When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I am at a point I am ordering the last few items I can think of and getting everything here, in an attempt to get Isaacs truck on the road buy the end of summer. It might not be totally road worthy, but if it drives under its own power around the neighborhood, Ill count it as a success. I still have a lot of work to do, but Im getting close.
One issue I have is the parking brake. I have the two e-brake cables for the original rearend, and I installed them when I did the brakes. The cable are ran to the bracket that is right behind the driver. I also have a handle for the brake that came from the parts truck, but all 3 mounting holes were rusted through. The handle basically fell out in my hand. The forward cable is from the parts truck, which is a long bed, Isaacs truck is a short bed. So Im faced with the problem of installing a parking brake. Here are my options, tell me what you think, or what you did on your truck. I have to have the park brake, because its a 4 speed.
1) E-brake. At almost $600 its the most expensive. I like the idea, but Im worried the force will hurt the rear cables or the parts inside the drums. I read somewhere that it applies about 700 lbs of force. But, if I hide the button, it acts as another anti-theft. 2) Aftermarket universal e-brake. About $350-400. The handles look nice, and its universal, so I can mount it many ways, and in several locations. Plus I can regulate the force on the brakes and cables and not kill any hard to find parts, while still applying enough force to keep the truck in place. 3) Fix the original. It would be more work, I would have to make repair panels, with nuts welded in place. I would also have to buy another front cable for a short bed truck. My biggest issue with this is, if I get to install the 5.7 hemi later, it might not fit. Plus I made no plans to run the cable, so it might interfere with something I have already installed.
I kinda like option 2. Gives you a lot more flexibility, and if you drop a hemi in it later, and need to move it, you can. Likely going to be the easiest fix.
So, thursday I decided to finish the bathroom real quick, to get it out of the way, and get back on the truck. I have a few parts coming in and wanted to be able to start. And...I shot a nail straight through the toilet supply line, causing a waterfall of water to pour out of the garage ceiling, right down the windshield of Isaacs truck. Luckily, I know how to fix things, mainly because I am always breaking them, so I got that fixed pretty quick. But I had to rip part of the newly painted wall out to replace the line. Oh well. At least I am blessed with the money to buy these things, and the skills and ability to do the repairs. Had I called a plumber, it would have been very expensive.
So, the good news is, I finally got the steering wheel adapter, and my shift ****. Bad news is, a screw broke off in the adapter, so Ill have to go to work and extract it. Shift **** looks great. I am working on the heater lines also. No pictures, but I should be getting back in the normal routine soon.
I think Im going to buy the Lokar universal parking brake system with the black handle for the truck. It should work well, and if I change the truck later, it is adaptable. So, it looks like option 2 it is.
Also, I found 3 of the 4 hinges from the parts truck, and two of them are in great shape. So the sagging hinge is going away.
Fortunately, I haven't blown anything up lately, or shot it..... or ran over it.... etc. I suppose I am due..... Have to be careful which projects I choose for a bit.
Got a little done this week. Its been a rough spring for us, so Im glad to be back on the truck.
First things first- I weighed the truck. and Ill post a picture of it in the process. It weighs 3887 lbs total, with 2105 on the front tires and 1782 on the rear. I wasnt expecting that, but it is a cast block/heads, with the cast bellhousing, and the NP435. I swear that thing alone weighs 1000 lbs. Plus its an old steel truck, so it should be a little portly. Anyway, tell me if that seems off. I only had two scales, so I cheated. I weighed the front and back separate, but the truck was level each time, making the tires that werent on the scales up in the air. This seems right to me, but if it wont work, tell me and we can discuss it.
I went to re-weld a few holes in the radiator hoses, and they blew out, so I made another one. Plus I welded a bung in the upper for the fan temp sensor. Its as close to the thermostat as I could get, without buying an expensive billet water neck, which wouldnt look right. Also, I laid the heater lines in place. They will get flared and AN fittings on the firewall side. Should look pretty good I think. When we change engines later (I hope), we will just rebuild the lines from the firewall.
I also got the tire stands made. I hope to get more done later and tomorrow. I decided to post a few pictures, because I havent in awhile. But google is being a little jerk, so I have had to re-learn how to post pictures. So, I hope this works. Truck getting weighed. I leveled the wheels not on the scales and did a front and back measurement. On the new stands. The hood barely misses the ceiling when open. Heater lines. They will have AN fitting close to the firewall, and be flared with a hose at the engine. A better shot of the radiator closeout I made. Not perfect, but Itll work.
Worked on the heater today. Bent and flared the lines, installed the heater, and started looking at the engine side of heater. I dont like the way it looks right now. The line will stay the same basic shape, but I just ordered some line separators, and clamps. I also got some of the blue line (like the oil line, but -10) and some weld on tabs for mounts. A few more odds and ends too. Ill finish the heater lines, then start working on securing the battery cables and finish the radiator hoses in the next couple of days hopefully, and then we can try to start it again.
I sent my information to QA1 for advice on coil overs. They should get back to me this week, and Ill order the shocks.
I know the wiring is a mess right now. I installed it before I realized we had to swap frames. It really is bugging me. Plus I have some issues to sort out, like blinkers and the horn, and a bunch of things to add- wipers, heater, interior lights, mirror blinkers, courtesy lights, electric fan, maybe a few more things by the time I get there. Ignore the wiring. Im trying really hard not to yank it all out and start over. I do wiring for a living, and this drives me crazy. Heater is in. Ignore the wiring. Ill clean it up. Im trying to avoid starting over with it. Heater lines. I like the shape, but thats all. I have stuff on the way to fix it. Love the AN fittings and the shape. It needs some supports and clamps.
5 bucks says you decide to yank all the wiring, and start over. Everything else looks pristine, and squared away. The wiring is going to keep you up at night.
I did email Ron Francis, where I got the wire kit, and they will sell me all the wiring for about $270, of just the individual bags, which is what I will probablu do. Move a few things around, clean it up, and if something wont work, replace it.
No pictures yet, but I hit a milestone Ive been working toward for awhile. I called QA1, and had them work me through shock and spring selection. Ill post pictures when I have them, but here is what I got--
The truck is 3887 lbs. 2105 lbs in the front, and 1782 lbs in the rear. I have a Mustang II front IFS and a triangulated 4 link. He suggested the following:
DS404 front shocks, for a height of about 13" eye to eye, and 10HT550 springs, that have a 550 lb rating. These shocks have about 4" travel I believe. They are single adjustable and I can adjust ride height.
DS502 rear shocks, for a ride height of 14" eye to eye. I am in the top hole of the 4-link, so I have two lower holes. This should work well. The rear springs are 12HT-250, and have a 250 lb rating. They have 5" travel.
He also suggested the thrust bearing/wrench kit (7888-110) and two additional thrust bearings (7888-109), as well as bushings for the rear shocks (9035-143) and 4 c-clips (9007-102).
This will set up the truck with a softer ride, as we are in the lower spring range. He said if I hated it, we can bump it up with the springs. The computer suggested 575 lbs up front, and they only make 550 and 600. It also suggested 247 lb in the rear, and they make a 200, a 250 and 300. We will see how it feels. Total cost with shipping and tax was around $1200.
Ive been working on coolant hoses. I have tried two or three times to make them air tight. Im just not good enough with a welder to make really nice beads, so I grind them, and they leak. Im going to check them one more time, and if they leak Im going to have to do something else. I made a little bracket to support the metal hose, but Im not sure if I like it or if it will work. Its all part of the process, I guess.
I got a few orders in this week. I got the shocks and springs, and some AN lines and hose for the heater, plus some weld on tabs just in case I need more.
The goal has been to start the truck ASAP. With me having trouble with the coolant lines, it just keeps getting pushed back, and now we have a gas shortage down here, so who knows when Ill get to start the truck. I talked to Dave a painter friend of mine, and we discussed painting the dash. It needs some work still, but he is going to show me what needs to be done, and Im going to learn how to do it. Ill let him paint it. Itll be motivating to see the color on the dash. I should be able to get it out in an hour or two. We plan on trying to get the dash fixed and painted inside a few weeks, and I can put it in for good. With it out, Ill attack the wiring and straighten it up. If I find some gas, and get the coolant lines working, I can start the truck without the dash if needed.
Little bracket. It might not stay. Goodies. Shocks and springs, AN fittings and hoses, and tabs.
So I ran into a bit of a major problem. I got the shocks in, and went to mount them, after giving up on trying to start the truck. There are issues in the front and rear.
The front- the springs are too big. I think I mentioned these frames are too wide for this crossmember. The junk chinese shocks they send with the kit almost hit the frame. The QA1s do hit it. Plus its practically impossible to get the shock in place. Ill post pictures, but it seems the frame sticks out too much to allow the shock and spring to clear it. I see 3 solutions: (1) c-notch the frame. I see this as a no-go. I dont like this idea at all. (2) move the lower shock mount. This probably wouldnt help much, especially as the suspension compresses and the spring comes inboard. Plus the shock would lean more, making it less effective and it would change the suspension geometry. I say this wont work either. (3). Extend the upper mounts. This is probably what Ill do. Currently the shock is leaned in at about 8 degrees, and according to QA1, anything under 10 is nominal. By moving the upper mount out, itll make the shock stand more upright. Plus with this being where the issue is, a half inch move gains me a half inch. The biggest problem I see with this is the shock is close to impossible to install now. Making the upper longer will make it worse, so Ill probably have to change the lower A-arm a bit also. Once you see the pictures, it should make sense. They have bars in them to allow for airbags.
The rear- Sort of the same issue. I dont know what I was thinking when I welded the upper tabs on, but the shock will hit the rearend too. The shock has to be spaced away from the axle tube. The shock needs to sit almost exactly where the aft tab is, so Ill have to get 4 more tabs and move them. It sucks but it isnt a huge deal. The good news is, this will allow me to get those tabs lower, which will eliminate the problem of the bed interfering. I expected this might be an issue.
I hope to get some parts on order this weekend and get to fixing these problems.
Spring hits the frame, and the lower mount is still about an inch away. The lower A-arm. These two bars wont allow the shock to go through. If I move the upper outboard, itll be impossible. The upper shock mount needs to be almost exactly where the tab on the left needs to be. Im an idiot. I didnt account for the spacers needed to clear the axle tubes.
Last edited by drummerdad; May 14, 2021 at 06:44 PM.
Reason: grammar
I hate it when that happens. 
Everything else looks pristine, and squared away. The wiring is going to keep you up at night. 
