NQCruiser's "Chief - the Blackening..."

[NQCruiser]

Well, Christmas Holidays have been and gone again, back to work I go!! Spent a little bit more time just driving The Chief in the last few months - nothing too taxing, up the local beach a couple of times and into Townsville with the wife and daughter a couple of times. I eventually capitulated and got the brakes checked out, major failure of the diaphragm in the Brake Booster. The mechanic put a kit into the BB and now the brakes work well again. Must have just been a coincidence regarding the timing of the failure (originally when the alternator was being repaired), but all good again now.

Spent this weekend just gone installing a used cargo barrier I picked up off E-Bay. It had been out in th weather for a while and had a bit of surface rust under a crappy last minute paint job by the PO. I stripped it back with a grinder and some different wire brush attachments and then Kill-rust'ed the hell out of it. I normally don't mind rattle can painting, but trying to properly coat steel mesh is a real pain in the arse!! Coat after coat from different angles etc, and I had to do a Cold Galvit layer, an Etch Primer layer and then a Topcoat layer!! Anyway, I'm reasonably happy with the final result - there are a couple of slight pits where the rust was a bit worse, but nothing that would alter the structural integrity of the steel.

I had to buy a new Genuine Fitting Kit for the barrier as well because half the hardware wasn't supplied - $ 102.50!!! But what was worthwhile was getting the instructions and all the measurements supplied in the kit and there were some parts that would have been too time consuming to make from scratch. I still have to make a pair of straps for the lower rear mounts, as there appears to be a few differences in the 60 Series barriers over time and the mounting positions are different between each of them. I also had to remove the rear speaker enclosure that had the two 6x9in speakers in it. That will be my next project - putting those back in either the rear quarters or the rear barn doors.

Pics as always.....

Rear Top Mount positions - under that grey plastic enclosure is a 22mm hole and 2x 9mm holes, and some rust-proofing gel stuff. Unfortunately I couldn't pull the edges of the headliner out to remove the metal shavings from drilling. I got as much as I could out by hand, but not all of them.

You can just see the front housing under the grab handle in this shot.....

Finished product with my toolbox/storage case occy-strapped into position. I'll make the two lower straps today while we're not busy at work. I'll also make up a plate to mount the child seat restraint hook onto the cargo barrier itself. The original spot for it was where the mounting hole for the lower left rear barrier post fits. It was only a couple of flat washers either side of the floor with a bolt through them. I plan on making mine a lot stronger then what was there originally.

 

[lovetoski]

BTW: The new World Record for throwing a 17mm combination spanner while screaming the "F" word is 85 metres and 102 decibels.....

Dude, I can so emphathize with you. So many times I've been in a rush to finish something, and in my haste have f'd it up...85 meters is one heck of a throw, doubt if I have come even close!

Awesome truck. Happy New Year. Hope the flooding isn't causing you any serious pain.

 

[NQCruiser]

Thanks Doug for the sympathy - un-warranted as it is!! My own fault as I told my wife that "I'll only be a couple of hours...". The most famous last words of all time!!!

Floods aren't affecting us too much directly here, other than the freight not getting through at the moment. We've been copping regular modest falls since the end of September which has wrecked the sugar cane harvest for this year and will severely affect next years harvest as well, with very small amounts able to be re-planted. The main areas being hit (Rockhampton/Emerald/Dalby/Chinchilla) are fairly important areas for our business though, and the effect on agriculture is going to be quite severe.

The only pluses for us ATM are that you can do more with the aftermath of a flood than you can in a drought!!! Just hope all the farmers we service can recover well enough to take advantage.

Have a good New Year!!

 

[NQCruiser]

Actually, I forgot to mention the most important new mod to come - I ordered slcfj62's Ultimate Headlight Harness, and scored a work trip to Colorado in the next 2 weeks where I'll pick it up and bring it back for installation!!!

 

[NQCruiser]

Finally got some time this weekend to do a few jobs on the Chief that have been bugging me for a while. I got back from the USA with my newly acquired headlight harness from slcfj62, but landed smack in the middle of preparations for the largest cyclone in living memory bearing in on North QLD, combined with a super strength case of the flu. We managed to get away with only a few trees down and no power for 3 days, but seeing as we were 300km (180miles) from where it made landfall made it obvious what damage was to be expected north of us. Most of you have probably seen footage on the news of what's happened in Tully and Cardwell.

Anyway, this weekend was the first chance to do some proper work on the Chief. I fitted up the new harness and made some new brackets to locate it, and relocate the dual battery solenoid and circuit breaker which lived there previously.

It all got a bit tight at the end, but I managed to squeeze everything in where I wanted it. If I add too much more stuff under the bonnet it'll start looking like a 200 Series with no room to work on anything! I still have one more bracket to mount which will be home to two marine grade switches for isolating the winch and joining the two batteries when using the winch. I'll set it up properly later, but for now I just want to be able to switch off the winch in case of a short.

New position for circuit breaker and solenoid.

New Ultimate Headlight Harness Upgrade from slcfj62.

In it's new home, tucked out of the way.

Yes, I am aware that I need a new bonnet stop rubber in that photo.

The two switches will go on a plate that will mount off the Winch Controller bracket towards the motor. I'm just waiting for the paint to dry and then I'll have to take the winch controller bracket off and drill the holes in it. I'll line all the edges of the inner guard holes with pinchweld too, so that the cables won't get cut through on the edges, and neither will my arms which are now slashed to all hell from jamming them in to hold nuts and bolts steady.

 

[NQCruiser]

I finally took off tonight to realign my headlights. Slcfj62's awesome harness wasn't getting the results it deserved because the sealed beams were pointed at the bitumen about 15 ft in front of the ARB. I went round to work and lined them up on a big roller door and marked the current beam height with some electrical tape on the door and then adjusted them up to the next highest crease in the roller. Went for a "flashtest" drive - didn't get any, so I picked them up a bit more and now they look great. Still no flashes, but I'm not going to bother adjusting any higher.

This harness is great, and once the 2x Hella 4000's are wired up again, high beam will be something to be feared again!!!

I didn't take any before shots, but this gives a pretty good idea of the two settings...

Low Beam....

High Beam....

Not quite as scientific as the bake-off thread, but before the upgrade it would have been a dull yellowish glow, which MIGHT have illuminated the bitumen road on high beam.

Last weekend I also attacked some small rust spots that were bugging me. One in the passenger door just above the stopper arm, and the holes where one of the PO's had tech screwed a sunvisor into the rain gutters. These left over holes then leaked and let water down onto the floor along the A pillar. I made sure that I oversprayed the gutters with paint to try and fill in the cracks that would have also let rain into the pillar. Time will tell if it is working, or if I left it go too long before doing this. All I know is that I'm a s***e panelbeater!!

Pass door hinge area

L & R A pillars

I sanded these back and painted them roughly - can't really tell unless you look really close. Thankfully they are not in obvious places.

 

[NQCruiser]

Not much action this month - still been raining here and when it's not I've been on the road trying to get some work done. Made up some recovery points for the front end and strengthened the towbar I made over Christmas. Took a run up the beach to have a look at the Kite Surfing Championships at the local beach. Got some good shots on the iPhone4 - takes as good a photo as I can get on the digital point and shoot I normally use.....

Recovery points fitted - not leaving the shackles in as they just hit on the spring when angled back. Won't be a problem when being used for recovery purposes...

 

[shotgun12321]

Looking good. Is that emblem (Series 60) factory? Because I want one.

 

[NQCruiser]

Looking good. Is that emblem (Series 60) factory? Because I want one.

Nope, it's actually off a Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine. I bought them off e-bay (for the cool factor) and have a matching one on the other side as well as a slightly different one on the RR Barn Door - it should be in one of the photo's back a few pages. Black + Silver + Shiny = !!

 

[TLC Norway]

Looking good! Love the electrics, good job!

 

[NQCruiser]

It's about time I got off my arse and did some more work on the Chief, and on my second day of a two week holiday I got started. First up is getting organized to fit my long range fuel tank, which has been sitting for nearly 2 years waiting for me to get a move on. Firstly I just laid it underneath to see where everything was supposed to mount - this is where it started to get ugly...

In order to fit this tank, I have to cut off the Handbrake cable bracket from one of the crossmembers (riveted on), remove the whole exhaust (rusted out muffler, had to be done anyway) as well as remove the heat shields from between the floor and the exhaust system. The exhaust came out easier than expected, but couldn't thread the main pipe (from manifold) completely out as there is too much new stuff in the way. Not sure how I'll work this yet, but for the moment it's just loose so I can move the tank into position.

Some pics of progress so far....

Tank all painted up....

The "space" that will soon be occupied by the tank...

Missing bracket - had to cut the top and bottom of the rivets off with grinder and then bash & drill the remainder out to get it off....

Looking towards transfer case - all of this area was exhaust, muffler & heat shields. You can see some of the little brackets that held them on. Not sure if I have to remove them yet....

I'll bolt the Handbrake cable bracket back on in the short term until I get my hosing sorted out. I'm also going to try and add an 80 Series dual filler neck for the tank as well as a 75 series changeover solenoid. Also going to use existing gauge with a changeover switch so I can read levels in either tank.

I'll post more as I progress along - might be a couple of weeks - I need to fit plenty of family time in while on holidays too!!

 

[NQCruiser]

My wife allowed me another 1/2 day to get the tank bolted up as a test fitting. It was a heavy beeatch to fit up on my own, I ended up laying the tank on to of myself and then using elbows and knees to lift it up into position enough to do up the U-Bolts on the rear shock hanger. At least then I only had to lift the one end each time. I had to drill 3 holes to tap for mounts on the LH chassis rail, which I was a bit hesitant about, but couldn't see how else it was supposed to pick up the main support bracket on that side of the tank. The front left mount lined up OK, the ones that pick up the Handbrake support crossmember were about 1/4in out, but still useable with 8mm bolts. There is 16in clearance from the base of the tank to the ground.

This mount had me wondering WTF it was supposed to pick up from...

But I reckon that I need to make another X-member over the top of the frame rails to make it work...

Otherwise I'm relatively happy with the install so far. I need to work out what I'm going to do for a filler neck - the one I got with the tank doesn't appear to fit the hole in the rear quarter to get the hoses outside, I'm going to see if an 80 series one fits any better....

 

[NQCruiser]

Some updates to this finally - I was granted a weekend to myself to get cracking on this project, as my brother in law and his family are arriving (from Utah, USA) in 2 weeks time, and have been told they can borrow the Chief while they're here. I have to finish the tank project and get the A/C leak tested & gassed. A/C is booked for Friday, and currently the dash looks like this....

So I have to get my arse in gear!!!
I bought an overhead console to mount the UHF and Stereo up high, and am making a plate for the original stereo DIN hole that will hold all my switches for the tank swapover, and one day lockers etc. May even do a Winch In/Out one as well, but they can wait for now.
The tank is plumbed with everything except for the main fill hose, as I couldn't get a long enough section to do it from the rural supplies place across the road. They only had an off-cut left and it was short by 50cm or so. All the breathers are run, the transfer solenoid is mounted and wired up and there is hopefully just enough room left to run the 40mm Fuel Hose for the main fill when I can get some. The dash will get a small bar mounted to the two rear stereo mounts that will hold a few relays etc and then the plate with the switches in it will hide all of those when in place. Will be neat when done, but looks horrific while doing it!!!!

 

[NQCruiser]

Got most of the electrics buttoned up today while I was "babysitting" my daughter - thankyou "Ice Age" & "Happy Feet"!! A couple of simple relays to handle the changeover duties and also changing to keyed/switched power on my UHF & stereo. All seems to work so far, I just have to cut a hole for my Custom Rockers Sub Tank switch in my DIN panel and paint it. It will look a bit lonely in there by itself for the moment, but eventually the locker switches and a couple other bits and pieces might join it.

You can see the relays mounted on a plate up the back here, labelled for their function , and with room for a couple more for "future expansion".


The roof console with the UHF and relocated stereo...


I'll post pictures of the finished panel tomorrow hopefully. I have to get it all done tomorrow as my brother in law & family arrive from Utah on Monday and they'll be driving it for a week

 

[TLC Norway]

Very cool! Did you make that console or what? nice to move it all up there. Are you running all the wires back to the "normal location" in the dash via the a pillar?

 

[NQCruiser]

Cheers TLC!! Yep, all the wires going back to the original location via the cables you can see running down the passenger A pillar. I'll get a couple of P clamps to hold the cable steady, but it's pretty thick laser cable from work. I modified the connectors behind the dash with Deutsch DT 12 pin connectors - easier to adapt to later on if necessary. So far everything works & I finished off the switch panel today and test ran everything. It works!!!

The only problem is that my very expensive secondary filler hose leaks at the ends where it meets the tank and neck. I used good hose clamps that I could do up tight with a spanner, but they still leak. I've wrapped these ends in rags for the moment until I work out how to resolve this. They only leak when filling, and it's only a few drips - but it's messy!!

Gave the bonnet a polish too, and fitted some extra go-fast green wipers!!!

So Shiny!!!

 

[snye]

Very nice work. Love the rear recovery points. Did you machine the red brackets or pick them up somewhere?

 

[NQCruiser]

Thanks for the kind words Snye, the front ones I built from some old scrap here at work - I think they were a weld-on bracket for a grader at one time. It was one single piece of angle iron about 12 - 14mm thick. I just cut it in half, oxy'd out the hole and drilled the mounts & painted them. I'll probably turn them around the other way so there is more material where the load will be, but I'm happy with how they turned out.

I haven't done much more with the rear ones yet - they only need the hole drilled a bit bigger really. I was thinking about adding a piece of thick channel to the sides of them to make a platform/guide for the high-lift jack, seeing as I don't have sliders to lift off. I'll see what else the scrap bin gods provide me with!!!

 

[FJ62sasquatch]

Where did you get that sweet hood piece

 

[NQCruiser]

Hey FJ62sasquatch, I got the stone/bug deflector off ebay for about $100.

I finally got around to fitting some new seats to the Chief this weekend. I had some Recaro's in it when I first bought it, but they were pretty crappy then and are totally rooted now. I've apparently been sitting on the underseat heater for at least a month now...

These are out of a VS SS Commodore, probably about 15 years old, but thankfully owned by a skinny bloke - so they're not all sagged out!! One smells of cat's piss, but otherwise in good nick.

As I picked them up..

Adapter plate - 12mm steel

and fully mounted, ready for seatcovers...

They're a little bit tall - I'm 6'2" and I'm sitting about 2-3 in taller than I used to. Not much headroom now with the roof console - I can see some decent headbutts happening while getting in & out, but man are they comfy!! And the driving position is sweet once you get used to it.