512 cid C series on Dakota chassis- build thread

[HotRodTractor]

Several years ago I bought the Mastercool hydraulic flaring setup - best money I ever spent when it comes to repairing brake lines and fuel lines. I know its spendy, but its way easier to make a good flare, faster, and quite frankly much higher quality than I was ever able to do with the old bar clamp flaring tool. I've since also added a couple of extra dies so I can do modern fuel lines and A/C lines now. Granted I only use it a handful of times a year, but it paid for itself very quickly.

 

Also - that ride height is looking spot on. Low when needed, high enough when needed. You made the right call shortening the bed too. I was a little concerned about proportions, but this last picture sold me on it.

[Radarsonwheels]

I love my new miller welder. I used to use a little 110 for sheetmetal and thinner brackets etc. then I would drag out the stick welder to do leaf perches and heavy stuff. I never got enough practice to be a really good stick welder but I’m pretty happy with these welds. Now that the pinion angle is set and the perches are on for good I can torque the U-bolts and plug in the driveshaft- all the driveline engineering is pretty much done.

 

The trans and rear need oil, the speedo drive in my transmission was a junk late style plastic thing so I ordered a new aluminum housing (fsm calls it an adapter) that should fit my 32 tooth gear and female square drive cable to run my autometer speedo.

 

And it’s really time to get this exhaust done so I can start plumbing and wiring around it.

[Los_Control]

Miller is a great welder they say. I bought my first welder a few months ago. Forney and I hear they are ok also, It was a floor display and got it for about 1/2 price so I jumped at it.

Now I just need to learn how to use it.    But diving head first and learning.

Thanks again for the gauges Radar, they are perfect drop in replacement for the 48, 49, 50 models, even the chrome bezel is the same, exact same gauge all around.

toss in a photo of my existing gauges .... they really suck 

Thanks again!

 

 

[Radarsonwheels]

Oof it was time to replace those for sure! I’m glad you will be able to use my old gauges they don’t do anybody any good sitting on my shelf. 

[48Dodger]

7 hours ago, Radarsonwheels said:

I love my new miller welder.

 

 

All my welders are Miller.....they've always made me happy and that's all I ever ask. lol

 

48D

[Radarsonwheels]

I hung a battery box under the bed in the back of the truck. I know the passenger side would have been a little better for weight transfer but at least it’s behind the axle and it’ll be easier to run wires up to the starter since I’m already on the driver side frame rail. 

 

I also got the exhaust system hung and mocked up. The 3.5” will definitely not fit between the floor and trans crossmember but if I tuck it under there it still only hangs down about even with the running board brackets. I welded my angled tips on the ends after the mufflers. They have plenty of room at full chassis lift and drop and won’t heat up my airbags. I tried to angle them down and out for maximum smoky burnout billowing, not that I’m the burnout king I don’t spend money on tires like that but why not right?

[Radarsonwheels]

Forgot to say- I made sure the battery will be able to be removed without pulling the wood bed apart! 

 

Also that cal van flare set is GARBAGE I am glad I got it on amazon it’s going right back and I’m getting the eastwood style one that mounts in a vice.

[Radarsonwheels]

I got the 3” downpipes done. The two sides had totally different stuff to get past plus the headers both aim in at the oil pan so they needed to turn immediately. The driver side had to slope back right away to miss the motor crossmember and the passenger side needed to go straight down to avoid the aftermarket oil dipstick.

 

All done for today- I got the exhaust routed to under the trans crossmember, ready to meet up with the expanding cones into the 3.5” pipe and mufflers. It looks like I will lose the H pipe that’s already on there which might not be a bad thing since the welding on it looks shady and leaky (& rusty!) 

 

I should have time to finish it up with gaskets installed and weld in hangers tomorrow. Now it’s time to take my 6 year old trick or treating! Be safe and enjoy halloween y’all!

[Plymouthy Adams]

we had trick or treat in this town the first year we moved here.....about four old biddies pretty much shut it all down with spreading the word it is a devil holiday and the children will grow up to be axe murderers.  I so miss the little un-children in their costumes with their hands out for snicky-snacks...

[Radarsonwheels]

No razors in our apples or pledges to serve the dark one last nite! Halloween is fun when you have a kid that still wants you to come trick or treating with her.

 

I got all my bends piecuts and welds finished up and after a hundred mockups and cutting/welding sessions I finally installed the whole system with gaskets and hangers. 

 

I think I should put another hanger somewhere in the midpipe just behind the trans crossmember but it looks like using U bolt style exhaust clamps would be the easiest way to make it removable. I ordered a couple- I’m thinking manny moe & jack probably don’t stock 3.5” it’s too big for gasoline and too small for diesel.

 

My instinct is to not use the cab floor to mount the mid hangers? I don’t know how much extra noise would come through using rubber isolated hangers like the ones that hold the mufflers but I’m thinking the whole rest of the system is totally isolated from the body so why mix mounting points. Any opinions? 

 

I could just weld a couple pieces of square tube to the top of the frame that hang over the exhaust like little gallows. 

 

Anyway I’m pleased to check this big job off the list!

[Radarsonwheels]

This turret flare tool is awesome! My bench vice is a little awkwardly near the wall of my shop so I will have to plan my runs carefully or make them then remove flare and reinstall but it made two perfect flares in 5/16” steel tube like butter.

[Radarsonwheels]

The power went out at work today from high winds so I got home before dark and got a couple things done. I installed an early style speedo adapter and the proper gear for my axle ratio and tire size and confirmed that the threads fit my speedo cable.

 

I crimped and soldered a ring terminal on a 15’ 1/0 gauge cable and ran it up to my starter from the battery. The battery side has to wait for the big fuse to arrive before I finish that end. 

 

I also added some mid pipe hangers to my exhaust system which is now completely done and ready to rumble. 

[Radarsonwheels]

Today the battery cables got finished. I put a big fuse inline on the +12v side and welded a stainless bolt to the frame and made a short ground cable. I think I’ll make another 1g black ground cable to go from the starter lug on the bellhousing to the frame. If I weld another stainless bolt to the frame up there I can use that to run grounds for the charging system and in the cab. Maybe a third ground lug up by the rad support would keep it clean to run grounds for the front turn signals  headlights and electric fan. 

[DJ194950]

Cannot have too many grounding connections, body, frame, and  motor!

[Radarsonwheels]

4 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Cannot have too many grounding connections, body, frame, and  motor!

 

Agreed. I welded another stainless 3/8” bolt to the framerail just behind the power steering pump and ran a 2g cable over to a boss on the passenger side aluminum head. 

 

I also ran a six or four gauge cable off of the starter battery lug with a 50 amp inline fuse. That should be good for the hot going to the fuse box but I think I’ll run another unfused thickish charging wire from the alternator to the battery lug on the starter. 

 

I’m not sure if I still need another strap from the bellhousing to the frame rail for the starter? I will definitely put one from the motor or frame to the firewall to ground the cab and dashboard. 

[Don Coatney]

[Radarsonwheels]

I got another thick ground strap from the starter stud in the bellhousing to the frame rail so now the motor has two strong grounds. I put a ground strap to the bed floor frame (which is welded to the box) too so all that’s missing is grounding the cab once the firewall is in. I also made a new four wire harness for tail brake left and right turn signals and routed it from the driver’s fender back to the lights. I’ll have to hack a tag light in to the running light circuit whenever I figure out where to mount the licence plate. The harness is all attached to the frame so I can just unhook the ground and three spade connectors on each side and the bed can come off and on if necessary. 

 

It was cool to see the rear end light up again after being sad and dark for so many months! 

 

It’s raining today and I had some time after getting my kid on the bus so I pulled the steering column and started the finishing work on it .

 

I went to wire the grant horn which is a momentary ground and quickly realized that the isolated copper track under the wheel adapter no longer had a sprung contact that would maintain connection as it spun. Oops! I guess I shouldn’t have thrown away ALL of the electronic guts for the ignition and turn/wiper stalks. 

 

I made a new sprung brass contact button to live in the column out of a 45-70 case, smoothed and buttered up with dielectric grease. Hopefully I got the tension right so it will keep contact but not dig a groove through the track. 

 

The stock 1954 turn signal stalk just had to stay- the little etched plate on it’s face is so cool. I hammered the ends of it’s straps mostly flat so it could get bolted to the side of this column. It seems like it’s going to be right at home. 

 

The holes in the dakota column all got patches epoxied over them made from a plastic tube that an air tool water seperator came in. I’m hoping a little sanding bondo and spraypaint will have it looking smooth enough to not be an eyesore in the vintage cabin.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Radarsonwheels
Typo

[Radarsonwheels]

[Radarsonwheels]

Ok I was considering actually finishing the bodywork really nicely but I threw some semi flat black on it and I really like how it looks all battle scarred and ancient like the rest of the truck. Without the shifter turn signal and other holes or bosses on it I think it looks more like an earlier column- definitely not 1989. 

 

Ditto on restoring the stalk- I like the contrast with the black. I got some nice wire loom to finish it off too.  I did make a new brass set screw and loctite it into the turn switch. I used to get tired of that thing falling off all the time.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Radarsonwheels

[Radarsonwheels]

Today I started out with some small jobs. I made and loomed the wiring harness to go from the front of the motor back to the firewall with  distributor, alternator, and h2o temp wires. I put a fuel filter between the mechanical pump and the carb hard lines with short rubber connections.  I got a hosebarb 5/8” to 1/2” reducer and ran rubber lines to the heater core from the water pump. I installed a hosebarb in the intake for the 3/8” brake booster vacuum line.

 

I looked at the oil dipstick, couldn’t figure out where it should live so it will have a straight shot to the pan and also not touch the header, and ended up doing nothing with it. It’s a knockoff flexi stainless braided one. stick itself is flexible-ish but not nice flat spring steel like oem more like a chunk of coat hanger. I’m thinking a little tab secured by the center left header bolt will do the trick. 

 

The main event/fiasco of the day was the rear bumper. It was severely pretzeled and the thick metal was stretched pretty badly. It also only had two bolts in the bumper out of four, and three out of six in the frame. I clamped it in my shop press and welded a bar across the end and straightened out most of the twist with leverage and ox/a. Then I ran it back and forth under the ram and got the front face a lot straighter. It still looks like hell and wrinkled in where it shrank after heating but it’s not getting much better without just replacing it. I’m covered in scars myself so I feel a little kinship with the poor old warhorse. 

 

Once I had it straighter I tried mocking it up but the bracket width was all wrong- it wanted to hit my rear leaf shackles. I did a little head scratching and cribbing up and trimming and measuring and more trimming. Wow by the way the oem bumper brackets are high quality spring steel!

 

The solution I decided on was to re-drill the bumper to move the bracket pairs in 4” on each side, allowing me to bolt the ‘54 frame stub C channels so they interlock with the ‘89 C channel frame from the inside. I will weld it in then the frame will have new drop downs with bolt holes perfectly aligned.

 

I have a fancy older licence plate frame I want to use. I think I’ll need to notch out the bumper similar to the ones off the bunn book pictured below. I wonder why my bumper is not already notched? It definitely covers the bottom 1/3 of the tag. 

 

I think it would be fancy to put the tag light inside the bumper shining up and hang the tag off the bed under the hinge. 

[Radarsonwheels]

That bumper sure looks wierd hanging out in the breeze back there but I think I’m tucking mine in more than stock! Also I eventually want to do something about the home spun triangular rear bed reinforcements. She came that way when I got her- I guess those lovely curved stake pockets gave up the ghost in the 70s or 80s? 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Radarsonwheels
Added pic

[Radarsonwheels]

Duh I need to move the 54 c channel to outside the brackets that’ll give much more interlock for a strong weld. I thought about reinforcing the lower channels but I think I prefer that to be the sacrificial item in a fender bender. 

[Radarsonwheels]

The rear bumper is on there and the tag notch is done! Plus I almost have my transmission cooler lines done- I had been waiting on fittings.

[Los_Control]

GO  GO  GO! sure appreciate your enthusiasm, down to 50F today, am working in the house 

[Radarsonwheels]

Yeah thanks for the motivation Los!

 

I have to go to my shop and do actual work now- just got all cleaned up. I finished making the trans cooler hard lines. Just have to put some rubber up front to keep them seperated and off the frame. I also had to install the shifter brackets on the trans and mock up the shifter to make sure the linkage would clear. Another fiddly little job checked off. I still have to plumb the brakes and the fuel line and remove a few scraps of dakota lines off the frame. 

 

It’s getting almost to where I need to make at least the driver’s side firewall before I can do much more- the wiring, pedals,  brake booster,  ignition box, mechanical oil pressure sender, shift cable and steering all need to bolt to it or pass through it.

 

Plus I’ve been procrastinating on mounting the front bumper for months now it’s a pain to take the doghouse on and off alone to measure, fabricate brackets, tack it up, final weld, and re-assemble. Probably take a whole day like the rear bumper did. At least it’s not all smashed and twisted up.