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Re: Project Fargolet
awesome solution!
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Re: Project Fargolet
thats a great tech tip!
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Re: Project Fargolet
My speedway wiper kit arrived, so I went to the shed and got to work. Most of these universal wipers have a 110 degree sweep. By making a template out of cardboard and playing with different sweep angles I had determined that 110 degrees would make for a difficult install on the driver side, and impossible on the passenger side (the sweeps on the 2 Fargo wipers are different from each other), but 90 degrees would be quite good. This led me to order the Speedway 90 degree wiper kit. I figured out how to mount both sides, fabbed up brackets, took lots of pics and then did a test. During the test, I lifted the arm so that the blade was above the glass (just in case something went wrong). It’s a good thing I did that. It was obvious that the sweep would have my blade smashing into the frame around the glass…….I stopped and reinstalled a cardboard template to see what was going on, and much to my surprise it turns out that the 90 degree wiper motor I bought provides a sweep of 110 degrees. Needless to say, I was perturbed. I fired off an email to the vendor (and they responded quickly and were good about it). I then started to hunt for a replacement motor that has a 90 degree sweep and a long enough shaft to work on the Fargo. The hunt is still on, and as I go through the various online universal wiper motors I am amazed at how many don’t provide a sweep angle (which is a rather crucial piece of information).
To cheer myself up, I stomped off to the shed to do something quick and instantly gratifying. I’d gotten tired of using the top of my skull to hold the hood up while tinkering underneath, so I fabbed up a pair of hood supports: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5dc2f68a_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52cd68f5_c.jpg Next I decided to deal with the spare tire. The S10 mounting system would no longer work as the shortening of the frame would have the spare sticking out the back of the truck. I could have fabbed a mount further forward, but this is supposed to look as much as an original truck as possible, so the solution was simple. The Fargo came with a spare tire mounting bracket attached to the bedside so I just needed to make some simple mods. Here’s the original bracket. It still has the little pin to align the holes with the bolts (yup, bolts rather than studs, and the threads were opposite on the driver and passenger sides): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7348c1ea_c.jpg Making the Chevy wheel fit was just a matter of grinding off the alignment pin and drilling and tapping 3 holes on the Chevrolet bolt pattern. I could then use ½ inch bolts to affix the spare (these have a ¾ inch head, which fits the lug wrench for the S10 wheel nuts): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6905b29e_c.jpg And here she sits now, with the spare in place: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2dd72eaf_c.jpg Hopefully I can sort out the wiper issue soon, and post how to replace the dual vacuum system with a cheap electric alternative. More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
This may be a pretty helpless comment, but. Are any rear window suv or minivan wipers more in the 90 degree range? Maybe a tractor cab wiper also?
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Re: Project Fargolet
can you re-drill the pivot hole for the linkage? a shorter action arm may be able to reduce the sweet.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Edgeleycanuck: Those suggestions were not helpless! As for the suv/mini van wipers I believe they are not a great fit for my header panel, and they tend to have a big sweep (like 120 degrees). I did end up looking at both tractor and marine wipers (with success-see below!).
6DoF: That’s an option that I was reserving for later, in case I couldn’t find a matching pair with 90 degree sweeps. My previous efforts to take apart electric motors have generally resulted in an explosion of tiny springs and magnets and stuff, so I was leery of opening a new motor up! Here’s what I finally did in order to get a pair of good, strong, reliable wipers. This truck will not see rain often, but my area is very hilly so I really wanted to go electric. After an absolute ton of internet searches and unanswered emails from tech support at a couple of suppliers, I ordered a wiper designed for a tractor. I knew it was going to be bigger than I wanted, but I am happy with what I got. I bought a Case-IH VLC3005 motor that has a toggle switch built in. It does protrude into the cab from the header panel, but that’s where the toggle switch is, and in an old truck with utilitarian features, the protrusion really isn’t out of place. This motor is the same as all the other universals, as it has 2 shafts that go through the roof skin above the windshield. There is a round, solid inner shaft that the wiper arm attaches to, and a threaded outer shaft that is used to secure the wiper to the roof skin. If the shafts are too long, you simply cut off whatever is not needed. Here’s the new motor, with the excess shaft lengths already cut off: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...de461c6d_c.jpg These little universal motors mount by tightening 2 nuts that firmly clamp the threaded shaft to the roof skin (one nut inside the roof skin, one nut outside the roof skin). They also have a small tab that needs to get affixed to the body in order to keep the motor from rotating due to the twisting force of the wiper. Due to an inner sheet metal lip where 2 roof panels met inside, I needed to create a spacer that would set the motor about 2 inches inside of the roof skin. I was scratching my head over how to create a metal bracket to do this, when it occurred to me that I am not limited to metal. These trucks used a fair amount of wood in their construction (even the cab used to sit on wooden blocks), so I grabbed a piece of wood, took a few measurements, made a quick guess or two, and then used a chop saw to make “spacer version 1.0”. It’s murder getting inside that header panel to take accurate measurements, so version 1.0 was meant to just be a test piece. Imagine my surprise when I installed it and it fit perfectly! Using a spacer block was also very useful, as it allowed me to tighten the motor in place using only one nut from the outside of the roofskin (there is no access whatsoever to be able to get a wrench onto a nut on the inner skin, which is how these are meant to be attached). Here is the new motor, with spacer 1.0 in place: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6ce0de50_c.jpg Next came the outer fitting. The wiper shaft protrudes through the roof skin at about a 70 degree angle, so I needed a 70 degree fitting to clamp the wiper in place. This was just a matter of grabbing a piece of solid round bar, drilling a hole down the centre of its axis, and then cutting off a piece at the correct length and angles (90 degree at one end, 70 degree at the other). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...62ba1776_c.jpg I then cut up a couple of seals to keep water out and bolted the whole mess together. Here’s the outside now: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a42dc99a_c.jpg Next came the anti-rotation tab. For this I just fabbed a little tab that attaches to the windshield hinge bracket on the driver side. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7d03c2f0_c.jpg For the passenger side it got a little trickier as the anti-rotation tab is not on the same side as the windshield hinge bracket. I made this little attachment tab which will be temporarily bolted into place against the header panel. Once I know that everything is good, I will remove the bolts and weld it in place permanently. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ee89ec76_c.jpg The wooden spacer for the passenger side was identical, so making a 2nd one was 5 minutes work. Here’s the driver side with the motor in place. I still need to fab up a panel that covers the access hole and trims up the motor to make it look more like it’s supposed to be that way (remember it protrudes into the cab a bit). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e26b55b0_c.jpg Next came the wiper arms and blades. Aside from using stock ones, there appear to be 2 common styles of universal aftermarket alternatives. There are the arm & blade combos that seem to come with all the aftermarket universal wiper motor kits (the lower combination in the photo below), or I could use the Anco 41-01 arm and the Trico Classic blade (upper combo in this pic): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45d3e1a2_c.jpg For those who are interested, I’ll share some comments about these 2 wiper combo choices. Anco/Trico combo: -$43 Cdn at Rockauto for one arm/blade set -Arm length is adjustable -Blade angle is adjustable -Construction is very strong (thick metal, well made) -Spring inside arm is very strong (likely too strong for vacuum wipers, but can be adjusted with some tinkering as I did on page 4 of this build thread) -Arm comes with adapters to fit most common wiper posts -Dull metallic silver finish on arm, chrome on blade frame Universal kit combo: -$20 Cdn per set at various online vendors in the US -Arm length is adjustable (but the construction makes it a bit tough to do at points) -Construction is horrible (poorly stamped, thin metal, flimsy and overall awful) -Spring is moderately strong -Blade can be shortened by cutting it (useful for minor interference with windshield frame) -Blade angle not adjustable -Arm comes with adapters for 2 different post types -Chrome finish on both arm and blade I went with the Anco/Trico combo, but both would work on the Fargo. Here is a pic of the driver side. It just needs some adjustment to optimize the swept area, and I need to lower the blade a bit by adjusting the arm length (super simple to do). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5da0cbd8_c.jpg I hope I wasn’t too long winded about installing wipers, but I have to say that getting these things sorted out was actually one of the trickies jobs I’ve had on this swap! |
Re: Project Fargolet
Tooo long...not by a long shot. The more info given the better chance of Borrowing your information and getting it right. Thanks for taking the time to tell us this.....Your truck is coming along nicely.
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Re: Project Fargolet
I always enjoy your posts and learning how you 'overcome' each task.
Thank you for taking the time to post pics and describe each project. This is going to be a very well built and cool truck when it's done. (can't wait to see it) another task completed, .... on to the next one |
Re: Project Fargolet
Thanks guys! I always hope that detailed instructions may help someone else avoid having to reinvent the wheel (god knows I have borrowed enough ideas from others in this build). While waiting for those darn door latch mechanisms to come back in stock I have kept busy with some minor things on the truck. First was the headlight buckets.
While reassembling the front end I realized that one of the headlight buckets was canted upwards. These fenders had been horribly bashed and I did my best to remove the biggest dents, however the area where the headlight buckets mount did not come out as well as I had hoped. I could have taken it all apart and started bashing again, but I am lazy so I did something simpler. Here is the headlight bucket that points too far upwards: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5b4c9edf_c.jpg These buckets sit on a thin rubber pad (which I didn’t have anyhow), so I grabbed a thick piece of rubber and made a pad, then hit it with a die grinder to adjust the way the bucket sits: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a53da606_c.jpg Once that tapered pad was installed, the bucket pointed forward: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...88221d8e_c.jpg Next I decided to try something different with the S10 gauges. My first attempt (Version1.0) was far from satisfactory. The needles sat deep in the housing, and I had completely forgotten about the fact that my seating position results in me looking down, rather than straight at the gauges. As a result, the needles and markings were half hidden from my sightline. I was going to just redo them, bringing the needles forward, but I realized that if I do that I will lose the light that lets me see them in the dark. I seemed to be stuck, but then realized I could use the original S10 gauge faces. Yeah, it’s not gonna look period correct, but then neither does the speedo. It was time to stop dithering and make something I could clearly see during both day and night. Here’s what I did. I cut a piece of ⅜ plexiglass to fit inside the housing: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83358032_c.jpg The S10 gauge face is a thin sheet of plastic which is glued to a clear panel in the instrument panel. I have no idea what kind of glue GM uses, but it is amazing. It's super hard to pull that face off, however once it’s off the glue is still there, and is still SUPER sticky (even after 25 years). I cut out the face sections around the gauges and stuck them onto the piece of 3/8ths plexiglass: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7d24bb15_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...12c3452d_c.jpg I gave it a test tug and that glue would not let go. Wow! I finished drilling all the holes I needed, popped the needles onto the gauges and then made fresh front borders. I now needed light. The S10 gauges are designed to let light in from the rear, so I fabbed up a couple of brackets that would hold a light behind each gauge set: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2a151742_c.jpg I put it all together and here’s how it looks now: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...14f5295e_c.jpg The gauges are far easier to see now. I am still not thrilled about the modern look, but they are functional, and will work for now. My goal at this point was to use everything I could from the donour vehicle in order to get this truck onto the road with minimal costs (version 2.0 cost me about 5 bucks to do!). I have a list of future “mini projects”, and I think I will add nicer gauges to that list. I got a bit stubborn trying to prove to myself that the S10 gauges are reusable. While I finally did do it, the ordeal reminded me of the expression “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”! |
Re: Project Fargolet
I like the gauge work. A lot of time and effort there but it looks good. Excellent work.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Nice work as usual
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Re: Project Fargolet
2 Attachment(s)
maybe some 'antique' white needles will help it look more vintage..... I think it helped mine
The gauges look really good in the original housings, I hope they work for you |
Re: Project Fargolet
Thanks guys, and Tempest67 I may give that a shot ( I have extra gauges in my parts truck). It made a big difference in your gauges. I would have to figure out how to open up the speedo though, and it appears crimped together (not meant to be openable) so I have to see if I can open it without wrecking it. For now I know they work, and I can see these ones far better than version 1.0 so I’m good to go!
While doing the gauges and other dash work, I had been taking advantage of the giant hole that had been cut into the dash by a previous owner. The hole seems to be the result of the removal of the windshield lift system, and that hole was actually convenient as it allowed me to comfortably reach behind the dash to instal stuff. What wasn’t convenient was having no lift mechanism, and having to patch that intricately shaped piece of missing metal. I had made the patch and lift system earlier, so it was time to finish things up. Here is the lift system that I whipped up: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af96af19_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dfd73cea_c.jpg It’s really nothing more than a coupling nut that runs on a 3/8ths threaded rod. By spinning the rod, the nut can move back & forth, pushing or pulling the double hinged assembly that attaches to the base of the windshield. The entire mess gets supported by the dash on one end, and by that wide lower bracket that bolts to the cowl vent assembly: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...873d4d21_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3d391f53_c.jpg The last thing to do was to shorten that threaded rod to final length and add a handle of some sort. My neighbour gave me a leftover handle from his Model A build, which I cut and welded to the threaded rod (adding a small collar and washer to make it look spiffy). I can install the entire threaded rod assembly by sliding it through the dash hole and threading it in until it bottoms out in the cowl vent support tube, a simple washer and cotter pin then secures it to the inner face of the dash (very easy to do as access is good at that spot from underneath): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c19b281b_c.jpg And here she sits. I still need to final weld and finish the patch, but this was strong enough for test purposes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could easily raise or lower that heavy windshield by spinning the handle with just one finger. It’s not fast, but the power of the inclined plane is an amazing thing! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ff951b80_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3f79af40_c.jpg I made one tactical error here by putting my welds on the top side of the bracket, close to where it attaches to the windshield base, so they are visible and kinda ugly. I’ll fix that later when I do dash bodywork. More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
I love this build! Can’t wait to see it running down the road.
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Re: Project Fargolet
s!ck Fab Skillz
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Re: Project Fargolet
Amen!
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Re: Project Fargolet
Now that’s cool … lol
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Re: Project Fargolet
so many great little details!
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Re: Project Fargolet
What great problem solving, thanks for sharing.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Nice!
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Re: Project Fargolet
Thanks everyone! This build truly is a ton of fun.
I realized that I was about to have a period of forced down time while I wait for door latches to come back in stock, so I figured I’d get going on the interior. These trucks had very simple interiors. The panels were just cardboard, and were screwed into place with self tapping screws and trim rings. The interiors came in only one colour-brown. I took a bunch of measurements and then made a road trip to a place that has cheap vinyl and other interior materials (for those of you in Ontario, it’s Len’s Mill Stores). The issue was now going to be how to make the backing for the panels. Some of the panels are flat (and therefore easy), but the area in the upper corners where the headliner, rear panel and filler panels meets was going to be a bugger, as it’s compound curves. I had a sheet of Masonite (also called hardboard) on hand and I decided to try it, despite the curves. My first panel was going to be the giant area behind the seat. As far as I know, these trucks didn’t have an interior panel back there (the premade interior kits don’t come with this panel and I couldn’t find any internet pics of one). This panel is flat behind the seat, and then curves at the ends (matching the curve of the cab corners). There were some convenient support brackets that run vertically up from the floor, but when I checked them out I realized that: -they are not flat -they are not parallel to each other https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ab162ebc_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c6673ecc_c.jpg Just when I thought my fabbing days were over on this truck, it started again. I made these sheet metal caps to put over those supports in order to provide a flat surface, and added a horizontal strip to screw down the bottom of the new panel: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...352925bd_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ebbe3fdc_c.jpg Next came a cardboard template: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...67e087af_c.jpg Now I had to deal with the masonite, which is a wonderful, cheap material BUT it does not like to bend into tight curves (it actually bends nicely, but then it will suddenly surprise you by exploding into 2 pieces!). Thankfully that back panel has simple curves (not compound), but it was still looking like it might be tough to get the bend I needed. To get the bend without snapping the masonite, I found a big piece of plastic pipe that has the same radius of curve that the panel will need, and I clamped the panel to the pipe. I rolled the pipe along the floor just a little bit, then left it alone for an hour or two. I then repeated the process. By rolling it just a little bit at a time, the material would slowly sink into a curve without snapping. Once I had the curve I needed, I left it all clamped in place for a couple of days. And…….it worked!!!! Here is the masonite bending tool in action: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1af32aa3_c.jpg And here is my new curved back panel: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...694b400c_c.jpg The headliner was done in a similar way, but this time I clamped the masonite in place on the big tube and then added strips of steel slowly over time to bend it. Once I had the curve I wanted (it took a few days) I left it alone while I did other stuff. This method worked better, and produced a more permanent “set” to the masonite (I have no idea why). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b8ebefb8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2ff25d00_c.jpg I set it in place and the curve fit nicely into the steel strips that I fabbed and welded in to screw the headliner onto. Doing this interior was going to involve installing and removing panels constantly, and setting that headliner panel into the exact right spot each time by myself is a total PITA, so I riveted in 4 little tabs so that I can pop the headliner into position in a second and it ends up in the exact same spot every time: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...507c0d99_c.jpg This now seemed like a good point at which to deal with soundproofing. I installed some butyl rubber vibration damper, until I had about ⅓ coverage, and then I topped the entire area with jute for sound absorption: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4b2e3fe2_c.jpg Next came the tricky part: the filler panels that run along the top of the doors and go into the corner. These panels are curved along the door tops, and then curve inwards as they reach the rear corners of the cab, creating a bowl shape at the rear of the panel. There was no way that masonite would work, and I have very limited access to plastics here so I opted for metal instead. I started by making a template out of heavy craft paper, and then tracing the outline onto some 22 gauge sheet steel and cutting it out: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...814d17fa_c.jpg In hindsight, 22 gauge was too much. This panel is merely a form onto which I would glue some vinyl, so it would have been much easier to work with a lighter gauge of metal. I have an english wheel, and in the hands of an experienced craftsman these things can form beautifully curved panels. Needless to say, my skills on the wheel are limited so there was no way I was going to form this panel using only the wheel. It was however a nice, easy way to form the main curve that runs along the top of the door. Here she sits in the wheel as I form that main curve: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3b00e398_c.jpg For the other end however, I had to resort to the old slice & dice to get the metal to curve into the corner. After a bunch of slicing, pressing and banging with the heel of my hand, I added a few welds and I had the steel filler panels made: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d3c68aea_c.jpg Now it was just a matter of fine tuning all the panels to get them to fit together with small gaps. Here’s the cab as it sits now: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7385144d_c.jpg There are still a few more panels to do (windshield pillars, kick panels, door panels), but these are all flat and easy to install so I will get to these later. I’ll likely let everything sit for a bit before I remove the pieces to adhere the vinyl. The hardboard will uncurl a bit, but the longer I leave it locked into a curve, the more it seems to gain a permanent “set”. More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
Perfect plan and execution, I have the same E-Wheel..... I'm, not that good with it either....but fun to play with.....Princes Auto is my friend..:canada:
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Re: Project Fargolet
That interior work looks awesome, can’t wait to see how it finishes up.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Thanks Jan! It’s coming along OK so far (see comments below!)
Olecarguy, I’m with you on Princess Auto being a good friend. It’s not high end stuff, but it’s super affordable and perfect for light use by hobbyists like us. And I have to say that I have always been happy with their return policy if an item failed. Progress has been slow for the past month as I have been working on clearing buckthorn trees (an endless task here), as well as getting the property ready for winter. I learned some hard lessons a while back after being caught by surprise by a sudden dumping of snow, so I now do the prep in September/October. Once I was ready for the white stuff I had a chance to get back to the interior work on the project truck. While the interior is looking OK, I have learned a lot while doing it. The biggest lesson I have learned about making curved panels with masonite is “DON’T EVER DO IT AGAIN”! I used masonite on my last build, but those panels were flat. These curved panels take a fair while to bend into shape, and they will tend to uncurl with time. If you let them uncurl (for example you remove a panel but don’t reinstall it for a day) they can crack when you force them back into the tight curve. Thankfully this only happened on one small panel. If I were to start over, I would make the long drive to the city to pick up some 4x8 sheets of black ABS and use that instead (I wouldn’t even cover them with vinyl, I’d just be happy with a black interior). Alas, I already had the vinyl so I continued with the masonite & vinyl interior. I also finally got out to a cruise night (first one since covid started!) and saw some of the original cardboard interiors on ‘40’s trucks. If I’d seen these earlier I could have used a far simpler approach on my interior and saved myself a ton of work. But that’s the great thing about these forums. Not only can you see cool ways to do stuff, but you can also learn what not to do. So, enough griping about the course I took. Here’s an update on doing the interior with the masonite & vinyl method: After finishing the headliner and the huge board behind the seat, I made templates for the doors, kick panels and A-pillars. I made the backer boards out of masonite for the kicks, and used metal for the A-pillars. I then cut out the vinyl for each backer board and got ready to do some glueing. Here’s a pile of templates, backer boards and cut vinyl: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9f0588b2_c.jpg Adding the vinyl was simply a matter of using spray glue on both the vinyl and the backer boards and sticking them together. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d597ea84_c.jpg I was pleasantly surprised when I removed the headliner and rear cab backer boards prior to adding the vinyl. I had left them in place for about 5 weeks, and it appears that this is enough time for the curves to take a permanent set. My brother happened to be up at my place and he helped me out as it is nice to have a 2nd pair of hands when glueing down the vinyl. For a strong bond it is best to spray both the masonite and the vinyl, and once you start to lay the vinyl down you had better be in the right spot cuz there's no going back! The glueing process was quite easy, and the only weird spot was the deeply dished areas in the panels that run along the tops of the doors. To get the vinyl to stretch and form properly, we simply hit it with a heat gun. I still had to add a couple of slits with a razor blade and do an overlapping tuck in order to get the vinyl to sit flat in that deeply dished area. My goal in this build is to make things presentable, so I think this will be OK. Here we are, getting the warmed up vinyl into the deep dished panel. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...708989b8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83c6b1a4_c.jpg And here we are in the rear corner of the cab on the driver side, with the vinyl panels getting screwed down using trim screws: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...43aae98d_c.jpg There are seams between the various panels, and they would be a bit unsightly so I sewed up piping to use between the panels and to trim up the doors. I had lots of off-cuts of vinyl, and a couple of rolls of different sized cotton piping cord, so this step was easy. I bought an industrial sewing machine a few years back, and it is a very sturdy machine. The electric motor is massive and runs continually, and the needle engagement is done via a foot operated clutch. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b0ffe348_c.jpg It will sew through anything, however it has one big limitation: it is not a “walking foot” machine. This results in the folded over vinyl feeding through at an uneven pace, with a resulting twist: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9c4414ae_c.jpg To combat this I had to add a walking foot attachment to it (the big white thing that surrounds the needle in the pic below). As a result of the size of the walking foot attachment, when doing piping I can’t get close enough to the cotton rope that’s encased inside the vinyl. To get by this, I simply sew the vinyl without the rope inside, then use a wire to fish the rope through the vinyl and voila, my piping is all done (see pics below). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e8aa4ddf_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...92937504_c.jpg In spots where interior trim meets the piping, I just slid the cotton rope up the piping so that the trim piece would crush the hollow vinyl flat (rather than have the trim piece sit on the thick cotton rope): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d7362aef_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b413dfe1_c.jpg Once installed, it filled the gaps between the panels, and dressed things up nicely (I also painted the trim). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8eaf7608_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7a0526ab_c.jpg There are a few things I would change next time. First, I’d use ABS plastic. I would also switch to a firm foam instead of the soft cotton piping rope, as the cotton seems to ripple when bent into curves (you can see this in the pics). I’d also switch to a thread that matches the vinyl, so that if it shows it won’t stick out as much as the white thread I had. The good news is that I can change the piping any time I want, as I have lots of vinyl offcuts on hand, and each piece of piping is simply held in place by 2 or 3 pop rivets. The results so far are fine for my purposes, and it's been fun learning stuff about interiors. The remaining interior stuff should go quick, as I no longer have curved panels and long mating surfaces that need piping. More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
Nice work, You are making good progress.
Roy |
Re: Project Fargolet
That is looking good. Thanks for posting.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Looking good.
Glad to see you are still making progress. |
Re: Project Fargolet
Nice job...Jim
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Re: Project Fargolet
freakin proper! not something I've seen before and i really like it.
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Re: Project Fargolet
The interior work continues…...along with the vinyl & masonite, I also did a quick & dirty temporary job on the dash. I had welded in the various patch panels and couldn’t leave it that way as rust sets in awful quick here, so I did a quick filler & hand sanding job, followed by a rattle can spray of black paint. I’m a dummy for not having finished it when the cab was stripped bare, and I had unlimited room to work and the dust wouldn’t have mattered. I suspect I will eventually do a steering column replacement along with another big thinning out of unnecessary wires, so at that point I will strip the cab and do a decent job on finishing the visible metal surfaces.
I worked my way towards the front of the cab, doing the kick panels and A-pillar pieces. This involved masonite backed kick panels, sheet steel A-pillar covers, and windlace strips. The windlace strips were a little weird as they start off at the floor and trim up the edges of the kick panels, then cover the tiny gap between the dash and the door opening, then trim up the A-pillar covers and then finally disappear under the steel trim pieces that run along the top door edges. The A-pillar covers I made were sheet steel as they required a bend along the windshield edges. Here are the pieces, ready to install for one side of the cab: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a305c760_c.jpg And here are all the pieces installed: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0a816c0_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...67b85d36_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8d93b442_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...96f05bda_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f0c1f90f_c.jpg The wiper cover plates that you see in the above pic are temporary (they are version 1.0 which was an initial shot at getting overall dimensions correct). Version 2.0 will cover the exposed wiper motor ends, and will have some spiffy raised ribs like the originals had. My son Brian is doing the 3d printing of these covers for me. Overall I am pleased with the interior. I still have to do door panels and the firewall cover, but for these I will use ABS plastic. I also need to do one small curved panel that sits over the passenger’s shoulder (I cracked the masonite backing board on that one). I will do that small curved panel out of ABS to see how it is to work with ABS on curved stuff. After that, I think I’m finally going to have to deal with the door latch assemblies. They have apparently been on backorder for close to 2 years now, so I think I’m gonna have to order some bear claw latches and do a bunch of fabbing (will the fabbing ever end on this build?!!!). More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
That interior looks great!
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Re: Project Fargolet
nice work on the interior panels :clap:
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Re: Project Fargolet
Thanks guys! This interior is actually turning out to be more interesting and fun than I expected. I made a little more progress, and I finally got my hands on a sheet of ABS plastic and here are the results.
The very first thing I worked on was a firewall pad. The good news was that a couple of years ago I got my hands on a cruddy old Fargo firewall section. I needed one tiny stainless steel loop that holds down the rear of the hood, and found an entire firewall section that still had the loop on it. I scooped it up for 20 bucks, removed the stainless loop and then forgot all about the cruddy, rotten firewall. I remembered it as I was getting ready to make a cardboard template, and dragged it out of the meadow and into my shed. What a delight it was to use that scrap piece to make a template without crawling around under a dash! Of course that old section of firewall didn’t have all the stuff that I have attached to my firewall, and this is where I learned a valuable lesson about planning ahead. I had given absolutely no thought to installing a firewall pad when I modified and installed that monstrously over-gussetted S10 steering column support & brake booster/pedal assembly. I also wasn’t thinking about firewall pads when I welded a bunch of studs and little brackets onto the firewall in order to easily secure the giant S10 wiring harness. As a result, my pad would not cover the entire firewall and had to deal with a lot of protrusions. Lesson learned! Here is the cardboard template sitting in that old section of a firewall: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d407644d_c.jpg Here is the ABS piece (prior to cutting all the required slots & holes): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...caa080dc_c.jpg Forming that ABS piece turned out to be a bit of a challenge. The ABS sheet I got is ⅛ inch, and while it does flex nicely into large gentle curves, it is still quite strong. The only way to form tight curves is to heat it (which I knew I would have to do). The slowdown in this process was due to the fact that my heat gun only puts out 1300 Watts, which is really not great when bending such a big piece of plastic. Here is the ABS piece, clamped in place and resisting my efforts to bend it: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d1498e17_c.jpg I was finally able to do it, but it took a combination of heavy pressure and putting the heat gun right up close to the ABS to get full effect of what little heat my gun would put out. I wanted it to conform fairly tightly to my firewall curves, so I made this little gizmo: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a1fa2b75_c.jpg And now it was just a matter of getting the plastic as hot as possible, while at the same time applying heavy pressure on the forming tool: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c557cfd2_c.jpg I also had jute padding under the ABS while I did all this so that the dimensions would be correct when I formed it. Here is the pad after forming and cutting to match up with obstructions/protrusions, and adding the jute layer: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ec0fae3f_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...349d9005_c.jpg And here it sits in place: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b34b7733_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...61be7bdf_c.jpg I also used ABS to replace the small masonite panel over the passenger shoulder area that I had cracked. What an absolute treat it is to work with this stuff! If I was to do this again on a future build I would: -Make the firewall pad when the cab is completely stripped and access is easy (I won’t likely have a convenient scrap section of firewall like I did on this truck). I’d make it full sized as I could always trim it to fit later. -Put more thought into how I mount stuff so that the pad is easier to install or remove -Use a far stronger heat gun More to follow! |
Re: Project Fargolet
Looking good. You picked up working on that ABS fast.
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Re: Project Fargolet
Nice job, thanks for posting...Jim
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Re: Project Fargolet
Nice job as always.....Keep at it...I'm sure you will be done by spring.
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Re: Project Fargolet
your attention to detail is great!
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Re: Project Fargolet
That formed ABS panel looks great from here.
Marc |
Re: Project Fargolet
Door latches……I have wasted more time trying to find door latches for this build than you can possibly imagine. Original replacement latches for this truck simply cannot be had. The factory that has the tooling has apparently been promising the vendors that it will ship “next month” for the last year or two. The used supply has dried right up (you would not believe the calls I made trying to find some). I need some way to operate these doors, so I decided to go with some bear claws/jaws (I’ve seen them referred to both ways). Once the new latches become available, I can easily toss in a set.
With this being said, I had to decide whether or not to post what I did on this forum. I have focussed so far on posting S10 swap details, or generic “old truck stuff”, as my truck is not an AD or TF. I’m going to deviate just a bit here, as I had to figure out how to make a latch system for the Fargo. The process is however just a bunch of “old truck stuff” so I figured I’d post anyhow, as some members may someday be faced with a similar situation on one of their builds. Of course for AD/TF trucks you can simply go and buy a brand new latch for $41.99 (I swear my next build will be something more popular so that I can actually get parts!). Here was the problem and the fix: This is what I started with. The truck came with the complete passenger side assembly, as well as the arm that runs from the inner handle remote to the latch on the driver side (I found that arm sitting in the bottom of the driver’s door). The passenger assembly was in ghastly condition, with all springs broken and all moving parts worn down to nothing. The remote also had its moving parts worn smooth. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eee0f7d4_c.jpg While I had previously posted a pic of the driver’s side latch that came with the truck, I feel compelled to post it again!!! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f0603690_c.jpg I made a mockup of the small size latch assembly sold by hotrodlatches.com (they post excellent detailed dimensions on their website and have been favourably reviewed on other forums). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...afe53534_c.jpg The original location of the factory latch assembly would not have been optimal, due to the large divot in the B-pillar where the factory striker was mounted. I was also hoping to leave things alone so that I have the option of returning to original latches and locks once they become available again. I played around, and sure enough I found a sweet spot where a new latch could sit above the old location. Now that I saw it would work, I ordered the latches (as an fyi, the owner of the company that sells the latches is very decent to deal with and he replies to tech questions quickly). Once I had the latches, I grabbed one and placed it where the old passenger side latch sat, then slid it upwards until it hit a glass run channel brace. In this position it leaves the old latch opening unobstructed. This turned out to be a very good thing during subsequent fab work. I’d like to say I planned it this way, but as usual it was dumb luck. After examining the space available for the striker bolt on the cab body, I installed the bear claw on the door. I slid it ¼ inch away from the door corner to allow more room for linkages inside the door. Here is the latch, bolted in place, and the door cut away where the claws and striker pin sit. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...03105fe4_c.jpg I then fooled around with the factory handles to see if it would be feasible to hook these up to a bearclaw. Once again, dumb luck intervened on my behalf. The original arm that connects the interior handle remote control to the original latch reached the bearclaw location without any modifications. Hooking it up was simple. I needed to add a linkage post to that arm in order for it to attach to the bearclaw, so I just cut the threads off of a ¼ inch bolt, leaving the smooth round shoulder on. I then drilled a hole in the shortened bolt, so that later on I could assemble things using “R clips” (also called hitch pin clips, hair pin clips, etc.). Access is tight, so I needed something that could be installed and removed using needle nose pliers. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e3d3a82a_c.jpg I tacked the post onto the arm, and a quick test showed that this would work. Here’s a shot of that arm (actually this pic was taken a fair while later, as I eventually needed a 2nd post). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...938035c9_c.jpg Now that I knew the inner handle would operate the bearclaw, I tackled the outer handle. This proved to be a little trickier. The outside handle assembly consists of the chrome handle, the small housing that screws against the door, and a 5/16 square rod that goes inside the door. It also has an internal spring and some sort of ball & socket cup that allows the handle and square rod assembly to swivel within the chrome housing (likely to allow for somewhat sloppy production tolerances). Here’s a shot of me holding that assembly (I’m squeezing it a bit to show how it can swivel within the chrome mounting housing). https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...42534757_c.jpg The problem was that the 5/16 square rod was designed to be supported on the end where it slides into the stock latch assembly. Trying to fab up a mechanism that attached to the end of the square rod was futile (I tried!) because the swiveling of the rod & handle within the chrome mount always led to binding problems. The only solution I could see was to fab something that would anchor that loose end. Here’s what I did: The square rod needed to be made a bit longer, so I welded on a piece of round rod to get the required length. I then added an arm, along with a ¼ inch attachment pin that would connect the handle assembly to the bearclaw latch via another arm. I then made a small cup assembly that would attach to the door and keep that handle assembly from flopping around and binding. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...645735c6_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9a27e351_c.jpg I had something a little more elegant in mind for all this, but then I remembered that whatever I add to that square rod has to fit through a rather small opening in the door. Here it is, being weaseled into place through that hole: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2957d0ed_c.jpg The cup was spot welded to the inner door, a bit of grease was added, and I now had a square shaft that rotated along a fixed line. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...53354942_c.jpg This made all the difference in the world, as the binding problem vanished. The location of the outer handle and square rod was not optimal for attaching directly to the bearclaw latch, so I simply fabbed an arm that connected the square shaft to the inner remote arm: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...15b7180d_c.jpg The next issue was the fact that the original factory latch mechanism had the springs that returned the 2 door handles to their resting position. Bearclaw latches do not provide this, so I needed to make something. This turned out to be quite easy, as all I needed to do was add a spring to what I had already fabbed. I added a hook to the inner remote arm….. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fbff7e82_c.jpg ….and then I whipped up a little hook on a bracket….. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...063a2b88_c.jpg The hook/bracket combo was just bolted into the existing (and no longer needed) lower factory latch holes: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...310e31ff_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...75acb121_c.jpg The fact that the bearclaw location left the original factory latch hole exposed really paid off during all of this work. Lots of stuff could easily be worked on, and now it was a simple task to use a pair of needle nose pliers to get a spring hooked up between the 2 hooks that I had just added. By adding the spring to the remote arm, both the inner and the outer door handles return to their resting position when released. Here is a shot of the works, laid out on a table: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...df5eab46_c.jpg And here’s an idea of how it goes together (it’s impossible to get a pic of it inside the door): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ef07a13b_c.jpg I tossed it all back inside the door, and did some fine tuning. The return spring was too weak, so I grabbed a bigger spring which I had to mount a little differently, but what a difference it made. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e0422ec7_c.jpg I then made up a fresh arm for the outer door handle. Here’s a pic of the old arm (the upper one in the pic), and the new arm. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1836bb6d_c.jpg The old arm design resulted in the outer door handle moving when you used the inner door handle. By adding an oblonged hole, the outer door handle now sits still when you open the door from within the truck. Just when I thought I had it all licked, I discovered that the oblonged hole also allows some unrestricted rotation of the outside door handle in a counter clockwise direction: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1779cc01_c.jpg This would result in the handle bouncing upwards whenever I hit a bump (which is constant on the gravel roads around me). Thankfully the solution to this problem was simple. I added a small tab to the square rod of the handle, and a small shelf to the spring retaining bracket. This creates a hard stop, and ensures that the outer handle remains horizontal (the way it came from the factory): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bac91803_c.jpg Another reassembly of the entire system showed that things were finally in order. The outer handle sits level, and it is not influenced by the inner handle. Now all that was needed was some sort of cover that can be easily removed if I have to take things apart: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cd22da49_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7277bc66_c.jpg I still have to do the driver side, but that’s only a couple of hours work. It was the sittin’, starin’ and thinkin’ that burned off countless hours on the passenger side. |
Re: Project Fargolet
Great fabrication work and well thought out...Jim
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