Mike, I haven't forgotten about you. my silly brother hid the coffee can of connectors so your shipment was delayed. Take care Ryan.
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Mike, I haven't forgotten about you. my silly brother hid the coffee can of connectors so your shipment was delayed. Take care Ryan.
No problem Ryan. I've been plugging away on a few small things to keep busy but mostly just getting ready to my annual trip back to Illinois in a few weeks (I'll be taking the Ram 50 this year).
Once I get back (in between getting some stuff ready for a swap meet in Tucson) I figure I'll get back on getting the front suspension, service brakes and fuel system taken care of .....the last 3 big things on the truck before I can put it on the road.
Again thanks Ryan.
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I should hire you to bring me a truck back from the Phoenix area that I found. The Ram50 may eat too much gas for that though. :LOL:
In all seriousness, will you be going up I35 or across I80 at all? If so, I'd like to buy dinner if you have the time.
Not a lot (any :LOL: ) progress on the old Dodge since I made my annual trip back to Illinois. I did get around and ordered the parts to rebuilt the front suspension (ride height adjusters, ball joints, and bushings).
The rebuild parts came in yesterday and as it will probably be a bit before I get started on that project I was just going to throw them up on the bench. Fortunately I ended up thinking better of that and went ahead and opened all the boxes to check the parts. My luck was holding true to form, one of the upper ball joints had been miss boxed…..I don’t know what it fits, but it sure isn’t a Mustang II.
On the bright side, Speedway was great. they said they would get a replacement ball joint out today and that it wasn’t worth the shipping for me to send the incorrect one back….. just keep it. Not sure what it fits. but it’s new and clean and may end up as a paper weight :LOL:
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Just shows that one must listen to those stomach noises at times aye Mike otherwise you may of been spending money to replace the foreign part.
One of the ongoing projects I have when I’m visiting family back in Illinois is going thru the boxes of old pictures. I came across this picture of my Granddads’ panel truck the other day. He owned a barber supply company and was o the road a lot selling the things used on a day to day basis in the barber shops (razors, sharpening stones, aftershave, shaving soaps etc).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psq7johd9y.jpg
I can’t see enough detail in the grill to know specifically what year it is but it is 36-38 Panel version of the 37 Dodge Pickup I’m building.
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nice old photo
I love old pics like that, thanks for sharing
Very nice pic. You sure don't see many of those at all. Thanks for sharing it Mike!
Was it a coincidence you chose this particular make/model?
Or was it a deliberate choice to follow that which you already knew Granddad had driven?
It was just coincidence. Up until I came I didn't even know there was a truck associated with the business. I bought my 37 basically as an impulse buy.....I came across it when I happened to have the money and I thought it was a decent price.
By the way the logo on the side reads "Giles Barber Supply Company" .
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Being from Illinois-it must be difficult to live down there in Arizona and see all those nice possible projects setting everywhere!!!!!!!!!! I used to watch both sides of the road-out behind the barns-for any old 57-58 Mopars just to get some blocks!!!!!!!!Usually after a while we would dispose of them but save the studs, nuts and washers---------
Now that it’s warming up a bit I’m back on the 37 again. The Mustang II front end was already installed when I bought the 37. The previous owner had used a burned up Mustang II as a donor and transferred the suspension components….. worn out ball joints, bushings, calipers, springs and all to the truck.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psdccrsqdv.jpg
I kept putting off rebuilding the front suspension using the excuse that I wanted the full weight (engine, transmission etc ) on the front end so I could get the correct front springs in it. Anyway I’ve run out of excuses so it’s time to rebuild the suspension. Rebuilding control arms is not my favorite job by any stretch of the imagination but being basically cheap and having the time and tools I ordered bushings and ball joints rather than a new set of control arms.
My luck held true to form. One of the upper control turned out to be bent. Of course I didn’t pick up on that until after I had spent an hour knocking the ball joint and bushings out of it.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psnn25vrkn.jpg
I had given Dave my spare set of used Mustang II control arms for his project a while back but he had mentioned that for the difference in cost between buying the parts to rebuild them (not to mention the time and effort) he was just going to order new ones when the time came. Anyway I ended up picking the upper control arms back up and used them. I finished up the arms yesterday, so at least that’s one job down.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psqd3mrj2w.jpg
Today will probably be spent getting the holes cut in the upper spring pockets so I can get the ride height adjusters installed.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psfudpoqhm.jpg
Once that’s all done I’ll be able to get it back together and do the brake conversion. I’m going from the 9” rotors to 11” which should finish up what I need to do on the front suspension.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjj6lkirc.jpg
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Lookin' good Mike. I'm with ya on rebuilding "A-Arms".. and a bummer on the bent parts.
But it looks like it's all come together and a huge improvement on the rotors. Thanks for the update/pics too.
Very nice Mike! If you want, I have some brand new MII springs you can have. They are these springs. I got them before I decided to go air ride on mine.
https://www.gearheadworld.com/store/...12461C139.aspx
It’s been a productive week. Besides working on the truck I also got a new laptop (the old one was literally falling apart). I’ve mentioned that I don’t really like doing front suspension rebuilds but right up there with that aggravation is setting up a new computer. Basically the week was spent working on the computer until it annoyed enough that working on the suspension didn’t seem so bad……then putting the suspension together for a while until my carpal tunnel started bothering me enough that it was back into the house to work on the computer for a while more. :rolleyes:
Installing the ride height adjusters was pretty straight forward. My hole saws center with a ¼” drill bit so the original hole for the shock stud was too big.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psaggkdlnr.jpg
The simple fix for that was to tack weld an appropriate size washer to the hole.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps7tz5lvjx.jpg
Then cut the hole for the adjuster.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psixesqc2p.jpg
Drill the holes for the mounting screws and bolt the adjusters in.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pslqln5vdt.jpg
I put the new caliper brackets on while the spindles were off then bolted everything together, put the rotors on and checked ride height.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps8yeklt26.jpg
Then it was take it back apart and cut a coil off the new springs and put it back together again and recheck the ride height. Removing the one coil seemed to do the trick so everything was tightened down and the alignment was roughed in (it will be going to a friend’s alignment shop after the fuel and brake lines are run).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps7isb8rvk.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps9crs3kgx.jpg
I really figured I’d get started on the brake lines next so I could at least move the truck around under its own power, but I think that will be moved down one place on the to do list. A couple of weeks ago I ordered the interior panels for the truck figuring that I’d get around to installing them at some point after the truck was drivable. The kit includes the headliner, back panels, door and kick panels and are ABS plastic reproductions of the original cardboard pieces. The problem is they take up so much room I don’t have a place to store them :eek:
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbdhccnmh.jpg
I guess I’ll spend next week getting them installed just to get them out of the way. I’m even debating sending the seat out now to get it upholstered (problem is I can’t decide what color so it may wait for now). On the bright side the suspension is done for now and the new computer is finally set up.
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You do realize that God invented computers to test our frustration levels of calm aye Mike ? I have threatened to take mine compute out to the road and leave it there for the next big truck to run over so many times, I lost count. Nice job of the front end too.
I can't figure out what I like better, the Hemi sticking out of it or the rest of the pickup. I guess it's like having a girl with looks money and brains. Nice. I used an ABS firewall panel and It was great.
Nice progress Mike! The truck is looking great. I share your problem with not having room to store stuff. :LOL:
girl with looks, money, and owns a liquor store????? couple people fit that=====McCains wife, and Alexies DeJoria
McCains wife has beer distributor but Alexis has great Tequila and is younger-----plus a lot of HEMIS
Nice job on the suspension. Love the hemi, what a cool truck!
The interior panels are in the truck and out of the way. The installation of the headliner would have been a bit easier with an extra set of hands but wasn't really too bad once I figured out how to hold temporarily it in place while I marked the holes I needed to drill for the overhead console.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa5p5v4y2.jpg
It turned out the kick panels needed some work to get them to fit. Getting the first one correctly trimmed took some time as I was only taking out a bit at a time to make sure I didn't go overboard on the material removal. After I verified it would also fit the other side it was just mark what needed to be cut on the other panel and trim it down.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbe7mrcjj.jpg
Once they were fit and the holes drilled for the retaining pins I was able to get the speaker holes marked and cut and finish up those.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psqzl33yfc.jpg
The one area that I wasn't happy about was where the headliner and windshield post trim (part of the kick panel) meet (or actually don't meet). It probably wouldn't be too noticeable if I just painted the area black but cutting a couple pieces to fit out of the left over material from the speaker holes sounds like a good job for one of those days I'm bored.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps2oflvmdy.jpg
The rear panels are like the originals and don't completely cover the back of the cab. I'm going to be using the original bench seat so that is not a problem for me. If I ever change over to bucket seats (not currently the plan) I would need to figure out something to cover the back of the cab.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps6wrzoa53.jpg
I'm missing the window regulator for the driver's door and so far haven't had much luck finding one. I do have a pair of regulators from a 1940 Dodge truck I think I can make work if I have to (it will move where the window crank handle will go however). So not knowing where the window crank hole would need to be I just ordered the door panels without holes and for now just cut the one for the door handle.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pspxknmtnx.jpg
Overall I'm pretty happy with the interior kit. In spite of a couple of issues the overall fit is pretty good and sure beats starting from scratch. For now I'm going to leave the panels as is. When it comes time to do the upholstery (after paint and body work) I have a few options;
1. Leave them as is (black)
2. Paint them a matching or contrasting color (I'm kind of leaning to a buckskin color at this point, but who knows what I'll end up doing). I've had good luck painting ABS interior panels with the SEM paints and this is what I will probably end up doing.
3. Upholster the panels and headliner.
Anyway that decision is in the future.....way too much other stuff to do before I'm at that point.
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Hey Mike, I found a up to date photo of your Granddad's mobile shop on another web page and thought of you and the picture you had posted back one page.Attachment 67149
Interesting how the "A" pillar just ends like that. But overall it looks really nice, gives the project that finished look.
I like the ABS interior, like you said I think Buckskin would look good. It's kinda funny what was acceptable back then for interior and fit, it would never fly today. I am at the same point you are on the panels, mine are black right also and that's how they are going to stay for this summer.
I've been procrastinating on crawling under the truck to run brake and fuel lines (just can't seem to get excited about that job). I decided last week that I'd go ahead and tackle getting windows in it.
When I bought the 37 it was missing the driver’s door window, regulator and track. I’ve been keeping my eye out for a replacement regulator since I got the truck (and got serious about finding one over the last 6 months or so). Along the way I did find a pair out of a 1940 Dodge truck “just in case” (and if I remember correctly I only paid $25 for the pair).
I went thru my stock of window stuff and found enough window channel felt and cat whisker to do the doors, so I sent the one side window out to the glass shop to have another window cut and decided to see if I could make the later regulators work.
The 39-47 window regulators (top) are a completely different style than the 35-37 regulators. It would have been nice to find the correct regulator but in reality the 39-47 are probably a better unit (and I can find a bunch of them to include NOS if I ever need another one).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psgeqsifq9.jpg
While the doors won’t interchange the dimensions and inner panels between the 2 doors are reasonably similar. After a lot of measuring and a bit of tweaking I drilled the four 1/4" and one 2" hole and got the first one mounted in the drivers' door.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pswssvxslu.jpg
The window crank is moved down a little bit and I may have to extend the window crank shaft a bit if it causes the crank to rub on the door panel but that's all minor. It sounds like we'll have all three grandkids tomorrow but so I either won't get to the other door or I'll have an extra pair of hands to help.
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The glass shop that was supposed to have my door window done a week ago finally called Saturday to say it was ready. I got it in that afternoon and the "new" regulator works well and I'm pretty happy the way it turned out.
As expected I did need to make an extension for the window crank handle. I suspect that somewhere someone is making these, but a quick search didn't turn up anything made for the 3/8" square shaft that is common on the older stuff. Building my own was pretty simple (and cheap) so I really didn't mind making them. I started out with a cheap 3/8" socket extension then heated it red hot and let it cool to take any temper out of it. Then it was pretty simple to just cut it to the length I needed and use the grinder and a file to get the end back down to a 3/8" square. They would have been a bit prettier if I had a mill to cut the flats with, but they'll do for something that no one will ever see.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psuo0mwpze.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psuhnjgyze.jpg
This was before I drilled the holes for the roll pins (which went pretty easily after the heat treatment). If I do decide to upholster the door panels at some point I'll have to make up a set of 4 for the door handles and window cranks to clear the upholstery but like I said it's pretty simple to do. :)
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As usual I ran into a little unexpected issue when I started on the brake for the truck. The old chrome master cylinder I had planned on rebuilding and using ended up having a bore to badly pitted to clean up and put a kit in. I ordered a new cylinder and it and the proportioning valve finally got here Friday. In spite of Easter and a couple of guests showing up unannounced a day early I did managed to get the brake lines done on the 37 this weekend.
I spent a little time figuring out a place to mount the adjustable proportioning valve where it would be out of the way and not too noticeable but fairly easy to get to make adjustments on. I settled on putting it here.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psol8w1ox8.jpg
I still have to adjust the brake pedal push rod and bleed the system, but that should be done today. After the brakes are bled that should only leave getting the fuel lines and pumps installed and a battery cable run to the solenoid…….well kind of. As the fuel tank and battery box are going to be mounted in the bed I’ve decided to do the bed floor before I move on to the fuel lines and battery cables. I ordered the bed strips and battery box on Friday and hopefully they will be in sometime this week. So today or tomorrow I’ll get to the lumber yard and try to find some wood I like. The fun never ends :LOL:.
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Looks awesome, Mike! I'd have to think about leaving the original paint and steel wheels for a while and driving it like that; looks fantastic just like it sits.
“………I'd have to think about leaving the original paint and steel wheels for a while and driving it like that…..”
That’s actually been pretty much the plan for the last year or so. After working on it off and on for the last 15 years or so I’d actually like to drive it around under its own power for a while. I can get any of the bugs worked out of it and decide if I want to make any changes to it without worrying about putting a scratch on it and in the process take care of some of the body work as I get the time and ambition.
At some point I’ll blow it all apart for paint and body, box and paint the frame etc. A lot of the work I’ve been doing has been with that in mind……things like making the wiring harnesses so they just unplug into manageable sections, being able to unbolt the exhaust system, etc. I;m at least getting closer!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
What are you using for wiring connectors? The last time I had the tach and speedo out of the Vette I made some quick disconnects using Molex plugs. They're faiAttachment 67357Attachment 67358Attachment 67359Attachment 67357Attachment 67358Attachment 67359rly cheap and as long as they're not exposed to the elements they work fine.
Nice work on the dash Ken....it sure makes it easier doesn't it :3dSMILE:
For my dash I used a recycled a 6 pin plug from a random wiring harness and a flat three plug (Ford used these in some of their harnesses).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psf70ygnua.jpg
The rest of the harnesses were mostly a combination of trailer wiring plugs which should hold up well to any inclement weather the truck may see; a few Square 6s, flat fours some 2 pin plugs. The individual circuits are generally on bullet or spade connectors. This is the harness for the grill shell. I can remove the whole grill shell and just have to unplug the one harness. The individual components (headlights, turn signals and horn) unplug individually to make it easier when I pull everything apart.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjkhfs6ve.jpg
There are separate harnesses for the engine, dash, wiring going to the back of the truck (lights, fuel sender and pumps etc) and transmission controller is also on it's own harness.
All the electrical for the overhead console also is on plugs (which sure made it a lot easier installing it).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa5p5v4y2.jpg
And yes I drew out a wiring diagram as I went (about 5 pages so far :LOL: )
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Nice progress, it looks nice. You're getting really close to being bale to drive it for sure. I started making a schematic when I wired my 72. But stopped because I got caught up with just finishing it. Now sometime, I need to go back and finish it for if there issues down the road. :LOL:
Ain't nobody gonna be lookin' at that little itty bitty brake valve. All eyes are gonna be glued to those valve covers! roflmao...
looks really good there Mike.
The bed strips that were supposed to be here a week ago finally arrived yesterday so I've made a bit more progress :D
The 37 originally had a metal floor in the bed (big selling point for some back in the day). Somewhere along the way the floor was cut out and by the time I bought it there was only a badly rotted piece of plywood kind of covering the bed. Several years ago I pulled the old plywood out. Fortunately when they cut the bed out they did weld in bracing to support a new floor.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psctetkbrz.jpg
At the time I pulled the old wood out I just trimmed a sheet of 1/2" plywood to lay down so I could put stuff in the bed while I worked on it. (leave it to me to get the bed that was 47 1/2" wide so 1/2" had to be trimmed off the side)
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pssynrhudb.jpg
Over the years I've given some thought about what I was going to do with the bed. I kicked around putting a sheet of steel in, using aluminum diamond plate or doing a wood floor......It's still up in the air about what it will end up with when the truck is painted and pretty but for now I needed something.
At this point a really nice looking bed would look out of place in the truck, so I wanted something that looked a little aged. The more I looked at the piece of plywood that was already in the bed the better it looked with the "character" marks and couple of stains it had picked up over the years. I figured what the heck and put a light coat of stain followed by some Thompson's Water Seal on in and called it good. I got all the holes marked and drilled and then got everything bolted down this morning. For being quick and cheap I don't think it came out to bad it and looks appropriate for the truck. The plywood will be a good template for drilling the holes when I get around to doing whatever will be the final bed in the future.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps6auaamuz.jpg
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That looks really nice and fits the truck nicely. Nice work.
Thanks Ryan. I spent the afternoon bolting the gas tank down, finishing the fuel lines and getting the sending unit hooked up (I mounted the fuel pumps and filter earlier this week). So the fuel system is now done from tank to carburetors.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pswpyqpfgo.jpg
That just leaves getting the battery box done and a battery cable run to the solenoid and I should finally be able to move it under its own power.
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Did something very similar with mine too. Easy to maintain and looks great!
The battery was originally located under the passenger side floor in the cab. I figured that I would either keep it there or maybe move it under the floor of the bed. The dual exhaust pretty much eliminated both of those areas. That just left mounting the battery in the bed of the truck. Until I get the paint and body work done I kind of figured a shiny new aluminum or stainless battery box would look out of place .......and I knew I'd hate the look of a plastic one. I had resigned myself to fabricating a battery box out of some old painted metal I had to make it look a bit aged. Then I ended up with this idea of using an old tool box if I could find one big enough.
I didn't have anything on hand and hadn't had any luck finding one at the swap meets, so it was E Bay. A search under "crappy old $10 tool box" didn't come up with any results, so I typed in "vintage" instead (you know..... the add 50% to the asking price term). Anyway I ended up with this one which fit the bill nicely. Yeah. with shipping I paid 2 or 3 times what it sold for new, but it was pretty much exactly what I was hunting for and the slightly tattered "Western Auto" sticker is a nice touch.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pshrejglzr.jpg
It's even big enough that I can throw a hand full of tools.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps5idvyawf.jpg
With the tank and battery done, the truck was finally able to move under it's own power for the first time. I was just going to back it out of the shop so I could clean the bay out (really ;) )
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psrpew6tls.jpg
Of course that turned into taking a couple of laps around the arena :LOL: . I still have a ton of stuff to do but at least it moves under its own power now.
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I love the battery box. Apparently, the battery tool box is old hat for the rat rodders, but its new to me.
It looks clean, and even holds tools. Awesome.
