'34 Dodge Brothers, double build.

[MercuryMac]

No other axle just lying around, Torchie, they are pretty rare nowadays.
Bama, that's what I'll have to do, because it's only got to roll around on the stage. I would like the wheel to stand up reasonably straight. I do have two sets of replacement kingpins, I think. Hopefully they'll fit.
Anyhow, I have all five of the wheels repainted now and four of them installed, [the fifth goes back in the corner of the shop for the future].
The grille is painted again.

 

[MercuryMac]

Here's a picture of the grille. After it dried, I kept looking at it and finally decided it was too bright so I sprayed a light mist of grey primer over it, tonight.
I tackled the horrible kingpin today. The kingpin was OK, but everything else was really worn out. As I moved the spindle up and down, the back of the spindle would hop when it changed from moving in the wallowed out axle end to the worn bushings in the spindle, so I thought it had a broken kingpin. Anyhow, I had some really worn down steel bushings from an old Kenworth air ride seat that I drove into the axle top and bottom and reamed them to the right size and rebuilt some bushings for the spindle.
pic 2 kingpin in the newly bushed axle.
pic 3 spindle done and back on.
pic 4 wheel back on, job done.
pic 5 showing the front wheels standing up straight.

 

[DozerII]

Job well done. [cl[cl[P[P

 

[Torchie]

Great save,Mac.[cl [cl [cl [cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[Old Iron]

Looks like brand new
[P[P[P

 

[joedoh]

aww I kinda liked the lazy leaning wheel, looked like a poverty truck from the great depression.


but glad you fixed it up too!

 

[MercuryMac]

Joe, two things. I've spent most of my life trying to NOT look poverty stricken so this project is hard for me, and negative camber on wheels is a sore spot for me, even if it's an air-bagged car sitting on the ground with the front wheel askew like a Volkswagen with fourteen hippies in it. So, I had to fix it up, as it was just too slanty for my tastes.
Yesterday, I reinstalled the grille, welded up the front fender brace, stiffening that fender, and rebuilt the running board brackets so they would be sturdier.
Before and after pics.

 

[Torchie]

[cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[MercuryMac]

Today I yanked open the drivers door to start putting in the floor and toe boards. Well sir, the door plopped down and inch as it came away from the cab, and I know I had to hold my mouth just right and lift the whole door up when I closed it. Over the next month a bunch of actors will be trying to open and close these doors and some of them won't have a lick of physics sense, so I better fix the hinges, right.
The drivers door has one nicely rebuilt hinge and one cobbled up hinge and it works pretty not-to-bad.
The floor is in and bolted together.
The passenger door has one real good hinge and one broken right off hinge. I took it off. Tomorrow, I'll weld up the hinge and rehang the door. Then the adjusting part might take some time.
I talked to the Grapes of Wrath lady today and I get to deliver the truck to their practise area on Saturday at noon.

 

[BillM]

Huge improvement on the front end MM! Good luck with the door hinges, I think you are on the right path making the doors work for the actors.

 

[Old Iron]

The before and after pics are great

 

[soltz]

^^^^^^Indeed^^^^^^

++++[P++++

 

[joedoh]

 

[earthman]

This thread is fun What is the brand on this paint MM?
[Ultra-flat dark brown camouflage]

 

[MercuryMac]

Oh E-man, I forgot to look at the paint can. I'll keep trying to get you a name.
Here's some pictures of the passengers door bottom hinge. I'm pretty sure this is from the door swinging open while roaring down the road. The first picture is the broken hinge and the second is after it was fixed.
I found where the Previous Owner had mounted some brackets on the firewall, to hold the battery, so I set a 6 volt battery in them and wired up the old headlights. There's a '57 Dodge light switch on the dash now that runs the lights.
Then I remembered that the Grapes of Wrath people wanted me to take out the windshield, so the actors could sit in the truck and still project their voices to the audience. Out came the windshield.

 

[MercuryMac]

I loaded her up and took her to town. pic one.
The second picture collage is me unloading it in a warehouse where they are going to practice for a while.
The third picture is some of the cast dressed for their part and showing off. Publicity stunt.
I'm having a terrible time with the pictures. Sorry.

 

[MercuryMac]

Here's the promised picture of the truck and some of the cast of actors.
E-man, my dark brown camouflage paint is Krylon. picture two.
I think this is the end of first segment of my double build.

 

[Old Iron]

Great pic [cl[cl[cl

 

[earthman]

Your truck has the X-Factor MM. Thanks for the paint info.

 

[Burgerman]

Like the cast photo. Thanks for sharing. Nice job MM.