The Wanderers build

[superbuickguy]

back to the interior.
to remind, this is where we were a couple weeks ago

I don't like square switches because their an utter PITA to make a switch hole for... so let's do this with a regular momentary on-off-on switch

basically I just have to switch polarity to get the linear actuator to work correctly

now wired

now to make enough room for a ... phone... yeah, phone

let's lay out a new liner

wish my shear was out of storage

now clean up the weld spots

and paint the insert

then tack into place

and painted

side view

paint is drying, I'll install tomorrow.

 

[superbuickguy]

Installation pictures
works great

holds a phone just fine

except... I suppose I should just shut up and leave intact the notion that I know what I'm doing but the first attempt was not successful - the actuator hit the hvac hard enough that it wouldn't close
to remind... actuator in the back

no big deal, I'll just attach it to the front

except that doesn't work either (again, interferes with closing) Strike 2
so let's just move it right in front of the back bend

winning and he hit it out of the park

that worked out pretty good because you can half open the door and your phone shouldn't come flopping out under normal driving
not going to use the charge pad, it takes too much room, is too long, and works just fine on the dash or in the dash cubby....

 

[superbuickguy]

It cracks me up this.... 6 1/2 month old English Mastiff 115 lbs. Same "I can't believe you did this to me!" what did I do? well, it was raining. He didn't want to go out in the rain. It was my fault I didn't make it stop and rather laughed at him. I may have to revise my estimate of how big he's going to be... I thought 190-200, now it's looking like 230 or maybe a cheeseburger more....

I bought a F250 stabilizer for reasons, but one of those problems is this bracket won't work because I need a wider spread between it and the attachment point on the cross shaft

cut it off

clean the weld surface

weld new bracket to it

now installed

now those reasons: 1) the Ford stabilizer has greater travel, 2) I can adjust it's dampening by changing it's charge, 3) it's a larger tube diameter which helps initially and doesn't overheat as quickly (the biggest fail of any shock is it creates heat - the hotter it gets the less it dampens but rather then getting softer, it gets far firmer - thus, if you think your truck is beating you up after a few miles offroad... stop, let the shocks cool - or get coolers... etc).

 

[superbuickguy]

With Bangshift forums dead... I need another place to save reference material... this one wins because it's also where I built my Suburban.
Optisensor replacement 6.5 td with e-pump

Roy Halvorsen

 

[superbuickguy]

hmm

 

[superbuickguy]

 

[ITTOG]

Did you design their prototype?

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

[superbuickguy]

Did you design their prototype?

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

no but I'll certain borrow some of their ideas


in other, unrelated news, new plow truck. it looks far better then it is.... but it'll do

but this is the related - that canopy is history, and if someone needs a long bed, tall canopy for overland purposes (or flowerpot, don't care).... let me know... you need to fetch it from Sandpoint, but the price will be quite attractive to those who like free things.

 

[superbuickguy]

So, snow is supposed to be here Thursday.
but first, the distributor arrived

pull the old out

but that wasn't the end of problems... no picture, but the truck has 2 tanks. I filled one.
Guess which one wasn't hooked up?
my guess is the switch went bad - so they just connected one tank. This truck, backstory, I bought from a widow. She had a new guy and he came with his own truck so this was surplus. I think he tried to make it run, but he wasn't the only person who messed with it as the title isn't her dead husband's name. So I hooked up the tank with fuel and it ran (ish). They said it sat for a couple years, I think that couple years is just like 'a couple beers' people tell cops when they've been drinking. But, good news is with running it a bunch, it now runs fine, still down on one cylinder but more like 50% down so it runs and drives just fine now
The other issue was the ignition switch required serious effort to get it to twist, so I replaced the module on the column

finally got around to cleaning out the back and getting the other snowplow out

and it still looks like an old, abused truck

but the plow is off and about ready to go up for sale

and people wonder why it takes me so long to get stuff done. Driving home last night, the dually was running like it was out of fuel. Turns out, after diagnosis, it was this

such junk 280,000 miles and 35 years old it died. What American junk
I would, however, like a word with the engineer who felt you needed to take half the top of the intake apart to get it off

and finally, we're to the snowplow install.... what is this, 9 posts and 4 months since this saga started?
take a look at the future

I hoped to just turn around these brackets and call it a day, but nope

looks good at this point

just hangs way too low

tomorrow, make a couple brackets to weld to the frame and bolt it all together

 

[superbuickguy]

bracket lifted into place...don't like, not square and a bit low

cut back brace off... don't think I'll need them but we'll see... better

I really need to find my pipe clamps... but alas, use what ya got

my new plan is trim the inside of the frame rails and simply weld this all into place... it's an old plow, an old truck and frankly, I can't imagine a case where this won't be used until it vanishes in a pile of rust dust.

move back about the width of the brackets... I may extra brace, I may not, because where it's going to be welded, all the force is basically in line with the spring hangers - floating may be an issue (where the plow doesn't have down force but simply floats over the ground) given the arms aren't parallel with the ground; however, if I did that, the bracket would be 6" off the ground and a hazard

 

[superbuickguy]

so with just a slight notch

it all can be installed

after the notch, much alignment was done... this is probably fit number 5

basically I used the assembly to decide where it all fit

welded the lower bracket to the frame, then bolted the upper bracket to the lower bracket and to the frame. The upper frame keeps the lower frame from rotating under the vehicle.... or at least that's the theory

one of the joys of making junk fit...

I have a plan.... it should be just fine

what's left, put the controls in the cab, wire the various lights and pull the bar forward enough so I can open the hood... oh and put in new belts (I know, I know, there goes the budget)...

all in, $1,800.

 

[superbuickguy]

looks just like an old chevy doing old chevy things

and yeah, I matched the paint lol

did take a little more welding

found the mounts last night.... so clean this up