or George we talk about what's next, "We need to get on it if you want to be ready for the next family reunion." "We can get this ready for the reunion if we get after it." Etc etc, it is almost funny, we talk about it, but they all work for the railroad. I'm not complaining just stating a fact. I try to do what I can, but let's face it this is out of my league. Anyway George has had some "day" time to work on the truck and so we started up again. In all fairness, I kinda was holding off trying to get the electrical done. That wasn't working so I said let's just move the frame to the middle of the floor and start making this into a roller. I gathered up George, Farmer, Jeremy and Skip and I we lifted the frame off the jack stands and moved it to the middle of the floor so we would have room to work and set it back on the stands. I had purchased some parts and kept them ready. Within about 15 minutes we had the axles hung and started the disc brakes and drums. Then we started to realize that when ordering the parts for a 1975 Dana 60 rear end and a 1978 Dana 44 front end some parts didn't match. We had too take some back, couple of times!  George says this is part of building a hot rod. I'm OK with that as long as we keep moving forward. I enjoy the work. Finally we have most of the parts right, although we are waiting for a new carrier gear so we can build the rear differential and finish up the front axle and steering box. Here are a couple of pictures so far:

 Frame moved to the center of the floor

 Springs and rear axles

 working the drums and discs

Front end 

Greasing the bearings 

Oh and by the way, here is the cab and dash painted

More coming SOON!!