which truck to put 13BT into

[rutbeer]

Frame machine

He was just getting it set up and measured. The front frame rails are 1" out right where the FJ60 steering box is mounted up. Man....wish I had noticed this BEFORE I did the swap. I'm hoping my fan still clears the shroud when he's done.

 

[Tapage]

Looks beyotifull !!!

 

[rutbeer]

winch fairlead

Busted out the new plasma to try to cut the bottom off the winch plate. I think I need to turn up the amps a bit. First cut....lots to learn with this new tool.

 

[LC_Hamma]

What Hypertherm model is it? 1st lesson - ALWAYS use some scrap metal when you're cutting that close over a bare concrete floor. The slag from the melted metal will adhere to the concrete when you try & remove it. FYI, the plasma arc does not have as bright an illumination as a welding arc, so a smaller & lighter shade (cutting goggles) will provide easier views. How do you like it so far?

 

[rutbeer]

Yeah, I didn't have any cutting goggles and I wondered if sun glasses would be enough....so weld helmet it was. Vision wasn't really the problem, it was learning the cut speed and voltage settings.

Yup....burned the concrete. I noticed that right away. Doh!
It's a Hypertherm powermax 30. Budget restricted me to that size, but it went right though the winch plate and that's about as heavy as anything I will do with it. I'm wondering how much cut clean up is required when you get it right. There was "slag" of some sort on the bottom edge of the cut that just breaks easily away, but there were some places where a rough edge was left because I moved too fast. Probably just a practice thing.

 

[LC_Hamma]

Volt settings aren't that critical on plasmas as they are on a welder, unless your machine is small & light duty. I've adjusted mine a few times, but really can't tell unless it's turned way up & you're gonna have slag no matter what. Oh yeah, those "Mechanics" type gloves won't last very long around hot steel. Buy some ~$10.00 H.D./ Lowes type leather/ deerskin, etc. gloves & use 1 or 2 wraps of duct tape around the fore/ index fingers. They last way longer this way when working w/ metal

 

[LC_Hamma]

Budget restricted me to that size, but it went right though the winch plate and that's about as heavy as anything I will do with it.

Mkay, that's what I said when I burnt up my 1st plasma. Overbuy (power & ampwise) in the tool dept. or you are just limiting yourself in the projects you can handle/ create. No need to hit the slag on the cut piece w/ a grinder, that'll just knock off fairly easy. That purchase will let you in the gates of Fabland ;p

 

[rutbeer]

Gloves? Please.....rookie, I've been welding longer than you. I have a real pair of gloves....those were just already on my hands from pulling the steering wheel off earlier. Mechanics gloves are too thin to pick up hot metal with, I just didn't want spark burn.

 

[MoCoNative]

Something I found with limited use of a plasma cutter is that a rough line can and will happen. The cut is so precise, unlike a cutting torch, that a fly landing on your hand will through you off. What I started doing is cutting just inside the line, oroutside, either way, cut towards your scrap slightly. This way if you suddnely sneeze, you won't put a big gouge in your good piece. Then I simply clean up the edge and grind back to my line. If you are feeling good, cut closer to the line, but I always clean it up quickly with a flapwheel and line it up with the line you were after. This is espcially true in light material where an error can happen really quickly.

I've heard the same about lesser shading for cutting. The welding store gave us some UV resistant safety glasses, shaded. They work, but if I cut a ong cut or repeated cuts, I was getting a white spot in my eye, and some irritation. Also, sparks and slag will smack your face sometimes. I gound that an auto darkening helmet woked better, at the lowest setting. No more eye burn, better face protection, UV protection, and it goes clear when done with the cut. Only problem is getting it to darken properly, as the arc is hidden from the sensor sometimes.

 

[LC_Hamma]

Gloves? Please.....rookie, I've been welding longer than you. I have a real pair of gloves....those were just already on my hands from pulling the steering wheel off earlier. Mechanics gloves are too thin to pick up hot metal with, I just didn't want spark burn.

Spark burn. Ya really can't compare building tiny brackets w/ Home Depot metal to building suspensions, skids, cages, bumpers, etc. Now, get that tube bender & REALLY show us how to fab!

 

[rutbeer]

PTO finished

Finished this a little while back....forgot to update. This camera blows....nothing comes out unless it's in perfect sunlight.

 

[FJota]

Very nice ride. Looks like alot of hours involved in the install, but it has turned out great.

 

[Tapage]

damn .. that install looks clean !

 

[cruiserjunktion]

Just read the whole thread again.....


You have built yourself one FINE cruiser.....


Congrats!

 

[rutbeer]

Mileage

Finally got a long enough drive to confirm the mileage on this thing. I put one new injector in the #4 hole since I screwed one up. I drove from Winston-Salem to Hatteras island with the GPS and figure I got about 31-32mpg when I used the hand throttle as a cruise control. This is with no wind, and avg speed of 65mph and perfectly flat roads with no traffic. In other words, perfect conditions. On the ride back, I didn't use the hand throttle at all, and mixed in some city driving in Raleigh. Still got a confirmed 29.6 mpg on the ride home.
I have to say it's an unreal combination for such an aerodynamic brick.
I'm sure some naysayers will chime in that this mileage is impossible, but you have to keep in mind I'm running 33x9.50 tires at max inflation, I drove with a raw egg under the pedal and the altitude and terrain were ideal to pull this off. I'm sure lots of city driving with heavy acceleration will hurt the miles, as well as a not so new engine.

 

[rutbeer]

previous owners

Let's all raise a glass to previous owners!
*&$^ I just spent three LONG days fixing one of the biggest cluster forks I have ever seen. There was one thing on this truck that just wasn't right, but I didn't have the time or the money to move on it. Well, finally plunged in and cut it up. Got some good plasma time in......took a full day just to remove the plate steel.

 

[rutbeer]

What have I done????

This is the point where you ask yourself if it's really worth it. At this point, I just had another beer and told my self, "self, you have just stepped in it."

 

[rutbeer]

cutting

This is when I realized just why the PO welded plate steel in on TOP of the original bed, or what was left of it. The standing water had rotted the side fenders out so much I had to cut 2" off the bottom of the fenders and recreate the original profile and drill it full of holes for spot welding. All the sheet metal got a coat of POR-15 including inside the main channel.

 

[rutbeer]

new metal

Here's the new bed. I didn't take the modifications photos because I was pissed. The bed I bought not only didn't have the seat reinforcement plates welded in, but it was 1" long in the mid bed area and about 2" long on the back.
I wound up taking the plasma to the first bend where the mid bed angles up to reach the main bed. I just cut about .75" from the bend then drilled and lap jointed this area. I need to fill the under side with bed liner because it left an undesirable lip to catch crap. The inside of the truck is near perfect though. Hard to tell that I modified it all.

 

[rutbeer]

And the final

Very happy at this point. I only lack the rear channel cover and then I think I'm going to color match bedliner it. Three long days of wailing on this. Not my best work, but my first real time with sheet metal and there is a learning curve to that.