46 Power Wagon Restoration pt. 2

[Desoto61]

I want to do a split bench style. After a bunch of searching in all the usual places (junk yards, craigslist, ebay, etc) I came across this site, and particularly this seat. Not cheap but considering most of the used stuff was going to need re-covered at a minimum it's not really much more expensive either.

There may not be enough room for three people but two and a dog would work well, and if there is no passenger then you still get a center console, even if only an 8" one.

54" should fit but might be too tight so I'll probably stick with the 52". Problem is they are out of stock on the smaller center consoles so I'm in a holding pattern.

[defdes]

What kind of seats are you going for?

[Desoto61]

Haven't started looking at the gas pedal yet. Need seats to really get a feel for it and they're on backorder so I'll have to delay that decision among many others.

Obviously I'm going to need to bend up a shift lever too as it protrudes into the same area.

[defdes]

Looks great, I am envious of your time and commitment to this. Is your foot in an okay position for the gas pedal, it looks like it is behind the input of the gearbox?

[W_A_Watson_II]

I didn't want to weld up all the access holes in the floor in case I ever actually needed to use them. So I cut some access pannels and then drilled and tapped holes and screwed them down with some stainless machine screws. Not sure if the metal is thick enough to hold long term, I may tack weld some nuts to the bottom side of the floor.

I tack welded a nut to the bottom side of the floor and rather than relying on the screws for may hole covers like yours. The tack just keeps the nut from turning while I tighten the screw.

Looking good!

[Desoto61]

Floors and dash.

With the trans cover modified I went ahead and installed the side panels too so I could see how everything fit. I have a feeling like everything else I'm going to do something a little custom here. I'd like them to extend back a little further around the transfer case hump and I don't need some of the openings for floor peddles and such but these will make good templates to start from.

I didn't want to weld up all the access holes in the floor in case I ever actually needed to use them. So I cut some access pannels and then drilled and tapped holes and screwed them down with some stainless machine screws. Not sure if the metal is thick enough to hold long term, I may tack weld some nuts to the bottom side of the floor.

The hardest part of the interior is trying to decide. There is a lot that needs to go into it and not a lot of space to do it. I have been trying to lay out the dashboard. I have a drawing for my guage panel, but everything else still needs a location. The tape allows you to lay out the plan and if you don't like it just pull it off and start again.

I was originally thinking of putting the vents in the dash, but now I'm thinking they may go under it in some pods so I can use that space for the climate controls, and maybe a radio. So many decisions.

[Matthew Ziegler]

templates

clear plastic, cut up 2 liter soda bottles makes great templates, the nice thing is being able to see through it, makes it really easy to transfer holes.

[Desoto61]

I have done that many times, it is a great way to turn a 3D shape into a 2D cutout. Most of the brackets and such were templates that way. But some of the curves in these stampings its just easier to try and save it vs starting from scratch.

[Alxj64]

Looks good, but in the future if you ever have any crazy funky patch peices or shapes you want cut and you can make them out of stout but thin cardboard (I prefer beer box material) you can cut them out to your fit and I can then cut them out of 16ga or 18ga nearly exactly as your part is cut out of the cardboard. Its nice for locating holes and stuff that you don't want to cut exactly but need perfectly circular... As long as the pieces are less than 11x17. I can even make relief cuts for bend lines and stuff too.

[Desoto61]

Found the seats I wanted to use but there is a bit of a supply issue so they are on hold till the manufacturer works that out.

Luckily plenty of other tasks to do. I had cut a slot into the transmisison cover so it would clear the shift tower on the transmission due to the tilt introduced by the Cummins/Chevy adapter plate.

Hind sight being what it is the better way to have done that would have been to cut the "hole" out of the tray and move it where I needed it and then just patch the opening left over. Which is what I essentially did this time.

It maintains a the lip around the opening for strength, is much more round then anything I could free-hand, and it already has the right curve to it. I'll have a little work to do on the driver's side of the opening wher I had cut out but in all it was far better then trying to cut and install curved patch pieces.

[Alxj64]

Looks great man! Really coming together! Love this truck!

[cj7ox]

Looking...

...good!

[Desoto61]

Transfer case levers

Paul's site has a nice writeup on adapting the adapter plate from the Ugly Truckling V8 kit to work with the NV4500. I used the rear of the two original mounting holes and marked and drilled the forward one to match the NV4500. I cut off the mounting tab and bent a new one out of some bar stock that extends to the lower trans mounting bolt to stiffen the assembly.

I also had to use some longer bolts and spacers to get the levers aligned with the slots in the transmission floor cover. I'll finish weld the bracket when it gets removed for paint or powder coat.

I've also been picking up other odds and ends. A universal ignition switch goes in the stock location after cutting down the original mounting tube a little, and a headlight switch gets mounted into an existing hole after a little filing. Also need to think about vent locations and where all the other controls are going to go.

[Desoto61]

Plumbing - Brakes

Since the Ugly Truckling brake kits are the same front and rear a proportioning valve is needed to prevent the lighter rear end from locking up before the heavier front end. I built a bracket to mount to the hydroboost mounting studs and hold the valve near the master cylinder, then bent up a piece of stainless brake line. The shorter the line, the harder it is to get right. This was my third try.

I used some wire to build a template for the front and rear brake lines before transferring it to the brake tubing. Stainless is harder than OE steel, so it is not as easy to bend into shape. It also requires a different flaring tool as the usual bar style cannot clamp strong enough to make the double flare.

The rear line is trickiest since it is so long and needs to snake through the frame. Like the fuel lines some clamps bolted to the frame with stainless hardware hold everything in place.

The front line is shorter and somewhat easier, the tricky part is routing it clear of all the interferences in the engine bay. I bent a strain relief into both lines around a piece of PVC pipe to help prevent any problems from vibration and cab/frame movement.

The clutch master gets the same treatment but will use a flex hose so no strain relief.

[Desoto61]

More door latches

I decided I wanted a manual door lock release just in case, as well as having a visual way to confirm the doors were locked. Naturally that meant re-configuring the door latch mechanism. I started with some round stock and bent up a manual lock linkage. I drilled a hole on the inside of the door big enough to fit a rubber grommet and the bar stock. The rubber grommet will prevent the latch from rattling in the door and helps guide it.

The power lock actuators came with these connector pieces which fit over the round stock and the power lock bar and lock with some small screws. Once I got everything positioned and working, which took a couple of tries the lock was working well, but it was now hitting the interior door handle linkage, so I had to re-arrange that by moving it to the inside of the mechanism closer to the interior skin of the door. All of it fits and works well but it's not easy to install. Luckily I should only have to do it one more time.

Eventually I'll cut it down and thread the end to take a lock knob of some sort.