FINALLY, I got the frame cut and shortened. With the new welder, we were able to get it apart, and put back together in a day. Some of my cuts werent the best, so there is some fill work to do, and the welder didnt seem to like the thick frame on 115v. This week Im going to make a 240v outlet in the garage for the welder, and we can try and finish it up. I also got the wrong regulator for the tig portion of the machine, so Ill have to get that exchanged. Otherwise, Im happy.

I know it looks like Stephen (the guy in the photos, who will probably be my future son-in-law) is doing all the work, but we only have a few outlets in the garage, and didnt want to run too many tools at a time. I did some of the work though....


Its a little welder, but it worked pretty good. I have to get the right regulator for the argon, and we want to try it on 240v before we are finished. It did seem to struggle later in the day on 110v.

No turning back now. It wasnt as heavy as I figured. We braced it to make sure it wouldnt move on us.

Grind, cut and grind some more. We stunk the house up, and went through several cut wheels and grinder wheels.

Stephen welding it all up. We have some touch up to do still. We are going to wait till I get the 240v set up, and the tig just in case.

Next up is boxing the frame, then crossmember modifications, then front suspension and the rear 4 link. Stephen is going to help me with tig welding, so I dont have to bother him all the time, even though he says he doesnt mind. After the frame mods, I have to figure out if Im going to go to the trouble of sandblasting it, or just grind it down a little, and POR15 it all. I plan on driving it, a lot when finished.

 

So we are filling in the splice, Stephen is making sure it is solid. Its was grind fill, grind fill. It took me 2 weeks to get the TIG side of the welder going, and today is the first time we got to use it. Man it works great. We were able to get some other stuff done as well.

The splice. It looks better now. We stopped to let it cool, and move to other things. We will probably finish tomorrow.

Getting the boxing plates ready. This one is required for the IFS.

With the plate welded (top only) and the motor mount tacked in, its looking better.

Next we will box the other side, after finishing the splice. We will also weld a plate over the outside, and box the entire inside of the frame. Then the 4 link goes in. I also have to crate up my other doors and hood, because I found someone who wants them and will give me credit toward the clutch and pressure plate. I have decided to put the NP435 in, instead of the auto that is in Isaacs truck now. We never got the auto to work right, and it might even be slipping. I would rather have a manual anyway, so I decided to put it in. Itll need a new clutch and pressure plate, and a slave cylinder, but the trans should be bulletproof.

 

Yeah, the NP435 is a STOUT trans. The low first gear won't hurt your feelings either.

 

Got the other side boxed today, where the IFS goes. We are moving right along. Also got the motor mount tacked in, and the 2nd set of plates in. Tomorrow (after church) we are going to try and get the suspensions out of the parts truck frame. We need to start setting it at ride height for the front IFS and rear 4-link. I hope the rain stops, I need to be outside in the driveway. This has been the rainiest year I have ever seen. Rain almost everyday. We are stuck in the small garage, grinding and welding with doors open, but its not enough.

Im trying to make sure I dont overthink it, but I dont want to miss something either. We are going to set the cab and bed on the frame, after the suspensions are out, and make sure the ride height and rake are where I want them. Then I can tack everything in and remove the cab and finish a few things.

Stephen (future son-in-law) is doing the welding, and doing a great job. Im fitting the boxing plates, and doing oddball things like getting unneeded brackets out of the way. Neither of us have ever done this type of thing before. He is certified to weld, and Im glad he is willing to do it. I dont want to take chances on poor quality welds. We are both learning a ton.

 

When setting ride height, make sure you account for all the weight the suspension is going to be dealing with. (engine/trans/etc.)

 

The IFS install has you make setup bars that imitate the spring when compressed. You have to set the front suspension static, so you dont account for sag or squat. The rear suspension will be tricky. Ill have to call and talk to whoever I get shocks from, and see what spring rate I need, and then Ill see if they have the compressed measurement. It seems easier than trying to install all this stuff with body parts and engines in the way.

I did get some work done this weekend. More frame boxing, and the suspensions are off.

We are boxed to the second cross member now. We are going to leave the next section out till we figure out a few more things, but continue on with the back portion. You can see how nice the welds are. Stephen is doing a great job.

NO RAIN TODAY!. I pushed it out, and got the suspensions off. Here we are using the welding blanket to block the wind. It has been a crazy start of the year for weather.

No suspensions. Much more room now. Ill have to get the bed and cab on, then level the entire truck to set ride height. Then it all has to come back off. Its looking good now. Lots of cleaning and welding still to do though.

 

We got a ton done today. Im so thankful Stephen has been coming by and helping. We didnt do any welding, because I wanted to remove the cab, and in doing so got some fuel on the floor. It stunk up the garage, and we were afraid of the fumes. So, we attacked the old frame, and Im glad we did. I knew the frame was bad, but thank the Lord I had decided to replace the frame. It was much worse than I thought to begin with.


Here the frame was spliced, but it looks like it also had a patch at the cross member. The top wasnt even welded. Scary. We drove this truck. He knew it was for my son.

The other side is just as bad. Not completely welded, and where it was welded, it was done poorly. It was at least bolted with a plate, but even that was sketchy. Unacceptable.

One of the cab mounts. I made the joke I could pull it off by hand, and I did. Im so mad this guy sold this truck to my son. Im embarrassed I didnt catch all the problems up front. And Im glad I made the call to replace the frame.

The abomination sits in the yard, ready to be junked. Even the mufflers, which were Isaacs favorite part, cant be reused. Apparently the PO used one that was 3", and found another that was smaller diameter, so he just cut it, and welded it, poorly like the rest of it. Itll get flowmaster 40s, but not these.

The cab, engine, transmission and tires are all snuggled in the garage. Ill clean and rearrange tomorrow between church, and start getting things sorted. Then Ill start seeing what atrocities he performed on the cab, and try some damage control.


If there is a lesson to be learned (which I have learned it, now) its this: If you are going to buy a classic, modified vehicle, CHECK IT THOROUGHLY FIRST. Im lucky I found this stuff. Had I taken the easy way, and just got it running and drove it, I could have hurt myself or someone else. The cab was bolted with timber lag bolts! Had the truck rolled, the cab would have come off. Just crazy that someone would sell something like this knowing a teenager was going to be driving it.

 

So, I took it easy this week and just did some research. I pulled something in my chest getting all of the big parts off the scrap frame last week, so Ive been hurting all week. Stephen is coming over to finish some welding, and then we will start laying everything out.

In looking the engine and transmission over, I discovered a few thing. The engine is an '85 318. It should be a roller cam, or at least have the bungs machined for the roller retainers. Ill tear into it soon. The intake is a non branded highrise, or air gap. It seems to be too big for the 318. Most of the intakes that I found that were similar, had operating ranges of between 1500 and 6900 rpms.
The Edelbrock carb is a model 1406, an electric choke 600 cfm 4 barrel. The auto transmission appears to be a 904, not a 727. Thats just using a case measurement, so Ill have to clean it and find some stampings.
The plan for right now is to get another intake, Im looking at a Wiend stealth intake, rebuild the carb, clean it and repaint it, and use it. I might get a mild cam too, but Ill have to find out what rearend gears I have, and what converter I have in the trans. Ill also get some shorty headers, and make an exhaust; dual flowmaster 40s, with an H-pipe and it will probably dump just before the rearend. The goal is to get it back on the road, and start saving for a modern Hemi/6 spd swap.

On the transmission, Ive been faced with a decision and have been going back and forth. I have the 904 auto, which seemed to be slipping when it was in. I have the NP435 manual, that is an unknown ( I never saw it work). To use the NP, I need a clutch, pressure plate, slave cylinder, and new boots and lines all the way around. Plus, the brake booster is too large, and it blocks where the clutch reservoir would need to go, so I would have to also get a smaller booster or a non-vacuum booster. To use the 904 it needs a rebuild, and I have to modify the transmission cross member. I also have the mystery converter that could cause a nicely matched cam/intake/carb setup to run like crap. Plus the driveshaft is from the auto, but with me redoing the rear suspension and everything, its anyones guess if it will still work. The 904 seems to be the easiest cheapest route right now.

 

I got the 8-3/4" rearend out this weekend, and Stephen got some more welding done. We ran out of gas, so Friday I have to go get some more. I think the rearend gear is a 2.73:1. I did the old "count the revolutions" trick, and with 2 full revolutions of the axle, the pinion spun just under 3 revolutions. I pulled the brakes off, and the brake lines and e-brake cables. I have to cut the perches off, and clean it, to get ready for the 4-link.Slow but steady progress, I guess.


Engine out, and partially disassembled. Im going to remove the intake and check the cam. It might be replaced with something a little more aggressive.

Chrysler 8-3/4" rear-end. The brake drums arent even the same. Everywhere I look, this thing had problems. Ill continue stripping it, and getting ready for the 4-link installation.

The outside plates are on. Stephen ran out of gas and had to quit. He should be able to weld a little more this weekend. Hope to get these done, and the boxing plates welded in up to here this weekend. Then I can set the cab and start the mock up.


I hope to get most of the plates on and start the mock up soon. There is a ton of work after we get the suspension set where we want it.

 

I have looked at the rear ends I have, and cant quite make up my mind. I have the chrysler 8-3/4", which most agree will handle around 500 hp, with few issues. I also have a 9-3/4" dana 60, the BIG one. It is heavier, by about 50 lbs, but it should take whatever I can throw at it. I dont plan on racing, but the 8-3/4 has c-clips, and a 2.73. The dana has 8 lug axles, so I would have to replace the axles off the top (not sure on the gears). Built both cost about the same. Im not sure if Ill ever have or exceed 500 hp, and I have no need to change the gears, but the 8-3/4 has the removable center section. One hour gear changes if the need arises, versus several hours on the dana 60. Food for thought though.

Let me know what you think.