Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Cool stuff...Jim

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Russ, I did some looking at that machine. Looks like a great setup for home shop use....hmmm.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

I got the name from a project on here, he cut a radiator mount. I dont like that it doesnt have initial height sensing or at least a breakaway torch mount, so you will really have to watch it. but it was literally 1/10th the price of an arclight (albeit with 1/4 the table size) which was nice for my empty wallet, and it will fit in the corner of this garage till I get the other shop going.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Gosh I wish we were neighbors with that computer set up. How you like it so far? would love to have that set up!

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

I love it so far, I havent cut anything yet, but its supposed to be poor weather tuesday so probably then.

I got the duals set up and got all the software installed. made a foldable pattern set of cab mounts, cant wait to cut them for bickle.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694108
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694013


I needed a little more room in the garage, that compressor was just in the way. I took the stand up desk to the other shop and moved the compressor into the corner, much more room. Had to move the electrical outlet but that was a snap.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694013
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694013

more in second post

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

the weather was gorgeous this weekend, so I finished stripping the s10. went ahead and broke another T47.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694571

since I use 98+ s10 donors this is just something I have to deal with, the inner seat bolts were torx because they hold the seatbelts too, and were put on by what had to be a orangutan on amphetamines. if youu can get them to "crack", you can take them out by hand, but getting them to crack in the problem. usually I crack the torx. :waah:

but other than that, everything came apart just like before.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694477
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694477
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694477
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580694477

the joy of working on a really late model chassis with only 115k miles is that everything hasnt stuck together yet.

tomorrow is another nice day, I have to run and get that international for my brother from south haven but hoping to make a soul food lunch date with a truck bud in ark city and still make it back to pull the motor/trans before dark thirty. tuesday looks like poop weather again, so maybe some cutting!

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Russ, moving right along...Jim

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

you can offset the cost of the t47 with that 2cents laying there..haha

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

haha this truck has like 8 bucks on the floor!

I have another T47, I buy them in bulk lately

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Wow! Some great finds there. I really like the big window fleetside idea too.

Maybe I could send you a $ and you could buy me a lottery ticket!!!

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

ok, I'm back. I had to go hide in a corner after seeing that screen saver. haha.
nice progress on the strip down. looking good. man, you got the luck of being in the right place at the perfect time. good on ya.
I had a compressor head like that awhile ago. I fabbed up an intake conversion plate to connect some 4" flex ducing to it and then ran the intake into the attic of the shop where I used an S10 air filter box. the compressor was waaaay quieter.
keep posting pics, maybe get me off my butt to get something done on my old project. seems like renovations get done first.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

something I have found works pretty good for getting the seat belt bolts to crack-get a big drift punch and a 3 lb hammer. give the bolt a really good whallop on the head. then try the torx. it seems to crack the loctite or whatever they use on the threads. anyway. worth a try maybe? less runs back to the toolbox or parts store?

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

haha dsraven thats the iron maiden aces high album cover. I used to work aircraft and had dual screens and that is my throwback desktop background. I will try beating on it next time. this time I will just flip the cab on its back and cut the bottom sides of the bolts.

thanks jim,

and robert I would be happy to buy you as many lottery tickets as you want, but my luck doesnt seem to work on those. :lol:

so it was 55 when I woke up this morning, went and picked up the international for my brother in PA. had to pull the front clip and there are a lot of varying fasteners used on an international front clip.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580769557
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580769557


tried to go to the soul food place in ark city for some meatloaf and sweet potato pie and collard greens and THEY STARTED CLOSING ON MONDAYS.

so we drove to Winfield and ate at shindigs, a converted train station into a cool looking but average bar food restaurant. this was on the wall between the bathrooms, which was slightly ironic.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580769557

my brother said to grab the headlight bezels so when the waitress took my order it was "fish and chips and a flathead screwdriver on the side".

but by the time I got home and unloaded the temp had already fallen to 31, and its colder now as I write this.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580770071

I had to leave it on the trailer in the new shop, forgot the dollies. My friend with the forklift met us for lunch and said "oh thats what I was going to do today until you called, get your forklift" :waah:

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

those internationals are pretty cool when they are lowerd with the right wheel combo.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Russ, I dig the wallpaper...seeing Eddie made me laugh. Are you an Iron Maiden fan? My shop name has no ties to the album, but I do get asked on occasion if there is a correlation.

I once went and looked as an S-110(I think) Binder, it was a 55 model if memory serves. Somewhere in the sticks of MO, guy wouldn't deal on price, and it was pretty far gone, and do to location and what I swore was the faint sound of banjos in the background, I was ready to move on to the next one.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

not a super fan, just used the wallpaper on my dual monitor setup years ago so it was a bit of nostalgia. I am not up on internationals, my brother sells them in Erie Pa and wants a "shop truck".

visited kechi today, did door seals. still as giant a pain it the rear as I remember. the upholstery guy also pulled the windlace off to do the headliner, so I had to put it back too.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580861823
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580861727
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580861727

he had another truck there, a nice 57 dodge with an OM617 and auto trans.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580861727

and around the corner I ran into the late 1950s. there were easily 100 cars there, most were 4 doors or wagons though.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1580861727

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

wow...that some cool looking iron behind that fence...
love my IH's ...that's a 59 or 60 your bro has...and so is the bar front end
I may have one good dual light IH bezel he can have if he needs it,,,i know one is broke but I cant remember if the other one is good...il have to go look
and to echo what slammed57 said, the A and B series 2wd trucks do look great lowered...but mine is 4x4, so no lowering on it

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

That 60 Chevy wagon is cool. There is a green one a old guy here in town uses for his lawn care business. I would love to have it.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Thanks for sharing those pictures. Love the nostalgia.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

youre welcome, i have a couple more pictures but the forum only allows 5 pictures per post.

starting the frame shortening. I think I like using the ext cab better because
1) they are easier to find
2) there are more of them than longbeds so you can usually get one in better shape for less (case in point, this 115k truck for cheapcheap)
3) you can make the wheelbase exactly fit the AD
4) the bed floor ALMOST (within 2.5") fits the AD bed and you get all 8 bed bolts in (only 4 with the longbed chassis)

the only thing I dont like is that on the 98+ ext cabs they use a 4 bolt flange for the driveshaft pinion. but its the same bolt pattern as the 8.8 ford 4 bolt, and lots of those rear ends exist.

I pulled the motor and trans, I like leaving everything hooked up for now so the rad stays attached. I think I am going to try something different with the rad mounting too, now that I have a fast method of duplicating ideas. two motor mounts, trans mount, fuel lines, two steering lines, I like to cut the driveshaft (need a shorter one anyway) and exhaust but still need to pull the exhaust mounts off the trans crossmember. disconnect the O2 sensors and trans connector, look for any zip ties! this one had ties on the trans cooler lines. make sure you pull the dizzy and the oil pressure sender, the chain always seems to find them!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581034397

upper control arm bushings are wasted, in addition to tie rods being loose. I will replace it all.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581034300

save the door pins you pounded out of the doors, with a couple scraps of 5/16 rubber hose you can plug the tank and pull the lines off the frame, the fuuel filter is RIGHT THERE where you will be shortening.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581034300


I disconnect the last line which is the rear brake line, keeping it a sealed system is preferable but I have to break the lines to pull the abs anyway. then just clean up the rails for anything remotely in the way of the splice.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581034300
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581034300


dont worry about that big bend in the brake line, long lines like that have a LOT of give.

havent used my table yet. the laptop battery is coming from china, yes I have a power supply and even a 22ft usb but I want to be more proximal for jogging the table. besides, I dont need mounts yet anyway. :lol:

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Progressing on in full forward force as normal!

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

well yes, its february, my slow time, so I can get stuff done every day if I want.

and I want!


here is my shortening the frame work. start by covering up your fuel tank with a welding blanket, you are going to be grinding and welding a LOT so make sure if you have a plastic tank like I do that you cover it well, over and under.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581123757

take stock of how level your frame is, if I was doing this on a welding table I would want it 100% level, but the way I am doing this, without pulling the wheels, I just want to make sure the frame is equal on both sides. this one had a little down slope to the front, which is fine, because the distance from the frame to the floor is equal on both sides at different points.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581123757

clean up the frame with a wire cup brush, you want to be sure to clean up at least as much length as you are shortening because cleaning it AFTER you cut it is a fiddly chore.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581123757

you can also see I marked out the length of the cut, I chose 6.5" because on the last one I did 6" and there was still a good gap between the cab and bed, a 1/2" will make it closer. the ext cab s10 wheelbase is 122.9", the long bed S10 108.3", and the AD shortbed is 116", so that would normally mean shortening 7", but the AD is generally accepted to have the wheel too far back in the front wheel well, and the s10 wheelbase gets shorter as you lower it, so I will shoot for 116.5". I put an arbitrary line in front to measure from, and a line 6.5" back from where the frame splice was. I also put a reference line on the side of the frame for level. this wasnt 100% needed because:

I used stanchions welded to the cab mounts running to the floor. this will keep the frame halves from walking all over the floor once I separate them. this was the problem I had last time, keeping everything square on jack stands is not ideal. I also put one more on the front of the frame to keep the front section from wanting to tip forward.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581123757

my first cuts, you can see my stanchions worked perfectly, the frame is cut in half and only changed position about 1/32"

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581123757

let me also explain my cut methodology: the rear frame overlaps the front frame at the top, bottom, and outside. the front frame is tapered in this section to sit inside the rear frame section. also, the front frame section has a long overlap for the inside of the frame, as well as long sections of the top inside and bottom inside sections. you could grind these apart with a stone wheel, but I chose to cut halfway through the overlapping sections (careful not to go all the way through), then I cut the length cut all the way through at the back, then I cut behind the overlapping sections to give me a place to pry.


more in next post.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

oh one thing I forgot to mention, the front will want to roll around a bit so make sure you chock the front and back of BOTH the front wheels before starting.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581125021

those chocks are actually part of the jack setup in the S10! I never knew what they were for, I have lots of them laying around now haha.


more overlap cutting

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581124921

and one side done. you can see by cutting carefully that the only thing left to grind off is some weld and barely any of the frame.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581124921

both sides cut. stanchions doing their job well!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581124921

this is hard to see but on the far side you can see the angle cut, this is for clearance on the inside of some threaded holes. still plenty of overlap!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581124921


still more to come.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

"but russ," I can somewhat implausibly hear you saying, "how do you make the frame ends come together? you dont have any wheels on the stanchions"

well, you add temporary wheels! I used two jacks, only raising it just barely enough to let the rear wheels roll the rear section into the front. the second jack on the front is just so the slightly raised rear section doesnt bang into the lower front section.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581125266

after that it was measuring and more measuring. I did two difference reference points on the front to two different points on the back, as well as a cross measurement from the oval hole on the front to the opposite rear cab mount to check for square. everything lined up perfect, with only a small whack or two needed.

tack weld, measure again, and weld solid.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581125266

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581125266

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581125266

a couple points to make here:

1) the overlapping section of the front half usually has a "bumped out" section on the rear half inside reinforcement, but you cut that bump off, so I like to tack weld the outside and tops, then use a c clamp to squeeze that overlap back to the inside boxing.

2) your inside boxing will need to be cleaned off at least 1" on the inside of the rear section before sliding it together, or it will stop before bottoming out.

3) there are two points, one on top and one on bottom, where the inside overlap will be full of weld over the front frame underlap, you will have to clean this out with a cutoff wheel so the frame sections can slide all the way together. alternatively you could just trim the rear half so it will still go together, but it doesnt take but a second or two to just chop it clear.

here is a picture, the red line represents where the underlap of the front frame section is under the rear frame section, and the red rectangle is where youu need to open it up, top and bottom, on both sides of the frame.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581126207


hopefully this helps someone. :metal:

tomorrow I am busy but I might get the new motor mounts and trans mount welded in and the frame powerwashed.

Re: Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e
 

Coming right along Russ...nice work on frame