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Thanks, hard part is not editing myself. No one wants to show their mistakes, but that's the reality of it.
Plus thanks to the convenience of digital cameras and cheap storage I have a penchant for taking lots of photos. These are just the better ones.
We have all seen the guys that go out and buy a Power Wagon on a whim, and with big hopes and dreams, immediately tear into it to perform a "restoration" or to build it into a modern driver. Most of these projects suffer a quick death due to the owner suddently becoming overwhelmed or loosing interest, or they end up becoming a patched together mess.
I am starting to think that you are a little bit more serious. ;^)
Finished the oil pan by blasting and painting the outside and putting a coat of glyptol on the inside to help seal any remaining porosity in my welds.
Naturally the oil pickup sits right in the same corner, so I needed to modify it too. A piece of 1" ID tubing fits perfectly over the stock pickup. After playing with the length it gets welded in to extend the pickup back into the pan. Ended up being closer than I wanted but it worked.
A coat of sealant and the pan can go back onto the engine and get tightened into place and the oil added. I'll loose a little capacity but it shouldn't be an issue.
Ordered some hose to finish the fuel lines. and other than the connection to the motor they are finished.
Since we get a lot of rain and flooding, and I had the frame open, I decided to do something about the axle vents. Using some of the left over tubing and hose I replaced the normal fittings with some hose barbs and ran the vents from the front and rear axle, transfer case and eventually the transmission to a common tube. I'll extend that to the firewall and a breather filter so that I don't have to worry as much about water intrusion if I have to ford some deeper water.
I'm still trying to decide my next step with the cab. I found a place in NC that can dip it vice just getting it blasted. That will ensure that any rust in the braces or pillars is removed too. Just need to figure out the details and the cost.
In the interim I went a head and re-mounted the cab so I could work on finishing the brake system.
Progress has been slow and not always forward. I used the template for the pedals and drilled two mounting holes so I could see how they fit. Looked OK so I drilled the rest of the openings.
Since I'm running a diesel I'm using a hydroboost vice the vacuum booster that is specified in the pedal kit. This means a mount has to be fabricated. I built a template and used some plate steel. My first attempt was to try and bend it into shape, but the steel was too thick for my ability, so I welded part of it but still wasn't happy with the result.
Looking at the holes in the firewall I started wondering about clearance anyway (a little late). So even though it would make moving the frame a little rougher I decided to go ahead and bolt in the engine. I really shouldn't need to take it out again and the room it will free up in the garage is nice. But it confirmed that clearance of the whole hydroboost assembly was going to be tricky.
So I tossed bracket number one and decided to take a page from how the kit mounts the clutch master cylinder. The first plate had the mounting hole too low, the second one was better but the booster assembly wasn't going to clear the engine.
After looking over some pics at the Moosecreak Maple site of Paul's Bumblebee I don't see too many alternatives to what he's done. Basically the whole peddle assembly will get shifted outboard as much as possible without interfering with the steering column, which isn't much.
The plan is to use a new aftermarket steering column with the new power steering setup, but they don't recommend measuring or ordering till you have the seats and peddles done, so I used a piece of 2" PVC pipe as a stand-in for the steering column.
One of Paul's tricks was to clock the hydroboost unit 90 degrees so the reserve cylinder would clear the engine with an adapter to locate the master cylinder in the correct orientation. But even then the whole assembly still needs to go outboard.
To provide the clearance one trick is to swap the peddles on the kit. This puts the straight peddle on the inside vice the original which is bent toward the steering column. Providing over an inch of extra clearance and it doesn't mess with the peddle spacing much.
I still have to watch the column though as the foot pad still tends to hit the tube with it alligned vertically with the power steering box. Moving the column up reduces/eliminates this but means that the linkage to attach the steering has to get longer/more complex which means the column needs to get shorter. That in turn would move the end inside the cab which will require some additional bracing of the column.
Now you can see why progress is slow! Plus I hate having to close up all those holes and re-drill everything, but I guess that's just part of the process if you're new to all this. On the plus side seeing the engine and cab on the frame is motivating! Even if it's only temporary.
I found a place in NC that will dip the cab to make sure all the rust hidden inside the pillars and everywhere else a blaster can't get is removed. So once I figure out this pedal thing the plan is to pull the cab and take it and the doors down there to be stripped.
Thanks for posting the pictures of the build.
I will be doing the same thing with my M37 as I get farther in my build, it will have a 4BTA, Helitool brake set up and PS, like you have.
Please let us know where that dipping place is, and how you like it.
As I write this I am in the OBX for a few days, and am somewhat familiar with n.e. NC.
He quoted me about $1000 (don't remember the exact numbers) to strip the cab and both doors and do an Ospho coating to protect it all till it's ready for primer.
Clearance with the large MC was better but still not enough with the peddle assembly moved outboard. So option number two was to start looking for a different MC that would give me more room but still have the same bore size.
Spent a lot of time searching web sites before trying a more modern style with a plastic tank. But the smaller body and raised tank I thought would clear the horn, and it did...sort of. My 3rd bracket had it clearing but I still wanted something a little more substantial. With the angle determined I built a new (4th bracket). I left the mounting plate loose while I fitted it so I could fine tune the location before welding it into position.
The new MC still hit with the new bracket, but just barely and in a different spot. Since the new MC is taller I also wondered about hood clearance. Which meant re-installing the radiator cowl. I put a 4' level across the opening to get an idea of the hood line and sure enough I'm close there too. On the plus side the look of the truck with the cab and cowl on is really motivating!
Some more time on-line and I found another MC with the same bore and mounting setup also from a 1-ton series truck, but with a different tank design. Narrower with a pinched front end.
This took care of the last of my clearance issues...hopefully. There is precious little room between the engine, intake, and hood, it's kind of like threading a needle. I'm not sure how much movement this engine will have but it can't be much or I'm going to have issues.
With the MC where it needed to be I could cut loose the excess metal on the mounting plate, weld it solid, and clean it all up with the grinder.
On the plus side I had managed to find a GM hydroboost system in a junkyard truck and managed to pull the pushrod/spring assembly out from between the booster and MC, so that part is taken care of.
I also re-drilled the holes in the peddles to allow them to swap side for side. Next step is to modify the hydroboost pushrod so it attaches to Ray's peddle assembly. Installing the radiator support also identified some clearance issues with other items on the engine I'm going to have to deal with.
Looking good. What's the Part Number/Application and bore size of the latest MC?
Its a Cardone part number 13-2353. The bore size is 1-1/4". I'm told that may be a little soft with four wheel disks, so I'll have to see. I have seen one for a mid 90s P30 with a 36mm bore, but its far more expensive and possibly too big.
This one fits a few different vehicles, but I was looking under 3500 series Chevy trucks since that's where the booster came from.
What size piston bore are your calipers? That will dictate the pedal feel more than the booster. Running 3/4 ton chevy calipers on my trail rig, which are the pretty common disc brake conversion calipers, and with a 1-1/6" bore master the pedal was really soft, stepped up to a 1-1/4" and it was too firm. I ended up with a 1-1/8" out of a '98 5.9 Durango. I am running the big ford calipers on my carryall and the Chevy 3/4 tons on the rear. I've run that setup and used a Ram 2500 1-1/4 caliper on a Jeep with 42s and a stock booster and it stops great and has a good high firm but not too firm pedal.
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