46 Power Wagon Restoration pt. 2

[Desoto61]

Heat and air 1

For climate control duties I'm going with a Vintage Air Gen II Mini. I ordered a mockup unit without the guts for now since it's a lot easier to position and play with and no chance of damaging the real thing. I played around with placement, knowing that the mock up isn't perfect since the wiring and plumbing connections are not there and decided to keep it fairly low to allow enough room for the vent lines but hopefully high enough to not be easily hit by peoples' feet.

For the two forward mounting locations I simply drilled through the firewall and bolted them. Eventually there will be insulation and padding to help dampen vibrations, and maybe some spacers for support, but it's simple and secure.

On the interior side I played with a strap from further aft under the dash so I didn't have to weld to the painted surface of the cowl but it didn't provide the support I wanted. Since I know I'm going to have to re-prime once the filler work is done I broke down and welded a hanger from the underside of the cowl and then bolted the support bracket to that.

[Desoto61]

Exterior Latches 2

The linkage was tricky though. Even though the latch and handle mount are close, the window channel runs right between them. I didn't have room to mount the brackets the opposite way so the lever arm faced the edge of the door either.

I first tried making a U shaped linkage to just fit around the window channel but the 1/8" rod stock simply wanted to pull itself out of their holes. I tried a few different configurations, but ultimately went to bigger 3/16" rod, which fit tighter in the holes of the latch and the mount arm, and made a big U shape that went down under the window channel and back up. It still tries to twist but the larger size and length prevent it from pulling loose before it generates enough force to open the door.

I also mounted up the power lock actuator and bent up the linkage for that, but I'm still having some interference issues with the latch arm and the window chanel, so I have some additional tweaking to do. I also need to determine if I want to add a manual release bar and where and how to tie that into the existing linkage.

I duplicated the whole process on the passenger side, which went quicker since I knew how to attack the problem.

The biggest issue I have with the setup is that the latches have a very short release throw, so the handles have a very short movement to actuate the latches. It's not a big deal, but it feels different and if you're not expecting it it may be a little jarring. The exterior handle is better since the linkage has extra slack in it. Adding a little more to the inside latch would also help. The interior mechism uses a slot to retain the rod and I have mine about half-way in the slot normally. Making it longer would add extra throw to the handle before it actuated.

[Desoto61]

Exterior Handles 1

The exterior handle mounts I ordered are supposed to work similar to the stock mechanism in that they mount to the inside surface of the door at which point the linkage is short and simple between it and the latch. Unfortunately the new latch is too big to allow for the outside handle shaft to pass between the latch and the window channel.

That meant mounting the adapter on the outer side of the door and getting the linkage around the glass channel, which was the harder of the two tasks.

To mount the handle adapter I templated and cut a mounting plate and welded a set of nuts so I could screw it to the door side using some stainless allen head screws like the door latch. This held the mechanism in the original door handle opening. I had to cut down the handle shaft so it didn't hit the latch mechanism.

[Desoto61]

Door latch 4

To get the door handles to work with the new latches I put in an order from Carolina Custom for their interior and exterior handle kit. It provides a pair of mechanisms that are mounted into the door that will accept the handle and transmit the rotation to the latch. They come with mounting hardware and the parts needed to build the linkage mechanism.

The inside handle almost bolts into the stock location, but not quite. So I cut and drilled a mounting plate. I used the stock mechanism to confirm how the original handle was positioned, and made sure the new one was close.

Then I marked and cut out the door area and fitted the patch. The latches are mirror images obviously. So it could be mounted to turn in either direction. I was going to mount it so that it operated like the original but ran into a problem.

I got concerned about the window mechanism. So I remounted the regulator and confirmed that when down the gear sticks up into the latch area. If I mounted the lever down it would interfere, so I switched them so the lever pulls from the top. It's still close but it clears.

There was one issue with the hinge. The company offers different versions with different mounting pins for different handles. This one is the Ford/Mopar version which is a square shank. But it's perfectly square and the original handle has rounded corners. So some sanding and the corners get knocked off till the original handle fits, though it will need to be drilled for the locking pin.

Still need to build the linkage. The kit comes with some rods but I may just bend my own linkage vice using the rods and the connectors provided as I'd be concerned about them moving over lots of cycles.

[Desoto61]

A solution

Thanks to the 4BT forums someone pointed me toward a solution to my problem with the fuel shutoff solenoid. Dodge/Cummins used a different setup on the mid-late 90s Cummins pickups. A little searching and I found the system. Apparently the Dodge solenoid is smaller than the Cummins one and is more prone to failure, so replacement brackets and solenoids are pretty readily available. There are also kits that replace the Dodge version with the heavier Cummins version.

The kit mounts the solenoid above the lever using three of the pump housing bolts. The modified version is a much better location for clearance and wiring.

My engine used a remote power steering reservoir which came with the engine when I bought it. While access to the pump isn't a problem in the Power Wagon one advantage of the remote system is it is set up for the hydroboost brakes as there are separate return fittings on the reservoir and the pump housing. After playing around for a little while I figured the best spot would be on the firewall just below the clutch master. I cut the stock bracket, drilled a hole and then cut and bent up some bar stock to bolt the mounting bracket to. I tack welded this to the brake booster mount. It's close to the hydroboost return fitting, fairly easy to get to, and not too far from the pump. I'll finish welding it when I tear everything apart for paint.

[Desoto61]

Repeat on the other side.

The driver's door went faster, but was not without it's troubles. I remembered to drill out the extra mounting hole before I installed the plate. But I ended up with the mounting plate a little too low for my captured nut and had to make some modifications. Welding this side was a little tougher also as I had more burn-through in places, but the end result was the same.

I hadn't torn down the driver's door since I bought it, so the old latch and window mechanism had to come out before the new latch was installed. Even if I had wanted to re-use the stock latches this one was beyond gone anyway.

[cj7ox]

Nice work!!!

[Desoto61]

Door latch 3

I installed the pin again and made sure everything was still good and the latch worked correctly. Then I could weld in the latch mount panel, I also needed to add a small patch behind it to close off the gap from the stock hinge as well.

The only two other problems I had were that the hinge has three bolt holes but the latch plate is only drilled for two. I neglected to mark and drill the third hole before I mounted the plate. I want to add it for strength but will have to make a template to get the right position. The second was that the lock arm was rubbing the window glass channel just slightly, enough it was hard to work the lever. Removing a very small amount of material from the lock arm (which is very thick) with a sanding disk was all that was needed. Now I just need to repeat the whole thing on the other side.

One other task I keep coming back to and scratching my head over is the fuel shutoff solenoid. It wants to be exactly where the driver's cowl support rod wants to go. I'm having a tough time determining the best location to relocate it too that doesn't put the linkage in a bind or hit anything else.

[Desoto61]

Door latch 2

I cut a piece of metal and shaped it to fit in the existing latch recess. The gap between the door and frame was big enough that I could fill the opening flush, so I ground down the patch till it sat just a little under the existing metal. I didn't cut the recess back figuring I liked having the adjacent metal to weld to vice just a but weld. Except for the front edge which did have to be cut open and bent flat so the door pin could get close enough to the edge.

Using the measurements for the pin location I had taken earlier I marked the hole for the latch bolt and drilled and over sized hole in the patch plate so I could adjust the bolt location to the latch.

To provide that adjustment to the door pin I cut a chunk of 1/4" plate and drilled and tapped a hole for the pin. Then I built a little cage to hold it and tack welded that to the back of the patch piece. The cage was probably a little too large in that it can allow the nut to spin, but it does provide plenty of adjustment.

All the interior surfaces got some primer for protection and then I fitted the patch, which required a little more trimming to fit the cage behind it. Then tack welded that in place and gave it a quick test. Once I was happy the door latched I welded it in place and finished the welds.

Leaving the recess in place let me go with thicker steel (14 ga) and get a good weld all around it for strength.

[Desoto61]

In my spastic work on the cab I decided to work on a larger task over this longer weekend. I had decided to upgrade the stock door hinges to a more modern bear-claw style, with a locking ability. I bought the mounting plates with the hinges, so the first step was to mark the new mounting plate against the door.

Then I took the body saw and grinder and cut away the metal till I had a good fit. The plate puts the latch very close to the inside wall of the door, but with the window channel running where it does it would be more difficult to move it outboard as the lock and latch arms would interfere.

Once I had the patch panel in place I tacked it there till I was certain that was where it would stay. I mounted the latch in place and then took some measurements to determine where the door pin needed to go. The depth of the pin meant the existing latch recess was too shallow, plus I needed to remove the existing captured nut.

[Desoto61]

Too many projects

There are so many tasks to deal with on the interior I tend to bounce around between them as the mood strikes me or I have the time to tackle.

I did manage to fit the center plate using a screwdriver to pry the holes into alignment, it's a very tight fit but will work without cutting and modification.

This led me to fitting the levers. The Paul's Imagevent site shows how to modify the Ugly Trucking V8 conversion bracket to fit the NV4500. I temporarily installed the lever bracket to the adapter bracket and installed the levers. I had already blasted and powder coated the levers and installed new bushings, but the mounting shaft is also warn and will need to be fixed or replaced.

My teardown pics were not as comprehensive as I would have liked here but I did manage to figure out how it all was supposed to go back together. Which led me to my next problem. I had already planned to re-re-modify my transmission mount because I don't like the clearance I have with the front driveshaft, but this kind of forces my hand. The inner shift linkage is hitting the mount, which creates the additional problem since now I have to clear the driveshaft below and the linkages above. Outside of that I'll need to redrill the forward mounting hole and fab up the lower support and then build the fill tube as per Paul's site.

With that project somewhat stalled I re-installed the hanging peddles and clutch and brake masters since a lot of things will need to work around them. I also need to build brackets for a brake light switch and clutch safety switch.

Use of Ray's hanging peddle kit usually requires you to toss the support bracket that goes from the lower dash/steering column mount to the firewall. I wanted to keep it since I think I will need it to help support the new steering column. A little trimming and a new hole seemed to solve the problem and uses one of the existing mounting holes.

Then I took a body saw and basically hacked the dashboard up. One advantage of all this body work is you get a little less scared of doing that kind of thing. The new gauges will be easier to mount and install with a custom cut panel. I'll weld some tabs to the dash and use some small socket head bolts to mount the plate for easy mounting and access.

[Desoto61]

Managed to get the other door hung. It has a whole different series of problems, but since I had fit it once before when I repaired the lower A-pillar hinge mount it went a little faster. Biggest problem is that while the other side had too much room everywhere but at the bottom this one is the opposite. It's very tight in the opening everywhere but at the bottom.

Some of it came out by pushing the upper hinge rearward. I had to open up the holes in the hinges slightly to get them to drop lower as the door kept wanting to hit the drip rail. A little hammer and doly work at the front of the door also helped the door edges sit flush and stop rubbing the front of the door opening.

I tried to install the transmission cover. I knew it would need some modification to support the new transmission. The Chevy adapter for the Cummins tilts the trans a few degrees, Other then that it fits over the transmission almost like it was made for it. I'll eventually close the hole around the shifter better but that gets me in the ballpark.

The biggest problem I have is that the cover itself doesn't seem to fit well in the opening. Not sure why though, I don't think I shifted anything when I fixed the floors and it's enough it won't just flex into place. Not sure what the right answer there is.

[Desoto61]

The first shot tries to show the clearance at the upper hinge with the door closed. It's not much easier in real life to see it either. Took me a while to figure out exactly what was hitting where.

Second shot shows the mounting bolts for the upper hinge. You can see the inner two bolts still have their washers installed, but the outer two had to be removed for clearance.

I also remounted the peddle assembly with the brake and clutch cylinders so I can start working on where everything is going to go in the interior. I put some tape over the brackets to try and prevent scratching up the primer.

[Desoto61]

Close

Been working on the door and I've gotten it very close. Some of the issue was further adjustment of the hinges, but the bigger problem is clearance. I installed new bolts in the hinges with washers behind them. The rivets on the door side of the hinge were hitting one of the bolt heads. Removing one or two of the washers allowed the extra clearance for the door to close properly and let me move the upper hinge forward enough for the door to close properly. I'd still like the door to move forward slightly but sightly is hard to do when you're trying to bend the heavy metal of the door hinges.

The gap around the door is better, though still very close in the bottom rear corner and a little wide at the front, but again, the hinges won't allow the door to go forward too much more. It opens smoothly though and the character lines at the front and back are just about right. The door doesn't sit quite flush in it's opening which will probably be the next job. Like the hinges the service manual calls for some brute force tweaking in order to correct it.

Once I'm happy I can look at trying to install the new lockable bear-claw latches.

[Desoto61]

I had them lined up at one point but I had binding somewhere else. I should be able to get it to work, but I have the feeling it's goint to be quite the tedious process since you can't be as precise when the answer is to "bend it a little more".

I think the hinges need to move outboard slightly and then the upper hinge needs to move forward a bit, which may require a little clearancing of the hinge where it's hitting the drip rail.