1982 Dodge W150 4x4

[hilton8r]

I'm flying into Raleigh Durham. I'll let you know if I can make it out your way.

That would be one heck of a drive. I don't even want to think about what it would cost in gas if I drove my dually!

John

[hilton8r]

I'd love to make it out to Tellico some time, but I've read that closure is very likely.

[enafzige]

Your girl is a keeper!   Not too many women will get into automotive projects like that!   Keep the pics coming and good luck!!

I agree!  I plan on keeping her forever 

Well, with the green body off, I decided it was time to start the cleanup of the cab, and prepare it for the new frame.



The green cab was an automatic, but I wanted to retain the NP435 trans that I had originally, so I started seeing what was necessary to convert the cab to manual transmission configuration.  With a little inspection, I found there was a "plug" that was tabbed in place for the clutch linkage to go through.  I popped it out, and it was the exact cut-out I needed!



I also discovered that there were already dimples in the locations that the 9/16" holes had to be drilled through the floor and firewall...if you look closely here and in the picture above, you can see them.



The purpose for drilling these holes, is to mount the bracket seen here on the left.  It mounts on the inside of the cab, underneath the driver's feet.  This linkage is what supports the clutch linkage.



There were a few rough spots on the body that I started touching up as well.



The lower door corners were the worst, with an assortment of little spots elsewhere.





I used some rust converter treatment, that really seemed to work well.





...to be continued.

--Eric

[hilton8r]

Maybe I should drive out to NC. If so, can I drop off my '43 Weapons Carrier for a frame off resto?

I hate rust. Fortunately, California isn't in the rust belt!

[enafzige]

...continued

Well, it's about time for another update.  Here's what's been happening with Warren the past few weeks.

I had ordered a 6" superlift all spring lift 6 or 7 years ago.  It wasn't until I began poking around on here that I found out about the Monster rear suspension.  I happened across a set of the chevrolet skyjacker CR33S springs on craigslist for $300, so I got them.

These are BIG springs!



I tried briefly getting the bushings out of the spring eyes without much luck.  By the time I got home the next day, dad had them out!



That was the good news...it seems when he drove the last bushing out, the screwdriver that had had driven into the eyelet to relieve pressure decided to take flight.  He said he looked up to try to find it, but didn't see it, so he kept on working.  A few seconds later, he heard it land...right on top of the hood!  I now have a nice size dent to fix 

I began looking at how to integrate winches into the front and rear bumpers.  I cut some 3/8" metal plate for the front winch to sit on, and marked out the approximate hole location.



Iris worked at chipping away rust, old bondo, etc on the seams...



The front is going to get a 12,000 lb Milemarker hydraulic 2 speed winch...



Bolted in from the front and bottom, with the fairlead hole cut...



In the rear, I cut another piece of 3/8" plate, and a couple braces to help support things under heavy winching.



The rear will get a Superwinch Epi9.0 9,000 lb electric winch that came on the front bumper of Warren.

to be continued...

--Eric

[enafzige]

...continued

In the front, I decided to make some longer shackles to allow for more flex with the 6" lift superlift springs.  I decided it would be easiest to use a hole saw to remove the old rubber.



They drilled out very easily!  That was definately the way to go...then, I drove out the inserts to prepare for the new bushings.



Now, the new bushing dilemna.  In the center is obviously the old bushing.  The bushing to the left is the one that comes in the recommended kit 2-2102G.  The one on the right is one I had left over from an Energy Suspension full bushing replacement kit I had bought several years ago at the onset of this project.



After some consideration, I decided to go with the bushing on the right that I already had.  It allowed for a metal sleeve in the center, and also is a little longer...just the right lenght in fact, so there wasn't a gap left between the two halves.



Here's a picture of the new longer hangers I made installed with the new bushings...



And just for reference on how much longer they are, here's a shot of the old stock hangers...



My faithful helper is still hanging in there!



It's been raining pretty frequently here, so I decided to put up a couple tarps over the beam to allow for continued working in wetter weather...kindof a poor man's shop!



to be continued...

--Eric

[hilton8r]

I got a boo boo on the roof of my 2001 Silverado dually a couple years back. I never bothered to fix it since nobody can see it!
It really wouldn't be that difficult to get to it standing inside of the truck bed. So, now that you reminded me about it, I'm going to fix it this weekend!

Tell your pops that you are deducting the repair from his paycheck!

Dave has a really cool build going in the 70's Dodge thread. I'll get around to moving it over here to the new build threads after he's swapped in the 440 and has a chance to post some pictures. Dave installed the Monster rear suspension, so you may have already found that thread. Hopefully we'll get a couple of the "import" builds brought over here too!

I'm very impressed with your shop! We've had to string up a few tarps before, but it was for the shade! Those were some miserable days in the 100 degree temperature range working on the asphault with the plasma cutter and sawsall... We spent a lot of time putting the tarp back up every time it fell down.


Great job on the winch and spring hangers. Are you considering to box the frame? Keep up the great work Eric!

[enafzige]

...continued

Well, I'm moving up in the world!  I now have a lighted garage...29 bulbs of 90 watt lights



Iris got all the old bondo cleaned out of the welds on the front bumper.  The fabrication was excellent by whoever originally made the bumper, but the welds left a little to be desired.  We had to run a 60-10 rod to burn off the residual paint/bondo/galvanized coating.



Then, we ran some big boy 5/32" 70-18 rod at 260 amps for the main pass.  This rod melts in so much, that it has to be welded in position.  It took about 9 hours to make it all around the bumper, but this thing is welded now!  Dad did most of the welding, and I finished up with the underside stuff that isn't seen as easily.

Great job on the winch and spring hangers. Are you considering to box the frame? Keep up the great work Eric!

Yes, actually I am.  I saw a couple other people start to do the same, so I decided now would be the time to do it if I'm ever going to!  I don't think I've ever seen a finished product though?  It seems like this is one of those things that most people start, and never get around to finishing  

I maded some spacers for the steering gear box mounts, and got them welded in.



Here's my first attempt at fabbing the first piece to start boxing things in.  It fits pretty well if you ignore all the mistaken cuts!



I've decided to box things in with some 0.140" plate steel, and then add some more cross braces as well.  We began welding up some of the existing braces for better support too.



I really missed my helper today, but she and mom were busy in the kitchen making almost 70 quarts of home made applesauce!!!



to be continued...

--Eric

[enafzige]

...continued

Well, I got the front bumper ground down, sanded down, and generally ready for paint.  I shot a couple coats of metal etching primer.



The primer actually pretty closely matched the color of the truck, and I almost wondered if I should paint it to match, rather than black...



I don't have many pictures of the next step, but I ended up coating the bumper in spot glaze putty and sanding it down again two more times.  The metal had some pretty good pock marks in it, and this really helped smooth things out!  It was an extra few hours of work, but I think well worth it in the end!



Next came a couple coats of filler primer to help hide the sanding marks and little imperfections.  At this point, I was quite thankful for the lights I set up, because we had to pause for my sister's birthday party, and resume about midnight!



And, finally!  Here it is after 3 coats of semi-gloss duplicolor automotive paint.  It still has a few places that could be better, but for this truck it's good enough!







to be continued...

--Eric

[enafzige]

...continued

This was a sad day.  Dad and I stripped down the old frame from the green truck and got it ready to haul off.  Things were so Rhode Island rusted, that we had to use the "liquid wrench" on alot of it.





I saved the axles, wheels, and tires to re-sell, and scrapped everything else.  We loaded the frame on the trailer with the old crushed black cab to take it in...



All loaded up and ready to go    It seems as if every old dodge I've owned has had a very unique personality.  I know it's silly, but I almost get attached to them, and it's kindof hard to let them go...especially when you have to be the one to put them down... 

The old dodge's final resting home...



to be continued...

--Eric

[hilton8r]

It's always a sad day when departing with your truck! But at least part of her will live on through Warren!

Some day I hope to actually have some decent space between me and the neighbors. I don't even have enough sideyard to get a stock truck through. A lot of folks out here in California have even less space than me! My neighbors freak if there is any noise past the 10pm curfew!

Nice set up. I can't think of one time we were out working on the truck at midnight with adequate light! I had a neighbor that always worked on his car late at night. He's since moved, but at least he had a few sets of shop lights. He didn't like working in the hot sun!

That bumper will certainly do the job. Your pops did a nice job on the welds. I thik you'll be happier with the final color of black.

The steering box is best starting point, so at least that's done. Bill usually has a few Coors Light cartons lying around, so that's what he used for drawing up templates on the last RC he boxed.

Great progress. I can't read up as fast as you are posting! Won't be too long before you're out on the trail!


I repaired the area on the roof of my Silverado, but found another area that needs repaired.

[enafzige]

I repaired the area on the roof of my Silverado, but found another area that needs repaired.

Lol...isn't that how it always goes!

Well, i'm needing a little advice here.  Before the trees fell, I had bought some Procomp X-Terrains in the 325/80/16 size (roughly 37 x 13s) some new Moto Metal rims...



I liked them with the black truck color scheme, but I'm now rethinking.  With the previous setup, I was planning just a 6" Superlift.  However, the bumpers I'm using were custom made to fit a 3" body lift, perfectly fitted with no gaps between the bumpers and the body.  Thus, I've decided on this build to use go with a 3" body lift, the 6" Superlift front springs with longer shackles, and the monster rear suspension.

I found a set of Toyo M/Ts on craigslist, brand new already mounted and balanced on black steelies with rockrusher rings.  The tires are 38 x 14.50 on 16 x 8" rims with 4.5" backspacing.  I've ran 2 sets of the Toyo M/Ts on my newer Dodge, and I seem to get 40,000 miles out of them, they're extremely tough tires, very quiet on the road, and get good traction as well.  I think I've convinced myself to get these, as the price is unbelievable, and I think the bigger tire will look a little better.  However, unlike most other brands, the Toyo's actually measure every bit as big as advertised, and sometimes a little bigger!  I think for offroading, these steel wheels will be much more practical than the flashy aluminums I have now.  I'm also contemplating painting the rockcrusher rings on the black steelies to match the truck...

On the previous build as well, I had gone with the Bushwacker cut-out fender flares.  I think I might go with these again on this build?  Will I be able to clear the big 38's with the cut-out flares?  I'm not too concerned in the rear, but the front I think is going to be close...

Is there a better option for trimming the sheet metal other than the Bushwacker cut-outs?     The good news, is I only had installed one front and one back on the truck before it got smashed.  I learned alot from that installation, and think I could do a better job this time, but I'm open for suggestions...

Also, it seems like I don't see much on here about the Superlift springs...rather, everything is mostly Skyjacker.  Is there a reason for this?  How do the 6" Superlifts flex out compared to the Skyjacker?

Finally, what are your take on shocks?  I'm thinking about going with some Bistein 7100 remote reservoirs.  I bought some Bilstein 9100 2.65 shocks for my '06 Dodge, but they're not in the budget for Warren.  The 7100s seem to be a reasonably priced alternative for a shock that is user rebuildable, and can be custom valved.  Is anyone running these?

Thanks, Eric

[Bill Cooke]

Mopar Mudder had that exact suspension setup and ran 39.5 boggers on it. It should be fine with the cutout flares. If you really wanted to get crazy you could build a set of front hangers that moved the axle 1/2" forward and it would give you even more clearance. Anymore and you'd have to run crossover steering. Hiltman and I are both running Superlift 5.5" springs. They are great and work very well. The Skyjackers do flex more and offer a softer ride. With that front bumper they would be too soft so the Superlift is your best bet. There was a few years where they had a problem with the center pin location. If your springs were made in India about 4 of 5 years ago check to see that the pin is centered between the eyes.  If it's 1/2" to the rear call Superlift and see if they will exchange them. This will cause all kinds of steering and clearance issues for you. If they say no let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm the one that found the problem and helped them fix it in the first place.

You might want to add the extra holes for crossover steering now, just in case. The steering box comes off the bracket and moves up the frame and moves to the forward most holes. There are two other holes that you might want to sleeve before you put it all back together, just in case you decide to do the cross over steering later. I can't see teh other holes in the pics but the 2 wheel drive trucks used the rear postion and it's perfect for crossover. If you already did that and I'm just blind please disregard this.

Bilsteins are great shocks with one flaw. The 7100's have a small shaft and they bend too easily. Fox shocks are about the same price and have a much heavier shaft. They can also be custom valved but have to be done by a pro. King Shocks, slightly more, can be valved at home or most shops. King is also run by some great people who like to help thier customers. Rare for a most businesses these days, let me tell you!

The truck looks great and you are doing a great job. Keep up the good work.

Bill Cooke

[enafzige]

Wow, Bill thanks for the advice.  This is EXACTLY the kind of help I'm needing.

There was a few years where they had a problem with the center pin location. If your springs were made in India about 4 of 5 years ago check to see that the pin is centered between the eyes.  If it's 1/2" to the rear call Superlift and see if they will exchange them.

Unfortunately, I think this is my case    My springs are the 5.5" lift Superlift with the yellow "Made in India" sticker...and I purchased them about 4 - 5 years ago.  I measured a couple nights ago, and noticed the front springs weren't symmetrical.  I'll re-measure more exactly tonight, and post the results.  Should I contact Superlift directly?  Do you have a contact name and number that I should use?

You might want to add the extra holes for crossover steering now, just in case. The steering box comes off the bracket and moves up the frame and moves to the forward most holes. There are two other holes that you might want to sleeve before you put it all back together, just in case you decide to do the cross over steering later. I can't see teh other holes in the pics but the 2 wheel drive trucks used the rear postion and it's perfect for crossover. If you already did that and I'm just blind please disregard this.

I actually do plan on running crossover steering, along with hydraulic assist.  I ordered PSC cylinder assist steering gear box yesterday, and I already have the crossover steering arms mounted on Dana 60 front.  I also installed a high flow/pressure power steering pump, and have a power steering filter and hydraulic cylinder to install as well.  I ditched the plate the 4x4 gear box was mounted to, and planned on mounting the box directly to the frame.  However, I'm not sure how I came up with the mounting points?  I need to check and see...I'll take better pictures so you can verify that it's correct.

The front bumper is heavy, and so is the winch, so I guess it's good I went with the Superlift 5.5" springs.  I made the longer front shackles according the diagram ( I think 1/2" longer than OEM).  Do you have a rough idea front travel this gives?  Do you have numbers on compressed and extended shock lengths for front and rear?

Thanks for all your help Bill!

--Eric

[enafzige]

Well, I've definately got a problem.

Here's the driver's side front...

About 23" to centering pin on leaf spring:



About 24 1/2" to centering pin:





Here's the passenger side front:

Again, about 23" to centering pin:



And, again, about 24 1/2" to centering pin:






These are so drastically off, that I wondered if I had put a set of rear leaf springs on the front.  However, I referenced the Superlift number, and they are indeed front Dodge 5" leaf springs.  Aren't front springs supposed to be symmetrical?  In that, the distance from the centering pin to each spring eye should be the same?


Well, on a different note, here's some clearer pictures of the holes I plan on using for the gearbox.  Is this the best placement for a gearbox when running crossover steering with hydraulic assist?





Thanks in advance for the help...

--Eric

[Bill Cooke]

Call Superlift and see what they will do for you. I battled with them for a while trying to explain the problem. They insisted that nothing had changed and all their springs were built the same. I had a Canada spring and an India spring in my hands. Both with the exact same part number. Both VERY different, as you see from your own measurements. Yes, front leaf springs MUST be setup symetrical. It can be unsafe to drive if not. Maybe the tree saved your life? Superlift is a good company and have always done the right thing in my experience.

I actually really want to see what they do about it without me getting involved. If need be I'll contact Trent McGee and get him involved. He's the media relations guy but I also know one of the engineers there as well. If any of them are still there of course.... Superlift went into bankruptcy this year but is said to be doing fine now.

So, you were way ahead of me with the crossover steering thing. Cool! From the angle I could not tell what holes those were. Looks perfect! You are doing an awesome job. Keep it up! That is going to one amazing truck when you are done.

Bill Cooke

[enafzige]

...continued

Well, not much has been happening on Warren lately.  After I found out the Superlift springs were defective, I started looking at other options.

Unfortunately, Mom's car started blowing antifreeze out the vents...so much so that she couldn't see drive!  Turns out the heater core was bad, so dad and I spent last Thursday night, Friday night, and all day Saturday tearing the dash apart, and changing it out.



Somewhere in the middle of this project, my sister came home and said she just got engaged!  Here she is showing off her ring to Dad (who is still laying underneath the dash trying to get to the heater core!)...



I managed to attempt the clutch pedal swap in Warren to finish up the last of the auto to manual conversion.  I had to disassemble alot of the dash to see what I was doing here as well...however, after working on the cramped up VW Golf changing the heater core, this dash seemed like a breeze!



While I was in the general area, I took out the 1/2 ton brake booster and master cylinder...



And instead, replaced it with a new 1-ton unit.  Quite a size difference!  I hope it's going to clear the valve covers...



The clutch pedal assembly bolted up almost too easily...



However, I bolted the steering column back in, and found the first big setback with the conversion.  With the '87 model steering column, there is an ignition switch "box" mounted on the left side of the column, with a metal rod running between it and the ignition switch.  This "box" is directly in the way of the clutch pedal    I'm not sure what to do about this, so I abandoned it for the time being.



We extended the clutch linkage rod, and the linkage brace accordingly to accomodate the 3" body lift.



to be continued...

--Eric

[enafzige]

...continued

Well, right now, I'm more discouraged with this project than I've been since the trees fell on the last body.  I've come to accept that I'm not going to get the truck in driving condition this year after all.  I've nearly used up all my vacation, and have given it my best shot, but it's just not going to happen.  This saturday will be taken up entirely by cutting wood and splitting for the winter.  With the holidays coming up and weekends filling up already, and the weather turning cold, I'm going to have to go back and re-think things 

The Dana 70 rear end I have came out of a '77 Ford camper special.  I discovered the perches are set 1 1/2" farther apart than I need for the dodge.  I decided it would be better to space the hangers out instead of the moving the perches in...especially since I haven't started building the rear hangers yet.  This should also give the truck a little more stability, having a little wider mounting point.  Here's the front mounts all put together, that will have to be spaced...



I made some spacers out of 2" x 3/4" flat bar.



In the front, I've decided I have to pull things apart and start over as well.  Since the Superlift springs have to come off, I decided to go with some 56" Chevy 4" rear lift springs in the front...Procomp 13511's.  Since the mounts will have to be redone for this, I'll probably move the front axle forward about 1" for better tire clearance with the 38" Toyos.

We did start on the frame boxing...here's the first section roughed in, and alot more to come!



to be to continued...

--Eric

[hilton8r]

Your sister is smart! Dad can't flip his lid and come unglued if he's pinned down like that!

I have a spare steering column, but it's a couple hours North of me. I'll make a note to snap some pics to see if it would work for you. I wonder if I could check that on South West Airlines. They say that bags ride for free!

Don't be discouraged! Think of it as a well deserved break. I wouldn't want to be wrenching on anything out in the cold snow! Might be a good idea to put some winter ideas together so you can pick up in the Spring. Plus, you'll have accrued some more vacation time and saved a few bucks. I'm trying to throw out all o fhte positives!!!

Those spacers look nice.

John

[enafzige]

Well, it's been away since I've posted anything, so I thought I'd give a quick update.  Not much has happened concerning the truck, but life has been as busy as ever!!!

The new tires I found on Craigslist arrived!  They're 38 x 14.50 x 16 Toyo M/Ts...a full set of 5 mounted and balanced and only 700 miles on them!  They're black D hole steel rims with bolt on rockcrusher rings.





These things are HEAVY!  They weigh in at 137 lbs each.

The past couple weekends, I've not been able to get much done on Warren.  We dropped a BIG red oak (measured 68" across the base!) and split it for firewood.  Unfortunately, I got poison ivy really bad, and my eyes swelled completely shut for a day or two.







This past weekend was Iris's birthday.  We went out for a big home-cooked style breakfast, and then went hiking in the Smokies.



\

There were some beautiful water falls all along the trail...





We got to the top and had a great picnic lunch...and I asked her to marry me!  The amazing thing is she said yes!!! 



So, I'm officially engaged.  We haven't set a date yet, but we're both extremely excited!

...to be continued.

--Eric