46 Power Wagon Restoration pt. 2

[ringodog]

DeSoto, do you have the contact info for Dean Moffett? I haven't come across that before. Thanks, Mark. Nice work by the way!

[Desoto61]

I think I still have his e-mail somewhere but he doesn't make these bumpers any more. I picked it up a while ago as he was clearing out the last of his inventory. If you still want it let me know and I'll see if I can dig it up.

[ringodog]

I think I still have his e-mail somewhere but he doesn't make these bumpers any more. I picked it up a while ago as he was clearing out the last of his inventory. If you still want it let me know and I'll see if I can dig it up.

Thanks for the reply. Too bad he's not making them anymore, they are great looking bumpers. No need to dig for his number. I'm interested in that fuel tank however if you have that contact info.
Thanks, Ringodog

[Desoto61]

Been a while since I worked on the Power Wagon. I started on a kitchen remodel that has been quite frustrating but well worth the final result.

With that finished enough I have time to get back to the truck. Trying to get all my frame work done so I can get it blasted and painted. Next step was to get the cab mounted so I can fit the engine and start building the engine and transmission mounts.

I rebuilt the old wooden mounting blocks out of some composite material I had left from another project and for mock-up purposes used some rubber matting to get the final thickness. I'll eventually order some rubber material in the right thickness.

With the cab installed and bolted down I slid the engine and transmission in place. I used a floor jack to hold the back of the transmission and adjust the angle. With it sitting about right in the frame I bolted the radiator cowl onto the frame to help determine the placement forward and aft.

Still have some fine tuning to do before I start mocking up the engine mounts.

[Desoto61]

Progress has been a little slower over the holidays. Managed to get the frame-side of the engine mounts fabricated. I cut out two pieces (5/16" stock), one that fit inside the frame, the second that extended out to meet up with the engin-side mount. Measured and drilled a hole for the motor mount bolt. Once I had everything fitted I bolted the plate to the mount and clamped the other to the frame, double checked my driveline angles and tacked the two plates together. Then repeated this process on the other side.

For the transmission I made two plates out of 3/16" plate and clamped them to the frame then measured and cut holes for a 3/16"-wall 2" square tubing that I cut to length. This slid through the holes in the end plates and was welded on both sides.

The Chevy adapter on the back of the Cummins has a 7.5-degree tilt built into it to support its original application in the box trucks. I elected to mount the engine straight and deal with the tilt at the transmission. Which meant building the tranny mount at an angle. I templated and bent some 3/16" plate into a table and fit it under the transmission mount, then tacked it into place.

I finished welding and added some gussets and welded a plate over the front side of the mount to add some strength (probably not needed but can't hurt.).

With all the mounts in place I pulled the engine and trans and drilled some locating holes in the engine mounts. There were two mounting holes in the frame for the running boards so I used those and added two more for the transmission mount. I templated and cut some gussets for the engine mounts then removed, prepped, and welded them solid.

Once they were welded I mounted them back in the frame using the locating hole and drilled two other mounting holes. Since I could only fit three mounting holes I went big and drilled them for 5/8" bolts.

It's overkill but the engine weighs around 800-900 lbs without transmission and being a diesel the generate lots of torque and vibration, so overkill isn't a bad thing.

Engine fitmet looks to be really good but I am going to have to modify the oil pan to make sure I have clearance with the front axle. It will also give me a chance to relocate the drain plug to the other side so it doesn't wash down the differential every time I change the oil.

Then I can pull everything back off and prep the frame to get blasted and finished.

[Desoto61]

Loose end and a turning point.

With the engine and trans mounts done I sent the frame and some of the larger/heavier parts out to get blasted and primed.

While they were gone I worked on cleaning the garage and finishing some other parts. I worked installing the e-brake assembly to the transfer case. I cleaned and powder coated all the parts that can be. I also welded and re-drilled some of the holes in the pieces that had gotten worn out of round over time. With a re-lined band from VPW and some new hardware I installed and adjusted the band.

I also worked on installing the handle assembly I got for the winch. Like many mine was missing so a set from VPW was ordered. It did not include and I didn't know to order the little bracket that bolts it to the winch body. So I used some heavy plate to make one with dimensions from another PW owner. My first one was not great, and I'm not sure if it's the handle assembly or some other modification but a decent amount of modification was needed to get the mechanism positioned correctly and operating smoothly. It was also prepped and powder coated.

Then finally the frame came back all clean and primed. I'll pull off the axles and springs, look at installing and welding on a tow hitch before I prep and paint the frame. It's a nice turning point though, seeing the frame all ready for paint and re-assembly.

[Gordon Maney]

Great work and great photography!

[Alxj64]

Looks great! Who are you using for blast an paint in the area? I still need to find some time to swing by and pick your ear on a few things and check out all of this super clean work! Glad there is another VPW enthusiast so close to home!

[Desoto61]

Flatlanders media blasting did the work. Had heard other good reviews and he sponsors the Mopar club I belong to.

[Alxj64]

Flatlanders media blasting did the work. Had heard other good reviews and he sponsors the Mopar club I belong to.

Awesome! Aaron, the owner, was my roomate for 2 years in college! He is a super nice guy. I need to spend more time up there at the shop. I setup and dialed in their little CNC plasma table for them as I have the same one.

[Gordon Maney]

What plasma table do you have?

[Alxj64]

What plasma table do you have?

Sorry for the thread hi-jack Desoto. Gordon, I'll send you a quick message.

[Desoto61]

Awesome! Aaron, the owner, was my roomate for 2 years in college! He is a super nice guy. I need to spend more time up there at the shop. I setup and dialed in their little CNC plasma table for them as I have the same one.

He mentioned that when I went to pick up the frame. He commented about you selling your M37, and since that doesn't happen every day in our portion of VA I knew who he was talking about! Have to love how small the world can be sometimes.

To get back on topic I recieved the class 5 hitch I ordered last week. Much beefier than I was imagining. It's a universal kit with a bar and side brackets designed to be welded together and to the frame.

Trying to decide if I want to drill some reliefs for the rear crossmember rivets or drill the rivets out and bolt through the plate and rear crossmember. I'll still weld the side plates on but there's always interesting discussions on rivets vs bolts.

[Desoto61]

Getting greasy

It's full speed ahead. With the frame back I got some chains and hung the frame off the lift. This is a little more stable as it can't slip off the arms, and it helps with weight shifts and should be easier to deal with when it's time to paint.

Then it was time to pull the axles. The front came loose pretty easily, the rear was a different animal. The font spring pins had been removed to replace the crossmember so they came out fairly easily. The rear lower pins I managed to push/pull out and get the axle and springs free from the frame. Removing the upper pins was near impossible. I built pullers, I tried pushing from the back side. I used heat, penetrating fluids, wax, and a large amount of elbow grease and adult language to no avail. So in defeat I went nuclear and cut the shackles and pins out of the hangers.

With the axles loose I started tearing them down. The rear axle is being replaced with a centered unit so I only needed the 3rd member and the wheel hubs. The axles came out without too much stress, and the 3rd member housing was next. Everything inside looked good though there was a light coating of rust above the oil line since the driveline hasn't been really spun in many years. The gears all looked great but I plan on converting to 4.89:1 so they're coming off anyway.

The rear tires were a bit of a fight. Both of the hubs have left hand lugs which means the right side was replaced at some point. They put up a bit of a fight, and off the truck without the impact there was no good way to put leverage on them. Lots of air pressure and penetrating fluid later and the wheels were off. Have to order some right hand lugs, which is good because a few are bent. They will have to be removed to be sent off to be converted to disk brakes anyway.

The wheel hubs were a little more trouble, had to order the spindle nut wrench, and then the hubs were free but didn't want to really come loose. Some fighting and prying later and both drum/hub assemblies came off. An impact driver helped remove the screws holding the drum to the hub on the passenger side. The driver's side had nuts on the back side. Since I couldn't hold the head of the screw steady and turn the nut so I tack welded the screw head to the drum and then removed the nut from the back side.

[Desoto61]

With the rear axles done and out of the way it was time to do the same to the front axles. I cut the U-bolts and removed the old springs. One of the wrap leave ends broke off when it was removed and many of the leaves are cracked, corroded, and damaged so the whole set will be replaced. The hubs and drums came apart easier than the rear. then it was time to tear down the knuckles.

Using the military manual it was pretty much a step-by-step process. The only tricky point was the inner axle section came out with the inner bushings and the drivers side came with the seal too. The other seal and outer axle bushings came out with the use of a slide hammer puller. The knuckles look good, though I have new axle shafts with Bendix-Weiss joints to replace them with.

With the axles out I removed the nuts and pulled the front 3rd member out of it's housing.

All the pieces get bagged up and put into a bin. I'll clean it up and blast and prep the parts as I'm waiting on other jobs. The front axle housing and the 3rd members will be sent out for blasting once they're all torn down.