Builds 86 Xtra Cab Build (4Wheelunderground 3 link front, 4 link rear and 3.4 swap) (6 Viewers)

[ntsqd]

Use Viton o-rings. They pretty much won't care what the 'fuel' is made from. You'll have to buy way more than you need, but McMaster has a good selection of them. I like o-rings better than flat gaskets any time I can get them. If I can't use them in a O-Ring Boss type of port shape I use a simple countersink with the depth very carefully controlled.

I don't think 'fuel resistant' is good enough for anything more than occasional exposure.

Oh, and you can't show us that F3 trim without showing us the rest of the truck!

 

[aztoyman]

@ntsqd, the O-rings are said to be Viton. My experience (many years ago) they were always brown but maybe that was a Caterpillar parts thing?

I countersunk the holes slightly in the pump plate to allow the O-rings to compress without squeezing out. I can't get the tool positioned because of the filler neck already being welded or I'd do the same there.

So far the leaking stopped so hopefully the "Viton" I got with the tank holds up. I pressurized to 3-5 psi as per the fuel sensor instructions. I put the sealer on the bolt threads and I guess I'll find out how fuel resistant it is or isn't.

Thanks for the feedback. My 52 Flathead Ford F3 retirement project got put on hold so I could build this truck. I got it running and on the road safely but nothing cosmetic yet. I wouldn't want the Mudd servers to have a meltdown so be careful what you ask for.

 

[ntsqd]

Not all Viton o-rings are brown, some are black. But it used to be, and maybe still is true that a brown o-ring is only Viton.

Learned to drive at 12 or 13 in a '50 F1 with a T-Bird 292/Auto and a Pontiac 4.11 rear axle. Grandparents had a ~1/3 mile long driveway and I'll bet that I put 5000 miles on that truck by going up and down it. Learned a clutch a year or two later in his '62 F-600, with a 292 in it too.

 

[aztoyman]

This had a T9 "crash box" 4 speed and 4.86 banjo rear. I swapped in a T98 synchronized trans from a 1950 F6 and a Dana 60 rear from a 72 F250 with 3.73's so I can do more than 45 MPH. The factory tag for the flat V8 says 96 HP @ 3400 RPM.

It's still relevant to this thread because the 8' bed is full of parts for this Toyota build.

 

[Broski]

This had a T9 "crash box" 4 speed and 4.86 banjo rear. I swapped in a T98 synchronized trans from a 1950 F6 and a Dana 60 rear from a 72 F250 with 3.73's so I can do more than 45 MPH. The factory tag for the flat V8 says 96 HP @ 3400 RPM.

It's still relevant to this thread because the 8' bed is full of parts for this Toyota build.

View attachment 3562017

That's a really cool truck.

Don't tell , but I'm a big Ford fan always have been. I have had lots of them including fore E 250/350 4X4 Full size Vans in a former life as a Surfer and a few first gen Broncos to name a few.

 

[aztoyman]

Thanks Broski. The headlights in that pic are the OEM Toyota Koito H4 kits I saw on another thread on this forum. So don't tell the Ford guys.

 

[ntsqd]

Too late, I already told a couple Ford guys about them. Specifically Early Bronco guys. Two of most recognized EB owner's on/near the West Coast will soon be trying them out and another has a set headed into his LS powered J-Truck. I'll link rather than post pics of those. EB's #1 & #2 Center and right, Roger on the left is longer with us and sorely missed. Yeller's J-Truck

 

[aztoyman]

I'm kinda stalled out for a while. Mainly because I need to get the cab done and I'm out of room. I also have to get some stuff done around the house before it gets too hot. I started getting rid of "stuff" in my shed and I need to get rid of some of the parts I don't need to make room in that shed so I can move some stuff from the garage to the shed.

Too bad you guys in the rust belt aren't close enough to get some of my parts. I have piles of OEM brake lines and other misc stuff. I have two fuel tanks and the skid plates, stock trans cross member, drive shafts, Chevy springs, 80's bed roll bar (originally from a 1st gen) and soon what's left of my 88. I just need the interior pulled and the wire harness for this cab. I have a good A43D 2WD auto trans and EVERYTHING that goes with it. Including the steering column and linkage to the carb from an 86. I'll see if my neighbor will post stuff up on FB for me.

I got another estimate to media blast my cab. $325/hr for the first hour and $250/hr after that. They said typically about two hours for a cab. I really only want the bottom and forward of the firewall done because of how difficult it is to sand those surfaces. I'll see if I can get just that done.

I did finish my steering cooler setup. Can't post without pics.

 

[lISAGETTER]

that may be the goin rate for media blasting but, it aint rocket science?

 

[aztoyman]

it aint rocket science

They charge like it is. It's definitely a dirty job. I've done it. Even when I had a full suit and helmet with clean air supply, it still sucked. $500 plus for JUST the cab. Then I find out that is just a "rough up" If I want it "In the white" clean, it'll be more. It has to be at my house and they do not clean up the mess. My HOA won't allow that so I was going to do it at a friends property. I still have to do the doors, hood, fenders and bed so it's not a good value for me.

I have plenty of other things to work on while I decide what I want to do. Gotta get caught up on medical bills and prepare for more so I have to be a tight a$$.

I managed to get rid of stuff and make some room to work. I got the cab off again and I have a plan for what I want to do for fuel line routing. There's not a lot of progress to post up but my head is still in the game. I've been picking away at things that need to be done when I get bits of free time.

I have to finish up the outside "home work" before it gets hot. Almost there.

 

[Mudder]

As someone who has watched people sand blast for a living to inspect their work, no thank you. It doesn’t look fun and good media isn’t cheap. I’m not surprised at the going rate, but the clean up is miserable.

Edited to add: I’ve been using these for paint removal, they work well on the angle grinder

5" x 7/8" Easy Strip and Clean Disc

5" x 7/8" Black Hawk Abrasives Easy Strip and Clean Disc allows the operator to easy remove paint, rust, corrosion, sealants, adhesives, and many other imperfections without geometrically affecting the material beneath. This 5 inch strip and clean disc is composed of silicon carbide abrasive...

www.empireabrasives.com

I’ve bought these for some of the tighter areas, I haven’t tried them yet though but they do work on a dremel.

2" Quick Change Easy Strip & Clean Disc - 5 Pack

Black Hawk 2" Quick Change Strip and Clean Discs for die grinder. Quality 2 Inch strip discs perfect for removal of paint, glue and other adhesives, cleaning weld lines and splatter, removing scale and oxidation

www.empireabrasives.com

 

[aztoyman]

Thanks for the links. I have to adjust my OCD back a bit since this isn't a show truck or museum restoration. I originally planned that I would be sanding most of it. The irregular surfaces and the nooks and crannies of the bottom and engine bay are what I am not prepared for.

Even cheap paint ain't cheap. I want to make sure it sticks because I don't want to do it over.

I wash the crud off my truck regularly. I don't wax and detail it but I do lay out on the driveway and blast the bottom clean. IH8MUD, and a greasy drivetrain. Now's the time to do it right.

A guy I know used a sandblast attachment for his pressure washer and showed me pics of his frame and sheet metal. I didn't have the same success. I think my 6 HP 2.5 GPM washer doesn't have enough flow. His was twice the HP and 4 GPM. I'm going to try a bigger washer at least for the bottom, engine bay and radiator support.

 

[Broski]

Thanks for the links. I have to adjust my OCD back a bit since this isn't a show truck or museum restoration. I originally planned that I would be sanding most of it. The irregular surfaces and the nooks and crannies of the bottom and engine bay are what I am not prepared for.

Even cheap paint ain't cheap. I want to make sure it sticks because I don't want to do it over.

I wash the crud off my truck regularly. I don't wax and detail it but I do lay out on the driveway and blast the bottom clean. IH8MUD, and a greasy drivetrain. Now's the time to do it right.

A guy I know used a sandblast attachment for his pressure washer and showed me pics of his frame and sheet metal. I didn't have the same success. I think my 6 HP 2.5 GPM washer doesn't have enough flow. His was twice the HP and 4 GPM. I'm going to try a bigger washer at least for the bottom, engine bay and radiator support.

I like a clean drive train and frame and body also.

I have been know to crawl around under there with Murphy oil soap to clean things up
But theres no way I would pay that kind of money for the blasting especially for a rock crawler. If it was a show car it might be different.

Are you planing on painting it your self ?

 

[aztoyman]

@Broski , yes I am going to paint it with a single stage paint. I don't want to do meticulous body work and have perfect panel gaps and such. I'm not willing to block sand it to perfection. I'll try to cover up my bobbed bed welds and that sort of stuff. I may just leave the little dents and dings? Too much extra work for a crawler. But the paint has to bond and not turn chalky like some of the tractor paint does. It's too crusty to leave as it is so I have to do something. I don't want a total beater.

 

[Broski]

@Broski , yes I am going to paint it with a single stage paint. I don't want to do meticulous body work and have perfect panel gaps and such. I'm not willing to block sand it to perfection. I'll try to cover up my bobbed bed welds and that sort of stuff. I may just leave the little dents and dings? Too much extra work for a crawler. But the paint has to bond and not turn chalky like some of the tractor paint does. It's too crusty to leave as it is so I have to do something. I don't want a total beater.

No way will your rig be a total beater.

I think it’s doable if you paint a piece at a time.

When I’m working on mine I just get it the best I can with out using Bondo, as I know it’s going to get dented/ scratched again and I don’t want to be cleaning Bondo off the trail.

I call it good from far but far from good
I also don’t want to worry about it to much.

Keep up the good work and thanks for posting.
Looking forward to seeing it on the trail !

 

[aztoyman]

I've been busy with the "homework" but I got a few hours the other night. I noticed some factory holes in the top of both frame rails and I was surprised at how thick the frame is there. So I drilled them slightly larger and installed threaded inserts for 6 mm bolts. I'm going to run the fuel lines on the passenger side. I got tired of struggling with the coiled steel line and decided to order NiCop line like I should have in the first place.

Parts on the way. Hopefully I'll have it all this week.

 

[aztoyman]

After trimming my giant freaking Mesquite tree and digging up and fixing irrigation I actually had some time to work on this today. No parts yet so I worked on getting a little more room for the hydro assist hose at the steering box. I can almost get the hose on so I needed to tuck this fitting in tighter. I originally tapped it just enough that the fitting wouldn't go in too far and contact moving parts.

 

[aztoyman]

I had to pull the pitman arm and partially disassemble the box. I put a plastic plug in the bearing to keep metal shavings from getting in it and a magnet to catch them.

I tapped the hole to get as much of the fitting in as possible, then marked it and trimmed it down in the lathe.

Hopefully doing this and a little more hammer work on the radiator support and my hose will clear.

 

[aztoyman]

Then I got to work on welding on the mounts for the shock reservoirs.

 

[aztoyman]

I noticed two shocks leaking from the reservoirs back when we had some cold nights. Like 20 degrees in my garage. They leaked enough that I'm going to have to fix it which sucks. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I did order a gallon of shock oil with my other parts.