The wrecker box looks great on this size truck. Here's a utility style bed on a DT 509 that may give you another idea. Built to haul her vintage tractors, it's part of a friends collection.
Now that's a truck bed! Gotta love the two tone green as well. Beautiful, more pics please? Perhaps of a higher angle 3/4 rear? Probably would make sense to do some sort of a utility flat on it, however I was looking for more of a super-sized/reverse shrinky dink pickup.
Nice layout on the Ford cab- pretty darned detailed! Pro/E... Though just about any package is useful for laying out ideas and getting the spatial relationships solved!
I suggest you run a rear bumper, something simple and strong. These big things get backed up and things get in the way... little things (like compact cars) that you can't see. If you want you can make it easy to bolt on and off. (I've seen lots of bumperless rods and especially big trucks with sheet metal damage back there). Just my two cents, great start!
Agree, and esp as my trailer is polished any possible jack knife points need to be padded. Was thinking a rubber rub strip of some sort on the corners. Am open to ideas.....
You're the victem of wrong thinking on that! The correct answer is to get one of those hitch reciever "extensions" and get that trailer WAY, WAY back from any possible contact points! Almost every old trailer has dimples in the front skin from being pulled with bumper hitches behind old pickups, it's the very last thing you want in your nice trailer. No amount of padding will do anything but make bigger dents. Lest you think an extention is going to get you in trouble, I've pulled our Spartan behind our short box Silverado 1/2 ton with a 24" extention in the reciever in order to tow with the tailgate down. The reason was to get the Panhead bagger in the short box truck and take all our toys with us. It tows great with the extention, and with your HUGE truck, you're not going to know it's back there anyway.
I'm thinking it would look interesting in a millitary/industrial style. Very Spartan. Mess with peoples heads, put a modern diesel in it, and then stencil US ARMY PROTOTYPE 8-9-1952 on the firewall.
Interesting, for sure it will has a modern driveline already in the old frame. And right now it's gray... could be a Navy truck easy enough. Long term thinking two tone blue with a white roof.
The weather here has been fantastic today so I started working on the patch panels between the doors. About 16" wide, they have the embossed section for the door waistline. Instead of making dies to roll this out (which may have actually been cheaper, erg) I got a set of scrap doors to cut this section out of. They were unusable, I don't feel bad cutting them. The panel, once straightened and cut to fit, fills the space pretty well. One door had enough material to make both sides- by 1/4". Now to get my shear back in operation to trim the top/bottom and finish the rest of the panel! Still need to fill the holes in the panels and bend the two Z shaped channels that fit to the doors but this is now the outer side of the cab.
First post here... Very cool project. I found this while brainstorming my Diamond-T project. I'm hoping to put a 1948 404 cab that a friend and I bought on a modern Dodge 3500 with the Cummins 12-valve. More pics or advice on the fit-up of the 6BT in the engine compartment would be awesome! We took some basic measurements and came to the conclusion that we'd have to cut into the firewall. Are you planning on a larger-than-original rear window? Cheers.
If you can get away with a 4BT then do it. The 6BT is long and sticks into the cab about 9" which requires you to build a doghouse in the firewall. A Detroit 6.2 or 6.5 would be easier to fit. If you want to drop the cab on the Dodge frame that would save a lot of hassles. You will have clearance issues with the fenders and engine cover near the front where the DT pinches down. Engine installation pictures are here: http://www.davisengineering.net/diamondt/diamond_t_main.html Yes on the larger than stock rear window.
More work on the intermediate panels today. Welded in the door sash, then bent the edges to fit the 16.5" space between the front and rear doors. Looking more and more like it will need small windows between the front and rear doors. Anyone know where to get something about 10-11" wide?
With respects to your gauges what about desoto airflow units , they are large round gauges with a gold backdrop. I saw them on the Classic Insturments website while trying to find some gauges for my project. Great build keep up the great work its going to look spectacular. Also at my work we have a fully restored 1949 Diamond T logging truck , they truly are a piece of art. Rob.
I just found this build and it is beyond cool! One suggestion I'd like to make. If you haven't already done so, modify your turbo oil drain line to get it away from the exhaust and wrap it with heat barrier tape. Under a good load, i.e. towing, your exhaust temps will probably be above 600 degrees, and you don't want exhaust heat radiating to the oil drain line. This would heat up your oil too high and cause all kinds of problems. Last I knew, 6BTs were about $2000 a hole to overhaul. Just my dos pesos.
Heat: yes, I know it is going to be an issue. CA has lots of tall hills and I plan on towing up them. Fortunately, much of my professional life has been spent around open wheel race cars where we have lots of heat issues under the closely confined bodywork. I am using some of the tricks of that trade to apply here including ceramic blankets, fiberglass heat wrap and plenty of ducted air. The turbo oil drain hose has been changed to a metal line except for a short section which is high temp silicone. It is encased in fiberglass heat wrap. Used 6BT's can be had for $2500. However I don't plan to go this route!!!!
I am planning to keep the Deluxe gauges that came with the truck. Picture of the unrestored oil pressure gage here. These are the same types that Stewart-Warner made for Packard back in the late 30's. Very nice, very ornate and of course quite rare. They have several layers, two layers of glass and multiple silkscreens. I have a set at Williams to be rebuilt... The clock needs to be repaired and updated for 12v operation. Speedo is mechanical, so simple restoration there, same with fuel level, oil pressure and coolant temperature. I'm thinking of having a spare set rebuilt to show voltage, EGT and turbo boost.
More work on the B pillars today. Got both sides finished- including the fold at the bottom edge and the flange at the top where the roof will get welded in. Fairly complicated panels, they are not flat. Gentle curve on the bottom, more curve on the top above the door sash. Slight compound curve in the middle from front to back. Spent the money and bought a shrinker-stretcher pair from William's Lowbuck tools. He's local and it's good ole USA equipment. And now I'm broke. But it was worth it, the flanged sides are curved to match the door profile. Pretty darn sweet. Once everything lined up they got tacked into place. Feels like progress. When the rear doors are squared up and I'm sure they are in the right place then they will get fully welded and we'll drop some Lord 129 seam sealer in the visible locations to clean up the transitions in the door jambs.
The tooling investment will only benefit and enable you to take it "to the next level". Very nice work. Going to be a monster; not a crew cab, but a CROWD CAB!! "Press" on.
While pondering how I was going to fit 44" of sheet metal into the 30" roller to get the roof side curve, I decided to try and wheel the radius out. Beats cutting and welding back together.... Which always seemed kinda silly. First time using the machine, and it's not that great of a unit. Needs some attention to the head, kinda floppy right now- bought it used and abused. But the results are acceptable- Not feeling too bad as I'm a first timer- the metal matches the cardboard template within a sharpy width!
There was an artical on H/F english wheel but its gone will try to explain the lower wheel ass. pull it out make a bushing to fit inside that tightens to up on the adjusting screw then weld a coupeling nut to the side of the fraim on the side if the hole split it with a cutoff wheel and drill out one side put a bolt in it then whare the lever that rolles up the wheel find the high spot drill a hole then tap it out to 1/4" tap size at high side so it will not go over center
That truck is gorgeous! I saw it at the truck show in Algonac @ 3yrs.ago. People thought I was odd for crawling beneath it to study the e-brake.
Actually they are the same size. I think it's the angle on the A pillar vs the rear being straight that makes it look different.
There was a 37 DT that way on Ebay with a very nice sculpted side bed. If I had the space I'd have this truck in my driveway!!! Good thing it's in NY. Thinking to make an addition to the top of my bed like those little swoopy side risers...
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