46 Power Wagon Restoration pt. 2

[Desoto61]

The way I assembled it I should have a straight shot to the winch, and yes it uses a 1-1/4" shaft so it should look and operate much like a factory setup which was what I wanted, but I haven't looked into it too far yet. Fuel tank first. The hard part will actually be the linkage to make the stock cab lever location work for the not-stock location of this PTO. It will probably be a bit, need to get the fuel tank fixed first and then I want to build my running boards next.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Many transmission shops have those stand up parts washing units large enough to fit that tank as well, It may be worth a shot to give one of those guys a call if you have one nearby.

I had to drain the fuel tank on my tractor last weekend due to algae build up inside the tank. I used cheap lacquer thinner to clean out the inside of it and it seemed to work well.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Looks fantastic, will it allow you a straight shot up to the winch itself, to make use of a stock type PTO shaft? Or will you need to add additional joints to make it fit?

[Desoto61]

I've seen the issues with foam quite a lot, most of the stuff I've seen is HDPE. Cleaning should be fairly easy once I get the tank opened enough to remove the original baffle. If I can break down and get much of the diesel out with acetone or similar, flushing with soap/water becomes doable, that mix of water/diesel/soap however isn't something I wanted to have to dispose of, acetone is (ironically) easier. The purge gas thing occurred to me too, not sure if it was done originally, have to look/ask.
Yes, that's why I'd like to leave the ends intact, they've been holding up against the weight so far, why compromise it. If I used baffle tubes/balls the only real reason to re-install the baffle would be for structural support.
Yes, you don't realize how much 40-gallons of fuel is till you're trying to drain it out of the tank (I had almost 20 in the tank), every time I spill a little it seems to make a huge mess.

[Alxj64]

Just don't use the foam stuff that they sell for racing applications. The injector cleaner additives have been known to break that stuff down. If they are balls, make sure they are VITON or equiv. Can you tell if Chris back-purged when he welded the tank? Thats another option actually before cutting into it. You could always purge the tank with Argon from the TIG bottle, then when you go to weld it, you can just clean locally around your access and then re-fresh the purge and weld it back. This way you don't get any "sugar" from that backside of the weld and no "burning" of fuel in the tank, only issue at that point is removal of any debris from the cutting process. Non-ferrous so magnetic catch wouldn't work... a good shop vac with a steerable snout and maybe a borescope on it it to look for any debris that may have gotten loose. My biggest fear is that my tank is going to leak or crack at some point being aluminum and I'll have a huge mess to contend with.

[Desoto61]

Yes, all stainless. The acetone is a good idea, still hesitant to cut the end(s) off, need to take a look at those joints and figure out if there's a good way to do that, but mostly just reluctant to introduce a new structural weld joint relying on my TIG welding skills in thin stainless. Need to e-mail Chris and see what he recommends. Also been looking at baffle balls or tubes, which might be worth adding when I have the tank open.

[Alxj64]

First I have to figure out how to clean this tank out enough to cut and weld on it.

Is it all stainless with no plastic or aluminum parts? I have a mechanic friend who has access to a hot tank parts washer (large enough he did my entire axle housings) and if you want he could probably dip the whole tank. You could actually flush it out as best as possible using acetone (should break it down pretty well) then you can fill the tank back with water to displace vapor and then cut the ends off of it, drain it, air it out, and then we can parts wash it before you put it back together? Some sequence of that maybe?

[Desoto61]

It's never easy. The new sender came yesterday, so I picked up some new fuel hose and crawled under the truck and modified the wiring (the new sender requires a 12V feed) and then went to screw the sender in place, they were both using the universal sender bolt pattern so that was at least simple. While trying to drain out a little more fuel to make the tank easier to install something was rattling around, so the sender came back out so I could look inside the tank which is when I noticed that the baffle in the tank had broken it's welds and fallen to the bottom of the tank. This is a stainless tank built by Chris Case, and it's very nice, but was one of his earlier tanks and one of the first diesel tanks he'd built. Regardless I'm left figuring out how I want to fix it. I don't want the baffle just laying inside the tank and it's obvious that it was doing it's job by the fact it broke loose, though from what I could see it may benefit from some modification to reduce some of the stress.

Right now I'm thinking a "C" shaped cut along the top where the baffle goes so I can peel it back slightly and get the baffle out and probably weld on some brackets to the bottom and side of the baffle. I can plug weld those from the bottom and sides then re-weld the top closed, welding the top of the baffle to the tank as I do. It minimizes welds below the fuel line and should be strong enough if I get the brackets right. Otherwise the option is to cut the end off the tank, weld the baffle back inside and re-install the end, which is how it was built originally but that's a lot more welding of an important joint, and I'm not that confident in my welding skills.

First I have to figure out how to clean this tank out enough to cut and weld on it.

[Desoto61]

I found out a few months ago the fuel sender hasn't been working right, I had it out once before the bed was installed and checked it and added a extra ground wire, but it still didn't read correctly. So finally decided to drop the tank and replace the sender with a capacitive sender from the same company I got the gauges from. Dropping the tank was straight forward but messy, and removing the old gauge showed a lot of corrosion on the sender unit, so while it stated it was diesel rated that was not exactly true. I haven't been thrilled with the fuel lines I used either so those will be swapped out while everything is apart.

While parts are coming I also fixed some minor issues with the throttle linkage hitting the return spring bar at WOT and some minor adjustments to the linkage to get to WOT as it was stopping a little short. I also want to make some modifications to my air intake to try and better isolate it from under hood heat.

My biggest concerns though are the axles and clearance. I noticed I still have issues with the axle hitting the oil pan, on the side this time where the plug for the oil heater is, so eventually I think I need to get another oil pan and do a rethink of my clearance. The rear axle is rubbing against the skid plate as well, so while it's down I'm going to have to build some clearance there as well.

[Desoto61]

Lots going on that did not involve the Power Wagon, gone to a show or two, used it run some errands around town, but until this week not a ton of work. Finally hauled the truck into the garage to install the PTO on the transmission. Install was pretty straight forward and essentially the same as on a stock truck, remove cover, install studs, mount PTO, set backlash, refill transmission. Other than wrestling a 20 lb PTO over my head the hardest part was getting the dial indicator in place to check the backlash. The only thing unique was that the trans fluid in the NV4500 is kind of special, and therefore expensive, so I bought a new container and re-used it. I had to add about another 1.5 quarts to top it off. Plus side is everything inside the transmission looked good while I had the cover off.

I'll need to order the components for the PTO driveshaft which should be pretty straightforward, and build an operator lever which won't be. The simple solution would be to convert it to either cable or air operated, but that's no fun, I would rather it look stock so I'll need to build a linkage between the stock lever position and the PTO actuator.

[Matt Wilson]

Lots more wiring for the tail lights. Used a pair of "light bolts" for the license plate lights, they work really well, though the tiny little wire is tricky to connect up, same with power to the backup camera, tiny little wires.

Also added a light in the battery box, and ran a set of wires for a jumper-cable connection. This consisted of a pair of battery cables and a set of jumper cables with the ends swapped for a HD plug. This will hide in the tool box portion and make it easy to either jump start another vehicle (or mine if needed). In testing everything worked properly, and I even was thinking ahead and had the bed lights wired up so they trigger with the courtesy lights on the truck.

I had run a wire to the tail to I think allow me to trigger the backup lights as work lights if I wanted, but honestly those light bolts put out plenty of light at the rear of the truck when on, so for now I just capped off the wire.

Next was to install all the panels on the bed box. The main cover plate was a bit of a trick in that it had to be snaked under the stake pockets and then have the wires for the bed lights tucked into their notches (which had to be cut, I didn't think that through before, so I used some spray-on liner to protect the cut edges). The coating on the bed floor is thick enough it did cause a little interference, and required slightly longer screws to hold it in place.

The lid I riveted the hinge to the top and then it screws into the bed, I added some gasket material around the back and sides to help seal out water. I don't expect it to be water tight, but that should keep most of the moisture out. Then I re-installed the gas strut to help open and hold open the lid. The lock openings had to be cleaned out and the locks tweaked a little as the liner thickness prevented them from latching. Same went for the battery box cover. With those all installed I loaded all the accessories and re-installed the spare and called it done (for now)!

It's remarkable how it changes the truck, not just in looks, but the ride is softer with 1000 lbs of bed over the back axle, and it also helps dampen some of the diesel vibration at idle. The Cummins however doesn't seem to notice any of the extra weight.

We'll see what problems crop up in service, but for now the bed is done and I can start trying to figure out how I want to build the running boards. I also have the parts to rebuild the PTO unit so I can try and get the winch working. Finally the interior still doesn't really exist, and as always there are a ton of little things I need to tackle or improve.

Wow, that's a fantastic-looking truck!

[Desoto61]

ARB Twin Piston Compressor... 100% Duty Cycle and 6.16 CFM at 90 PSI !!! Its crazy powerful but draws like 60A so right next to the battery is where it will need to be!

I'm sure I'd upgrade if/when that one dies. Wouldn't mind adding an air tank under the bed like you did for the flexibility. Luckily that's exactly where my compressor sits is in the battery section of my bed box. I rewired the OEM harness to activate a relay as opposed to directly powering the unit so updates like that are even easier.

I've had two brand new Exide Batteries die on me while sitting with no draw for only about a month and a half. Really really annoyed, and I lost the invoice so stupid Tractory Supply won't return them. I'm replacing them with Interstate here shortly.

I have an Optima red top in it now, and fully charged it's fine, but after a week of sitting with the alarm on it's hard to start, which is crazy considering my Dakota will sit for months and fire right up, I can't see the alarm pulling that kind of juice, which means the reserve capacity of the Optima is compromised. Have a bunch of space so will probably go to a larger more conventional AGM battery but will have to redesign my hold downs.

I have a huge order of steel being delivered the end of this week, so if you have something in mind, I need to burn off some of this material to recoupe my funds. I'm not terribly expensive when it comes to this stuff... at least I hope I'm not. Let me know if you come up with something.

Great! I sent you a file a few months ago for the running board brackets for when you did your next run, but that was before you started your sprint for the finish line, and I wasn't lacking for projects since the DeSoto was still in pieces in my garage. If you don't have the file let me know and I'll shoot it over again. I'm never worried about your costs, they're probably too cheap, but materials in general shouldn't be too bad. Most of the cost will be in having the final product blasted, primed, and then sprayed with bed liner.

I can't wait to have mine on the road so I can (if invited) be another Power Wagon at events with ya.

It will be an impressive sight, though I don't mind basking in the glory by myself for a little longer, yours will definitely steal the show when it's done!

[Alxj64]

, but it sees little use typically so will probably last a long time for my purposes, and if not it will be an excuse to upgrade ;)

ARB Twin Piston Compressor... 100% Duty Cycle and 6.16 CFM at 90 PSI !!! Its crazy powerful but draws like 60A so right next to the battery is where it will need to be!

Still not convinced the battery doesn't need replaced but she definitely starts better and more consistently.

I've had two brand new Exide Batteries die on me while sitting with no draw for only about a month and a half. Really really annoyed, and I lost the invoice so stupid Tractory Supply won't return them. I'm replacing them with Interstate here shortly.

I really want to get the running boards done but need to get the brackets cut, not that I really have time or money for that right now, but I'm really starting to miss having those.

I have a huge order of steel being delivered the end of this week, so if you have something in mind, I need to burn off some of this material to recoupe my funds. I'm not terribly expensive when it comes to this stuff... at least I hope I'm not. Let me know if you come up with something. I can't wait to have mine on the road so I can (if invited) be another Power Wagon at events with ya.

[Desoto61]

Lots of stuff going on so mostly driving the Power Wagon, but little things I'm finding as I use it. The bed isn't draining well, opened up the drain holes as they like to clog with debris. After a particularly heavy the water got high enough to get in the tool box I keep in the bed box, need to find a better box, but it also meant it got high enough to get in my air compressor. So I unbolted it from the bed floor, cleaned it up as best I could and mounted it higher inside the battery area. Worked OK but not sure for how long, but it sees little use typically so will probably last a long time for my purposes, and if not it will be an excuse to upgrade ;)

Managed to burn out or damage the linear motor for the windshield opener, so I'm going to need to revisit that mechanism which I didn't love anyway. It blew the fuse which also ran my power locks so had to break into my own truck since it wouldn't unlock, luckily knowing how the lock mechanism works didn't make that too bad. Have a few ideas to prevent similar issues in the future.

Starter has been slow which I figured was a battery issue, but a few weeks ago I just got the "click" after a drive so I knew the battery was charged, couple of whacks of the starter and she fired but went home and ordered a new rebuild kit for the solenoid contacts. Also swapped out the last piece of the battery cable with some higher quality military grade 0-gauge cable at the same time. Still not convinced the battery doesn't need replaced but she definitely starts better and more consistently.

Mostly the truck is being used for shows and doing truck stuff. Have a bunch of work in getting my house ready to sell, and I've been hauling materials and boxes for various projects. Had an excuse yesterday to take some stuff to the local dump and per the scales the truck weighed out at 7140 lbs including me, so figure about 6900 lbs with a 1/2 tank of fuel. Can't imagine what she weighed when it still had all the tow equipment in the bed!

Was looking around under the hood at the last show (pic below) and noticed that I need to tweak my throttle linkage, it hits the return spring bracket just before full throttle, I've never needed full throttle but will need to tweak that design, it was also hitting the cable for the cruise control which is also held by that same bracket, I haven't gotten that working right yet either, so while the peddle linkage works well enough the return spring bracket is going to need some re-design.

Everyone loves seeing her running around though, and I still want the bigger 37" tires as 60 mph is about 2000 rpm which is as high as I like running the Cummins on longer drives. Otherwise I need to find some time to mount the PTO on the transmission, it will take me a while before I get a chance to build out the activation lever and hook up the winch, as I need to get my old beater Dakota cleaned up so I can get rid of that, the wife is not thrilled with how many vehicles are hanging around or that they end up affecting her ability to park in the driveway!

I really want to get the running boards done but need to get the brackets cut, not that I really have time or money for that right now, but I'm really starting to miss having those.

[Desoto61]

My Desoto is in the garage currently getting some much needed TLC. The Power Wagon is mostly just being used for truck things.

This weekend we got caught up in the winter weather that tracked up the east coast, a good 8-10" of snow in our area and a lot of wind, which not only created some interesting snow sculptures.

It was a good excuse to use 4WD, though with some weight over KO2s it wasn't all the necessary, but it wasn't all fun and games. The second time out to get a few odds and ends the fuel problem I had last year when it got this cold returned. I got it started after priming the system with the lift pump first then topped off the tank and made sure to add some anti-gel treatment, but this morning ran into the same problem on the way to work. Priming the lift pump on the motor helped get her started again so I seem to be sucking air from somewhere, but only when it's really cold. It only happens after it's run for a while.

Luckily the temperatures are going back to normal, which should solve my problem in the short term, but long term I'm going to need to go through the fuel system and see where this might be coming from.