Welds on the rear axle look REALLY good. Practice makes perfect.

 

also wear spats over your high top shoes/boots.......

 

I took today off, and ran to harbor freight to get some things. One of the things was the tow hitch. I ran home and put it straight in. I think itll work great. Just looking to tow a small camper, maybe, so less than 5000 lbs.

Welds are improving, but I still need work. Ive only been welding for a short period of time. Ill get better.


Horrible picture, but if you look close, you can see I added two vertical supports in the middle.

I tied it into the crossmember at the shocks. It should be nice and sturdy.

Getting better, but still need work.

 

No pictures today, but I have been ordering parts and getting things figured out. Its cold today in Tennessee, so Im not spending a lot of time in the garage. I got the rest of the exhaust today-mufflers, h-pipe, clamps and hangers. I also got the fuel line and the throttle cable. I should get the gas pedal, battery terminals and a few other small parts this week. The goal is to get the truck to start ASAP. I still need a few parts, so it might be mid January, but its progress.

I had to solve a few issues on the IFS also. The a-arms are too short and the rod ends only have a few threads inside the a-arms on the top, and the threads from the steering rack dont go far enough into the tie rods either. Ill show it when I get it done, but I finally spent the time measuring and figuring out how to fix this. Im going to modify the a-arms with a tube and tube end, and maybe add a support of some sort. The steering is a mustang II style, and they make extended tie rods that add 1-1/2". Easy.

Ill post pictures as I go, but with the weather getting colder, I wont be able to stay in the garage as much. Plus Im also waiting on welder wire, so I cant do anything until it gets here.

 

I got the rest of my exhaust this week, So, I jumped in and started installing it. 2-1/2", with an H-pipe and flowmaster super 40s, and it dumps right after the rearend. Should sound good. I only took one picture.

 

I would be tempted to extend those pipes out from under the bed, else you will likely get a pretty serious drone from them.

 

I might add a short extension to them. The bed floor is completely gone right now, so it wont be bad. Ill see what I think, and adjust it if necessary. I just dont like tailpipes being visible. And I want it to be a little obnoxious. Im aching to add a nasty cam, but I dont want to waste money on a 318 I dont plan on keeping.

 

Spent a few hours in the garage. Got the exhaust finished and installed. I also got a lot of tiny details done. Made a few trips to the hardware store and picked up a few nuts, bolts and washers. So, I have been working on getting the engine ready to start. The throttle cable and bracket, the valve covers, the distributor cap and wires, the carburetor and a few other item are done. I also got the gas tank installed. The clipnuts for the top of the tank were broke, so I made some brackets and welded some nuts on them. They work, so I guess its good. Im still not 100% on the battery installation. Its going to stay here for now. I might move it later, again, but it stays for now.

Next Im going to finish the brakes before we try and start the truck. I have one line and two fittings left, but these brakes have just killed my motivation. I am so over the brakes. It has been a nightmare. But a friend told me about a place that probably has the special fitting I need. Ill try and finish them this week.

Im going to try and start the engine soon. I have a few more details to get done, but I have almost a week and a half off at Christmas. Im going to get e few more things and go as far as I can over the holiday.

Battery installed. It still needs a strap of some sort.

Gas tank installed. New lines too

Exhaust installed. Still needs 2 clamps.

I got a ton of stuff done on the engine. Lots of little things done. Getting ready to start it soon.

 

I have been busy. I had the week off, and I have basically lived in the garage.

I started to bleed the clutch and realized the slave cylinder leaked. So I have another one on the way. I guess thats what I get for buying cheap. Brand new and leaks. I finished the brake lines and got new shoes and wheel cylinders, so they are going in soon. I finished the driver side inner fender well, and started the passenger side. I extended the tie rod ends also. They were really short and only had about 6 or 7 threads inside the tierod. I got the front end assembled along the way, and a few more details. I have a radiator on the way, with a fan and shroud and some silicone hoses. I also have battery straps and a few fittings coming.

The goal for the week is to finish the wiring tomorrow and check the lights and all the wiring. Then Ill finish clamping the lines and wiring underneath, install the wheels and roll it outside to finish painting the frame. Then I want to start the truck. I know I cant run it long without a radiator, but I want to make sure everything works the way it should. If it turns over and starts, Ill add a few gallons of gas and see if it will idle. Plus I want to see how it sounds.

I have a few big items left to buy, but Im getting there. I still need shocks and a driveshaft, and probably a few hundred little things because thats how this thing is going. The shocks are easy, but they will cost about $1200. The driveshaft is trickier. There is no slip yoke on the transmission, and I havent seen a driveshaft for a short bed D100 with the NP435. Im going to just call a driveshaft place and see what they can do. With the parts I have and the ones coming in the mail, I can move the truck under its own power, with a driveshaft.

Here are the pictures...


Tie rod didnt have a lot of threads in the rod end.

The rod ends were the extended mustang II type, so I couldnt get longer ones. So I bought a threaded bar extension.

And the finished item. Now it has over an inch of thread, way more than double what it had.

Passenger side started

Back side of the driver side. I welded square nuts on to make captive nuts.

Driver side finished. This is final, it just needs little details before paint.

 

Worked all day today, and got a few things done. I sorted out the wiring, except for the blinkers. Everything else works, even the hazards, but the blinker dont. I think its the column. I even bumped the engine over 2 or 3 times to make sure it didnt burst into flames. I also secured the brake lines and wiring harness to the frame, instead of the zipties that were holding everything. I mounted the wheels, and lowered the truck back on the ground to get a look.

Weather permitting, tomorrow Ill roll it outside and paint the rest of the frame. Last time I did it in the garage and it stunk the house up for days. Oops. Im also going to mount the doors and hood and set the bed back in place if I can. I have to make wood blocks for the bed and drill for the bolts. I want it to look like a truck. I have a bunch of parts coming, so when they get here, Ill try and start it. Im also going to get some 2x4s and make some wheel platforms for it. I still need to get under it a little more, but I hate working under jack stands. I have a friend who lost his dad when a suburban fell on him. He was on gravel, which is a bad idea, but I still dont like it.

I might wash it again, but Im not done with the grinding yet. Anyway, pictures...