Posted by CSCameron [184.101.163.20] on Wednesday, October 01, 2014 at 11:37:21 :
I've been working hard on the 55 FFPW over the summer and made quite a bit of progress and thought I would share it with you guys...
Bought a welder, and with the help of a friend, learned to weld and fix the cab. We were able fix all of the rust issues. Installed new corners , cut out the rot across the back, new floors and kick panel bases (new parts by Dennis Sherman). Fixed the rot on the bottom of the upright supports at the back of the cab. We filled close to 200 holes in the firewall and interior of the cab. Added lap belts, (4) 1/4" plates under the cab as anchor reinforcement.
Figured out a way to remove the cab so I could take it and have it sandblasted. This also allowed me to clean up the frame under the cab.
Cut out and repaired the rust issues with both doors. Had rot on both doors at the bottom front corners and up by the upper hinges.
I cleaned and detailed the engine. Added a spin-on oil filter. Added an alternator for a 12v conversion (bracket by Chris Case). All new belts, hoses and vacuum lines. Replaced the front motor mount. Refurbished all carburetor linkages.
Refurbished an over-flow tank. Soldered 30 to 40 pin holes. Killed the rust inside the tank. Epoxy painted the inside to seal it. Painted and polished the outside.
Completely rebuilt the knuckles. Did a 4 wheel disc brake conversion. Just finishing up with all new brake lines. Added a proportioning valve.
Had all new glass cut. Rebuilt the windshield frame and had new glass installed. Will be installing new glass in the doors soon.
Painted the exterior and Line-x'ed the interior/firewall/bottom of the cab (much to the dismay of many here). Then re-installed it. Removed the radiator/shell and repainted it. The radiator had already been re-cored 2 years ago.
Not even close to perfect, but it's a lot better than when I bought it. Now that the weather is getting nice here (Phoenix) I should be able to get a lot more done and get this thing on the road soon. Getting closer.
I've assembled a few pics in a slideshow (no particular order) for your enjoyment. I have a ton of pics if anyone would like to see more, let me know.
Clark
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