Hey VW, would you have a link explaining the differences and interchangability of the different (type 2, type 4, et.) VW engine and transmissions???
Printable View
Hey VW, would you have a link explaining the differences and interchangability of the different (type 2, type 4, et.) VW engine and transmissions???
Dave, if you look up www.shoptalkforums.com & poke around you'll find alot of those answers there. You'll find alot in the VW Speed & drag racing forum, as well as the conversion perversions & Euro-look forums.
Probably THE #1 place to get aircolled VW information on the web.
I know there are a couple Porsche 5 & 6 speed trannys that will mate directly to a Type IV, and of course there are the bus trannys that fit the type I's, & later ones for the Type IV.
One of the most popular deals is to use the beefier Bus tansaxle mated to a type I engine, Porsche tranny flanges, CV joints, & stub shafts with aftermarket drive shafts (you could also bolt on the swing arms & brake system off of a Porsche 944, it's almost a direct fit but requires wider fenders). Makes for a bullet proof drive train on a street car. Anything stronger would require an aftermarket tranny & those are WAY spendy.
You'll also have to keep in mind the difference between IRS & swing axle transaxles. Swing axle seems to be very popular for drag applications, but they have serious camber issues if you want to drop the car. IRS is much better option for something lowered or bagged. I cant think of anything that looks worse than the angles those wheels get on a dropped car, fuuuuuugly!
Thanks VW, appreciate the help. Going to go do some looking.
OK, So I slacked off for about 2 mos. I have about 30 days before the next local show, so I finaly got back into the groove & started gettin my stoargae unit ready so I can use it as a shop late at night when I'm awake. This is the main thing that prevents me from working on it as much as I like, not having a garage & being a night owl.
ANYway, I tore into it this weekend & got both rear qtrs cut down:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/bug14a.jpg
Then using a donor hood & hood fram from another car I did some cutting so I could make the metal take a new form w/o ruining the curves of the original part.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/bug14b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/bug14e.jpg
I took the skin out of the center of the hood so that I could change the countours of the sides w/o having to work the center. Once I get it all lined up & set I'll re-skin the center, probably using the metal from the old roof.
To smooth it out & make a more workable front edge I'm thinking about using the piece I chopped off the top of the windshield. Will have to blend it in, but it has a nice curve & actualy makes a similar line as the hood itself. The lip for the window seal will make it easier to attach the interior trim when I get to that point as well.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/bug14g.jpg
Still plenty of room for a roll bar & to lean the seats back a good amount.
Once I get both of the frame sections tacked on & the sides of the hood down I'll start on the wood form I'll need to hold everything in place to skin the hood & fill the cuts. THAT is gonna be fun,...
Looking good VW. Anxious to see some pics as the work progresses. Should be a good look when you're finished.
Man looks like that thing will be looking great! How much money have you put into that thing to get it to where it is now?
Thanks guys, I appreciate the good words.
As for how much?,... Oh man, I've done all the labor & fabrication myself, thats saved about 80% of the cost alone. The aviation grade wiring harness would run upwards of $1K alone!
All together if I had to put a value on it, about $10K so far.
The rear end will add quite a bit once thats done, the external metal is only a part of it. The firewall will be moved, and I need to build up the roll cage & tie it into the body panels to keep the rear end rigid. Once all that is done I'll have the bulk parts done. The engine is a whole other can of worms, I need to start getting the part together for the turbo system. :P
If your worried about the rear end holding together, you could always do like GM did with the larger cars. Connect the mounting points with extra braces. That way, you can just unbolt the rods to work on the motor. For a good example, open a full size caddy;)
I'm gonna weld in a couple braces here & there, & had thought about a large cross brace in the back that I can either unbolt or have pinned in place to bolth protect the engine in the unlikely event I get hit, & firm up the rear. Once the firewall/package tray is out & I have the rear cage tubes in place I can get all of that lined up.
Got a lil burned out on working incessently on the panels & working on someone elses motorcycle for the last couple weeks. So over last weekend I didn't do anything to either of them. Trying to avoid burnout here.
Have been grinding the welds down & am now in the process of slowly beating the panel smooth. As I progress I'm learning things, foremost of wich is like many things I make, I usualy do one for practice & trail & error, then I do another for the final work. Looks like I'll need another donor hood coz this one is a mess. lol All things taken into account tho, it's actualy coming together pretty well.
Have concluded that I'm not gonna make the show this weekend, not with the car anyway. Didn't expect to have too much done, but I cant drive it as is & I'm having difficulties locating a trailer. I cant use the flippin transporters from U-haul or the like, car's too low.
Cant believe how much a simple trailer is around this part of the country. For the price of one I could get 4 in the South East. Something I'm thinking of when I go see the family, could make a tidy profit off that trip. :D
ANYway, what I DID do last weekend was get a matching spare for the car (same tire/wheel as the fronts) and make a cover for it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...sparecover.jpg
Came out quite well I think, and really wasn't all that difficult. then again, having acess to an industrial grade machine at work does help alot. :P
Looks like your comming along well though VW. That stitch work looks really good too! I wish I had a machine like that to do a few things I need done on my truck... Keep it up and hope to see the final pics soon. I am pretty interested in your build. I would love to build something like that because I have never been into VW stuff or seen nothing like that or even know much.
Hmm... Doesn't look too bad. I am not sure what material I will be using for my truck. Only material I know of is Tweed (which makes me itch too much), suade (sp), leather, ultra leather... I can't think of the other two but I like the look of tweed just can't sit on it, I will start itching real bad and get a rash. I like ultra leather but I think it's really expensive last time I looked. Oh there's plush too.
Oddly enough, I have a similar model machine I got for $25 at the local pawn shop. Mines a bit different tho, your's looks like an early aluminum bodied ultralite model. Mine is a 1939 model made of cast iron. HEAVY, but it does well.
I dont have the needles to handle thicker stuff, broke 3 putting the edge together. :P I just needed the industrial machine to clean it up & tighten the piping up on the seam. Workin with 4 layers of naugahyde with a parachute cord center for the piping is a bit much for the little one. I managed it OK to tack it together, but the part where the piping is overlapped & tucked makes it a total of 6 layers & then the cord.
Given the proper needles & heavier thread I could do these at home, but the power & depth of the one at work is much nicer. :D
I've been toying with the idea of making custom design covers if there was an actual interest in them,...
Hard to beat the old Singers. I sure wish I could have gotten the one my grandmother had when she passed on. :CRY:
BTW Denny, what kind of search did you do on ebay to find the material?
I was in my fathers 2000 Crew Cab dually chevy truck the other day looking around for idea's and I think I got it. I wanna try to find either some front or back seats out of the same year in that grey color that is real popular in the 1998-2000 trucks and then get the same material that is on his door panels and ceiling. Also I wanna rip the center consol out as well and take that to put into my truck. Then I can say I have Chevy stuff in Ford tough. hehe I'd rather the whole thing say chevy including the motor but nothing I can do about that.
Thanks for the info though guy's. I am going to check out that ebay link and see what I can find.
Denny, quit teasing me, you know that you have my dream vehicle. I may not care for my 66 Ford as much as I would like to have a 30's Chevy truck but once I get my tranny in it, about 80 more HP, my interior done, lowered with wheels and tires then I will like it tons.
Thanks Denny for the link. I've been wanting to redo the seats in my Duster and that looks like the ticket. :)Quote:
Originally posted by DennyW
Not a problem. :)
I found this, and it's the same people I got mine from. I was a little leary about it, but, this is the heavy material. I also got the nine foot one. 39.99, plus 15.00 shipping. You will be surprised when it gets there, just how heavy it is. They have different colors also. The nine foot is a good coverage size. Just plan your layout.
http://cgi.ebay.com/9-Black-NAUGAHYD...QQcmdZViewItem
Start with the location, cut the shape out of the panel, cut the door to fit, add backing plates to make it sit flush. I elected to use this aviation panel latch I've had around for years.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug15a.jpg
Latch cleco clamped in place for fitting
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug15b.jpg
Door with hinge plate & half hinge riveted on, painted with primer & blitz black to keep the bare steel rust free. Ready to instal once the other half of the hinge is placed & riveted
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug15c.jpg
Looking forward from the side with door open. Need to rotate the tank back a couple degrees, but otherwise it's just fine.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug15d.jpg
Looking at a lower angle from the front. Need to tweak the hinge plate a bit to get the alignment down & get the curve of the panel correct. Then it will come off again to grind the welds on the backing plates, sand & primer until time for paint.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug15e.jpg
Start back on the rear decklid frame tomorrow. have templates made to match the left side placement, time st start cutting!
Looks good still. Keep it up, your that much closer.
OK, here's a view of the semi-finished product from the left rear.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug14h.jpg
I ran a piece of 1/2" square tubing across the bottom & then made filler panels. Rolled a bead into them to stiffen them a bit, altho I botched the bead a bit (hard to do alone with a hand roller!). All in all, looks pretty decent & makes a very stiff section.
Side view, starting to mock up the windshield bow sections.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug14i.jpg
Today I started late but got most of the right side bow bent to shape, mounted, & welded in place. The sheet metal clamps from Eastwood are great!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ash/Bug14j.jpg
Altho I did try to keep the piece level with the body lines it twisted some while I was welding & I have a slight offset on the filler panel. I am hoping I can hammer it level(ish) once the welds are ground down & the rest can be masked with a light coat of body filler.
So far I haven't done more than grind the welds smooth, so once the welding is done on the back I have a metric ass ton of sanding/filling/sanding/filling/repeat ad nauseum to do. yay!
Hopefully tomorrow I can get the other side done & start on the center gap filler. Will be fun as I need to replicate the sheet metal contours entirely by hand. The section is about 12" long too. Think I'll be making a couple of the sharper bends on the brake at work, then form the curves at home.
Oh,... Joy!
Here's the Bomber ta the local car show.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_0014a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_0014b.jpg
Was a great turn out. 251 cars, largest in the 20 years it's been goin on. People that run it really need to work on how they lay it out tho. Was way too little room where we were, way too much on the other end. Same thing every year too, needta get ahold of the organizers before next year & have a talk about that,...
Due to not getting my time off as planned, I didn't finish the front half of the project before the show. Need to grind the welds down & do some creative hammer/dolly work to even up the pieces before I can make the center filler.
Will post a couple new shots when I get it finished up.
Took a break from all of the auto websites for a couple months. Between work & our other activities I was pretty burned out, altho now I have a metric butt-ton of reading to catch up on. Might burn out again just doin that! lol
But yeah, that & with the weather turning to crap it's pretty much slow to no goin on the Bomber these days. Anytime I have the energy to get out there & work it's raining, & somehow welding in the rain doesn't appeal to me. :P
ANYway,...
Did get out for the annual Oyster Run motorcycle rally in Anacortes WA. Spousal unit wasn't doin too hot so the bike was out, decidede to pack up the Bomber & go instead. We lucked out & got an awesome parking spot right next to the road block so we set up on the corner & watched em roll in most of the day. OUSTANDING day & so many scoots. & the people watching was sweet too. Starting to get promoters brinin in hotties with nice smiles, better curves, & not much on. Damn the luck! lol
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...f/IMG_0180.jpg
This one was at an old gas station on the way round to the back side of town. Nice lil place, but I missed a great shot. When we pulled up there was a new Porsche Boxter on the other side of the pumps. Woulda made a good side by side shot. :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...f/IMG_0155.jpg
Got a couple shots right before I parked it for the season.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_0188a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../IMG_0192a.jpg
Yep, STILL haven'f pulled the beam & bent the panhard mount up,... But I gotta say, it makes bump steer a LOT of fun! :
Have the gaps on the cabin cross piece welded up, need to smooth the metal & apply filler as needed & thats pretty much done till it's time to paint. Still have to make the filler pieces for the sides of the deck sill next to the firewall to complete the rear exterior metal work. Once I get that done I'll make a cross brace to fit where the firewall is now & then cut it out & make the new one further forward coming up from the fwd edge of the package tray. Once I have all that done & get the deck lid fabbed up I'm gonna start scroungin parts for the engine & turbo.
Days are getting longer again, & spring isn't far away,... Gettin itchy! :twisted:
Well looks like a lot of fun. The VW is looking bitchin as usual too. What color do you plan to paint it?
The flat black seems to be gettin overdone, but then I always find a way to be different.
The plan so far is to paint it with John Deere Blitz Black. Super durable paint, almost as strong as epoxy base but not nearly as spendy or hard to shoot. It's more satin that flat, & unlike most flat paints it's easy to clean & resists scuffing.
Gonna add some black reflective graphics at a couple points, both to set off the finish AND to meet the vehicle code requirements for reflectors. ;)
OK, I did a bigger internet burnout than before. Thought I updated this page in April, maybe it didn't take,... But oh well, I not only haven't been posting on the car sites, I haven't even been looking at them.
Sometimes thats just how it goes, been busy as all hell & now that things are slowing down & I'm starting to work on the car again I'm back with updates.
So, here's the poop.
Removed the headlights, steering box, linkage & sterring arm & had them all powder coated prior to the Cruizin the Harbor show. Literaly got it together at midnight the night before! Did everything the same color as the axle except the headlight buckets, got a black wrinkle on those & it all came out great, looks sweet!
I started making a filler/former piece to go up front between the fender panels at the lower nose. Would have them welded on but I got ahead of myself & forgot to insert an access panel so I can unbolt the spring mounts w/o standing on my head. That should be done here in the next couple weeks tho.
Yesterday I started on the gap fillers on the decklid sill & have the passenger side completed, just needs some grinder work & it's good to go. Will probably get the drivers side done today, then I start cutting the donor metal to make the new lid.
Have some pretty cool ideas in store, gonna be pretty labor intensive, but if it all comes together like I visualize it,... Well, it's gonna make me happy anyway. :D
Still up in the air about puttin in a rumble seat, hasn't been done & would be pretty sweet deal if I pull it off, but then I cant go with the turbo setup I was lookin at,... But then, I can always redesign that too, an advantage to being crazy I suppose!
I'll post some photos later, just hope I dont get burnt out trying to catch up with my reading!
Glad you checked in, VW, you have nice ideas.
Jim
Nice ride!!
Like the flat black also.
I like anything with wheels and an engine.
I used to be an instrument technician, it came in handy wiring a friend of mines 55 chevy.
But... I would like some tips from you if I may when I rewire my 65 F-100.
Regards.
Richard Winters
Friendswood, Texas.
winr@sbcglobal.net
VW, I have been looking into VW's now the past week... I am beginning to like them more and more that I look into them. I know very little about them but have learned a ton so far from reading sites, forums, etc. A guy at work has one he said he would sell me or trade my golf cart for it but it needs a lot of work and an engine. I may build a 1600cc and put in bigger jugs and heads, and a nice cam. Not sure though, he has new floors for it but the fenders have some rust, etc. I am thinking of buying it and getting another top at pull a part junk yard chop the top 3 inches, take the fenders off and lower it. I want a straight axle but doubt I can afford it. For now I would keep the stock rear with it dropped about 3 inches and then find out how to adapt Cragars or Radir Tri Ribs and cheater slicks on it. It has the tranny still but no engine, some rust, needs new windshield and back glass...
Any idea how much I should pay for it if I don't do the golf cart trade? If I get this thing then I have to sell my 1948 Chevy coupe but I think I will be better off doing this because my 48 will take years of work and these VW's are so cheap and good on gas. The guy I bought my 48 Chevy from wants it back so I might just sell it back to him.
Any ideas here? Price of what I should pay? Info on cutting the glass for the windshield and back glass? Front end options on a budget?
Thanks!
Winr> Sure thing, ask away & I'll see what I can do to help. Aviation grade wiring isn't cheap, but it's tough as hell & takes up less space.
FMX> If it's just a shell that needs a load of work, a couple hundred at most. A car that cant even move under it's own power isn't worth much regardless of what it is.
You can get a decent amount of juice from a 1600 dual port if you do it right. Dont really even have to spend alot either. Find some 041 heads, fly cut em a bit, turn the jugs down for a .030 deck height, find a mild street cam, & drop on a set of dual 1 barrel solex carbs & it will give a good grunt for ya.
As for puttin it to the pavement, the best way to put on different rims is to order blank drums & have em drilled for press in studs in whatever pattern you need. There are also disc brake kits that come with VW, Porsce 5-bolt, or blanks. Some places will set them up for GM standard 5-bolt as well. Adapters work, but aren't real reliable in the long run.
The glass is pretty easy, once you have the chop done, take the stock glass, measure it, tape it off where it needs to be cut & find a place that will do it. They actualy use a belt sander & run it down, cost me a whole $25 to lose the 4" off the top of my windshield.
Alright cool I appreciate it. Yeah on the price, the guy said he is going to get me one but add in the new floor pans he bought for it a long time ago, he has some stock radio in it (can't remember what he said it is) but he said he wont sell it with the car and is going to take it out, umm.... Chassis and body and tranny and that is it. Someone frenched in the tail lights upside down so they hold water, but that is ok none of the fenders are any good so I will take em off and run some old 30's or 40's tail lights with blue dots in the back (fenderless). He said that if I chop the top that I will probably need a donor roof.... So I will have to look for one of them and also doors I guess? Or just the roof? I think what I will do is buy the case and then get some big cylinders, I would like to go a bit bigger than just a 1600.... I will have to read up on motors and go from there. Maybe a 2.0 liter? Who knows, I would need to just get it put together first. He said the trannies in these things never break and that all I would have to do if I wanted is do a new clutch plate or something and that is it.
Getting a dodnor top & the doors makes it easier as the metal is already curved properly for the filler sections. Can be done by hand IF you're good with sheet metal tho.
As for the engine, start pokin around on www.ShopTalkForums.com and you'll get all the info you will ever need about engines. As a newb, I would start with a 1600 to learn with & get the bigger stuff a piece at a time. You can make decent power with a 1600 with a junkyard turbo setup, pretty much what I may end up doing if I go ahead & do the rumble seat as it will all have to be custom anyway.
The real good parts are pretty spendy if you wanna go up over 2.0L, at least if you want it to last more than a couple months between rebuilds. Just stay away from GEX engines!!!
Trannies tho, yeah, not bloody likely! They can take some abuse, but it's not that uncommon for people with big engines to split the case or shatter a CV joint. But, you can get a decent light race duty trans for about $500. I have one in mine with a beefy differential & a couple mild mods & have over 100K on it, alot of it pounding the sand in the mojave with a 1.8L race motor.
How fast you wanna go all depends on what you wanna spend, but a person can make a lot of power with little money if you stay sane & research the tricks. ;)
So stick with a 1600 or around there and put a turbo set up on it? What about an upgraded cam... I want some kind of rumble and not have it sound like a ricer motor either if you know what I mean. haha. I listened to that rat patrol car and it sounded good for a small motor. I didn't know these things didn't last that long. A lot of guys said they have to rebuild at around 50,000 to 80,000 miles... I wonder how well a 327 or 302 would do in one of these things. Haha I have a 302 and 3 speed tranny in the garage all ready to go. haha just messing, that would be a nasty machine!
If you go turbo a mild grind will be fine. From what the folks on STF have said a step above stock works fine for average applications in smaller engines, past that it's all in the setup of the turbo itself. You can put together a 1.9L for a reasonable price & if you add a turbo you'll have some serious grunt.
Now for REAL power you upgrade to VW's version of the big block, the type 4. Came in the vans, the rare 411 & 412 (wagon & fast back, UGLY, but quick!), & the Porsche 914. The conversion is pretty easy, requires the larger, beefier bus transaxle and you can upgrade the drive shafts as well. A common thing seen with the euro-look crowd is to replace the rear swing arms with those out of a Porsche 944, they bolt up & are stronger, but are 2" wider at the wheels, can mount some serious rubber back there too.
The type-4s are a little harder to come by & a lot more expensive to build than the standard type 1 motors, but they make crazy torque & are more reliable over time when you're lookin for lots of ponies. But if it's gonna be a toy, just something you drive on weekends & the like, you can get crazy with a type 1 engine & be good to go.
There's several folks that have made a sub frame & mounted V-8's in them, some obvious, some not. A popular route is to get a buick front drive transaxle & drop a V-8 in the back seat making a mid engine car. The possibilities are only limited by how much room you have & what you wanna spend. ;)
Cool looking project...pray for sunshine and keep an umbrella or rain gear in the trunk!!!!
Well I never got that VW I told you about. He wont drop on the price and I told him he wants to much and to try Barrett Jackson car show because I wont pay that much. He thinks 1000 is very cheap for it hahaha.
OK, so I got off my arse & got a couple photos. the show is tomorrow, so understandably I have been somewhat busy with things. I spent WAY to much time removing someones sad excuse for a bondo job from the rear apron and resurfacing the apron. It was prety mangles so it took a few applications to get it flat, but it's dont properly, not like the previous job. Some schmuck slathered on what looked like an entire can of Bondo & sanded it smotth,... I always thought it weighed too much!
Anyway, I also refinished the frenched tail lights to smooth out the blemishes there, and finished up the fillers in the deck lid frame.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16g.jpg
And got both sides of the rear cabin frame done and filled in the low spots as well. Still gonna need some loving before I do the final paint job, but thats some ways off yet. At least it looks better!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16f.jpg
Here you can see the Mustang steering box with the fresh powder coating by the freindly folks at Skagit Powder Coating (shameless plug) with a grey hammertone like the axle, along with the steering linkage and if you look at the blocks supporting the fuel tank I had those done as well.
2nd shot is of the headlights, and altho out of focus, the mounting bar I fabbed was also coated to match the axle. The Dietz style headlight buckets look good, but the chrome is crap, so I had them powder coated with a black wrinkle finish. They look sweet, I believe it was a good choice.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16d.jpg
Here was todays project, looking at the photo you can see the 4-link mounts I made for the front axle, I simply made it to slide into the lower frame channel & bolt on. The first models were temporary & pretty ugly. Altho they held up for over 2 years, cant complain. The newer ones are stronger, go further back for stability, and I finished the ends by closing them up topped with the grey hammertone powder coating.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uff/Bug16c.jpg
Looks GREAT VW! Keep up the progress and keep us informed with it and some photos! I still have my eye on that 70's VW I told you about and may still get it even though the guy want's 1000 bucks for it which is about 350 bucks too high IMO.
Looks GREAT VW! Keep up the progress and keep us informed with it and some photos! I still have my eye on that 70's VW I told you about and may still get it even though the guy want's 1000 bucks for it which is about 350 bucks too high IMO.
Looks GREAT VW! Keep up the progress and keep us informed with it and some photos! I still have my eye on that 70's VW I told you about and may still get it even though the guy want's 1000 bucks for it which is about 350 bucks too high IMO.
Man o man,... I always feel gulty when I look ay my car. Poor ol beast has been sitting more than anything. Just haven't had the gumption to tear into the next stage of the project. That and I have some other items I needed to finish as well.
One is an early 70's square top Coca-Cola machine I'm rebuilding, the type with the little door you pull the soda bottles out of. Got it all stripped out & sent in for powder coating, right now I'm goin in circles trying to either A) find a sign shop that will repro the original graphics w/o permission from Coca-Cola Corp., or B) get permission from Coca-Cola Corp to get the graphics made. Assinine proceedure really, but cant be helped. But ah well, will be nice just to have it back together & running again, neat ol beast that it is.
The other project is still pending, but may take precidence over the Bomber,...
I'm needing a trailer to move the Bomber & other items around. BUT, I dont have a place to store it when not in use, having a trailer can be a blessing and a curse.
So I was out driving I saw an old beat up farm truck & had a vision,... Get an older flat bed 2/3 ton truck, mid 50's to mid 60's, chop, channel, drop it (thinkin air bag suspension too), and build a custom slider bed. Similar to the beds on common wreckers, but more purpose built & not nearly as complicated. Done properly the truck could be used for all kinds of hauling, even daily driving with an updated power/drive train, AND I can get my beastie to the places I need it w/o worrying about how it's not finished yet, wether or not it's safe to drive over this speed, or, or,... Yanno, typical things one worries about when in the middle of a full on rebuild. Even more fun is the fact I can enter both of them in a show with the Bomber on the back of the truck. Definately different to say the least.
Just need to drop off & talk to the old farmer & see if he wants to part with the dead truck for a grand. Did come across a 5-ton I-H set up for heavy work, lil too much beast for my buck tho, otherwise I'm still lookin around.
One of these days I'll quit being such an A.D.D. freak, but in the mean time I'm havin fun!