46 Power Wagon Restoration pt. 2

[Desoto61]

Transmission crossmember #3

When I installed the engine and trans the first time I built a simple and robust crossmember for the rear transmission mount. However I didn't think it through completely and later when the transfer case was installed in the frame it became obvious that the front driveshaft and my crossmember could not occupy the same space.

So I cut out the offending piece of the mount and built a "hump" (technical term) for the driveshaft. Not as clean and simple as version 1 but it worked, until I tried to install the bracket for the transfer case levers. I had been trying to avoid building down to reduce the visibility of the bracket and maximize ground clearance, but it didn't look like that was going to be an option. A sawzall took off the old hump and a cutting wheel helped clean up the area.

A simple piece of square tubing across the bottom side of the opening would solve my clearance issues, though it was still a little close to the driveshaft. Since I didn't need much clearance I simply marked and cut out a small area and then trimmed it and used it to cover the opening and welded everything solid.

Getting everything aligned and straight proved to be a little tricky, but once there some nice big heavy welds keep it all in place. Not sure if there is a lot of benefit to closing in the ends of the tubing. While it will help keep debris out it's not a difficult thing to clean out either.

[Desoto61]

Running out of parts to mock up, but I had a few other things I wanted to take care of. One was the cab mounts. I had built some blocks out of leftover composite lumber I had around to the original dimensions and used some rubber mat in place of the canvas that was there for the front. But after looking at them they were very short compared to the length of the cab mount. I didn't understand why they didn't make the blocks longer to provide more support for the cab floor, so I did. I also wanted to see about raising the cab by maybe 1/4" for some extra clearance under the hood (which would also solve some other potential issues down the road).

I made a new cab block out of the same material, but didn't try to cut and glue it to get the right thickness this time. I used a piece of 2x4 stock and made up the extra height using some Shore A 60 polyurithane sheet stock I got off of e-bay. The stuff is hard without beeing too hard, and is easily cut with a jig saw. The only problem is that the rubber sheet I used before was already thicker then I remembered so I actually only ended up being about 1/8" taller with the new setup. I left the rear pads alone since they were already 3/8" thick. It's not much of a difference but every little bit helps.

I also cut some holes for a pair of lighter sockets to power whatever accessory I may want to use. And then unwrapped part of the Painless truck harness I picked up a long time ago and welded a set of tabs under the passenger side cowl beside where the glovebox will be that will eventually hold the fuse panel.

I'm getting close on the interior mock-up though, the steering column is the last major item. Also need to determine the door wiring connection, and where I might want the holes for the heat and AC lines to go through the firewall.

[Desoto61]

Throttle Linkage 2

Another piece of round stock threaded on each end to accept a pair of the ball end links forms the final piece of the linkage. I used 10-32 sized ball ends (hence the 3/16" rod), but 1/4" would have also worked well, I had sized mine based on the throttle lever end, and not wanting everything to be too big, but it wouldn't have been a problem looking back and the end would have fit the hole in the throttle lever a little better, but otherwise it works very well, no binding or hitting, and while the throttle peddle doesn't quite touch the floor it gets close enough.

The ball ends all have dust boots and the mounting blocks are oil lite bushings in aluminum housings so it should work in just about any condition they will encounter.

For a throttle return spring I salvaged the one that came with the motor and to mount it did something similar to the original setup. I used a piece of angle stock and ground down one side slightly so it would sit on top of the transmission adapter plate against the engine block. Then I marked and cut a slot in the other leg which slipped over one of the adapter mounting bolts. After re-tightening the bolt the angle is held in place and the other end could be drilled for a bolt to hold one end of the spring. The other is attached to a bolt in the throttle lever using nylon lock nuts on both ends so that the spring can still pivot.

[Desoto61]

Throttle Linkage 1

I decided to use the stock peddle for the throttle, I didn't have any major issues with its location which seemed to line up well with the other peddles. The tubing I had purchased for the windshield wiper links had the right ID for the 1/4" attaching pin in the peddle. I welded some 3/16" rod to that. I originally went down with the rod so that when the peddle was on the floor it was directly over the rod pivot point. That made the linkage much harder, so that hole will have to be filled (annoying), and I went straight out the front for the second one. It ended up being more of a slot since some amount of vertical movement was necessary for the linkage.

The peddle won't go flat to the floor before the rod stops it but it's close and still provides plenty of travel. The other end of the rod gets threaded to accept some ball and socket ends I picked up from McMaster Carr. This bolts to a piece of 1/8" bar stock I had left over which is welded to the same tubing used for the wiper links as the pivot rod. McMaster also supplied a pair of bushing blocks with a 1/2" ID to match the tubing. This assembly gets bolted to the firewall.

The throttle lever on the Cummins injection pump rests against its rear stop, so the linkage needs to push in the same direction as the peddle moves, which means both arms point in the same direction. The length of the second arm is dependent upon some math to relate the travel of the peddle with the travel of the throttle lever. In my case they were close so the second arm is just slightly shorter.

I wanted to be able to remove the bearing blocks if needed so welding the other arm to the tubing was out, but I didn't love just bolting the arm to the tubing as it could slip and you would loose the throttle. So I threaded the ID of the shaft tubing to take a bolt to hold the arm on. Then I welded a piece of metal across the mounting hole in the second arm and drilled it out to match the mounting hole. This gave me a key on the back of the second bar which I cut out of the end of the tube so they are locked together. It's not a real pretty fit, my tooling is not very precise, but it works and will prevent the two pieces from rotating against each other while still letting me disassemble the linkage.

[Desoto61]

Seatbelts 2

One other minor detail, the retractors have a tab that sticks out the back to hold it upright so it doesn't pivot on it's bolt when the belt is released. Drilling a small hole in the right spot worked well to hold this pin and keep everything in place.

Since I have bucket seats the latch mechanism is mounted in a rigit plastic shell to hold it in place. If you were doing a bench then you can buy them longer and without the cover so that the latch will go through the bench. The brackets they are mounted to can be rotated 180 if I decide to move the seats in any more so I don't have to drill any more holes, but are still close enough to the seats that I don't have to worry about issues if I add a center console later.

Final result of a rough fit works well, though the retractors are a little sensitive.

[Desoto61]

Seatbelts

I ordered a pair 3-point belts from Andover restraints. Their site isn't that great but they do have a lot of different options in buckles and styles. Unfortunately they do not have the selection of colors they once did, so rather then try and match the blue in the seats I went safe and got black. I also got their retrofit hardware kit which comes with reinforcing plates that are threaded or have captured nuts that are attached to the backside of the mounting points, but didn't end up using all of them.

Ironically the 3-point harness actually has 4 mounting points, one for the buckle and three for the shoulder belt. I used the seat mounting frame as the mounting point for the latch and the fixed end of the shoulder belt. All the fasteners supplied are grade 5, though some were too long for my purposes so I used shorter bolts of equivalent strength.

With the seat in place I used a pair of vice-grips to sit in the seat and determine how high I wanted the neck point of the belt, and then marked that spot on the B-pillar.

For the upper shoulder pivot, and the lower retractor mounting point I mounted both to the B-pillar, however the stock sheetmetal needed to be beefed up a little. Again the kit comes with some backing plates that can be installed fairly easily by drilling a few holes and riveting them in place. I wanted something do spread the load out further.

For the upper mount I used a piece of angle iron (1-1/4" though on one side it had to be reduced on one side to fit) that slid down into the top of the B-pillar from the top. I made mine about 9" long as that was the longest I could easily fit above the opening. I have seen someone cut an access hole and run a much longer piece into the shaft, but I'm too far along for that and had some interferences which would have made that difficult. I drilled the angle iron and welded the support plate and it's captured nut to the angle iron. Then punched a hole in the b-pillar where I wanted the upper mount and drilled a few smaller holes to plug weld the angle iron to the b-pillar.

The angle proved to be a very tight fit, but that was a good thing. I faced the L so that the other face was against the door opening and drilled a few holes here as well. Once I had the bolt opening in the angle lined up with the hole in the pillar I plug welded the smaller holes shut to hold everything in place. It doesn't provide any extra strength, it's all about spreading the load over a larger surface area. The same thing was repeated on the other side.

For the lower retractor mounting point I again went against the B-pillar but there was no way to fit the angle in and the metal down there is somewhat thin anyway. However the cab support and mounting point is right below this spot, so I used some 3/16" plate and built a mounting plate that extended from the lower supports that I built up onto the b-pillar. I drilled and welded a nut to the back side of the plate, and punched a hole large enough to let the nut and plate sit flush against the pillar. Then welded the plate to the b-pillar and the floor bracket.

I'm pretty sure everything should be plenty strong enough, though this is one of those things you hope you never have to verify.

[Desoto61]

Interior Misc.

Ordered my steering column, which has been a bit of a cluster and is supposed to take a while due to some sort of stock issue, but it's done.

Since I had the seats in place I measured to verify length and then ordered the seatbelts. Again a stock issue meant I could either wait a very long time for the ones I wanted or go with something similar, I elected to go for something similar.

While waiting I recieved the other linear motor to use for the cowl vent. The stock linkage was broken and had missing parts so again, just as easy to go this route. While space behind the dash is starting to get a little tighter in places the cowl is still a much easier setup then the windshield. A pair of brackets was built to hold the ends of a 1" linear motor. The top one bolts to the door bracket like the old one and hangs then I can place the lower bracket and tack weld it to the dash support like the old one. The pins were just for testing, they were replaced with bolts. It's a tight fit but should clear the wiring from the HVAC and radio. Can't really test it though since the cowl vent isn't mounted in the truck right now.

Another task was to do some finish work on the overhead console. A set of brackets welded to the back of the unit allow it to bolt to the headliner supports, and a piece or two of metal help support and shape the thinner sheet metal in the middle.

Control switches for the ARB locker, and some other accessories as well as a pair of map/dome lights and a screen for some potential future ideas are the plan for the rest of the space. The layout of the screen was pretty straight forward. A cutoff wheel in the Dremmel and a few holes and the unit mounts fairly easily.

For the rest of the items I first had to determine what I was using for switches and lights. The swithces for the locker are included, so I used a similar style for the other switches to be consistent. The lights I found online from Summit. They are intended for marine use and sealed but are LED and small so they should work well.

I took the measurements for those items and using a drawing program laid out the design so that everything was organized and aligned. Then printed it off full size and used that as the template to mark and cut the holes (again with the dremmel). A file cleaned up the edges and any tight spots.

The metal is a little thin for the switches. I may cut a backing plate out of some plastic or similar with the same switch openings so that they hold tighter, as it is they can move slightly in their openings. The lights are secured with some machine screws through captured nuts I welded to the back side. The smaller switches will allow them to operate as map lights, and a diode will let them serve double duty for dome lighting as well.

I may find some use for the center space either internally for my future project or externally for a cubby of some sort. I don't have plans for all those switches, but I figured a few extra wouldn't hurt just in case.

[Smokeshow]

Looks great so far!! I am very impressed with this build. Keep up the good work!.

[Desoto61]

Got both seats mounted to the frame. I moved them both inboard two inches and they fit but are tight against the door, I may move them inboard another inch. However that meant that the center console isn't going to fit.

I did make one slight modification. By default only one of the seat adjusters is used. The second is attached to a spring that disengages it. I liked the idea of both of them working so the spring is repositioned to hold it into the track and then a piece of lock wire is wound from the release lever to the lock bracket which allows both to move together.

I started measuring for the steering column. I think a shorty column will be necessary due to the alignment of the box and column, and clearance between the peddle and housing. A piece of PVC pipe made a pretty decent analog.

[Desoto61]

Seats!

Seats arrived over the weekend. I like the colors and the look, but they are huge in the cab. In hind-sight I probably should have ordered the low back version, but I think these will work.

Dry fitting them showed that they will need to be mounted further inboard than I had expected because the seats are square front to back but the cab narrows. That may mean the center console will have to go, but the final decision will have to wait till they are in. They definitely illustrate how small the cab is though. I found the seating position about right, but if I were any taller it would be a different story.

I ordered a set of universal 4" mounts, which were a little taller then I intended so I cut off an inch and re-drilled the mounting holes. To bolt the frame assembly to the truck I cut some 1/8" plate and tack welded nuts to form some re-enforcing plates. The rear ones are bent to follow the floor. Center the frame in the cab and then mark and drill the holes then bolt the mounts down using the backing plates under the floor. I cleaned off the primer around the edges of the plates and tack welded them to the floor. I can finish welding them once the cab is back off.

[Gordon Maney]

I think its fair to say that with regard to cable systems one could wonder about frictional losses.

[Desoto61]

I thought about Chris' bell crank type setup, but the trouble of trying to route the linkages down to the cowl, and mount the bell crank so that it was all secure and strong enough was (in my opinion) harder then what I have. Besides, Chris lives in San Diego, they don't see any real weather there!

I did look at the cable systems pretty hard. There are a few different versions out there which are probably all from the same manufacturer. The reviews tend to be mixed with some saying they work great and others complaining that they don't hold up. Again though the real hard part as I saw it for that system was that the cable has to run in tubing between all three points, routing that tubing from the header down to the kick panel and flaring it was not going to be fun.

This is not as well hidden, though with the right motor it probably could be (it would have to be fairly small though to sit in the bottom of the header opening), but it should be strong enough to clear rain, snow, even zombies. The weakest link in the system is probably either the wiper arm or one of the factory pieces.

The overhead console could have easily been much smaller, I have plans for some other items that will be mounted in it, like map lights, switches, and maybe a special project I'm kicking around.

[Joe Cool]

Chris Case outlines a system with the motor behind a kick panel.

http://imageevent.com/bigchriscase/p...gonwipersystem

[Gordon Maney]

In the 1980's I had a subscriber who put the motor under the dash and ran a push-pull cable up through the windshield pillar to transfer the motion. I am thinking it involved one motor and two cables.

[Desoto61]

Overhead console 2

To mount the console to the header I cut and bent two mounting tabs, drilled some holes in them and tack welded a nut to the inside. I clamped these to the console so they were flush with the front edge and equal height and marked and drilled the holes in the console sides.

I screwed the mounts to the console and marked their top and bottom on the outside of the console. Then put the console in place and transferred those markes to the header along with marking the horizontal placement once I made sure the console was centered. Then I could take the console down and use the marks and a magnet to hold the mounting clip on the header and tack weld it in place. This worked really well. I also plan to add some supports at the back from the headliner support brackets. I left the extra metal on the front end of the console so I could mark it and cut it flush with the header panel.