Dan's 1939 Plymouth PU

Well I drug home a 39 Plymouth truck last week and thought I would try my hand at a Rat Rod. I usley build street rods ,customs ,and drag car's so this will be a little different for me.
it will be hard not to finish it out like most show cars I have done.

The spec
1939 Plymouth
1949 ford F1 truck axle with suicide springs, hair pins
Frame will be 2X4X3/16 tubing[
Motor: warmed over 292 Chevy 6 . 10-10 crank 40 over bore ISKY X-162 cam,Offenhauser 3X1 intake,valve cover and tappet cover(I Gotta have some shine) Lump ported head.
Trans 700r4
Rear Winters Quick change

Start date is planed for Jan 29 2011
2 moths to build and a budget of $3000. not including motor (292 not cheep to build)

I will have to see if I can resist over building it

Very kewl man........

Nice looking start you have there. I'll be watching this build closely as I have a 292 I'll be putting in my daughters truck. It will be interesting to see how your engine goes together. Good luck.

Here is some of the cost so far :
$500 *1939 Plymouth
$260 *49 f1 axel with disc brades and gear box
$130 *Hair pins
$122 *Miss Parts for Hair pins and gussets
$100 *title work to get legal title
$400 *Quickchang rear
$150 *7004r trans

going to look at a set of 4-5lug artliery wheel thy want $200 for them

I look forward to seeing the build

Cab looks solid. Was it a local find or did you have to travel for it? Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Here is some of the cost so far :
$500 *1939 Plymouth
$260 *49 f1 axle with disc brakes and gear box
$130 *Hair pins
$122 *Miss Parts for Hair pins and gussets
$100 *title work to get legal title
$400 *Winters Quickchange rear
$150 *7004r trans
$180 *4 artillery wheels 16" 5X4.5 lug and Dodge hub caps
$1842 *spent to date going to be close

Found the cab in Paradise Texas about 40 miles from the house

I work cooperates next week I will start trimming the axle mounting flanges
to clean up the axle and drilling the axle. Then weld on the Hairpin brackets& gussets Pictures to follow on the 22 Jan

Then I have to drag the frame table down from above the paint room so I can get started

axle

I started the axle tonight had a hole hour to work on it but it is a start.
It is a 1950 F1 axes I am cutting the factory pads off and cleaning it up it will get holes drilled in the wedding and these hairpin brackets welded on (yes the brackets will be trimmed closer) and yes you can weld on these axles If you know what you are doing I done my first axle in 1992 and it is still on the road

keep us posted on the build.

gasser said:

I started the axle tonight had a hole hour to work on it but it is a start.
It is a 1950 F1 axes I am cutting the factory pads off and cleaning it up it will get holes drilled in the wedding and these hairpin brackets welded on (yes the brackets will be trimmed closer) and yes you can weld on these axles If you know what you are doing I done my first axle in 1992 and it is still on the road

Click to expand...

Care to elaborate on welding on these axles? Sounds like some technical advise that would come in handy..I'm gonna be using a similiar axle and really don't want to use bolt on brackets..So if you care to share your technique it would be appreciated..

and I like your build so far...

Tim

I will post pictures and procedures on how I was taught to do it, but basically you heat the axle 1 foot eather direction from the weld to 300 degrees (they make a paint stick that will melt when you get to these temp) some heat the axle and some don't eather way it will work. My theory is carbon is attracted to heat and just heating the weld makes the axle brittle in the welded area if you spreed the heat out it should not get brittle.

Surfaces must be clean and bracket should be beveled and fit tight.
we weld in 3 passes 1 down the center then 1 to the left of center and finally right of center. I use a MiG welder (ESAB multi task) .45 wire yes that is .45 wire set at 250 amp ( you cant get this setting on a 110 welder and a lot of 220 won't weld this hot eather.

You should try to kept the Axel around 300 degrees during this time.

Next weld 2 gussets in the middle of the bracket
slowly cool the axle down, do not cool with water or oils

48fordnut I could not figure out how to send these in message so here they are hope it helps

Well part of the axle is done still need to drill hole and finish cleaning it up

( This is not the only way to weld an axle, and I can not say that some will find fault in it. But it is the way I was taught and it works for me. if you are not comfortable with welding I suggest you get a professional to help)

Procedures I used( the way I was taught) heat the axle 1 foot either direction from the weld to 300 degrees (they make a paint stick that will melt when you get to these temp) The theory is carbon is attracted to heat and just heating the weld makes the axle brittle in the welded area if you spreed the heat out it should not get brittle.

Surfaces must be clean and bracket should be beveled and fit tight.
we weld in 3 passes 1 down the center then 1 to the left of center and finally right of center. I use a MiG welder (ESAB multitask 260) .45 wire yes that is .45 wire set at 250 amp.

You should try to kept the Axle around 300 degrees during this time.

Welded the bat wings, then 4 gussets 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom of the axle ( just a little extra support on this truck it will be used as a truck).

slowly cool the axle down, I dump them in dry sand over night.

I have used this process for over 20 year with out a failure only difference this time was the 4 gussets. I plan on driving this truck 15000-20000 miles a year in all 48 states.

Gasser, I can relate to your welding technique. I was taught how to braze cast Iron the same way. Heat the whole area, let it cool a tad, when it burns you after you touch it 3 times, then lay the braze to it. I used this same method brazing a bronze shaft to black well pipe.

Nice build. Pray for more off time.

looks like we may get another 1/2 day the larger schools Fort Worth, & Dallas have called school for a 3rd day here's hoping. yep they just called it so I will get a few hrs in tomorrow to.

on another note:
I did not want to hurt any one feeling with the statement I made,about getting "professional to help" it looks funny once I read it .


" This is not the only way to weld an axle, and I can not say that some will find fault in it. But it is the way I was taught and it works for me. if you are not comfortable with welding I suggest you get a professional to help"
I will say that welding cast and forged steel takes a long time to learn and rushing into it can get you hurt especial on chassis work. When I had my shop in the early 90 we fixed a lot of frame clip jobs (camero were popular clips to use at the time) they would come in just butt welded and cracked just next to the welds. A lot of people just don't under stand what welding steel does to it makeup. cool it to fast it can get brittle to much heat to long it gets week good thing I payed attention in metal shop in high school.

Well I'm the one that ask you about it and I appreciate the reply..I do alot of welding, but I'm not gonna try it on this axle..I'm just gonna build some bolt on batwings.. just stay with what I know..

your axle looks awesome by the way

Watching a $3000 budget build is always entertaining. Watching a street rodder try to tone it down a few notches will be fun as well. It's a good feeling to build one of these using more ingenuity and less money. Then there is the thumbs up from the people who are pleased to see something fun that they might even be able to afford themselves.

Looking great so far, but be careful, you don’t want it too “finished”
Hope your hand heals up complete; I’d imagine it makes it a lot more difficult getting things done.
Looking forward to seeing more.

Hey TIM...OK


If I did not have the parts in the shop for hair pins. I would probably have went with some thing like what GOOSE--EM did in the thread """38 GMC part2"""

I will probably be using some thing similar to this on the rear of this truck looks like a good option to half spring and cheaper

Cost of frount spring 23 1/4" long 1750# for trailer $32.00