6x6 Power Wagon Project

[Greg Coffin]

Thanks Clark, it feels like the right decision, just not what I expected to happen. Hopefully this is the hump to get over, and things will come together quickly once the cab comes back.

[Greg Coffin]

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back....

Well, the sheet metal was supposed to be done this week, but the body shop is swamped with other projects and they haven't even started on my stuff. My son is back in town for the school year, so we decided to go pick everything up and bring it home to do what we can over the next 2-3 months.

We're going to focus on the cab first. The floor under the seat has some rot, as do the B-column braces. Once we get that done we'll focus on the remaining dents. The body shop said they could tackle things as we got them ready, so we'll get them the cab first, then front cowl, fenders, etc. It will take longer this way, but once the cab is back we can start wiring things up and making other progress. It will also save us a good bit of money, and I'll get to do some of the work that I was hoping to, I just have to dive in and do it! Here goes!

[CSCameron]

Adapt and improvise! I know you'll enjoy doing the work yourself, especially sharing the experience with your son. As usual, we expect pics of the process and progress... :)

Clark

[AK3936]

Great looking truck, Greg! I'd love to build a 6x6 like this someday.

Could you share some details on the brake booster and master cylinder you used? It looks really clean, and I like the idea of using the original pedals, instead of converting to a hanging pedal setup.

-Robert

ETA: Nevermind, I just found an entire thread about your brake system. Thanks for the excellent write up!

[cj7ox]

Greg, how much work did you guys get done while your son was home? Inquiring mind want to know! :-D

[Greg Coffin]

My one son is home for the school season, the other son is home till January, when he leaves for a month. We got some of the rot removed from the cab floor behind the seat, but there's more to do before we start putting things back together. If things go well we will get the cab done by Christmas. I'll post some pictures once I have something worthwhile to show.

[cj7ox]

Good to go! I hope your enjoying your time working on it with your boys!

[LFD270ben]

Not sure if you have seen this or not but a whole 30 min show on a Legacy Dodge 6x6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c68...ature=youtu.be

[Greg Coffin]

Wow, it's been 8 months since my last post, and not a lot has happened. But here's the latest.

I got the rust damage around the rear cab mounts fixed. It turned out to be easier than I expected. There was more metal to work with than I thought, so we just welded in small patch panels. I still have to fabricate new stays for the bottoms of the B columns, but that should be fairly straight forward.

Over the last year I've worked with 2 body shops, and haven't been happy with either of them. The first guy was slammed and couldn't get to my project for months. The second guy talked a big story but wasn't motivated, and after 6 months I still don't have my doors back. I found a third guy, an old acquaintance from years ago who wants to do the job. He knows Power Wagons, and comes highly recommended by several people. I plan to take everything to him next week and let him work his magic. I'm really excited.

The current plan is to have the bodywork done by the end of June. Get it on the chassis, and get the electrical systems figured out. The goal is to have the truck "driveable" by Sept 2016, which is the 5 anniversary of buying the truck. It will not be roadworthy at that point, but I want to be able to move it around under it's own power. Hopefully that will keep the motivation going to get it done and usable. At least that's the plan.

Here's the cab and front clip on the cab dolly, about ready to go to the body shop next week.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Here's the cab and front clip on the cab dolly, about ready to go to the body shop next week.

WOW, Very Nice!

[Greg Coffin]

The cab and front clip are officially at the body shop. There's a lot of prep work to be done before paint, and I don't have to do any of it!

Now that the body will be done in a month or so, there's a ton of stuff to do like get the speedo and gauges done, and decide what I'm doing for the electrical system. (buy vs build). I have to pick paint colors too, which is not my favorite thing to do.

I can hear the sound of money rushing out of my bank account....

[CSCameron]

Woo Woo! Won't be long now. Any idea on color?

Clark

[Greg Coffin]

Some sort of dark green I think. The debate now is whether to paint the fenders green or black. I'm leaning toward green right now.

[Greg Coffin]

Cab Interior and Electrical Questions

Since the cab is going to be done in a month, I need to start getting interior and electrical parts figured out. There are several questions I need answers to:

- Does anyone convert the stock PW mechanical oil pressure gauge to 12v?
- Is it worth buying a custom wiring harness, or would I be better off making my own from scratch? I'm not super good with electrical, but I can probably do it using a generic fuse box. My truck is odd enough that I am leaning toward doing it myself.
- If I do the electric myself, who would you recommend to supply the basic kit?
- Does anyone sell new/good used stainless or chrome headlight trim rings?
- I'm looking at installing either Ford Ranger or Dodge Dakota 60/40 bucket seats with the tilt-up center console. Any opinions on which are better? These will be mounted on the original bench platform.

There are other questions to come, but these are enough for now.

Thanks,
Greg

[53Crusher]

Wiring

Greg - I can partially answer one of your questions.
Wiring is not too bad to tackle. I used our manual with wiring diagram to guide me. It has all the wire colors and gauge. NAPA was where I would buy most of it.
I do have a couple suggestions for you. First of all consider buying one of these relay fuse distribution boxes:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/322104401855 You can hook it directly to the starter and find a nice ground. Mine is mounted in the engine compartment on the firewall. Majority of my electrical runs through this instead of the amp gauge.
Secondly, it was nice to buy a long piece of 7wire cable to run from the cab to the rear of the truck along the frame. Find a handy place to install one of these clear 7 wire junction boxes:
http://www.finditparts.com/products/...AdsaAtT88P8HAQ

Made it easier to run lights, fuel pump, fuel sender and anything else you need in the rear.

Currently in the process of doing this all over as my truck is getting put back together.