I'd like to fire up the Cummins soon so it will re-energize me on this project. I cut a hole in the frame and fished the tank filler tube and vent through it. I'll reinforce that area of the frame with some plate when I can move it. Now I can finally fill the tank with diesel! I built an xxl battery box right near the starter. This should minimize the length of battery cables and be in a convenient location to access or jump them. I'll triangulate the mount back up to the frame eventually. Its fairly thick wall angle iron but it still flexed pretty good with the weight of the batteries.
What batteries are you planning on using? Group 31 stud(instead of lead posts) have a lot of good advantages to them.
Amen to that! I hate lead post batteries, working on heavy trucks for 29 years has spoiled me on 31 stud tops! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Interesting, didn't know about group 31's. I looked at a chart of a ton of battery sizes and made the rack big enough for all of them but those weren't on there. The rack is 26" wide which is slightly too short for two group 31's. Granted I rarely buy new batteries and I always have a surplus of older batteries on hand. At the very least its still just a small 5.9 liter with very little electrics except for a tilt bed. It can always be modified down the road. Its funny how the heavy duty trucks have all the good parts and pieces to them.
Played with the wiring harness on both the White and the Cummins and then bled the fuel system for hours... we have success!
10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag. 2 days of making brackets and I think the whole fan/radiator/intercooler assembly is ready to go in. Test fit: Lots of brackets and measuring later... This whole assembly sits on some rubber bushings to insulate it from the vibrations in the chassis. Now I can work on plumbing for the radiator and intercooler. The electric fan came from a Mitsubishi Galant that I turned in for scrap metal. I've found that any OEM electric fan is WAY better than the aftermarket stuff, even if it was just cooling a 4 cylinder. I'll keep an eye on my water temps in case this one won't cut it though. Hoping to drive it in and out of the shop next week. Fingers crossed!
Radiator is plumbed and holding antifreeze! Intercooler is plumbed too! I have a bunch of bits and pieces coming for the radiator. I'm adding a remote radiator cap in the top hose since the radiator is so much lower than the top of the engine. Heater hoses are just looped for the moment. Only had to make one custom tube for the intercooler. I welded a bead around each end so it wouldn't pop off with the turbo pressure. All the pipes fit under the floor snugly with no interference issues.
Got the steering column finished. Used a couple big block Chevy rods for the supports and welded them into the stock pedal box assembly. Wrapped the inside of each rod cap with rubber from an old bungee cord and tightened them down. Worked perfectly. Used a double u joint coming out of the steering box to make the turn into the cab. First time I've used one of these, they can really make a tight bend compared to a single u joint. I have to remove the box one more time so I haven't divoted the double d or put the lock nuts on yet. Consequently the double u joint requires the use of a support bearing just because you are technically introducing a 3rd u joint to the shaft. I was going to order the bearing but instead I went to my local hardware store and bought a 3/4" heim which feels exactly the same as the "official" support bearings they sell online. $31 and picked up same day. Couldn't beat that.
I'm thinking you're gonna need one more support on the column, up top, right close to the bell flare. Something V shaped, right now, all your support is in a single line down low. Looks like it would be easy to shift sideways....
Mack Truck used those double u joints for years at the steering gear. Your build is coming along very nicely. What kind of bed are you planning on? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Good call. I'll see what I can come up with for something nearer the top. It feels pretty solid at the moment but I do like to use the steering wheel to pull myself into the cab.
Working on the shifter today. Using the original parking brake from the White and the cable is for a shifter on a mercruiser stern drive boat. The only way to lock the cable down is a small slot in the sheathing. Anyone know how they lock it down from the factory? I carved out a U shaped slot in a bracket and a hose clamp keeps it in place but I can't say I love it. Totally functional though.
Got the shifter done! I was going to mount it from underneath the cab but it would have been sharing space with the cab tilt hinge and crossmember. Figured I needed to raise it up and not go underneath the floor at all. My Grandpa was an airplane mechanic in WW2 and I received some of his tools when he passed. This old tool box belonged to him, although I don't know its history or if it had any significance to him, but it made for the perfect shifter stand. Still has his writing on it. Funky, sentimental and functional! Hinges still work for servicing.
Used a 10 bolt side gear I had laying around for the brake pedal pad. I still need to shorten the arm but I'm waiting to get it out of the shop to test pedal travel. I looked for a gas pedal assembly for awhile and didn’t find anything I liked. I was looking around the shop and grabbed one of the old steering arms off my 65 Nova and used it for the gas pedal hinge and supported it with a simple little bracket. I found a barefoot pedal i had leftover from my 59 Chevy Parkwood and slapped it on one end of the steering arm. I'm using a universal cable assembly for motorcycle throttles and shifters and its super stiff. May have to get another boat steering cable for this pedal too. Maybe I'll throw a stiff return spring on the throttle and pull it out of the shop tomorrow? Here's the steering arm, closeup.
How's this for crazy?! I looked at my photos, the White was delivered EXACTLY 1 year ago on July 24th 2019. And today, July 24th 2020 is the first time it pulled out of the shop, and the first time in a many many years that its moved under its own power... here's the video, so excited!
Made a bunch of small progress while trying to get it drivable. Seat bolted down, power steering functional and bled, more modifications to the steering geometry and tightening up a lot of bolts... nothing too exciting. I wanted to test the 4wd and was pleasantly surprised by the turbo sounds too. Never driven a cabover before, the steering is bizarre and kinda fun sitting so far forward! Good times!
Sometimes its the little stuff that keeps a build going. Got brake lights, turn signals and headlights all wired up today in anticipation of going on public streets soon. Just installed some harbor freight trailer lights in the rear to make it road legal. I'd still like to run 6 59 caddy taillights blinking in sequential mode like an old Cougar or Mustang. Running some cheapo tri bar headlights with a built in turn signal. The lights above it are led flat mount boat running lights.
My dad bought a '63 with a dump bed at a county auction about 40 years ago. Same color as yours. It had an overheated rear brake that actually caught one of the duallies to catch fire. It had an OHV 6. It might of had a engine issue because I had to pull the head to send it out for a rebuild. We kept it stored at our property since that's where he wanted to use it after we got it running. Well one thing came up after another and it kept getting put off. It ended up getting vandalized really badly so it sadly ended up getting scrapped.
@Bleach That's a bummer! Stuff like that happens all too often with sitting vehicles. Have a friend who had several tri 5 Chevy's stolen off his parents property because it was way out in the woods. On another note, made the interior a little more hospitable. The 2nd seat is mounted, it had to be a couple inches taller due to the unevenness of the floor. The drivers seat was more important to get perfect anyway. Added a Tuffy center console with a built-in stereo slot i had lying around so i don't have to cut up the dash. Also has the all important cup holders!
Ordered some 5" gauges but discovered that 5" gauges are more like 4.8" and the hole I had was more like 5 3/8". As luck would have it I hadn't tossed the old gauges yet and there was a small bezel on them. I pried it off with a screwdriver and cleaned them up with steel wool in the sink. They almost slid over the new gauge but not quite. I made several tiny relief cuts with the grinder and they wedged on perfectly. Luckily the tach fit perfect without any mods. Last hole is for the boost gauge. How many vehicles allow you to work on the back of the gauges from outside? I could have just unscrewed the gauge pod too but this was even easier. Its probably important that I never have the front vent open when I'm driving in the rain.
I am loving this build! I would love to build a COE one day, and have often thought that I would do something very similar to what you are doing. Subscribed and on the watch for this build
Got the rear shocks mounted, stock f550 shocks and mounts. Just had to weld in a plate on the frame rail to space them correctly. Got the governor springs in to boost the fuel cut closer to 4000 rpms. They go in the little hole in the fuel pump at the center of the picture. A normal cummins de-fuels around 2800 rpm. Finally got the rear cab mounts done. Used a concrete form stake as a pin for alignment. Welded a Dodge body mount that's bonded to a washer as the rubber isolater. A hitch pin clip secures it to the mount. I will drill out the hole to handle a more robust keeper pin and add another rubber disc to the underside of the mount for additional cushioning. This is all accessed in the wheel well so it isn't out in the open. Pull two pins and start jacking to tilt the cab.
Got sick of working on the wiring. On to more important aspects like... can it do a burnout? 2 beers says it can!
The Jalopy Journal
