Cabbage Hauler - WD-21 Build Thread

[Jomani]

7 hours ago, kendall said:

These are '47' stock colors and maybe the dark green you're imagining.I'm wondering what a very light green tint to your white might look like.

 

Nice truck. That is very close to what I was imagining - I was thinking about adding a little green to the white but a little nervous about the results - paint is ridiculously expensive and I can’t afford to make too many mistakes. I also thought long about the color I wanted on the lower half of the grill. Seeing these pictures now makes me wonder about that decision...

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[kendall]

The fun part of where you're at is there is no wrong solution. My personal opinion on the lower grill color would depend on what happens at the rear of the truck.Whether its a nonfendered flatbed or a pick-up. I think what you have allows a better balance of two-tone if no color goes behind the cab and there is no need to mimic the fender/body separation that occurs at the bed .Bringing the hood color down to the bumper emphasizes the narrow nature of the early 2-person cab and your scheme disguises it. Both good. Sooooo many choices!

[9 foot box]

   I was perusing, and reminded that your truck has an optional overload spring. I have two wd21's, neither has that. Coil springs were welded in place. Is that a backup alarm at the left rear? My rebuild 47 truck was government originally, it had the cable operated flag like yours. The engine number on the block did not tell me anything. It had a number then CAD. Turns out to be a 230, 1951block, with internal bypass. I think it was Civil Air Defense. The fire department in Mosier,OR, bought it at auction, and made a water truck. Luckily, the box for it was still there, minus a rear wing plate. I think your truck is government bought also. The flatbed deck was built in a shop. So how's it going with your build?

[Jomani]

I don’t know the early history of this truck. I can trace it back two owners and have reason to believe it received an armature restoration and probably engine swap back in the 80’s. The overload springs are definitely an add-on but appear to be original to the truck - I would guess either a factory option or dealer install (just a guess on my part). There is no backup alarm - a taillight turned sideways.

 

The build is going well. I started back to work a couple weeks ago so progress is slow but steady. I plan to finish the engine this weekend.

[9 foot box]

   Well your truck certainly seen little abuse or moisture. My truck needed heat and quench on every bolt. Good luck with your build.

[Jomani]

On 11/5/2018 at 8:42 AM, kendall said:

The fun part of where you're at is there is no wrong solution. My personal opinion on the lower grill color would depend on what happens at the rear of the truck.Whether its a nonfendered flatbed or a pick-up. I think what you have allows a better balance of two-tone if no color goes behind the cab and there is no need to mimic the fender/body separation that occurs at the bed .Bringing the hood color down to the bumper emphasizes the narrow nature of the early 2-person cab and your scheme disguises it. Both good. Sooooo many choices!

 

I think you summed up the two tone options perfectly - something I hadn’t thought about. I plan to go with the Dana 70 dually reared from the motor home so the rear will be very wide. By painting the lower half of the grill to match the fenders, it should give it a wider appearance in the front. I haven’t decided on the bed yet. Since this was originally a pickup and the running boards go all the way back, I may build some fenders that tie into the running boards and keep the bed narrow (between the wheels). I have been looking at tow trucks from that era - if I can find a period tow truck bed, I could go that route. 

[Jomani]

Got back to the engine rebuild today. The cam kit came with new springs, seals and retainers.

 

 

Since the heads were in great shape, I decided to hand lap the valves just to make sure that there was no pitting

 

 

When I tried to reinstall the springs, I discovered that my old valve spring compressor wasn’t going to make it. The new cam came with heavier springs and it couldn’t handle it. I tried to find a heavy duty spring compressor - not going to happen on a Sunday. I decided to get creative. Several years ago I bought a huge lot of heavy duty c-clamps. I still had some of the smaller clamps laying around, so I decided to give it a shot. A little cutting and it was time to give it a shot.

 

 

 

 

Worked like a charm. Sometimes you just have to get creative. I was able to get the heads assembled and back on the engine. Aluminum intake, water pump, and fuel pump should be here this week. Next project will be to build an engine run stand. Hopefully I can get it running in a couple of weeks.

[Radarsonwheels]

Lookin good! What cam did you go with?

[Jomani]

I got the Competition Cam kit. Supposed to offer relatively high torque in the lower rpm range.

 

COMP Cams High Energy 260H Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshaft Complete Kit Lift: .440" /.440" Duration: 260°/260° RPM Range: 1200-5200

[DJ194950]

Jomani- -

 

Make sure to read the Comp break in instructions!

 

Some Comp cams say to do initial break in with only  1 of the  two valve springs  installed for the initial break in.  After broken in  install second spring  using high pressure air to keep the valves closed and then using a different type of spring compressor to remove the valve keepers  and install the second spring.

 

Also Use Break-in oil with plenty of zinc per the flat  tappet cam with high tension springs!

 

Just making sure that all goes well!

 

DJ

[Jomani]

15 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Jomani- -

 

Make sure to read the Comp break in instructions!

 

Some Comp cams say to do initial break in with only  1 of the  two valve springs  installed for the initial break in.  After broken in  install second spring  using high pressure air to keep the valves closed and then using a different type of spring compressor to remove the valve keepers  and install the second spring.

 

Also Use Break-in oil with plenty of zinc per the flat  tappet cam with high tension springs!

 

Just making sure that all goes well!

 

DJ

 

Thanks DJ. I appreciate the heads up. This set only came with single springs with the flat coil inside. The instructions talked about only using one spring during break-in but I think they include that verbiage with all of their products. My understanding is that the flat coil doesn’t count as a spring - they didn’t seem to want to come out. Someone please correct me if I am wrong - the last “performance cam” I installed was in the early 80s when things were very different.

 

I have read some real horror stories about their more radical cams but I think this one is fairly mild. I will definitely use the break-in oil that they recommend and change after the initial 20-30 minute run. That is the reason for the engine run stand - I want to make sure all goes well before it gets set in the truck.

[DJ194950]

I get you.

 

My friend was going to install one of there cams and did not read the instruction and had the motor shop go thru the heads,ect. and let them install both springs.

I Had read the instructions and stopped him from doing the run in until he removed the second spring. What a pain since neither one of us had ever done the valve spring removal with the special tool before- - .

He called their tech line and was told to Follow the instructions!

He said the tech line was friendly and helpful.

He also called them again as to what oil to run after the break-in. Helpful again..

 

So maybe a call to them to make sure??  ?

 

DJ

[Radarsonwheels]

That cam doesn’t need a spring change to break in. Not a dumb suggestion at all it’s just a very mild cam. It is basically a hot stock replacement or barely an rv type cam. It should have low maintenance and great manners! 

[Radarsonwheels]

And you should use the zinc additive or special break in oil with zddp. I always change my oil after break in then after a couple hundred miles, then 3k intervals. I had a comp lifter go bad but I haven’t lost a lobe yet! ? 

[Jomani]

I was able to finish up the engine build today. The 360 came stock with a 2 barrel - I picked up a cheap 4 barrel aluminum intake. Not trying to build a race truck, just looking for something reliable to put around town. Probably go with a Holley 600 cfm carb.

 

 

Time me to start working on an engine run stand. The radiator and steel from the lumber rack on the old motor home should make for a nice stand at virtually no cost.

[Radarsonwheels]

Planning on 12v and power steering huh? Nice looking mill

[Jomani]

1 hour ago, Radarsonwheels said:

Planning on 12v and power steering huh? Nice looking mill

 

The truck had been converted to 12v before I got it. Power steering is an option since I kept the pump from the motor home. I hung it back on the engine so that I can get a better idea of clearance when I start to fabricate front motor mounts. If I eventually decide to move the engine toward the passenger side of the truck, I will most likely upgrade to power steering. If I try to center the engine and modify the steering to fit, space will ultimately be the deciding factor.

[Jomani]

17 hours ago, Radarsonwheels said:

That cam doesn’t need a spring change to break in. Not a dumb suggestion at all it’s just a very mild cam. It is basically a hot stock replacement or barely an rv type cam. It should have low maintenance and great manners! 

 

From what I was able to gather, it is hard to get much lift out of the stock 360 heads without machining. The stock cam was .410” lift and 252 degrees. This has just a little more of each (.440”/260) so it should still have a smooth idle but hopefully increase the low end and mid range torque. The new springs are significantly stronger than the old - not sure that is necessary for this application, but they came in the kit...

[Radarsonwheels]

The new springs and dampers will probably help you rev without valve float. I put a similar cam in my 318 ramcharger- it works great!

[Jomani]

Got started on the engine run stand today. It takes a little extra time to cut the old lumber rack up, but the price of the material is right. I should be able to get everything I need without spending a dime.

 

 

 

 

Hopefully I can get the transmission mount fabricated tomorrow and get the transmission installed. If all goes as planned, I should be able to use the radiator hoses and trans cooler lines from the old motor home

[Jomani]

Got the transmission cleaned up and bolted to the engine. Fabricated a trans mount on the run stand and got the radiator mounted.

 

 

 

I decided to put casters on the run stand. Spent $35 on six casters - not bad since everything else was recycled and no cost.

 

 

 

I am very happy with the stand. Seems like a lot of work for a temporary engine stand. I plan to do the cam break-in on the stand. The engine will spend the next 6-8 months on the stand while I get the rest of the truck ready for it. I don’t have a shop, so the truck has to live outside. I can easily pull the engine and trans off the stand, get the fab work done on the truck, then back on the stand for storage. 

 

I ordered a cheap set of gauges that will be mounted to the stand. I also have a battery box that will get mounted. In the end, I will be able to start and run the engine every few weeks until it gets permanently mounted in the truck.

[DJ194950]

Nice.

 

Please do not turn the motor over with no fluid circulation of trans fluid. Believe it will hurt the trans?

 

DJ

[Jomani]

8 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Nice.

 

Please do not turn the motor over with no fluid circulation of trans fluid. Believe it will hurt the trans?

 

DJ

 

I was able to use the radiator from the motor home. I mounted it in the same position in relation to the engine/trans so the radiator hoses and transmission cooler lines all worked perfectly. I will pull the yoke off the driveshaft - I intentionally made the stand long enough so I can put a plate behind the yoke to keep it from flying out while running.

 

[Jomani]

Didn’t take pics, but was able to get the  battery box mounted and starter wired up today. My NOS Holley 600 arrived yesterday - got it installed. Added a couple feet of exhaust on each side - I will probably install mufflers to keep peace with the neighbors. As soon as the gauges and trans filter gets here, it will be ready to crank over.

[Dave72dt]

Leave the yoke in. Just make sure the trans is in park and fluid in trans.