Thread: My hand built Rat.. or whatever it is

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how long does it take to make a cut. I have tried to different steel saws and they dont work at all, but I like the idea of straight true cuts. maybe I just havent found the right saw or blade? where did you get your setup?

The saw is a Model R4141 Ridgid chop saw from Home Depot. the blade is a DeWalt general purpose cutting. 1/8" thick 14" chop saw blade. It cuts ok but slow because of the thick blade. Thinner blades have a higher chance of flexing

Welded the rails on the Jig today. Yellow rustoleum held with very little burning.





Now, I just gotta wait for the Ford dealer to get the front clip cut out. went by there and there shuffling there junkers around a bit

Looking good Matt..

Hopefully I'll be able to get an engine/ trans next week.. Was going to go on weds but we had snow/ cold.

Engine/ trans is here. '75 Lincoln 460/C6 trans. smog era, but it's in very promising shape. antifreeze was green, had a very recent oil change and bright red ATF. the hoses were probably less than a year old. gave $400 for everything including the radiator ( bought for test run ) at the junkyard I go to. The car had a 2010 inspection sticker, so it sat for less than 2 years figuring it was last inspected in 2009. looked to be an honest 50k on the car and the odo showed that Only good big block with a 2wd trans in the yard.. I have the oil cap, but It got pulled out with the chain and doesn't fit right anymore. just 1 of those smog caps anyway, that hooks into the air cleaner.. I think I'll sell the power by Ford valve covers and get some offenhauser finned 1's...

Delayed update...
Suspension Donor truck has arrived just intime for my week off from work.. Cant save this 1. Cab is nice and the frame is straight, but it's about done, and has had some parts removed arleady



Friend needs the leaf springs so first thing I did was pull the bed- alone.


My Moms Toyota has a rotting bed floor, and the bed floors are a close enough match to use for patches. So away that went too


Then, to make the rest fit in the bed of my K1500



I will save the part around the gas door, as I will make that a swing out cup holder in the dash, as well as a little storage for reg card or whatnot. I just have to cut it out

after the bed was cut apart, I cut away all the sheetmetal off the front of cab. made it lighter, and I felt like it. testing out sawsall blade brands/ lines.. Lenox Gold FTW.. After some consideration, I decided that I would use more of the frame than I planned



Then prepped the cab for removal.. no pics but, I pulled out the front body mount bolts, and then gave up and cut the rear mounts. That was faster..

Cab was just a bit too big for the 2 ton hoist with the ratchet straps ( yes, I know that's not what there for ). got it off to the side and rolled it.. if the hoist had another 6" in the ram to clear the frame, I would have avoided that

Rolled it back over for a big THUD.. straps still connected. This setup did lift the cab evenly and the hoist was stable with the load


Then it looked like this


Pulled the engine/ trans. which was super easy. sawsall'd the 2 peice driveshaft, exhaust and clipped some wires that were still hanging.. I didn't buy the truck for parts, only the frame, so the sawsall and bolt cutters saved a lot of time


Next, the gas tank had to go.. Again, cut out all of the offending crossmembers .. that section of the frame, with the exception of bumper, rear end and leaf springs is going for scrap anyway.


Then I needed to size the frame for my grandfathers 8x10 garden trailer to take it where the project is. I needed less, but without measurements, gave myself lots of extra. Carrier bearing xmember remains only for support


Ready for a road trip. Not very far, about 4 miles on back roads


Next to the cab


After cutting the cab out for the wider frame, I set it on the frame.. I will need to position the body center and find the best location front to back, had to leave some clerence on this 1.
Camber is horredus because there is just about no weight on the suspension. This cab is super light


Cab is tipped back because front is resting on a higher section of frame, inch or so. I will correct this with higher rear body mounting.


No pics, but after some careful measurements, I re trimmed the frame. Then measured and cut the rails I had built prior into a back half for this truck.. Yes it is tall. I want a 30" tire level at ride height, which is a lot lower than it is now with unloaded suspension and shocks that are blown.. I have coil overs and adjustable mounts that have +-5" of adjustability


Paralell 4 bar Rear suspension is next, will be mounted on a '00 3.73 8.8" Explorer axle, replacing the ZR2 rear I had for it.. I have actually added a few crossmembers in the rear, but no pics..

Due to budget restrictions, this has turned into more of what will be just a fun truck, but it still needs to be safe. That's where the Ranger front and Explorer rear comes in. Factory engineered suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes... The Ranger suspension doesn't look 'right', But it's got to do for my first build.. I don't think it'll turn out that bad.

Very resourceful, Matt! I think the weight of the 460 will correct your tire leaning problems.

Hopefully I will be able to use the factory springs that are there. When the Ranger cab was removed, the suspension weight just about completly unloaded. The 2.3x5spd I don't think weighs 500lbs and the suspension really didn't unload much when I pulled it.. The 460 might actually correct the lack of weight it now has, hopefully it stays allignable. If not, I'll contact Eaton spring and get 2 custom springs

A lot of cutting Matt! But it's getting there,Brian

Originally Posted by Matt167

Engine/ trans is here. '75 Lincoln 460/C6 trans. smog era, but it's in very promising shape. antifreeze was green, had a very recent oil change and bright red ATF. the hoses were probably less than a year old. gave $400 for everything including the radiator ( bought for test run ) at the junkyard I go to. The car had a 2010 inspection sticker, so it sat for less than 2 years figuring it was last inspected in 2009. looked to be an honest 50k on the car and the odo showed that Only good big block with a 2wd trans in the yard.. I have the oil cap, but It got pulled out with the chain and doesn't fit right anymore. just 1 of those smog caps anyway, that hooks into the air cleaner.. I think I'll sell the power by Ford valve covers and get some offenhauser finned 1's...

Good choice of motor......one advice.....change the retarded timing chain......and if you can....change the cam to a Comp Cam 256 0r Summit racing 262.....itls breath a whole lot better.
This is mine after some work. Mine came out of a 72 Lincoln Mark IV

The early timing set is in the plans for it, as well as a mild cam

Originally Posted by Oldmanb

A lot of cutting Matt! But it's getting there,Brian

Yep. There were times when my sawsall was hot to the touch. It's only an 8.5A Skil, but it does the job just fine.. Still more to do so I can load it up and take it to the scrap yard

Lookin pretty cool......what color are ya gonna paint it? or ya gonna leave it bare metal?