Build thread 37 Dodge PU

[Bob Parmenter]

Big improvement.

[Dave Severson]

Looks good Mike, great work.... Never did see a spare tire well that I liked!!!!

[Fauxre]

Just finished reading this thread. What a great project. Taking a cool old truck and turning it into something really special. Love all the pics. Feels like an old '50s movie serial. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next episode.

Inspiring work!!!

[lamin8r]

Awesome stuff,Mike..Its coming along nicely..Will be a good cruiser..Love those old Mopar trucks..Its a pity we didnt get a few more down here..What we did get,are long gone..

[Mike P]

“…..Never did see a spare tire well that I liked……”

Dave I always thought they were a neat feature …..on a restored truck or resto mod. If I had gone the semi-sleeper and left the hood sides on it might have stayed ( re-working the hood sides to close on the HEMI would have been interesting LOL). For me it just doesn’t work on this truck. I’m not throwing stones at this guys 38 but once I saw this picture I realized had badly it didn’t work.




“…….It looks like it coming together pretty quick; are you shooting to have it road ready for spring?.....”

Falcon I’m at one of those stages that every builder likes……where you knock out the things in a few days or weeks that make a visual change you actually see and feel like you accomplished something. Of course when those are done you’re down to the jobs where you work and work on the detail items and when you look at it at the end of the day it doesn’t look like you did anything.

I’m not really on a schedule for this one but after all these years I really would like to drive rather than push it around LOL. The builds I’ve done over the last several years have all gone into mockup then been torn back down for the engine rebuild and paint and body then re-assembled before they got put on the road. I’m really thinking on this one I might actually get it running and driving for a bit before I tear it down for paint. The only major thing I’m missing to do that is a working 518 transmission.

[Mike P]

I got a call from a friend last week who had started to build a 67 Fairlane a few years ago. He had a stroke a couple of years ago and while he’s getting around pretty well now he really doesn’t have too much use of his left hand. He asked me if I would be interested in finishing the Ford for him and I took on the job.

The car will be towed out this week and the Dodge put on the back burner for a couple of months. As I’ll need the shop space the poor old Dodge got pulled to the back shed today.

I moved it with the garden tractor and as it is it’s easier with someone steering my grandson volunteered for that job LOL. It’s the first time he’s helped me with something like this and it took a booster seat to get him high enough. For his first time “driving something real” he did very well (and it took about 2 hours to get the grin off his face).

[NTFDAY]

Now that is priceless

[Dave Severson]

What a great picture and an unforgettable experience for your grandson!!!!!! Way to go, Mike!

[rspears]

Great job on the fender, Mike, and the picture with your helper driving is one for the build album, too. He'll remember steering the old truck for the rest of his life, especially if he ends up driving it in a few years....

[falconvan]

That's great, Mike. A few years from now he may be driving it for real! Post some shots on that Ford, too.

[bluestang67]

That is a nice truck Mike , Tire wells are for old folks .

[Mike P]

Thanks Bobby, I'm anxious to tow it back in the shop (and so is the grandson LOL).

Hopefully the Fairlane that’s in there now will be done around the end of Jan and I can back on the Dodge.

[Mike P]

Well, not much of an update, but the 37 made it back into the shop yesterday. The next couple of projects are going to be hanging the Dana 60 and figuring out Power Steering brackets.



For a while I'd played with the idea of a 4 link, but think I'll play with some different leaf springs and hangers and build a set of Cal-Tracks instead.

I had had not really given too much thought to the PS pump until a few weeks ago, I figured I'd just do what everybody else has done and build some brackets and hang a Saginaw pump on the Hemi then try to dial in the pressure. Then it hit me that as I'm going to have to fab brackets anyway, I might as well try to use the correct pump. We'll see how that goes, the Ford pump is quite a bit thicker than the Saginaw.

[bluestang67]

Well with the Fairlane getting close this should be coming back soon Mike ?

[Mike P]

Actually it came back into the shop a month or so ago and I've dug out a pair of different rear leaf springs I think might work better than the stockers. That unfortunatly is about as far as I have gotten.

Between changing over the 77 Mustang for the wife and getting a load of stuff ready for the swap meet there hasn't been a whole lot of time left over time.