Alex's '42 WC53 Carryall Build Details - Cummins ISB170

[W_A_Watson_II]

Alx, I've had and continue to have the same issues with parts and crossreferencing, but learned a while back that unless you have the MoPar part number, stay away from the dealer parts departments. They are trained to work one way and one way only, and the staff turn over is so fast, sometimes they never even get completly trained. there are now some decent on-line MoPar parts search tools on-line that I use when looking for and buying Genuine MoPar items.

[Alxj64]

Thanks for the good words guys. The frustration passes over time but still there is a lot to do. I'm knocking out all the little things bit by bit and its going to one day all add up to a truck that I can finally drive! Its taking more time to build things to where they can be easily worked on too, and I am always into making a backup plan too, so the re-work isn't terrible, just valuable time consuming.

I've come to terms with myself that if the truck is just a rolling mess for the off-road show, thats still okay because its a work in progress and might actually be more interesting for people to see it incomplete so that maybe when its done, they will know more about what the skeleton under the completed truck is actually all about.

I've also gotten really good at cross referencing part numbers so that I can work around the cliche parts counter mess.. "year, make, Model, engine?" Otherwise they can't help you. However, yesterday was the worst yet. While I had the radiator stuff apart, I noticed the thermostat was a little crusty and the seal was dry so figured just for the sake of things I would buy a replacement and install it, mainly because the thought crossed my mind and so many times I've done that to myself of "it'll be fine" and then its not. So I knew that the t-stat is the same one thats in my Mega Cab 24V truck, but 180 instead of 190. So I called the dealership, and they "can't help you unless you give me the last 8 of the VIN". I told the girl, I didn't have it because the engine wasn't out of a truck I ever owned. So she then says, "well, I can't look up parts without that information" and she hangs up.... seriously.

[gyman98]

Thanks!

I'm reaching the point of overwhelming frustration after today... Just so many things going on and no real help working on this thing. I don't know if I've alienated friends or just am at a weird point with the project that nobody feels inclined to jump in and help. I had the option of help yesterday morning from a kid that used to hang around the shop but I had to run an errand and that burnt up his available time. Working in the garage alone is fine usually, but now I've reached the point where I could use an extra set of hands to get this thing done. There is an Off-road expo show at a local Dodge/Jeep Dealership that I am trying to get the truck to in a month and a week. I don't think its going to make it.

i hear you, I usually have a list of things I need a hand with when ever some one stops by. Need to be careful though if they are put to work every time they will quit coming around!


What I found helps with the frustration and feeling of the never ending project is reading your build thread again. Which lets you know how far you have really come, in your case that’s further then most

[Desoto61]

All this progress making them feel guilty they're not working on their own projects? I know the number of things I'd like to do and the number of things I have time to do are dramatically different! The fact we're finally getting nice weather doesn't help. I know if it was any other month I'd be more than happy to offer up a few hours of my weekends, but they're all spoken for till the end of the month and then some!
As always beautiful work and I love the little touches.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Alx, Too bad I'm not closer to Chesapeake, Va as I'd give you a hand at anything I could.

[Alxj64]

Looks great! Nice touch on the skid plate too

Thanks!

I'm reaching the point of overwhelming frustration after today... Just so many things going on and no real help working on this thing. I don't know if I've alienated friends or just am at a weird point with the project that nobody feels inclined to jump in and help. I had the option of help yesterday morning from a kid that used to hang around the shop but I had to run an errand and that burnt up his available time. Working in the garage alone is fine usually, but now I've reached the point where I could use an extra set of hands to get this thing done. There is an Off-road expo show at a local Dodge/Jeep Dealership that I am trying to get the truck to in a month and a week. I don't think its going to make it.

[gyman98]

Looks great! Nice touch on the skid plate too

[Alxj64]

Got the rear axle taken out for powder coating, along with some other misc parts.

Picked up my fuel tank skid plate from a local friend of my wife and I who does awesome free hand pin-striping, lettering, signs, etc. His name is Igor in case you've ever seen his work; he's a magician with a paint brush. This Kilroy is totally free hand on the underside of the skid plate so that when you knuckle heads roll under to scoff at my work, there is something to distract ya! Ha ha!

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[Alxj64]

Also, the WC factory lower saddles were for a tube diameter that was a 1/8" radius larger... easy fix. I have the section of tube left over from when I cut down my front housing. Set it up on the press with a spacer and went to town on making my shims.
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[Alxj64]

The shackles needed new bushings. One of them was so worn that I had to drill the hole a little bit offset just because the groove it had worn was something terrible. I had noticed the wear ahead of time and ordered bushings larger than the factory stuff just to repair this issue. Looks a little funky but the 3/32" difference in shackle length shouldn't really pose a huge issue, and there is plenty of meat left in the hardware for the loads it will see
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[Alxj64]

Crazy cool stuff you are accomplishing. Thanks for sharing - and letting us come along for the ride!

Alex, I really appreciate the time you have invested over the years documenting and sharing your work. I've read through the big Carryall thread, and even posted there, and read your pirate4x4 thread, and of course this one. Your many pictures are an inspiration to many.

I'm in the process of building a house right now, so my Carryall sits buried in snow, but when the house is done, I will pull the old gal into my new workshop, and begin by reading your threads again. I hope we can meet for a beer someday.

Thanks for the compliments guys. Its been a learning process for me and I've found that sharing things can also help prevent some mistakes. I tend to try and take comments with a grain of salt, but sometimes suggestions spark ideas that evolve further. The internet is a good resource so long as the contributors are all good and information is verified.

So the weekend consisted of a trip out of town with a friend to pickup some old axle parts for spares and also to retrieve his little farm hunting truck. I then machined out my leaf spring perches from some bar stock. The idea is that debris won't get built up inside a U shaped perch if its solid. The narrowness of these springs and bend radius minimums make the u-shape plate ones have only about 60% of bearing width. And lastly, if I decide to add a block to this setup, I have dowel pin holes drilled that will keep the block from spitting out or rotating. I still need to machine the top end of the nose to a radius so its not putting a harsh shear load on the spring during axle wrap, especially since my shock mounts are cantilevered.

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[AK3936]

Alex, I really appreciate the time you have invested over the years documenting and sharing your work. I've read through the big Carryall thread, and even posted there, and read your pirate4x4 thread, and of course this one. Your many pictures are an inspiration to many.

I'm in the process of building a house right now, so my Carryall sits buried in snow, but when the house is done, I will pull the old gal into my new workshop, and begin by reading your threads again. I hope we can meet for a beer someday.

[Chip]

Crazy cool stuff you are accomplishing. Thanks for sharing - and letting us come along for the ride!

[Alxj64]

Blasphemous atrocity! Cut up some factory parts. I don't need the shock mount on these brackets and after looking into the time and cost of fabricating lower brackets or trying to find large connecting rods and machining them, this just works out. I need a 1/8" thick shim plate. I may just make one. I have a short section of an old axle tube of this same diameter; I can just put it in the shop press and support one of these saddles well and just bend the shim plate. Since its a match radius, I can't coin it out so it will even keep some spring tension in it for when everything gets finally bolted together, like a giant lock washer even.

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Also, since the springs are only 1.75" wide, all of the aftermarket spring perches are bent so they have an edge radius which greatly reduces the contact area and overall ant-wrap capacities against the springs. Also, if I want to install a small lift block or angle shim because my pinion angle changes as the springs settle out, I can. So, that being the desired effect, I decided to attempt to make my perches from billet solid block. I need that 3.3" dia tube to fit, so I drew up a sketch and determined the dimensions need. I tacked these pieces of flat bar together with a 2" spacing and then tacked nuts behind them to offset them from the lathe plate. Got it all setup but had to call it a night. Looking forward to machining these. I plan on drilling 3 holes in the top of each perch for eventual dowl pins. The center hole for the leaf center pin, but I will add two others to locate and lock down a lift block in the event that I ever install one.

This probably makes no sense in text, but eventual pictures will explain it better.

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[Alxj64]

Got the new springs hung and loaded. WOW what an obvious and pleasant difference when lift the truck from the axle using the jack. I could watch the springs work very smoothly and a LONG range of progressive rate change. The stock springs are like straight blocks in comparison. Yes, I've lost some load capacity, however this thing isn't going to be driving around fully loaded and if it does end up with more load than the springs are rated for, the rear shocks have built in air bags so I can just bump the pressure up a few pounds and bring the ride height back level.

Speaking of which, I designed my shock mounts to be very beefy, and adjustable, in the fact that I am having some tabs welded to the axle that I can later, if needed, swap out with a different designed bracket in the event that these shocks are just terrible or that my mounting position needs clocking, etc.