6x6 Power Wagon Project

[Greg Coffin]

PTO Shift Lever, Part 2

I've had this old PTO lever banging around my shop for the last 30 years, and it was just about perfect for this project.. It didn't have the large curve at the end like the ones on the WDX trucks have, so I think it was from a WC Dodge.

We used a thin strip of steel to make a rough template of the bends we would need around the transmission. I flattened out the lever and welded a 1-1/2" section into the middle. I welded up a crude V-block for the press, and then bent the lever to match the template. Once the lever fit into the transmission hump slot, I was able to mark and drill the pivot point.

[Greg Coffin]

PTO Shift Lever, Part 3

It works as smooth as silk. I'll add spring washers to the upper and lower clevis pins to stop the lever from rattling. Just a little paint and this project will be complete.

[Desoto61]

Nice! That's one of the next projects on my list, mine has the lever select on the side and is going on a different trans, but I may still co-opt some of your ideas to get everything to work well. Thanks for the pics!

[Greg Coffin]

You're welcome Damien. Post a picture here when you get it figured out. It's always fun to see what other people are doing.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

I love the way that turned out! One day I will try and figure out a better way of operate the PTO on my W200.

[Tom Petroff]

Nice! That's one of the next projects on my list, mine has the lever select on the side and is going on a different trans, but I may still co-opt some of your ideas to get everything to work well. Thanks for the pics!

This image courtesy Jerry Henry on how he did his side shift PTO.
Might help, maybe you saw it.
Tom

[Greg Coffin]

I saw Jerry's picture on the other forum, and I was expecting to do something similar. But there was a lot more room under the transmission hump than I expected, and the setup just kinda came together by itself. I'm still a little surprised (and thankful) how simple it was build.

[Greg Coffin]

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep....

The punch list as it currently stands.
Just noticed there are 3 things that I can check off!

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

That list needs finished before June. Whew

[The Other Ross]

Hmmm. I'm going to have to go take a look at the W300.
That dash mounted cable isn't going to survive the cab swap.

[Greg Coffin]

That list needs finished before June. Whew

Matt, you really know how to put the screws on a guy!

[Greg Coffin]

Change Out Clutch Master Cylinder

One item I recently checked off the punch list was to change out the clutch master cylinder. At the beginning of the project I had used the factory clutch master from the engine donor vehicle, and the system worked pretty well until I needed to install a PTO on the transmission. The master was right smack where the PTO needed to sit, so it had to go somewhere else.

I found a Wilwood master that was a slick solution to the problem, so I bought one that had the same bore as the original master, 1-1/8". Everything seemed to work well until I started putting miles on the truck. The clutch pedal was very stiff, and the clutch was hard to feather. It was either on or off - not good. I also noticed that it seemed to be overdriving the clutch slave, so I did some calculating.

It turned out that I was grossly overdriving the slave. My best guesstimate was that I needed a master with about 65% of the capacity of the original, or one with a 7/8" bore. I ordered a new master and put it in last week.

The difference is amazing. The clutch is MUCH easier now, and it feathers well. I could probably have gone with a 13/16" master, based on the throw of the slave, but I think the pedal would have been TOO soft. Time will tell how it is to use, but for now it is a vast improvement.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Beautiful and elegant solution, I like it.

[Greg Coffin]

Today I put the windshield in for the last-last time. It was a seemingly simple project that took a couple months to complete. First I had Dan Mininger rebuild the frame itself, which turned out really well. Then there were problems with the size of the glass, which the vendor recut and shipped right away. Then there was the Herculean struggle to put in the frame gasket. It took 3 evening to get it in all the way. By then I had a pretty good idea how to do it. It was very satisfying to have the gasket all the way in, all the way around.

Before I took on the gasket I read a bunch of posts on ways to install it. One post recommended using a thin putty knife to slip the gasket into the lip of the frame. I tried using one and it worked okay, but not great. A little soapy water on the blade helped a lot. After some practice it starting working better, and by the third day I was able to get the last corners all put together. It was almost fun.

I also put new bushings in the transfer case levers. After seeing how worn the original bushings were, I decided to install grease fittings on the levers to help keep them lubricated. Trying to drip oil onto the shaft is an effort in futility.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

The fit of that windshield appears to be near perfect, how did you go about adjusting fit by yourself? I always have a heck of a time doing that as a one man job.