Projects Kurt’s Puddle Jumper - 1930 Model A Extended-Cab Pickup Build

Good question. Since it does not look like I’m going to suddenly acquire a new rear clip to make it into the coupe I really want, I am going to put the pickup bed back in for now so I can get it on the road in my lifetime. I received this very suggestion back in Sept 2014 when I first posted on H.A.M.B.


GAGA4TOYZ actually did a Photoshop of it with a shortened bed. Thank you again GAGA4TOYZ. Not sure exactly how it will look fenderless and channeled, but we will see. I’m planning on shortening the bed to about 6 inches past the old rear of the body.

 

In looking over what I had posted, I realized I left out a few facts and figures.

I’m trying to recreate from about 60 year old memories some of how my buddies roadster was done. I remember the front and rear Z’d frame, but not the exact measurements.

I built the rear of the frame from 2 x 4 x .120 rectangular tubing. The wheelbase is stretched 2.5” to minimize firewall tunneling. The rear Z is 15” at 60 degrees. The front Z is 7” at 45 degrees. The rear crossmember is also 2 x 4 x .120. The 2 x 2 crossmember at the base of the rear Z is only temporary.

 

Nice work! Don't forget those fish plates.

 

Just think when you get the bed back on you can tell everyone you have the ranchero prototype.

 

Did you ever have great plans for what you were going to get done on a project, lay in bed the night before planning it all out. Then the next day just not able to get going.

I planned to get a lot more done today, but at least got to see what it will look like with wheels and tires. Got them mounted yesterday. Cleaned them up and hung them this morning. These are just roll around tires, no flames please for radials.


When I say hung, I mean literally. If you notice the front wheel with a great deal of negative camber, its because it is hanging from one thread on one wheel stud. Hard to mount 4 ¾ wheels on 5 ½ hubs.

I plan on replacing the original Model A spindles and hubs but for now plan to redrill them to 4 ¾ as soon as a put together a press to press out the old studs.

 

Sorry for the duplicate picture.

Weather finally turned again and got a little done between trips taking the wife to physical therapy.

Built a poor mans press to remove drums from hubs and some other pressing needs (pun). This proves I’m cheap. Could of gotten a 6 ton from HF for $110, but I had to build one myself. I have had this channel iron for 31 years since building a bike rack for the back of our 2nd MH.


Still need to buy bolts and drill more holes to make it more general use, but it worked to remove the wheel studs and the hub from the drum.

Why am I doing this? Again because I’m too cheap. I plan to replace the front spindles and hubs, but want to mount the 4 ¾ inch wheels to make it a roller.

Made a template to mark the 4 ¾ lug spacing.


Marked the lug spacing on the hub, but not enough flat surface to keep the drill from walking. Yes, I tried.


Slept on it for a day or two. Was ready to bite the bullet and order a Speedway spindle, hub, and disc brake kit for $629, but decided to try one more thing. I welded enough buildup on the inside edge to give more flat surface.


Ground it down. Marked it again. Much better.




Now to setup a jig on the drill press. Searched garage for right size socket, pipe, or tube to fit the inside of the hub. Doesn’t it always happen that you have something larger or smaller but not the right size. I finally found a 2 inch hole saw that was perfect.


Drill, turn, drill, turn, … Worked great.



Tap the holes. Yes, that is only a 3/8 inch tap, but that’s enough to hold the wheels on for now. I don’t have a 7/16 inch tap anyhow.



Kind of hokey, with bolts through lug nuts, but it works to make it a roller. Still need to go buy more bolts.



Now just need to do the other wheel.

 

Got the other front hub/drum separated, hub welded, marked, drilled, tapped, and wheel hung. Almost a roller. On to the back wheels.


Real scut work today. Removed rear cover, axel C clips, rear axels and rear brakes. Now can get access to finish welding spring hangers on axel. Pressed out broken wheel stud. Quit when it got to 90 in the garage with 70 degree dew point.


Just as I’m writing this, FedEx delivered the steel for the ladder bars. Now if the weather would just cooperate.

 

Got started on ladder bars. Wasted a day trying to come up with a jig to hold the mounting plates on the axel housing at 18 degrees and the bolt hole plumb. I wont even show my first attempt. As usual, slept on it and came up with a better idea.

I mounted the plates to a piece of OSB that was square and sat on the top of my frame table. That made them plumb. I then cut a piece of 2x6 at an 18 degree angle. That holds the OSB at the right angle. Still need to grind the edges of the brackets to fit tighter because of the 18 degree angle. Also need to cleanup the housing before welding.


I built a jig to hold the ladder bar tubes to drill them in the drill press.


Worked good got all 4 tubes drilled. Only problem was I had to take it off the drill press each time to get the tube out of the jig and put in the next. Then reinstall it and adjust till it was plumb and centered. Took about 15 minutes to setup and 30 seconds to drill.

Got 3 of 4 tubes tapped. (Got too hot in the garage). Had to build a tap wrench since I didn’t want to spend $80 for one. Every cheaper one had bad reviews like “it broke on the first use”. Half a HF socket adapter welded to 14 inches of ¾ inch rod. 3/8 socket drive fits perfect on the 5/8 inch tap.

I tapped about ¾ inch with a starter tap and finished with a plug tap.




Finish the 4th tube tomorrow.

 

Got the 4th tube tapped yesterday. Start on the bushing ends today and hopefully get the brackets fitted and welded.

 

Your moving along pretty good.... keep us posted.

 

Well, so much for great plans. Took a week to get done what I expected to do the next day. Too many chores around the house.

Finally got the ladder bar brackets fitted and tack welded on the housing, and bars hung.


Cut center crossmember and started marking front brackets and fitting front end of ladder bars.



I got tired of the axel housing moving so that each measurement of the ladder bar length came out different. Tack welded the housing to the frame table with a couple of 3x3 tubes left from building the frame table. Now the measurements stayed consistent.


I want the middle crossmember to be removable, so cutout end plates. One of the four holes I can drill thru the 2x4 tube and weld in a crush tube. The other 3 do not have room due to the body mounts so I will have to weld in weld nuts.


Front ladder bar brackets fitted and tack welded on crossmember and tubes fitted and ready to weld.


Well that’s where it will sit for 2 weeks. Heading up to MN tomorrow for the wife to have more medical tests.

 

Well it sat for more than 2 weeks. It was exactly a year later when I got in the garage on Saturday to resume work. All I can say is life got in the way.

While in MN last October for the wife’s medical tests, I fell in our MH and dislocated my ring finger on my left hand. That kept me out of action for a couple of months, since I’m left handed. Next I had to spend several months converting our master bath to a walk-in shower.

Spring chores followed by another 6 week trip to MN and a family reunion in DC took us to August. Next the bionic woman had her second shoulder replaced. Still have to run her to physical therapy twice a week, but it finally has cooled off enough here to actual get out and work.

First order of business on Sat was to replace the casters on my welding cart. I went too cheap the first go round. I went cheap again by using the casters from our discarded CharBroil Grill (innards all rusted out).

Sunday I got back to work on the ladder bars. First I had to cleanup the surface rust that developed in one year. I neglected to Gibbs them last fall. I then decided to put a kickup or dogleg near the back to lower the top bar for floor clearance.

Not a lot but at least some forward progress.

 

Got another half day in today. Finished fitting and initial welding left ladder bar. Welds look like s@#$. Forgot to turn the gas on. Have to grind off a bunch and reweld.

Right side needs a bit more fitting and the web plate cut and drilled.

 

Nice build thread. VERY detailed.

 

Well took 2 weeks off for an annual trip to Dega. Only there 3 days, but it took a week before and after to get the MH ready and ready for the winter.

Got a couple of days work in this week. Finished the right ladder bar. Got the end plates welded on the corssmember and holes drilled for mounting it to the frame. One hole on each side I could drill through the frame and bolt through. The others were blocked by body braces under the door sill, so I had to drill 5/8 inch holes on the inside of the frame rail and weld in nuts.

 

Well the next step is to finish welding the ladder bar mounts to the rear end housing. Need to pull the body off the frame to get access, so decided I should finish some of the body mounts over the rear zee.

Spent about 3 days being finicky fitting the mounts and getting them welded.

Today it was time to pull off the body. Working on this project is supposed to be Fun. Today was anything but fun. Very humid with fog when I went out to the garage.

Found with the frame sitting on blocks on the frame table I could not lift it high enough to clear the frame. Funny, I had the chain hoist hanging from the same place when I installed the body the first time, but now it would hit the garage door before I got it high enough. OK, relocate where the chain hoist is hanging by 4 feet. Had to go up in the attic of the garage to move the hanger. Very hot and humid up there.

OK, chain hoist moved and start to lift body. Not moving on the drivers side rear. In welding the body mounts together while sitting on the frame rail at the top of the zee, I apparently got too much penetration. Body mount was welded to the frame rail. Get out metal chisels, hammers, and cutoff wheel and cutoff the weld. Pound, pound, pound and the body mount finally popped free.


Got the body lifted and placed on the cart. I’m sweating like crazy. Enough FUN for today.

 

Finished welding ladder bar and spring brackets on the rear housing. I will not post pictures since I’m not proud of my welds appearance. Worked on this 3 days this week since I did not want to get much heat in the housing.

While waiting for the welds to cool, I worked on welding 3/8 inch nuts in the frame to secure the body. Drill a 3/8 inch hole, enlarge to 5/8, drive a nut in place, and weld. Grind it relatively smooth.

Next up remount the rear axle and install the spring.

 

Well I didn't get the rear axle mounted yet, but I did get the ends cleaned up and painted to keep down the surface rust.




Got around to welding the rear cross member to the frame rails. Not perfect, but this one I'm not ashamed to post. Now need to makeup some gussets.

 

Looking good sir.Hope the wife is doing well.Please keep us posted as you are able.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Great work, what a great project! Hope your wife is doing better, best to you and yours!

 

starting to look great! should be lots of fun.....looks like a nice model A truck bed seems a shame to cut it up for something you don't really want anyway....check the swap meets etc. i'm sure a pair of rough 1/4s and trunk lid will turn up they're usually rotted at the bottom and you only need the tops....any of you fella hambs got some kickin' around? maybe you'll even get someone to trade you for the box

 

Woodbutcher and Chevy54man, thank you for the comments. Wife is doing great. Still going to physical therapy after shoulder replacement.

Nailhead A-V8, I’m starting to think that making it an extended cab pickup would be different. Someone suggested it would be a Ranchero Prototype. Hope to have it sitting on its wheels again soon and try hanging the pickup bed and see how it looks.

Got 2 days in a row of working on it. Cut and fitted gussets for the rear crossmember.

Cut and fitted 8 fishplates for the butt welded joints in the frame. Still need to cut the corners off and round 4 of them.

Cut and fitted the boxing plate for the left front. All told, used 4 cutoff wheels.

 

Re-enter after the crash.
Cut and fitted right side boxing plate.

Got all fishplates fitted.

Welded gussets on rear crossmember. (Have to remember to weld the bottom side when I next turn the frame over.)

 

Sprayed weld thru primer on backside of boxing plates and inside frame rails. Boxing plates tacked in place and welded in the rear.

Sprayed weld thru primer on backside of fishplates and where fishplates will be on the frame rails. Front fishplates tacked in place and partially welded. Ran out of welding wire. Not bad, first 10 lb roll I bought when I got the new welder a little over 2 years ago.

 

Got a spoll of welding wire. Got all the fishplates welded on and stitch welded the bottom edge of the boxing plates. Need to turn over the frame now to weld the top edge and bottom of the fishplates. Not enough different to see so no pics today.

 

Turned frame over to weld underside of fishplates, top of boxing plates, bottom side of rear crossmember and gussets. Thankfully I have a chain hoist. Got every thing welded and ground. Gave the underside a good coating of Gibbs while upside down.

Turned frame back right side up and reinstalled front end. Next up reinstall the rear end.


Hope everyone on H.A.M.B. has a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Well it took 3 days, but I finally got accomplished what I wanted to get done on black Friday. Rearend, spring, and ladder bars are reinstalled.

Cleaned up the back of the rear end, backing plates, and axels got them painted.

Installed the backing plates, axels, retaining clips, and rear housing cover (got to pull them again and replace axel seals, I saw one was bad when installing axel). Mounted the rear wheels.

Stopped at TS the AM and got some more chain. Ready to lift and lower chassis to the floor tomorrow.

 

Lifted chassis off frame table and lowered it to the floor. Took 3 tries to find center of balance. Rolled it outside so I could move the body over under the hoist. Of course I took some pictures while it was outside.

Lifted the body off the body cart, moved the cart, rolled the chassis back inside under the body. Lowered the body back on the chassis and rolled it outside for some pictures. I guess I can say “it’s a Roller”.

Stance is a little off. I was shooting for the frame being 5-6 inches off the ground. Its currently 8-8.5 inches, but no engine and trans yet. Should be close.

 

Yesterday, retrieved pickup bed from behind the garage.


Worst rot under tailgate. Some fab work to do since I’m not going to pay $250 for a replacement.

First thing disassembled as the tailgate. Seems to be in good shape.


Bed totally disassembled.

I cut the sides of the bed off at 38 inches. Think I want 32-36, but didn’t want to take too much on the first go. Clamped the sides in place and hung the tailgate. I need to play with the height a bit. I want the bead to align with the cab.

So what do you think? I think I need to take at least 4 inches off.

Is it possible to edit the title of a thread? I think I need to change it to:
KURT’S PUDDLE JUMPER - 1930 MODEL A Extend Cap Pickup BUILD

 

When selecting a trans, consider where the shift mechanism will end up relative to your seating plan. Extending the frame up front will make this easier.