37 IHC Build

[ratrodney]

The nice thing about rat roddin is that havin body issues is a plus. LOL But seriously though, Yer doin great work! RR

 

[jmlcolorado]

Thanks Ty and Blacksheep! It only took 5 tries to cut that piece of sheet metal and I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me to get it tacked in...but hey...it's good enough for me! I'm going to try and tackle the a-pillars and gas tank filler hole tomorrow...maybe even some of the firewall. Really want to get this body work out of the way and get on to the bed and gas tank. Engine is going to machine shop within a couple of weeks. Next week I'll be rebuilding a steering column that I picked up today.

Stay tuned!

-Troy

I gotta say, your roof looks great! I tried my first sheet metal job on mine and failed miserably! But how else do you learn? Yours looks 100% better then mine did. Just take your time on the tacks and grinding (if your gonna grind) I found that out the hard way.
Keep it up!

 

[RAT IHC]

The top is looking good [cl[cl

[P[P[P

The nice thing about rat roddin is that havin body issues is a plus. LOL But seriously though, Yer doin great work! RR

Snake, Rodney and JML...thanks for the input! It's greatly appreciated!

Making a little progress on the sheet metal work, but it's slow going. I ended up grafting a piece of metal into the a-pillar...it turned out ok. I'll do some body work on it to make it look better. I also finished blocking up the gas tank filler hole. I attached some before and after pictures.

In between working on the sheet metal I mounted the air tank for the rear bags and started mocking up the steering column. The column is from an 88' Firebird. I need to replace the turn signal and key tumbler...but the price was right and it fits good for what I need.

-Troy

 

[RAT IHC]

Still working on finishing the chop, but I took a brake from it for now to take care of some other stuff. Working on the chop is slow going and I was getting frustrated with it...so I figured it was time to work on somthing else for a while.

I got a Grant 16" steering wheel and mounted it. I also installed the shifter. I was worried about the shifter being a little too tall, but it worked out exactly the way I wanted...just able to see it over the dash. I also started mocking up the grill and head lights. I think I'm going to mount the head lights to the grill shell. Tomorrow I plan to get the grill shell fully mounted and finish the steering column mounts. If I have some time after that I'll be working on the battery box.

 

[LUCKY DEVIL 13]

Diggin' it bro!!! Keep the pics comin!!! [P [

 

[blacksheep]

You're really makin some progress there. Looking good!!

 

[skull]

movin'

movin' right along

keep the pics coming, looking like a nice ride [cl


later

 

[RAT IHC]

LD 13, Blacksheep and Skull; thanks for the comments! That stuff helps keep me going! [cl

I got some more work done this weekend. I got the grill shell cut and mounted in place. I took a piece of 3/8 steel rod and 3/8 steel tubing and fabbed up the top mounting struts. Then I cut a piece of 3/16 x 2" wide for the bottom plate where the radiator will sit. I made "L" brackets and welded them to the bottom of the plate against the frame and drilled some bolt holes through that and the frame to secure the bottom of the grill shell. I also cut out the firewall so that I could start replacing that sheet metal and finalize the steering column mount. With the firewall out of the way it was a good time to do the front body mounts. Also got the brake booster mounted to the frame by welding in a piece of angle iron to the frame and drilling a couple of holes for the top bolts on the booster bracket. Just one more thing to check off the list.

-Troy

 

[Snake Farm]

Troy, you are making great progress! [cl[cl The shifter looks great too.....I have the same shifter in my Willys and it sits about the same
Carry on! [P[P[P

 

[RAT IHC]

Thanks Snake Farm! I'm really digging the shifter and the way it turned out. I've also been working on mocking up the E-brake lever. I picked up a brake handle from an early 80's porsche 944. I'm working on a bracket that will mount on the passenger side of the shifter.

-Troy

 

[Tyster36]

lQQking good Troy. Keep it up and you'll been cruz'n in no time.

 

[international rat]

Way cool IH! Really nice build. Keep those pics commin, I'll be following this build!

 

[RAT IHC]

Ty and IR...Thanks for the props! Helps to keep me going!

Here is a sneak peek at the frame color I'm going with. I think someone else here has used the same type of paint just different color. I did this test area of the frame to see how it would turn out and I really like it. I didn't want to go with a high gloss finish. It's called "Hammered Metal - Gray".

-Troy

 

[Oldrodder43]

I used Rust-O-Leum Hammered Silver for my Essex Frame. I brushed on their metal primer (white) and then brushed on the Silver. It's a really tough finish. I used their Hammered Black for the engine and such. perley

 

[Tim...Ok]

I'm going to try that on my frame when I get to that point..That looks great!!

 

[HILLBILLY HOT RODS]

Very nice build Troy IH trucks make awesome rodz keep up the great work [P

Mike

 

[Tyster36]

I'm going with a similar color myself, and then a semi gloss navy blue for the body. That's when i paint it.

 

[RAT IHC]

Tim & Ty...you can pick up a rattle can of it at Lowes / Home Depot for around $5. Give it a test...I think they have a few different colors like black, gray and brown.

Mike...Thanks for the props!

-Troy

 

[RAT IHC]

So I have had a change in heart for the motor that I'm going to use. I picked up a 305 a while back when I first purchased the cab. Since then I've been trying to figure out what I was going to do with. Make a stroker, leave it stock, make a little HP with vortec head? I just didn't feel like it fit the project correctly. So I'm going with a 283 instead. I picked up a block today from a guy that had one that was already hot tanked and checked for any damage. I've put together several 283's over the years and they are one of my favorite motors! Taking it to the machine shop tomorrow to get it bored out a little, new cam bearings and freeze plugs installed. I already have a set of head for it that have the right valves and compression chambers.

I got the rear brakes done yesterday...not a big deal and I'm sure you guys could care less, but I'm using the thread to document everything as well. So you might get some photos and other stuff that make you scratch your head and say "why the heck is he telling us this?"[S I also put the rear center caps in for the rear wheels...they really make them look even more cool!

-Troy

 

[Sam_Fear]

Nothin' wrong with showing off a nicely cleaned up set of brakes. It's all part of the story.