Not as much progress this week as I hoped for. My mom was in the hospital from Monday evening until Tuesday evening and I was there most of the time.
So a am back at it today between checking on her and answering the telemarketer hotline.

 

cleaned up the front parts a little more today. I didn't mess with the knuckles yet . I figure why sling grease all over if I can wait until it is apart and then clean the rest up. I don't know if that is the wisdom that comes with age or just laziness.

 

Wow...Those look almost like you blasted them. Good job on the cleaning!!

It will be easier to do the knuckles...and related parts...once it's secure on the truck. It's not laziness...just prudence...

 

I was really surprised at how easy they cleaned up. I hope the rear goes as well.




"It will be easier to do the knuckles...and related parts...once it's secure on the truck"
Yeah kinda like a big vice.

 

The dissection has begun. I had a bit of time on the concrete floor so I did A little.
I got the shocks off and the front wheel wells(Splash guard's) off. also the front control arm braces. Tomorrow I should be able to cut the brackets off the front crossmember. Then I can piece my front spring hangers together.

It doesn't get any better than this

 

Your not getting paid at all....

 

Quite the opposite. but I am having fun( I think that's what they call it.)

 

yesterday I cut the front strut rod brackets off and ground the welds on the front crossmember almost smooth. I can't grind over head for very long anymore. A little more clean up and it will be good. The next step will be to get my front spring hangers mounted and the cross brace welded up.

I didn't get any pictures after the grinding. I was in a hurry to get out of the shop.

 

Didn't you have that cross member from a 4wd truck? I considered doing the same thing, but figured since I had to remove the cold rivets anyway to mount the front spring hangers, I may as well just install the 4wd unit.

 

That's one I wasn't able to get. That's Ok the 2WD one is slightly thicker and the 4WD one was bent and had a crack welded up. so in the long run this is probably better.

 

A little more progress today. I finally got the grinding/sanding on my front crossmember pretty much done. So I mounted my spring hangers and drilled the sides of the frame for the spring hanger braces.

 

Looks good so far. Good to be making progress. I haven't done anything appreciable to mine lately and its bugging me. Might go out and work on it in a bit. I work 2nd shift and prefer to work on things at night when its cooler out (during the summer anyway). Keep moving forward even if its only a little at a time. I once asked my boss how I was to complete a large and intricate task (design a training program for my shift) and he in turn asked me "How do you eat an elephant?" and, as I stared blankly at him, he answered "one bite at a time". That is what I tell myself when I feel overwhelmed about my truck project. Little stuff adds up...one bite at a time.

 

Are those bias ply tires?!

 

Good eye they sure are. 700-17 on split rims from a 52-53 Chevy one ton.

 

Yep that is the way you have to think about it. you can only do one thing at a time.


I tried second shift for awhile. I couldn't do it. For some reason I am tuned for mornings. When I was logging I would get up at 1:00AM And loved it. There was something almost surreal about when you back up to the jammer (log loader) With Only the lights on the jammer. I only takes a matter of seconds after he beeps his horn for the trailer tires to be high enough to clear the stakes on the truck. then the race is on. Man I miss that.