'47 Loadmaster COE (rebuild pictures)

[47 Fasttoys]

OK so like many others all my pictures where blocked by Photobucket. So I will attempt to rebuild this thread one page at a time. This may take a while. I will also date the posts so some time frame can be seen.
Rob
9-13-2013
Hi to all, new to the forum and figured I'd start a build thread on my '47. It's a 1 1/2 ton COE (cab over engine). I picked this thing up in 2012 while on vacation in southern Colorado visiting my son. I had no extension on buying a new project, but after seeing it still sitting in the same place I saw it 2 years earlier I figured why not check it out. Well, as it turned out the guy who owned it had passed away 3 months prior and his widow and son in-law where happy enough to sell it. We started at $2400 for the whole truck but after checking on shipping ($2000+) I decided all I really wanted was the sheet metal. I explained this to them and offered $1000. They said "here's the title" and the next morning my son and I showed up at 7:00 with a U-Haul van and some new tools to get to work. 10 hours later, sun burned and worn out. It was loaded in the van. Mind you, we did this with hand tools and no lift. We actually slid the cab from the truck frame into the U-Haul on 2 old pieces of tubing we found laying around the yard.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-13-2013
OK, so after a 16 hour solo drive back to South Carolina I had 1 day to unload it check it out a little, return the U-Haul and hop on a plane back to the small (9 million plus people) industrial city of Shenyang, China. I rearranged the shop enough to get it off the ground and stuff it in the corner awaiting my next vacation. Below are a couple of shots of what I'm starting with: a almost rust free, almost dent free, unmolested and complete "47 COE.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-13-2013
Fast forward to April on this year. I got back to the states to find a few boxes of parts I had ordered awaiting in the shop. My brother-in looks after things for me while I'm away so no house maintenance issues to deal with and all the other cars where in good running order.First order of business was to build a cart for the cab make some working space. For this I needed to get some steel to the shop, what better a way to do this then put the other truck into service. I build the cart at the final ride height and angle. This was determined the red-neck way...will it fit into the shop?

[47 Fasttoys]

9-13-2013
Plans are a late model GM 1/2 ton (2000-2006) mid mounted LS/auto, pick style bed, front of engine under the seat with intake flipped backwards. Single rear wheels. Airbags only if needed to get it in the shop. Finished interior but nothing special on the exterior. This will be a daily driver and tow vehicle for other toys. Function over fashion. As far location, nope I'm still in China, I've got 1 more year left and then it's busy, busy on the truck. I get 1 or 2 trips home each year I'll be updating this thread with what I completed in April. April's trip was truck only and I think i got a lot done for 19 days, you be the judge.
47 Fasttoys

[47 Fasttoys]

Well Shannon, I just took a peek at page 1 of your build thread and I can see where I'll be spending a few hours very soon. A burb/panel is on the short list for future builds (don't tell the wife) hehe
Rob / 47 Fasttoys

[47 Fasttoys]

9-14-2013
OK so I started stripping to the cab . Put my granddaughter to work (no child labor laws at my house), I can't remember ever being at a height where I could stand in the cab of a pick-up. At 5 years old she can't wait to be in the shop to help out. I hope it lasts forever. After removing all the trim pieces I realized I had zero screws strip oR rusted to bad to remove. In working on old junk for 30 years this is the first time that has happened. WOW this is a very good sign.
Stripped the firewall of parts and cut out the hump as I want a flat floor and don't need the recess. I welded in a connecting brace to keep the firewall in place while welding.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-14-2013
By all means post away, worked on filling the remaining holes in the firewall and the frame work for kick panel and floor, installed floor plate. I will be going back and finishing the firewall later after remaining mods are complete. You can see the COE has other access doors under the seat. These where for air filter service and rear shifter hook up service. The battery was under another door the same as the pick-up but was removed as part of the main removable floor sections (3). The area under the floor may end up being the location for the gas tank, not sure. By the time you stick a radiator and electric in the front end there's not a whole lot of room in the engine bay.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-14-2013
Well if you remember earlier I stated almost no rust. Well here it is in all its glory.This is after the patch, the front part didn't need any steel added but the rear part was a little thin so I had to add a small piece. The cab corners are all solid just full of dirt, it came out fine but what a mess. The 2X2 tubing you can see in the second photo is part of the body cart but will probably end up as part of the main body support structure, above it out of view is short sections of 2X2 with nuts welded on which the cab is bolted to. The vertical reinforcing beams (not sure what their called) rest on the lower 2X2. Originally the rear of the cab mounted on a center support, my engine will be in the way of this so I will need to come up with something similar to what the later models use.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-14-2013
Thanks for the comments guys, I got to thinking why I wanted to build a COE....lets face it it's an odd looking bird. kind of like an afterthought GM had. The thinking may have went something like this: # 1 designer : Hey lets make a heavy duty truck shorter but still have the load rating of a normal size. # 2 OK , sounds good, but we need to use a much of the standard parts as possible. # 3 Great, now all we need to do is jack up the cab about a foot, stuff the engine under it, shove the hood back a couple of feet and BINGO. What they failed to mention was OK, it's gonna give you a nose bleed just climbing up into the cab, its got the aerodynamic efficiency of a small building and you now will have a big heat generator is under your butt so put on 3 pair of undies so you don't cook the family jewels. Yep, it all sounds just like my kind of project.

[47 Fasttoys]

9-15-2013
OK so with most of the floor complete I decided to spend a little some more time on filling more holes.
I just patched the ones for the old mirror mounts for now, If later I decide on showy paint I'll go back and redo them. The dash was another story, it had an extra hole above the headlight switch. There was a push button in that location but I'm not sure what it was for. I cut a little tab, shaped it and welded it in place. It came out fine and a little filler primer should finish the job.

[47 Fasttoys]

5-5-2014
Lift day: I thought I would include some info on the lift as I installed it on the first day home and it has been of major help. I bought a Derek Weaver 2 post 9K lift. I installed this in my shop which only has 8' ceilings. This went very well with only 1 minor modification to the roof, I cut out a small section to allow the post to go closer to the wall (4/12 pitch). The beams are heavy but using the engine hoist made it manageable. I then tested the lift with some other toys and made some minor adjustments. Doing it myself it took about 12 hours. The hardest part was drilling the 12, 5 inch deep lag bolt holes with a 1/2" hammer drill. My palms where sore for 2 days. Of course with only 8' ceilings I am limited on how high I can lift stuff, but It should work out well for most of the COE build and I do intend on raising the roof another 6' in the future. The little teardrop is homemade and is used to haul track tires and gear behind the Cobra.

Lost files for pictures on this.

[47 Fasttoys]

5-5-2014
OK, so most of this is tear down of the donor but we do get to the '47 so standby. I started by removing the bed, I also had to build a rolling cart for it as it will stay in the shop until I sell it later.

[47 Fasttoys]

5-6-2014
OK, so with the bed off it was time to address the cab, after doing some measuring it looked like with the radiator support out of the way the cab could be lifted and the chassis rolled away. The cab removal and stripping the wiring harness from the engine/trans took 2 days.

[47 Fasttoys]

5-7-2014
Now with the chassis free it was time to pull the engine and trans. Once again the lift works great for this also. Once I had it free I went ahead and swapped the oil pad for the F-body pan. I did this for ground clearance as it will be mid-mounted. I also flipped the valve covers and intake, also needed for mid-engine clearance. Engine is good and clean inside. The PS will also be relocated to the lower passenger side (current AC location) to make the front of the engine as low profile as possible. The plan is to stick that part under the seat.
I then started on the engine cart, the idea is to set the engine at proper ride height and angle so I can roll it to the back of the cab and start the cab mods.
That is a condensed version of my first of two weeks of work, I'll start tomorrow on next week and finally I will bring the COE back into the game.

Rob
__________________

[47 Fasttoys]

5-8-2014
OK, with the engine cart complete it was time bring the cab into play. On my last trip I built a cab cart, with this cart I have the final ride height and angle set. I rolled the cab and engine in line to see how things lined up. As expected some trimming is required. With the rear of the cab trimmed things are looking good without to much interference into the rear area.

[faribran]

I like your build!! Rlt

[47 Fasttoys]

10-9-2014
OK, so I will be back on the truck in 3 weeks and I'm trying to come up with a basic plan of attack. Here is a list of the major work to be done. What I would like input on is in what order would be best. Below is my guess.
1. Final location fitting of the cab and mounts. It will be removed later for frame work.
2. Front sheet metal mounts and test fits.
3. Steering column choice and fitting.
4. Brake pedal choice and fitting. Early 70s Dodge van with 90 degree mount looks to be promising.
5. Seat choice and fitting.
6. Radiator location choice and fitting.
7. Seat choice and fitting. Late 80s Chevy bench is the goal.
8. Floor mods and access covers for engine maintenance.
9. Electrical component location and enclosure mock up.
10. Bed mounts and final decision on which type of bed. It will be a flat bed with fold down sides but it may also have a tilt function.
I'm thinking after these tasks are complete I can tear it all back apart for final frame welding and clean up, I will also be cleaning up the bottom of the cab and undercoating it. So what did I miss?
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

10-10-2014
At this point I'm not sure where I will put the battery. You make a good point on the seat , I will do that before the pedals and column. If I have an option on radiator placement, would you guys recommend behind the grill with an electric fan or under the cab using the original mechanical clutch fan?
Rob
10-11-2014
At this point I'm not sure where I will put the battery. You make a good point on the seat , I will do that before the pedals and column. If I have an option on radiator placement, would you guys recommend behind the grill with an electric fan or under the cab using the original mechanical clutch fan?
Rob
10-12-2014
Home for good, 3 years, 4 months, 15 days. It's a long time to be away with only short home visits. Its been a good adventure but I'm ready for it to end. Now it's time to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. I've got a good start on the C.O.E. and now will have the time and a little cash to build it right. I expect to have it road worthy with a modern drive train,modern suspension, restored interior and basically a dependable daily driver/work truck in around six to eight months for around 20K. That puts me in the middle of next summer for a 2 to 3 week road trip across America. I've done this in a '31 Oakland 3 window street rod, a '69 Mercury Cougar and my '46 1/2 ton hauling a pop-up. By far some of the greatest times that can be had in this great country of ours.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

10-31-2014
I'm back!!!! Not wasting any time I just had to do something on it after the return early this morning. I did end up clipping the frame horns off right behind the round cross tube (not shown) to see how the grill was going to line up. I also had to remove the support structure from behind the grill. I'll build one that is much closer to the grill and a bit shorter. I also came to the realization I will need to raise the front of the cab about 2 inches. I just don't have enough clearance for the front tires. I will also need to swap to a smaller tire. Anyway, a few pictures. Jet lag has set in big time and I need a nap. Great to be back.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

11-01-2014
OK, so today I rebuilt the front body mounts. I ended up raising the front 1 1/2 inches to give some more tire clearance. It's fine for the inside now but I will need to change tires for the fender clearance. I tacked things in place and then removed the body to install plates on the rear and final welding. Boy, I really need to figure out how to set this camera up.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

12-30-2014
A little more progress on the cooling system. I am reusing the overflow tank from the donor. I welded a couple of pieces of 1/2" tube to the fire wall and mounted the tank there. I also ran the lines back to the engine and reused the original system as far as the tank is concerned. for the donor it uses the overflow tank as a pressurized unit with a 16# cap on it. The idea here is to be able to check the fluids under the hood with the exception on the oil and trans fluid which will be accessed behind the cab. I will build a cover for the brake linkage later. I remounted the front sheet metal and will start to work out the support for that.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

1-5-2015
Progress, progress, I spent the better part of this week end setting up the front sheet metal. I was able to trim the lower parts of the inner fender wells and reuse some of the grill mount. I built a cross brace which will mount to the cross brace now added to the front of the frame. Speaking of the frame, I boxed the frame horns and added some extensions for a bumper mount. After all that was complete I set the front sheet metal back on and set all the alignments. Over all good progress for a couple of days. It's starting to look like a truck again.

[47 Fasttoys]

1-8-2015
Thank you, yea, the deadline is coming up fast, I may need to cut back on some of the details to meet it. I started on the wiring, I am using a 14X24 piece of sheet metal and will mount the electronics behind the seat. This is my first time doing an LS style engine so I've got some things to learn. It's just a few wires so how hard could it be? Famous last words of a fool.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

1-10-2015
More progress on the wiring. The main control panel is 90% complete tomorrow I will mount it and start on adjusting the length of all the wires, solder, heat shrink, repeat 300+ times.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

1-15-2015
I've been working on the wiring some more, the flasher relays are a bit close to the rear seat so I may need to shorten the mounting posts for the fuse box.