Builds Putting the rust demon at bay (4 Viewers)

[archie73]

More thoughts on mod/fixes after the trip:

• Fix temp and fuel guages. Not sure what happened, but they stopped working halfway through the trip. Fuse checked out ok. Possible common ground? Fuse turned out to be just barely out of place
• Interior tire mount for wheeling trips. Strap style for easy return to a pavement princess.
• Wheelspacers to widen the track and help with stability. I don’t love this idea on my daily duties(summer), but if I just used them for wheeling trips…
• I need to test the new winch contactor. I installed it down in St. George, but amazingly enough there wasn’t a single winch event.
• I know there’s more

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

I know there’s more

There's always more.

 

[archie73]

Working on tube fenders last two days. Lots of learning curve for the new bender. Always fun taking an idea from paper to actual packaging, so not as much progress I’d had hoped.

While I was pulling the old fenders off, I encountered a few things:

• Passenger side shock tower is missing the bolt that holds it in place. My homebrew battery tray rides on this bolt. When it was loose the battery bracket rubbed all the threads off.
  
  I’m wondering about swapping the shock towers out for some homebrew shock hoops or the Ford shock towers. The studs from SOR are a comparable price…
• The auxiliary battery (d/s) is off gassing pretty bad. Lots of corrosion around the battery. Looks like the negative (thankfully) post is making contact with hood when I get twisted up. I think I’ll rework the tray to be a little lower on the new fenders- possibly integrated into the fender. I don’t have ton of room here, but I think I can sneak an inch or two lower. Maybe I’ll try and replicate one of those fancy battery hold downs the kool kids use….

 

[Augustiron]

I just waltzed through the thread from the beginning. Wow, what a ride.

If you or anyone else ever second guesses taking the time to post all the build and adventures, if anyone cares or finds it useful or entertaining... the answer is a resounding "hell yes".

But I have to admit one of my favorite parts was watching you slide the LS off the trailer using a door as a ramp.

 

[archie73]

But I have to admit one of my favorite parts was watching you slide the LS off the trailer using a door as a ramp.

There are days where I’m cooler than I should be allowed.

 

[archie73]

Progress. Far from done, but progress none the less.

Both fenders are mocked up. Super happy with the driver. Not so much on the passenger. A bit more tweaking and I’ll be there.

I over bent the inner bar on the drivers side. Since benders only bend, they don’t straighten; I decided to get creative. First I tried to strong man it back. I’m very relieved that didn’t work. So I cut the curved portion a couple times and was able to bounce it back into my desired shape.

My plan is to weld the cuts up and grind them smooth. Is this legit? Or have I weakened it to much?

I have more tube. Mostly I was seeing if I could do it.

 

[clrussell]

Progress. Far from done, but progress nonetheless the less. View attachment 3863375
Both fenders are mocked up. Super happy with the driver. Not so much on the passenger. A bit more tweaking and I’ll be there.

I over bent the inner bar on the drivers side. Since benders only bend, they don’t straighten; I decided to get creative. First I tried to strong man it back. I’m very relieved that didn’t work. So I cut the curved portion a couple times and was able to bounce it back into my desired shape.
View attachment 3863374
My plan is to weld the cuts up and grind them smooth. Is this legit? Or have I weakened it to much?

I have more tube. Mostly I was seeing if I could do it.

Strength wise it’s comprised.

However at the end of the day it’s a fender not a roll cage

Overall looking great though.

 

[archie73]

Strength wise it’s comprised.

However at the end of the day it’s a fender not a roll cage

Overall looking great though.

This is my thought as well. I want the fender to be stronger than stock, but it should be sacrificial. To this end (& $$$) I’m using erw tube, instead of dom. I’m planning to tie the fenders together and into the sliders to create some strength though.

This whole project is a learning experience for me. Bending tube is brand new to me and I’m leaning pretty heavy on YouTube University for tutorials. Time, skill and money- pick two…

 

[archie73]

I’m sitting in DIA for a 5 hour layover. So what should I do, but buy cruiser stuff!! These fenders will need paint and I need to touch up the rear quarters. I’m looking for any recommendations for a cheap-ish HVLP gun to spray single stage paint?

 

[Mike Shull]

I’m sitting in DIA for a 5 hour layover. So what should I do, but buy cruiser stuff!! These fenders will need paint and I need to touch up the rear quarters. I’m looking for any recommendations for a cheap-ish HVLP gun to spray single stage paint?

That is where I work and I literally just left. I have the following Eastwood gun and I love it. I had a generic gun before and it was hard to dial in, and this gun a million times better for the price.

Eastwood Concours 2 - Single HVLP Spray Paint Gun Kit in Aluminum Case - https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-concours-2-hvlp-paint-gun-kit-in-aluminum-case.html

 

[archie73]

Got some time to work on the tube fenders this weekend. The tube is fully welded- not the prettiest, but it’ll hold. I’m hoping most of my welds will be out of sight.

I’ve never skinned anything like this, so I’m learning as I go. To this end I bought a full sheet of 14 gauge steel incase I need to redo it. We bought a Milwaukee nibbler at work. That thing will eat some sheet metal pretty quick. First time I’ve used a nibbler, pretty cool. It sailed right through the 14g. Much quicker then the cut off wheel or the clean up from the plasma.

So with a slightly larger than necessary piece cutout, I clamped the front of the fender down.

After tacking this in place, I rolled it over the first bend. Started the clamping all over again (and got more clamps). Tack weld. Rinse and repeat.
Now I had a flat piece of sheet metal formed on top of tube. Time to form the edges. I started on the inside edge, because this is a learning experience (and less people will see it). I made relief cuts on the above bends. Then I worked the edge over the tube frame with a brass hammer.

Looking back, I wonder if I should have left more of an overhang so the sheet metal could have wrapped all the way around the tube.
On the picture below, I started welding up the cuff cuts and smoothing them out. Then I had to clean up for the night. Far from perfect, but it’s getting better.

 

[archie73]

When it rains it pours…
Kid had a tournament in Bozeman over the weekend . We took the van. The rear brakes were a little noisy, but I was planning to replace them this week anyway. On the way up it became apparent that one of the rear wheels had lost a wheel weight (I hope). Rear window started coming loose with all the shimmying from the tire. By the time we got back home it’s apparent the brakes are metal on metal. The list is growing…
Wife texts this morning that the trucks CEL is on. REALLY, I mean really… She says it’s driving fine at least.
Raining in the valley, snowing on the pass. Seems like a logical time to take a topless, lifted, mud terrained truck to work. The van is more questionable…
Since I have it at work I pulled into the shop to find out what’s banging underneath…

s***e

Double s***e

Triple s***e

Of course I had read about this failure. Perhaps if I had gussetted the hanger it wouldn’t have been a problem- perhaps. Mostly this an effect of playing the rocks and I don’t want to stop, so now what?

1. Find another frame. Reinforce it and prep it for a frame swap this winter. Possible, but I was hoping to dedicate some time to the 59 Ford.
2. Repair it. Pull the body mount and hanger; weld and fish plate the frame. Put it back together. Repeat on the other side.
3. Still working on another option…

The appeal of the new frame is real. This is a Vermont truck. It has seen its fair share of salt. My inner C in the frame are less then pristine. I replaced the last 10” of the frame 25 years ago. Hack style, but it’s held up well. I had some rust holes just forward of the crack that I repaired at the same time. (Possibly the reason of the crack). So replacement is justifiable.

As always, the problem is time. I NEED to get the ford drivable. I’d LIKE to be able to drive the 40. The wife EXPECTS to be able to enjoy the topless summer truck. A frame build and swap is not in the cards at the moment. Patching is probably the best bet.


After ruminating on it for a bit I think it’s all fixable. It’ll take some head scratching and I’m open to all suggestions. Thanks for giving me a place to vent.

 

[White Stripe]

Oh man that stinks. Looks like the frame is rubbing on the floor. I've never seen that before. I've never seen that tube snap like that either. Usually the inner c is cracked too when you get cracking near the leaf hanger. The frame looks like it's rusted to the point of being pretty thin but it's tough to tell from pictures.

 

[clrussell]

Make a few passes with the welder, gusset the spring hanger, plate the inside of the frame. Half day project

Enjoy it while you decide what to do next. It’s not going to break in half on daily wife duty.

 

[archie73]

Oh man that stinks. Looks like the frame is rubbing on the floor. I've never seen that before. I've never seen that tube snap like that either. Usually the inner c is cracked too when you get cracking near the leaf hanger. The frame looks like it's rusted to the point of being pretty thin but it's tough to tell from pictures.

I mean- I am pretty awesome

Make a few passes with the welder, gusset the spring hanger, plate the inside of the frame. Half day project

Enjoy it while you decide what to do next. It’s not going to break in half on daily wife duty.

This looks like the the path. I’m debating on a set of RuffStuff stiffeners for the back. @White Stripe did you ever weld in a set?

 

[White Stripe]

I mean- I am pretty awesome

This looks like the the path. I’m debating on a set of RuffStuff stiffeners for the back. @White Stripe did you ever weld in a set?

Yes I did it while I was installing the aqualu.

 

[archie73]

Yes I did it while I was installing the aqualu.

Any tips?

 

[White Stripe]

Any tips?

I have some pictures in my build thread i think. I was concerned about access to inside the frame, so I cut a bunch more holes in the plates. This allowed me to install more than 1 torque tube, and get access to the entire channel without being totally boxed close. Then I could clean out mud inside, paint the inside easily, and get a wrench inside to hold nuts for bump stops and brackets. I removed all rust in that back portion completely. I wosh i got it sand blasted but i used wire wheels and flap discs which took too long. It's going to be far more of a pain with the tub on. It's probably necessary for you to box it if your frame is thin from rust. But is there enough solid metal to weld to still? I can't tell what is dirt or rust in your Pics or how thin the metal really is. Pulling your 3/4 tub might make it faster, or lifting the tub a couple inches with blocks or something. I also removed all the brackets and crossmember rivets and cleaned those brackets of rust individually. Hope that helps. You could also get a clean used frame, chip away at cleaning it up and prepping it, but weld up your cracks for now and run it. That leaf hanger isn't strong enough for bigger tires and springs.

 

[archie73]

I have some pictures in my build thread i think. I was concerned about access to inside the frame, so I cut a bunch more holes in the plates. This allowed me to install more than 1 torque tube, and get access to the entire channel without being totally boxed close. Then I could clean out mud inside, paint the inside easily, and get a wrench inside to hold nuts for bump stops and brackets. I removed all rust in that back portion completely. I wosh i got it sand blasted but i used wire wheels and flap discs which took too long. It's going to be far more of a pain with the tub on. It's probably necessary for you to box it if your frame is thin from rust. But is there enough solid metal to weld to still? I can't tell what is dirt or rust in your Pics or how thin the metal really is. Pulling your 3/4 tub might make it faster, or lifting the tub a couple inches with blocks or something. I also removed all the brackets and crossmember rivets and cleaned those brackets of rust individually. Hope that helps. You could also get a clean used frame, chip away at cleaning it up and prepping it, but weld up your cracks for now and run it. That leaf hanger isn't strong enough for bigger tires and springs.

Thanks for the recap. Your thoughts mirror mine, although I wasn’t considering a second xmember- maybe I should. I’ve been debating pulling the 3/4 tub, my only worry is this could pitch me into a rabbit hole. Realistically, that’s the only way to get the frame boxing down properly, so I’ll likely do it. Just need to get my ducks in a row.

If by chance I stumbled into a frame, I’d likely pick it up. Honestly tho (& probably unrealistically) I’d like this frame patch to do the job. I have other irons in the fire and I know it’ll take at least a winter to do a frame swap.

 

[Mike Shull]

My frame has cracked in the same spot by the leaf spring hanger on both sides and I have seen this on many other Cruisers. My first attempt to fix this was to grind out the crack and weld it up, which I did in the mid-1990s and it held for 5 years before cracking above the welds. I ended up removing my body mounts, welding the crack again, then I added fish plates that connected to the leaf spring hanger. This fix lasted for another 20 years but it cracked the frame in a different spot.

I’ve since fully welded, boxed and plated my existing frame, plus I’ve removed the leaf springs so we will see how it looks in another 20 years. I’m not convinced that replacing the frame with another used frame will be a long-term fix. You might consider Aqualu’s frame if you are set on replacement? I decided to keep my frame so don’t take this as advice.