My Project

[MoparFreak69]

Small progress report.

Got the body mounts moved and mock-up welded in place. Cab is now bolted to the frame in its permanent position.
Got the brake booster mocked up into position. I ended up moving the pedal assembly to the left quite a ways to center the brake pedal below the steering wheel. I am going to run an automatic so no need for the clutch pedal anyway. I wanted a more comfortable driving position so the stock pedal location just wasnt going to do it, plus the lack of booster clearance in that position made the decision easy.

Also got the steering wheel/column temporarily mocked up into place so I could start fitment of the steering link from column to steering box. Also time to start working on shifter setup.


Work continues....... one day a week at a time........

[Ron in Indiana]

Progress no matter how small is still progress. Getting the big parts bolted down is always a milestone. Looking at your cab, when you get down to it I have all the places for weatherstripping, window channels and glass rubber to finish the details. Just let me know when you're ready.

[MoparFreak69]

Another small step toward progress. Got the steering column shortened (roughly 6" cut out of it) and got the shifter linkage basically set up. I just need to replace the factory '97 snap-in end with a sleeved bolt to fit through the steering column's shifter bushing. Simple enough. A quick bend to change the alignment is also in the cards.
I fit the steering column to the stock '97 steering shaft to make things simple in case of repairs/replacement.
All I have left on the brakes is to cut the booster input rod and thread it to fit my coupler that connects to the stock pedal rod and reinforce the firewall where I did some cutting in that area and brakes are set.
Next big hurdle to jump is getting the front sheet metal all secured to the cab and the frame for a permanent fit. Then on to radiator/condensor and the cab should be ready to come off again. Well, maybe I will figure on where to make my frame shrinking cuts first, then get the cab out of the way.

[Rick Walker]

Power Giant Series

I just finished looking at the work you did on your truck very nice work. I live in Kimberly and am new to the site. I am looking for a W2oo truck , Town Wagon , or crew cab project to work on i was wondering if you may know of a project vehicle for sale . Thank You Rick.

[MoparFreak69]

Wow, has it really been almost a year since I replied to this thread. Where does time go?
I ended up moving late last year and haven't really been able to accomplish much on the PW. I also started a new job last summer which has me working a lot more hours. Busy busy busy! Anyway today I finally said to heck with it and took a half hour to just prep the truck for more work to come. Mocked the front bumper up on jackstands so I can get an idea of how the front sheet metal is fitting to the donor frame. Looks like my gaps are going to be nice and the frame shouldn't sit out exposed and awkward looking.

Rick, I have seen a few ads here and there on Craigslist for D's and W's of this era. The guy who bought my A100 pickup a couple months ago said he knows somebody in the Weiser area who has a couple trucks and a town wagon or 2 he said. I will see if I can come up with his contact info and pass it along if you would like.

[unbreakable]

Well, finally got some decent weather on the forecast so today was the perfect day to trial fit the cab to the frame. Looks like it is going to work out quite well so far. Tomorrow I will work on getting the front fenders sitting on the cab so I can see how its initial placement will work fore and aft. After I am sure everything is going to fit together I can then get the cab mounts into a permanent situation and decide what to do with the gap between the cab and bed. I would love to stretch the cab to make it more roomy, but that is a ton of work and I dont know if I have the time/skill necessary to make it look right.

Here she is, just sitting on the frame;


Front tire reveal looks to be about the same as the rear;


Here is the gap I am dealing with;

Instead of cutting the frame, is it possible to move the rear spring hangars forward on the rear of the frame and just cut the excess tail off the truck? Just a thought.