Project: Tow-Rat (Lil' Blue)

[dsraven]

really, thats the best you got?

kidding, nice looking beads, are you sure you're a newb tig welder?

[6DoF]

haha, thanks ... also note, just to be sure **i bought the can and only welded the bungs on** some robot did the can weld still coated black

but first functional part! there's a chance i tried a TIG in college for like 3minutes, but this week was the first actual use. i mean, I'm not new to welding by any means, do plenty of soldering, lots of translated skills.

[6DoF]

i present excuse number ... i don't know what number, i lost count ... but other things are happening again! holy crap i'm excited to finally be building a for real shop out back.

[regan wilson]

I have had a new shop for ten years and can't get started on my next project.

[6DoF]

bed structure is well under way now, really hoping to have it together here soon. haven't started building the door yet though.

[6DoF]

fender wells so i can stop throwing gravel out of the tire tread at my new back window!

[6DoF]

first look at full concept! fenders mounted back n slightly down on the bedside, bedside mounted high and outboard. at full drop i have a very tight 1 finger between the tire and the fender. So unlike factory i actually lined up the body line between the cab to rear fender.

the running board is just sitting on the ground, i'll have to bend up some filler panels to get them mounted. also some kind of support cuz someone will stand on them. i'm debating how i deal with the gap to the cab after the fender moved back. buy a new re-pop board and just splice a section in? cut up 2 new boards to make one new long one? the passenger side is easy cuz it's space for the exhaust, so maybe i mount something else at the back of the cab? my only thoughts have been a Jerry Can holder for spare fuel or WMO. ... NOS bottle?

grabbed some scrap CORTEN steel i still have left over from from building the house to make the new wider header for the bed. i freaking love weathering steel, specially for a project like this. the bent sections worked out really well and is actually really stiff. it's not attached to the frame yet for access reasons ... but i'll eventually get that bolted.

5'2" wide, 9' long, 13" deep, and a flat floor. that's actually a considerable amount of space, especially for a slammed truck. i helped my wife cut all the plywood bed floor sections, used 3/4" pressure treated. once it's had some time to dry, she wants to paint or stain something interesting in it. i'm hoping to just find a 5x9 rubber mat to lay down in there.

[dsraven]

You could add length to the fenders if you think the gap to the csb looks looooong. A narrow upright toolbox could be placed on the step, or just go with looking. Your truck so go with what suits your taste.

[youngrodder]

Looks really good. I like the overall color and rust/patina. Well done. Personally I would run some large rounded premade fenders. Most of these trucks are more rounded in nature and lend themselves to round tubs.

Example
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...SABEgJnRvD_BwE

Marc

[6DoF]

i don't disagree with your thoughts on the fenders, that's similar to what i started looking at. when push came to shove though, these were free from leftover CORTEN again, and match the tunnel/doghouse i built in the cab.

if they bug me, it wouldn't be that hard to swap out later. the bed structure and floor wouldn't change, and i plan to cut the bed side for tire clearance in a tight arch too. just swapping that wheelhouse.

[6DoF]

last night was busy ... got the rear bed side supports in and they worked amazing. that bed is SOLID now. i'm actually getting excited for the body work to build a tailgate. i'm torn between stitching 2 re-pop together or building one from scratch that'll open level with the bed floor. i'm leaning that direction currently.

got he tail lights installed, but not wired yet. they weren't fitting well down low with the fender crammed against the bed side upright ... then i found the exact spacing and and angled holes again up top, with a hole to run wires from already there. they just bolted on, kinda felt like a sign. up higher on the dropped truck will also be easier for the other idiot drivers to see.

chopped up the 2 battery tray's i had to make one bigger jobbie that will fit my new Group31 commercial battery. same battery as my 1st gen 12v truck, i do like to standardize. pretty sure it will actually fit on the outside of the frame behind the passenger tires with easy access by just popping off the little bed floor square back there. thinking about how to make that section quick disconnect too.

the sunrise over my barn build this morning just made me stop n look at it. i'm getting freaking excited for the space!

[Jason 56]

I like it! Would a fleetwood tailgate be wide enough? Just a thought

[6DoF]

i'm now trying to find a tailgate to cut up and steel the embossed CHEVROLETE from to fab into a custom tailgate. i really want it flat with the floor the way it should be.

got the bed sides cut to get the duals back on ... then i had to put the tractor back together and mow, i hate mowing ... stupid grass. i actually had hope that i might drive it to work this week, but that's out. maybe next

[6DoF]

new battery tray is all buttoned up, way better placement than before. i do want to make a little mud flap though to keep spray from the tire from being a direct hit. i also actually think it spins the motor faster with the single group31 than 2 group34 batteries.

they backfilled the barn yesterday, so naturally i went for a photo op! and immediately got stuck. but i freaking love these pictures.

[Rickysnickers]

LOL!!!!! Way to go, Ace, hahahahahahahaha!!!!!

[6DoF]

so i mounted the charge cooler water reservoir in the bed like i had been planning basically all along. i instantly hated it, i assume you will to.

while looking for somewhere else to put it, i realized i had already mounted the same reservoir (but half the height) on the core support for a rad over-flow. the charge cooler will be using coolant anyways, why not make the res also the overflow?!?! out with the small one, in with the larger tank with fittings.

[6DoF]

then set about routing the hoses, and really worked out pretty nice with that res location. all 3/4" hose, so kinda beefy, but wasn't anything else down that frame rail.

made the most simple plate mount to hang off the alternator and the front was done. after taking the picture i actually doubled the zip-tie locations down the frame and they are not moving down their either.

[6DoF]

was really satisfying to cut off all the temporary ties down the chassis holding all the lines/hoses/wire and replace them with solid final organization. nothing flapping, nothing hanging, ready for the road!

[youngrodder]

Yep time to start racking up the miles...Good luck with the debugging/driving stage.

Marc

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

Yep time to start racking up the miles...Good luck with the debugging/driving stage.

Marc

right!! thanks

rear most drive shaft is out and headed to the shop to get a non-spliced and balanced unit made. also going up to 1410 joints vs the 1350.

ordered the Dakota Digital RTX, should be here this week.

alternator doesn't work, ordered a new one finally

also need to figure out the alignment ... my guy can't get a dually on his rack

[6DoF]

that was a shockingly productive weekend even though it feels like i wasted a lot of it in couch-potato mode.

the gauge cluster is officially installed and fully functional! the Dakota Digital guys really do make it super easy. i already had sensor wires in the painless harness and their kit had whole new pre-terminated runs with nice connectors. playing with colors, i was thinking more subtle but the wife wanted the green it's amazing how many wires ended up behind the dash too, freaking crazy. everything is in harness form, so it's actually pretty organized when your hands are in there, and the dash modules have a service loop to all pull out of the dash for access. still looks trash til the cluster is screwed in there are also 4 different coils of multiple wires for future add-ons or unused circuits shoved back there too. ideal i'd pull the entire harness back out and remove a LOT of wire plus fully wrap in loom ... one day, just not today.

as part of finishing up all the wiring while i had that mess out, i needed a phone charger. found a USB adapter in my cabinet and got it mounted to the factory dash strut. easy access, out of the way, and mostly hidden. i actually had the dash control rocker switch there, but was too weird to hold a button while turning the key on for setup. left hand access is way better, and easier to toggle screens while driving. i still had no way to cover the last remaining factory hole in the dash til the wife said phone mount. so obvious now! quick print and she's really solid. after I'm sure i don't want to make any more changes I'll print it in carbon filled matte black to match everything else. eventually i'll toss the bluetooth retro radio in there and the phone will control it all anyways.

i'm a little stuck waiting on parts at the moment ... new 1410 double cardin to take in and have a new drive shaft made ... extension adapters to get the air suspension sensors hooked to the dash so i have a setpoint to do an alignment from ... that's when i actually get to do a real test drive.

[Rickysnickers]

Those gauges look really good, I like them!!!

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

Those gauges look really good, I like them!!!

thank you! the RTX look really was the right choice.

i'm really glad i painted the original bezel gloss black too. i had sand blasted it from being so corroded, ended up needing a bunch of high-build and some sanding prep. but new chrome would have looked weird.