"Lock Jaw" the 1979 stepside

[warrpath4x4]

I am trying to push through the cold weather, or as much as I can before the really cold stuff shows up. Its hard though when theres 15 minutes of light after getting off work.

got the engine pulled, gonna clean it up and re-gasket most of it. Basically wanted it out of the way to change out the engine crossmember and install the A-Bomb winch mount.

Cant say ive ever seen a tag like this, thought it might have been a replacement engine

but the engine number comes back as a 77-79 2 or 4 bolt main and the trucks a 79

 

[warrpath4x4]

Saturday I hauled a friends new 64 F100 that he picked up and since I already had the trailer hooked up I loaded the stepside to run it down to the car wash.

Didn't really get much else done besides wash, unload, and put the front frame on jack stands to start the A-Bomb install before the winds picked up and blew 25-35mph gusting to 55.

 

[warrpath4x4]

It is unseasonably warm right now, almost 60 degrees in mid December is unheard of here. When I got off work yesterday I went and threw the new alternator in Bubba Gump and even though its warmer than usual its still dark at the normal time.

let there be light

sliced and air chiseled the rivets, smacked it with a hammer and it was not coming off, feeling around "am I missing a rivet?"

nope someone welded the brackets to the frame. well hopefully our next round of atmospheric river doesn't show up before I get off work today and I can finish removing these, prep the frame, and install the A-Bomb

 

[warrpath4x4]

Had a little bit of nice weather this morning till noonish when the clouds came out and the wind picked up again. Got the rest of the old core support/front spring brackets removed and installed the DIY4X A-Bomb system

You can see I also started removing the engine crossmember to install an ORD one.