Fordfool's '70 Crewcab 4x4x4 project

[Fordfool]

Hey guys, I gotsta start somewhere and I posted this in a thread elsewhere. I am going to figure out how to post pictures soon I hope. I have taken close to 600 pictures so I could find 10 or so to show progress out of those. The problem is they are too large. Gotta make them smaller. Ok for the first post for this project.

I got my cab off my truck the other night and the only things left on the rolling chassis is the engine, tranny, and transfer case. I am SOOO tempted to put a C6 behind it since it would be easier to do right now...or after I get the chassis redone. I currently have a new process 435 4 speed. About how muh would it cost to install a c6 instead of the 4 speed? I do have a c6 2wd tranny that is actually good. Anyone wanna swap? Hmmm I would love for my wife to be able to drive the truck. She would look BAD ASS showing up to school to teach in this badboy By the way, the engine is a 390 with a 4 bbl carbuartor if that makes a difference...

Keith, you are familiar with POR-15. I am thinking about POR-15ing with flat blac the frame and then either Chassis coat black or stirling silver over that. It looks like that would work. In your experience, is that all there is to it? POR-15 flat then Chassis coat over that? I was also thinking about sandblasting the frame down to completely bare metal, but now I am thinking of wire brushing it really well, cleaning it down with metal ready and POR-15ing it. I have done some wire brushing on the body interior floor and fire wall and that has turned out really well so I am thinking of not even bothering with the sandblaster for prepping.

[dduude]

keep at it and you will see the progress soon ........ Dude

[dotcentral]

I never used POR-15, but everything I've read says wire brushing to remove the loose stuff is good enough.

[customcrewcab]

wondering where you went. get some pics

[FORDification]

Right....if you were going to paint it, I'd suggest the sandblasting route. But with POR-15, you don't need it down to bare metal. In fact, it's actually formulated to adhere to slightly rusty steel a bit better than bare metal (hence the name: POR = Paint Over Rust)

You just need to make sure all loose scaley rust is removed, along with any other contaminants, like brake fluid, grease, etc. Hit it with the MetalReady and rinse it off....and then brush on the POR-15. I know that any color coat you apply on top of it has to be done while it's still tacky, unless you're into doing a lot of manual sanding to rough it up enough to stick after it dries. I'd guess that the Chassis Black would work fine as long as it's in an aerosol can (or from a spray gun).

[4x4x4crewcab]

I got my cab off my truck the other night and the only things left on the rolling chassis is the engine, tranny, and transfer case.

Boy does this sound familiar. Keep us posted sounds like you are off to a great start.
I sure hope you get your pictures resized. Would love to see them.

[Fordfool]

After I got the cab off, I thought to myself, man that is one loooong frame. I believe I will probably continue using the same setup you have pictured to wire brush off the debris and then get some metal ready and finish cleaning it up and POR it. I never knew what POR stood for until you said that.

[Fordfool]

I added 6 pictures to my gallery. I need to take some more tomorrow since I have made significant progress since I last took pictures. I owe a huge thank you to 4x4x4crewcab for resizing the pictures for me. Thanks again!

[customcrewcab]

wow nice find! thats what i want next!!!!!!!!! put a diesel in it with a dana 60 front and rear would be the badist 70 4x4 crewcab around. thats what i want to do. 8 lug 20" rims on 35s all black. maybe someday.

[customcrewcab]

so what plans do you have for it?

[Fordfool]

Man, I hate wasting my days mowing! I mowed from 8am until 3:30. I am bushed!

My plans for the truck are this:

It is going to be a daily driver. I plan to work all winter on mainly the chassis getting it in tip top shape. I am taking it completely apart and painting the frame, leaf springs, brake drums, transfer case, tranny (whichever I decide to go with...np-435 or C6..I need a good c6 to go behind the 390 4wd...) I would like my wife to be able to drive this regularly if need be. The truck has power steering and power drum brakes, which I am not going to be going 90 so they should be just fine.

I plan to do some nice rerouting of the HVAC system to the rear so it is comfy in the whole cab. My wife's uncle does custom exhaust so I can do whatever I want to with that with little cost. I actually might use exhaust piping to route the HVAC to the back. Still doing a little experimenting in my head with that.

Now for a few questions for anyone that has experience on this. What are the best leaf spring bushings for my truck. I simply want black in color, but didn't know what material and which store was better than the other...

Next, does anyone know of a place that sells the "Leaf spring clamps" that simply clamp the springs themselves together? Not the ones that clamp the springs to the axle...A few of mine are broken and I would like to take the springs apart and por-15 them anyways.

If you look in my gallery, you will see my power steering setup (part of it anyhow, and I was wondering if someone could identify it for me so I can look into rebuild parts...

The brakes and wheel bearings and such I can figure out. All of my U-joints feel solid and are greasable so when the times comes I can handle that.

The leaf spring clamps and the leaf spring bushings are my most important questions at this point.

I hope to get the engine and tranny out this week sometime as it is completely loose and waiting to be pulled

[zakt]

Decent looking truck... Looks like it will be a fun project

For the leaf spring clamps and possibly bushings I would check with the below they should be able to help or steer you in the right direction.

http://www.alcanspring.com/
2242 Hwy 6 & 50 Grand Junction CO 81505
Toll Free: (888) 321-0870
Local: (970) 241-2655
Fax: (970) 241-6557
Email: charles@alcanspring.com


or


National Spring Company
8745 Magnolia Avenue Suite A
Santee, California
(619) 258-ARCH(2724)

[Fordfool]

More disassembly. Today, I got almost everythign off the frame. Front and rear axles are off, the only things that are still bolted on are the rubber body and radiator mounts. I am trying not to tear them up while removing them. Someone said here that I had to reuse the metal parts of the mounts?!?! If not, I am drilling them out! I tried sockets to drive them through, ratched handles...Couldn't get any of the 6 of them to budge. I tried to get the 390 onto the engine stand today, but there wasn't a bolt pattern that would lign up so it stayed on the cherry picker.

I got the tranny and clutch bell housing off and noticed a little play in the bearing on the frint of the tranny. Gonna hunt for a good place for kits to rebuild the np-435. Might as well at this point...

What are the better leaf spring bushings for my '70 crew? I wanna buy a full set for the front and back at once. I would just rather have them in black, but the red ones do look neat. While I am on the subject of leaf springs, the front leaf springs have a bushing that is in a mount that is riveted to the body. Should I take out the rivets and bolt it back in when I get it back from a machine shop that will be putting the bushing in that mount, or is there a way for me to install these bushings?

I took a ton of pictures at really low resolution today, but they are too large to upload. Man I am bushed. Time for a nap!

[460 crew]

Fordfool I have a page of instructions for body mount removal in my gallery if interested. Also there is a pic of my frame with POR15 and a coat of Chassis coat over the top. I did mostly wire brush and in some of the tight spots some sandblasting. My recommendation for bushing are prothanes, Some say they squeak and choose rubber over them but I have had no prob with noise on any of my prothane bushings even the ones on the transfercase and cab.

[Fordfool]

460 crew, I was wondering when you black chassis coated your frame after the POR-15, did you have to do that when it was tacky or is it different than other paints that must be applied when the por-15 is tacky? Yeah I forgot to mention my transfer case bushings. Man they are ATE UP!! About half the donut is all that is left on them. I am gonna sit down later tonight and start making a "must have list" to get me started building it back up. Man, the old girl is about as far apart as they get now. I have done a lot of wire brushing on the frame so far, but am gonna do some blasting after I get a blasting area set up. Got the sandblaster in today. Your frame looks good coated in that. How much of each did it take?