6x6 Power Wagon Project

[Greg Coffin]

Spring Fever

With the nice weather lately I've been working on the truck more. I got the steel fuel line run all the way to the fuel pump, and overall I'm really happy with it. I found out that I ran the brake lines through the wire clamps that are supposed to hold the wiring harness to the chassis. I was looking at photos of other 6x6s and noticed my mistake. No big deal, just need to find a place to run the wire harness now.

The engine installation continues to creep forward at a steady pace. I finally bit the bullet and installed the bolts for the front engine mount, and tightened up the bolts for the rear mounts. The engine is now officially installed in the chassis, though there is still a lot left to do before I can actually start the engine. But if things keep going well I may be able to fire it up sometime in early April.

With that in mind I temped in the radiator frame and radiator, so I could template for the upper and lower radiator hoses. Today I found a potential lower radiator hose, but there were some kinking issues right at the water pump. I looked around for a steel hose coil to keep the hose from collapsing, but no one carries them anymore. On the way home I remembered I had saved a spring from a broken yard sprinkler head. The first miracle was that I actually found the spring, the second was that it just fit into the hose! It's stainless steel, so it should last a long while. The hose fits beautifully, and doesn't touch the front motor mount, or get too close to the power steering belt. I think I have about 1/2" of clearance from the belt. I have to do some more looking for an upper hose that will fit.

The bracket that holds the clutch master definitely flexes a bit, so I'm going to weld a gusset to the side to stiffen it up. It means I have to disassemble both the clutch pedal and brake pedal supports, but it shouldn't take too long to actually make the repair. Just a minor step backwards.

[Greg Coffin]

Clutch System is Operational

Since I was on a roll with the brake system I decided to work on the clutch system. I bent the lines yesterday, and picked up the flex line today after work. It took a while to get the system bled out, probably because the master is lower than the slave. A pressure bleeder would have been a big help here.

The master and slave both came from the engine donor truck, so I figured they would work together. I wasn't sure if I had enough throw from the clutch lever, but it appears that the pressure plate has plenty of clearance from the clutch disc when the pedal is pressed. I still have to clamp down the steel line around the bellhousing. I plan to use 3 of the bellhousing bolts to mount hose clamps, and I'll drill and tap the bellhousing ear for a clamp near where the steel line connects to the flex.

I noticed a bit of movement somewhere in the steel bracket for the master cylinder. I can't tell yet if it's actually the steel flexing, or if there is movement somewhere closer to the frame. It's hard to press the pedal and look carefully at the bracket.

Since I'm on a roll with steel lines, I think the fuel line is next. Once that's done I may slap on a temporary set of exhaust pipes and fire up the engine. I rebuilt it over 2 years ago, and I'm getting impatient to hear it run. Now to research the proper way to break in the cam.

[Greg Coffin]

Brake System is Complete

This week I got the new brake system completed and working. The armored chassis lines were supplied by Midwest Military, and I made the lines that connect the master to the chassis lines. Fortunately I didn't have to modify any of the chassis to make the new layout work. There is usually a union where the new master cylinder ties in. I took the union and installed it where the T-block sits for the original master cylinder. It works great! I had a local shop make up the chassis-to-axle flex lines. The ones available from the regular suppliers for the rear axles are way too long, and the one for the front axle is a bit too short, especially when trying to work around the 318's large oil pan. We bled the system out yesterday, and the pedal feels really good. Next we'll bend and install the new fuel line, and the hydraulic clutch line.

[Greg Coffin]

My 6x6 chassis is from a 1944 Dodge WC 63 (1.5 ton), and is pretty much bone stock. The wheelbase is 125" measured from the center of front axle to the center of the rear spring pivot (bogie), so the rear axles kind of straddle where a WDX axle would be. The 6x6 is the father of the WDX-WM300 style Power Wagons that we have. Same front axle, engine, transmission, NP200 transfer case, and offset rear axle. The cab and front sheet metal from a WDX pretty much bolt onto the 6x6 frame, so that's what I'm going to do. I may lengthen the frame 12" to fit a 10' bed, but I'm hesitant. I'll get it running and see how it handles, then make the decision.

[JReed]

The bed will be a 9' or 10' WDX style, with hydraulic dump mechanism underneath. I'll probably buy an aftermarket headboard and tailgate, and fab the rest myself. The WDX style is pretty easy because there is no embossing on the bed sides, just flat sheet metal. I have the dump mechanism all put together. I'll post pictures of it soon.

I saw your pictures on the other post, the cab looks awesome! The weather has gone to h*ll in the last couple hours, I hope you made it over the pass without incident. The tow hooks are warm and dry in the shop, just give me a head's-up when you might be coming by. My cell is 3/530-4150. I'd be happy to give you the nickel tour.

Oh cool. I'm glad you're building a boxed bed for it. I had supposed you would put a flat bed on there. A 9-10' WDX is gonna look good... And dump-able too, that'll be cool. Was your original rear axle moved forward at all when the second axle was added, or was it all done rearward? By the way, thanks for the #, I'll definitely give a call and try to drop in sometime if it works out.

[Greg Coffin]

The bed will be a 9' or 10' WDX style, with hydraulic dump mechanism underneath. I'll probably buy an aftermarket headboard and tailgate, and fab the rest myself. The WDX style is pretty easy because there is no embossing on the bed sides, just flat sheet metal. I have the dump mechanism all put together. I'll post pictures of it soon.

I saw your pictures on the other post, the cab looks awesome! The weather has gone to h*ll in the last couple hours, I hope you made it over the pass without incident. The tow hooks are warm and dry in the shop, just give me a head's-up when you might be coming by. My cell is 3/530-4150. I'd be happy to give you the nickel tour.

[JReed]

Awesome truck Greg. Hadn't gone through your thread until just now. Look forward to more... and I'm curious to see what you build for a bed.

I just picked up my front end from the painter here in fort collins. If not for the weather I might have tried to pay you a visit. I would love to see your project and maybe try to give you a few bucks for those tow hooks. Anyway, I think I'll be heading home over Cameron and through north park just to avoid traffic and anyone who might try to run their car into my trailer and its contents, so probably not this time. I'll be back in about a month to pick up my bed from paint, so maybe then.

[Greg Coffin]

CJ, I did a couple dry fits of the cab and radiator with the 318. I have 3/4" between the distributor and firewall, and about 3/4" from the fan to the radiator. This engine had the early style cast iron water pump, which is a lot shorter than the later aluminum body water pump.

I got some work done on the cab sheet metal. After a few hours hammering out some minor dents I decided to tackle the big nasty dent above the driver door. It fought me every step of the way, but it turned out pretty well. I'll have to skim it with some bondo, but considering the mess I started with I'm okay with that.

Overall progress has been slow, but steady. The brake system is just about done. I got the remote master cylinder and booster mounted, and it works very well. I have to make up a pair of short lines to connect the new master with the existing brake lines. You can read more about it here.

Here are some pictures of recent progress.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Greg, It looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing.

[cj7and8]

I love that 6x6! Great job on the build!
How much room does the 318 have in the engine compartment?

[Andydodgegeek]

Nice project, looking forward to watching your progress.

[bilfman]

Looks good. Glad to see your boys are still in. I am going into mine a little deeper this year and going to have my 7 and 21 year old boys learn the craft of restoration. Also a tip for you seeing you have the map gas handy. Hammer and dolly essentially stretch the metal back to form. But heat and a cold water soaked rag will shrink metal. So if you need to shrink a spot , heat it red and quickly put a wet rag on it, causes the area to shrink. Don't know if you were aware of that. But you did mention earlier you were new to body work. Thanks for posting stuff , I again look forward to the next pics. Also a big thank you for the frame extensions!!

[Greg Coffin]

Yes, the boys are still at it with me. They go it spurts, just like their old man, but we are making headway. The bodywork has sparked new interest for all of us, and we are learning it together.

Here's a shot of the reworked radiator cowl. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, especially since it is my first attempt at hammer and dolly work.



The steel in the front fenders is much thicker than in the cab and radiator cowl. I started working on the fenders with the small body hammers and dollys and quickly realized they were pointless. I ended up using a 2lb sledge and a heavy block of steel as a dolly. They worked great.



Here's a before and "during" shot of reworking the outside arc of the front fender. We had to heat the reinforcing rod with mapp gas to get it to move. Lots of work left to do.

[bilfman]

Look awesome Greg, can't wait to see your progress. Are the boys still 'in' on the project?

[CSCameron]

Very Nice! Looking forward to more pics and updates.

Clark