My 52 Dodge Pickup..

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52Pikup

Active member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
32
Location
St Joseph MO
Figured i'd start a build thread, been meaning to do this a long time just been lazy :p not even sure where to begin, guess i'll start out showing what I started with...
This is the night/day I drug it home back in May of 09

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story of the truck; was originally my great grandpas, then was given to my grandpa, he started restoring it some 20+ yrs ago (I remember when I was little seeing it in the garage, when your 4-5yrs old things seem alot bigger haha) anyways, it got shoved to the back shed when he found a 47 Dodge Business coupe...thus the project sat back there til I drug it out in 09..

the original plans for the truck was to make a nice street rod, Dodge Dakota front end, all the bells and whistles 360/408 Stroker 727 8 3/4 rear end...annnnnnnd now I went the complete opposite...sort-of...:D

ended up picking a 392 from my uncle hes had forever for a decent price....in after picking up the 392 I decided I wanted "Rat rod" it...:rolleyes: anyways, we end up building a frame from scratch, 2x8 front rails tapered into 2x4 with 30* kick up ...suicide front end w/ disc brakes.. coil overs out back... yada yada.. :p

alright enough boring typing...heres some pics of how it sits as of today...

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uh.....not sure what else to say lol so fire away with any comments or whatever ya got! [P
 
Hey 52Pikup

I have always loved the looks of those Pilothouse cabs...looks like you have a great start on this one...

(I can tell you are from the mid-west...love those awesome skies you guys have...My son lives in NE Kansas and I visit him as often as I can. Your part of the country has a great feel to it...)

Thanks got sharing with us.....

MikeC
 
Hey 52Pikup

I have always loved the looks of those Pilothouse cabs...looks like you have a great start on this one...

(I can tell you are from the mid-west...love those awesome skies you guys have...My son lives in NE Kansas and I visit him as often as I can. Your part of the country has a great feel to it...)

Thanks got sharing with us.....

MikeC

Mike, i'm in NW MO, just right across the river from NE KS...wheres your boy live?

Great story behind your build.
Glad you started a build thread so we can follow along.

Yeah me too, like I Said been meaning to but been too lazy to type all it out haha, easier to just upload pics to facebook I guess :p


Figured i'd share some more pics with ya guys..

Frame Build

heres some of the pics I took when we were putting the frame together...

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Rear End Build

Ended up narrowing up a Dana 60 from a 3/4t truck I had parted it, even had 4.10:1 trac-lok (posi) and my buddy gave me an 8 3/4 to use as a donor axle. I was able to cut the housing ends off and use the 8 3/4 axles in the dana...worked out perfectly!

what it started out life as...Full Floating garbage..lol

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thought the housing looked different then a "regular" 60, had some funky ribbing along the housing did some reading online and its was said to be an HD60..couldnt ever find any markings 'til I looked inside..
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Full Floating end...ready to be chopped off..
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8 3/4 housing end machined flat (pays off to have a dad who has a layth/mill and knows how to use them ;) )
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Ends cut off the dana 60
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inner bucks & lining bar slid into place getting ready to narrow
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Outter pucks and 8 3/4 ends
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new ends welded on
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ended up having the housing powdercoated heres a final before/after pic of the rear end
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I had bought a narrowing jig from Mittler Bros out of Wright City MO. The inner/outer pucks + lining bar was like $300+ whatever shipping was
 
Mocking up the rear end

like I said in the first post, went with Coil overs w/ radius rods out back heres a few pics of it being mocked up (just like everything else on the truck right now lol)

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I had bought a narrowing jig from Mittler Bros out of Wright City MO. The inner/outer pucks + lining bar was like $300+ whatever shipping was
I think I asked the question wrong.
I was referring to when you cut the axle tubes themselves :)
 
Guess i missunderstood/misread your question, haha

We Used piece of pipe tape scribed a line cut it close and ground it to finish then chamfered it
 
Not much new but got the trans mounted to the motor, x-member made and welded in...working on the steering now..got a plate made for the box (box is from a 69 D200 we parted out)

trans bolted/crossmember in

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also pushed the truck out of the garage (first time the things seen the light of day since I drug it home 4yrs ago...lol

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money shot..
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kinda on a time crunch...set a goal for labor day weekend (local car show for rat rods I wanna drive 'er to!!!)
 
This was my son and I's project we had been working on together. He had kind of put it on the back burner and gotten heavily into the first gen Dodge Cummins pickups. Last summer he had sold off his main Cummins, then later in the fall had sold off his other Cummins project and was planning on starting back up on the '52 and started gathering parts again. Sadly, he passed away Thanksgiving weekend. I have been trying to pull myself together over the last few months to get out to the garage and get to finishing the truck. I will try to keep you updated with progress as I go. I am hoping this will somewhat therapeutic.
 

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HI DonsBee

I talked with your son Anthony on several occasions on here and facebook too...glad you are going to pick up the pieces and get it done....there are several of these on here being built or all build up already...

He was a wonderful kid for sure...still cant believe he is gone...this project will be great therapy for you...I am sure of that...

May this help heal the empty hole in your soul....

Your son is smiling now...

MikeC
 
Sorry to hear of this news! Hopefully the build will help you through tough times! May your son Rest in Peace!
 

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