Tow Rig / Shop Truck

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SwedeSport
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:38 pm

I misidentified the auto trans that is in the truck. It is not an E4OD, but a 4R70W. I was calling around for prices on cables, and no one listed the application, so I crawled under the truck to check it out. Sure enough it is not the one I thought. Either way it is coming out in favor of a stick shift.

Mine has the Overdrive on the shift lever, and I assumed that was only on the 4 speed overdrive trans.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Tue Aug 06, 2013 1:51 pm

Massive improvement in visibility at night!
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:05 am

For the floor of the sleeper cap, I put a layer of interlocking foam floor tiles down. I am going to overlay that with a gray carpeting. That should be sufficient to insulate and improve comfort.

I sprayed the inside of the cap with a black/white/gray fleck stone texture paint, and topcoated it with a matte clear sealer. The truck interior is gray, and I wanted to match it somewhat.

All the bodywork is done on the exterior of the cap, and if all goes well will have 3 coats of color and 3 coats of clear Sunday. With any luck, I can begin to reinstall the windows, lights and hardware over the next week or so.
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RobVonSAAB
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby RobVonSAAB » Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:58 am

Swedesport, I have a 351 complete bottom end pulled from an 89 with 50k on it. Make me an offer on it. Its complete bottom end, never been apart.
You would need to add heads and intake. Hooker makes some nice shorty tubular headers as well. You will want to find a stick ecu for your 351 also. A mustang 5.0 plastic radiator fan bolts right in. Revs up a lot faster and is way lighter than the factory one. LMC truck is a good resource. I ordered a new radiator and rear fuel tank from them, I had a problem with a Chinese fuel pump from them, it failed very quickly. For fuel pumps and sending units I order from the dealer.

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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:41 am

Rob,

I am interested. Where is the bottom end located?

How long has it been apart, and how has it been stored? Not worried about the bolt on stuff like heads, intake etc,... I would have changed all that anyway.

I was looking at the long tube headers for this one, with a true dual setup using Summit mufflers, headers, and hardware.

I have had good luck with LMC.

Assuming it is close enough to pick up, or we can work out a transit arrangement, what kind of dough were you looking to get for it?
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby RobVonSAAB » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:16 am

It's been greased/oiled and wrapped in plastic, stored in our heated garage for a few years. I have a buncha projects piling up here, I'll ask my father how much he wants for it. We are located 15 mins from exit 24 off RT.78 In Long Valley. I also have a wire harness, but I think you can reuse your 302 harness, except the firing order is different. Long Tubes would be cool, we are running ours with the shorty headers and the massive cat, no muffler, sounds good and passes emmissions.

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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:14 am

Please do. I was looking at another motor with similar mileage, but the guy wants me to take the whole truck, and I don't want to get involved in parting out another car.

I am planning to use the ECU, harness, and f.i. system off a 99 explorer v8. But I believe the 302 harness will work.

Keep me posted.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby RobVonSAAB » Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:39 pm

We are gonna take a look at it and get back to you after we look at it, prob tomorrow.

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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:11 am

Thanks man,

The truck is running and driving, so there is no immediate concern. I am just trying to be proactive in finding a replacement motor BEFORE I get stuck with a truck that doesn't run. With 320k on the truck, and unknown mileage on the current motor, I think it is in my best interest to be prepared for the inevitable.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby RobVonSAAB » Sun Sep 08, 2013 3:53 pm

Good thinking, We took a look at it today, re oiled it and turned it over by hand. Its in really good shape. No ridge at the top of the cylinders and its still nicely crosshatched. My Dad wants $325 for it. If you want it, swing by with an old tire and some straps. Message me and Ill give you the address and my contact info. I would like to find it a good home as we don't have an immediate need for it.

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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:11 am

Well,

I spent the last few weeks trying to finish the sleeper cap, and get it permanently installed on the truck. I finished all the prep work successfully, and proceeded to use the Dupli Color Paint Shop system. It is a lacquer product that says it is ready to spray out of the can. I followed the instructions that come with the product, and the end result looked like shit. It came out of the gun like cob webs, and laid down with a stringy texture. Hosed a whole quart onto the cap in an effort to wet it out. I ended up sanding most of the paint back off to get it smooth again.

Thinking I was having a moisture problem, I cleaned the gun well, replaced my moisture filters, and rebuilt the water trap on the compressor, as well as making sure the tank was dry.

I bought another quart and tried again. This time I made sure the atmospheric conditions were ideal. I layed down an entire second quart. This time it was really dry, and the painted surface looked like it had sand in it. So again I sanded it out to try again. I was rather pissed at this time, so I called Dupli Color and had a chat with their techs. Turns out their recommended gun pressure labeled on the can, is too high. And it does require some reduction with certain types of guns.

So I bought the 3rd quart of color. This time I reduced the pressure of the gun to HALF what they recommend. I set it at 12-15 ish. (gravity feed HVLP). I reduced the color by almost half with Acetone. I began to spray it on, and immediately noticed the difference. It laid down nice and smooth, and I was able to keep it nice and wet. The result was a reasonably smooth finish, with a slightly matte texture. I proceeded to follow up with 3 good coats of clear, that I again thinned with Acetone, but slightly less than the color coat. In all it came out well. I would have liked to lay down another good wet coat but I was out of paint, and did not want to go buy any more.

It is slightly orange peely, but I can be happy with the overall result. The paint system seems pretty good, although I suggest that you practice with it on something less critical before painting your project. I would use it again, but would do a test spray first.

Worked on freshening up the window frames and trim, so that I can reinstall the glass. Also had to respray the trim that covers the screw flange on the base of the cap.

Also pulled the rear brakes apart for an overhaul, and expect to order new tires sometime in the next few weeks. I am going to have to address the radiator support, and cab mounts for inspection this year. That does not sound like fun.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:08 am

Got the openings in the front of the cap matched to the cab. I installed the cap back on the truck, and completed the chase for the wiring. I need to install the rear window to make it completely weather tight.

I gutted out the 3rd brake light and bed light lens assembly, and drilled a 7/8" hole in it, as well as in the front of the cap. I then painted the housing black. I installed rubber grommets into the holes, and ran a piece of 1/2 inch tube thru the 2 grommets to create the wire chase. I ran the basic wiring for the interior lighting in the cap, as well as the bed lighting that I mounted under the cap. I also ran the wiring for the rear facing work lights that I plan to mount to the back of the cap. While I was there I ran the drops for the amber strobe lights that I will mount to the top of the cap. (Emergency/Plow lights) I am installing an L.E.D. 3rd brake light in the back of the cap.

The accordion seal worked perfectly to seal the cap to the cab. And yes the opening is big enough for me to crawl thru. I am 5-8, and not too fat, so I can easily climb in and out of the sleeper. I can lay flat on my back with my legs stretched out, but I have to lay at an angle. Not an ideal situation for anyone taller (or fatter) than I. I am going to finish the floor with some gray carpeting.

Axle bearings are grinding and squealing, so I guess I will need to rebuild the rear sooner than later.
I have a line on an L.S.D. for it. I will probably replace the axles, all bearings and seals, and due to the 325k mileage, I may end up replacing the R&P while in there. Since the front is only used in 4wd., my guess is it has way less wear, and will be fine for a while.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Mon Sep 23, 2013 8:27 am

Small snafu with the rear slider window. I had intended to put the really nice one that was already on the truck in the cap opening. The gaskets were too different and it was not going to work. I ended up cleaning up the one that came with the cap, and installing that until I could find a better solution. It is a little leaky, and hard to open. I will try to fix the leaks if I can, but at least I can lock the truck again.

I mounted the L.E.D. 3rd brake light on the back of the cap, as well as the work lights. I used a piece of aluminum angle to make the brackets for the flood lights. They will be operated by a toggle that will mount in the overhead console that I am working on. I also have a set of small L.E.D. amber strobes to mount on top of the cap. I plan to attach them using the existing screws for the flood lights. There will be 6 in total, 2 in the grill, 2 on the roof, and 2 above the rear bumper. These are controlled by a small control box with 3 flash modes. I am installing them primarily as plow beacons, but they will also work in other emergency / utility situations.

Next project is to install the interior lights, cleanly route the wiring, and install the carpet on the floor.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby SwedeSport » Tue Oct 01, 2013 9:05 am

Got some new shoes for the rig.

I am really digging the offerings of Federal Tires. Thanks to Drew for the lead. If it wasn't for the post about the set of el-cheapo 595 RSRs that you put on your 85, I would have never heard of them. I ended up putting a pair of the 595s on the front of my 86, and 4 of the SS535s on the 89 sedan. I liked them enough that when I needed to re-tire the truck, I looked at the Federal Couragia MT. They are very reasonably priced at 132.00 each. Shipping was 25.00 per tire. Still much cheaper than the other brands I was looking at locally. I ended up going with a slightly larger size this time. 31 x 10.5 x 15 LT.

I have heard these are awesome in deep snow, but a little challenged on hard packed road snow and ice. I may buy a siping tool and cut some slits in the tread blocks to improve that if I find it necessary. But I'll wait and see how they are this winter.
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Re: Tow Rig / Shop Truck

Postby Geoff » Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:44 pm

Those things look like they'll be nice and quiet on the highway and nice and grippy on ice.
:sarcasam off:

I paid less than your tire+shipping cost for the Nokians on my van and they came with sipes. They're a little smaller but they're E rated so your size is probably similarly priced.
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