The Bonehead Truck Build

Rat Rods Rule

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Here are some pictures inside the cab. I have got to figure out that front axle next.
 

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I want to make it clear, that this was not a "fit and finish" type of build. I built it for strength and safety, and as a work of rolling art. I had some great plans at this point, actually before the build as to some finishing touches. I had this thing pictured in my head from the start. I knew what I had to work hard at, and what I wanted to leave rough.
 

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The old axle was going to take a lot of work to get where I want it to be.
I wanted to run disk brakes too. For times sake, I bought a front axle. Boom....there goes half my budget, but it turned out to be money well spent. And I still have the old axle for what ever it is worth, for the next project if I want.
I bought a TCI front axle, raw, no paint, no chrome. I went with a tube because of the tube frame, purely looks as a main considertion. I had not set up an axle like this, coming over from the four wheel drive world. So I had to do a little research there, as to how to set it up............
 

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This is the part where I show off just how much of a redneck I really am. In this picture, you can see that I really took my time pulling out the old truck engine. I hope no one needed that old frame.

The axle is ordered, but is slow coming in, turns out the guy misplaced my order, and when I called him, ten days later, he had just found his mistake and was only then shipping. A real blow to the time frame. He sent me a gift card to Outback since he blew it. Which helped me smooth this whole hotrod thing over with the wife, so even the bad turned out good.

I know you guys will think I am crazy, ( some of you already knew) but I decided to put the motor in before I had a front axle. Again not really a conventional build.

I put the engine on my trailer and went to the car wash to try to take off 3/4 of an inch of inch thick gunk that was 40 years old. Hard to imagine that I was putting a 40 year old engine in front of a 60 year old cab.
 

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Here is the engine "going in pictures", both of them. There was a factory plate built across the front of the engine. The old rubber mounts were shot. So I pulled out another redneck trick and used Hockey pucks. I have used them from time to time on different projects and like the way the perform. Some may poo-poo the idea, but I couldn't find the original replacments at the time. I had measured the original frame and set my new frame up at the same dimension. Which turned out to be the same as the rear end spring pad location, 24 inches I.D. So the engine fit right in, with a couple of tabs coming off the frame. I had placed a tubing crossmember across the frame to tie it in before I cut loose the bracing from building the frame. I had used my forklift to pull the motor and a hoist to put it in. The tranny mounts where about the same kind of thing. I put the back of the engine about an inch and a half from the fire wall. And raised it to where it looked right to me.
The shifter came out pretty much under the dash, So before I put it back on, I put a Z bend in it. I would fine tune that later.

You may notice the upper sections of the passenger door still are not on. I was just putting it off and moving on to more exciting parts of the build.
 

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Thanks Burnout.

So I have a chance to ramble on, like I do sometimes.
I have some friends who are hot rod builders deluxe. A couple of retired guys who have built a lot of rods. They came by in the middle of February, and looked over what I had done. It looked alot like it does in the picture above. They shook their heads and said there was no way I'd make the April car show. They did however like the work I had done, as well as the look of the truck. They told me at least I might make a show in the middle of the summer. They talked about how much it reminded them of old drag cars they used to have.
I started looking for a radiator. I pulled up a Mustang radiator I had, but the inlet outlet was not right. 24 inch wide radiators are hard to find. I went to a tractor repair shop and looked through the catalogs. I found one that fit, and the outlets were right. ( it would turn out to be a problem later). I learned alot through this build, mostly by error.
I have seen the work Gastrick does, and Don too, this is not one of those builds. I hope you guys see the difference in the projects. But also note that this build, although fast, is not one of those thrown together junk rods we have seen. This hot rod is as I had seen it from the start. I have built rollbars for dragracers in the past. Some of those cars are stripped out shells and not really the cars they once were. That was kind of the feel I was going for. A rat project.
 
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I am assuming you are going for a drag style project on this from the frame and the cage? What kind of rear suspension are you planning on running and any special plans for the motor? I have been looking for an old blower but they are hard to find and very expensive when you do find one.
 
Burnout, I am hoping this build looks just like the truck in my avitar.

Really this is an historical recount of my last build, as requested by several people here. If you want to jump to the end, I have a similar build thread on KB called "start to finish"

I am running leaf springs on the back, I have changed out the first set, after I bent the first set. But I am getting ahead of myself.
As far as the motor, yes, changes are instore.
 
Bonehead, could we get a brief description of the frame materials (diameters and wall thickness) (just roughly, dont go out to the shop and cut it apart to measure:eek:)

It would be nice to know.
 
I am glad you guys are liking the read. I enjoy putting it up and reliving the build.
I have built alot of vehicles over the years, and even helped out on a 31 Essex my brother had built years and years ago. But this build was the most fun. I think as much as anything because it started looking like my vision so quick, and was so simple.

As far as the material goes, I used rectagular tubing in the rear, 3/16 wall. The tubing I used is an EWT type tubing, so you see a seam inside and out. It is known as Welded - Structural Round Steel Tube 1-5/8 OD x .134 wall x 1.357 ID . If you are running NHRA rules and plan to race, you will have to run DOM if you are less than 9 seconds, At least I think that is right, you probably want to check their rules if you are going that route. I think if I would have had some DOM tubing laying around, I would have used it at least on the main rollbar. But I didn't, and I knew the tubing I used would hold up for the weight, and power of the truck.
I think the key to a cage like this is not as much the material, as it the design. Also making it triangulate, or come out square. I cross measured every angle. Everything was checked several times. The advantage is force is carried throughout the entire frame from front to back, and from side to side. The main bar is "X"ed, and the roll bar would connect at 10 points to the main frame. So far the frame has been perfect, no problems, no complaints.
 
135 inch Wheel base and 2 different atempts at setting the front spring mount until I got the ride height I was after. I had to move the tie rod out front. Not ideal but there was no room behind. It sure felt good to get it on it's own wheels. I got the front wheels from E-bay. The owner said they needed to be refinshed in the add, which brought the price way down. And I like them showing some age and wear. Win, win if you ask me.
Notice the rollbar in the front on picture. Also that is me in the background of the second picture, building an aspen tree out of iron.
You will also notice I still have not finished the passenger door top.
 

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