'47 Loadmaster COE (rebuild pictures)

[47 Fasttoys]

2-24-2015
Test fit the gauges, also more wiring on the dash. Still waiting on some bushings I will weld to the dash to fill the gap. The gauges light up blue at nightThat's the advantage of doing a rattle can paint job on the interior make some mods and just sand it back and respray. Who knows I may start a new trend, the card board dash. I also rebuilt and the column (new bearings and horn contact bushing.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

2-26-2015
Lately I think I live in the garage, I really want to have this thing on the road in the next 3 weeks so I'm pushing pretty hard right now. About 25-30 hours a week, and yes, I have a normal job also. My wife is very understanding and supportive and that makes all the difference.
Rob
2-27-2015
Yes, I am and it's great to home. Tonight I wired the new actuator for the shifter, tested it, finished most of the gauge wiring. I have also, in the last few nights, installed and wired a horn, welded the spacers for the gauges, fit the gauges and installed the rebuilt column. About the only thing left on the wiring is to wire the fuel sender, the cruise control, final wiring for the fans and final wiring of the tail lights. I haven't added it up lately but I'm sure I have over 150 hours in wiring this beast. It's one of those jobs I always seem to under-estimate. I need to get some batteries for the camera and shoot a video of the shifter and some updated pictures.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

2-28-2015
Hey look new batteries, busy day, I finished the tail light wiring, the cruise control wiring, MIL light. I mounted a switch panel to the right of the column which has the MIL light, power to CC switch and a switch for set/accell and coast/decell. The switch to the left operates the actuator for the shifter. Although it's not extremely fast it has loads of extra power. You can also see the spacers for the gauges. All these things will be redone after April's road trip which will give a good chance to work out the bugs.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

3-4-2015
Another mild stone: I drove the COE out of the shop for the first time today. Mind you, I have spacers in place of the front springs right now so it rides like a wagon. I also mounted the new front tires and it sets a little lower then I thought it would. Other items, I built a temporary mount for the battery, mounted the front bumper, finished the front clip mounting, mounted the hood latches, finished the fan wiring and did a little more work on the brakes (small leak). So what do you think, is the first picture a little low for ride height? I also learned light tubes do not hold up under the power of a cab roof and a 9K lift. In the later pictures that is the target ride height. I also utilized the COE only option of the temporary door latch. The last small picture is a crappy video.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

3-9-2015
Well I cut the springs (1 coil) put them back in, spent about 6 hours rebuilding the drivers door, a lot of that time was just trying to get it to latch good. After all that I took it for it's first official test drive, 25 miles. No real issues and everything seems to work good except the head lights need some adjustments. Heck even the cruise worked great. I'm stoked. I'll be starting on the bed this week end.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

3-12-2015
Been making some more progress. Finished both floor covers with seals, finished passenger side seat belt mount. Still on target for a Virginia road next week end. I plan on driving it to work all next week to get a feel for it and see what bugs need to be worked out during the week.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

3-17-2015
Thanks all, Yeah, I think all the other vehicles are suffering from a bit of neglect. So does it look like a new flat bed? I hope to have it framed up and mounted by Thursday night. Needs to be ready to go for sure by Friday night, as do tail lights and some sort of storage container. Do the projects or tasks never end on these old pieces of junk?
Rob