Well you guys, I am about 2 weeks into my swap, and things are moving along kind of like I planned.
My big deviation from other swaps I have seen on this site is the engine crossmember. I couldn't get the engine low enough for my picky-ness, or far enough to the passenger side ( I wanted to match the Ford 460 centerline so the shifters would fit in the tunnel like stock ) so I just wacked out the stock crossmember, and made a new one. I could see no reason for it to be angled in the chassis, and it kind of screwed up ac pump access, so I squared it up, and scalloped the frame for ac pump clearance.
I don't have pictures here (yet) of the fan/radiator clearance, but I wound up with about 1 1/4 " from the stock fan to the stock Ford radiator.
Special thanks to Chasetruck and Hrdrkn for their detailed photos to help me devise a plan. I wish I could weld like you guys.
To get the pics to load in the text - when in your album, drag your mouse over the thumbnail of the pic you want to post and a little pull down menu will pop up. Click on the bottom line of that (IMG code) and it will say "copied". then just paste that into your text here.
Here is a little test for you.
here is the image I just copied
and if you add a space between the link and coding it looks like this - and the pic will not display
[IMG] [url]http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx232/overbored077/DSCN0135.jpg[/url]
This is the same as above - just with the spaces removed!
Thanks Chasetruck for your instructions on posting. It worked exactly as you suggested. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a few more gusset plates installed (or at least fitted and tacked in, and will get some new pics. My clutch (thanks to Wayne at Midwest Truck Products) is supposed to show up on Monday, and I can mount the drivetrain for the last time. Working on clutch master cylinder mounting right now. Drive lines should be done by then, and the front clip can go back on.
It sure seems like I spend a lot more time scratching my head than actually building anything, but its a lot of fun.
Looks great! Keep up the nice work, these are awesome trucks especially with the cummins power.
For the master cylinder you will definitley need to re-inforce your firewall. I had mine all setup and pushed the clutch in the first time and the firewall flexed so much it never moved the slave cylinder.
Thanks 4wydnr,
I am thinking about doing a small (1/8"x4"x4") Plate on both sides of the firewall with an arm inside the firewall back to the steering column support.
I don't know if that description makes any sense in writing, but it looks to be doable.
What did you do for a throttle linkage. I did the heat-n-bend it to death on the factory pedal lever, and it looks like a solid rod may work for a linkage.
That is one of the next items on the list.
Got all my motor mount gussets and crossmember gussets welded in today. More pics on Sunday.
I think I can picture what you are going to do for the firewall. That sounds like it should work but might be a little overkill. I just welded a 1/4x4x6 piece of steel on the engine side of the firewall to give it some strength.
For the throttle I used the dodge pedal and cable. I just drilled a hole through the firewall and squared it up with a file to fit the cable housing.
Looks Good,,,some nice fab work there !! Congrates on the Conversion,,should be a sweet 79' when done,,,,Power,,Fuel milage,,low taxs,,,and keeping the old truck alive !!
I finished up the engine crossmember tonight, and added the gussets to the pass side frame. Also finished the scallop for the a/c pump. Added a little extra "anti-flex" to the engine mounts, too.
Tomorrow I will clean up the frame and paint my tranny/t-case crossmember, engine mounts, and front frame rails.
Monday I am supposed to receive my clutch so I can put the engine and tranny/t-case back for the last time (I hope).
If you look at the earlier photos, There is a piece of the crossmember inside of the frame rail (along with the lower edge of the frame) in back of that plate. I wanted to make the crossmember "whole" so I plugwellded the plate to this piece, and to the bottom frame rail.
Finally got my clutch installed (put a new rear main seal in first) and got the motor and trans back into the truck. My little frame scallop worked out perfect for the AC pump. I put it on and took it off 2 or 3 times with no drama:thumbsup:
Engine crossmember clears the pan by a little over an inch
Everything seems to fit fine.
The lower part of the trans/t-case crossmember is painted and ready to go in
but the mount adapter I have is all cracked and fatigued
Does anybody have an extra one of these laying around?
I spent a little bit of time trying to make a stock 1994 Dodge shifter boot set fit my trans tunnel. I cut a pattern out of plywood, then a plate out of 1/8", and am modding the stamping to fit the lower (and upper) boots
I'm going to run new fuel lines next, and modify the tank pickup/sender assembly in the front tank for a return line. I'll do the back tank as soon as I can get this thing to run.
At least the hard part seems to be done.
I will update as soon as something noteworthy happens.
Your sig says you used a Dana 80 in your 77 Ford. Did the extra width cause you any troubles. I had one (out of the chassis I removed the motor from, but it was nearly 70" wide, versus the sterling I used, which was actually 1" narrower than the Dana 60 at 65 1/2".
After I got the Dana 60 front in, I noticed that the front tires stuck way out of the fenders. I never measured the 44 before I sold it, but the 60 is 69 +/-, and it occurred to me that late model type wheels would bring the tires back in some, but now I have a fat front, and a skinny rear (axle), so the 80 may be back in my future.
I think I may have gained about an inch on each side but nothing terrible. I had to move the spring perches inward I think, it's been a little while.
I'm still running the dana 44 front, I still haven't put my transfer case in yet. I'm still wrestling with what I want to do. I have a divorced np 205 that I could use, but part of me wouldn't mind having a married setup. But if I go the married route I would either have to convert my nv4500 or swap it out for a 4x4 trans. I'm leaning towards the divorced setup because I have most of the parts and this truck is mostly just a driver and not a trail or mud rig.
Sorry for the rambling, but no the extra width was a non issue. From the sound of it your truck has the look of the ifs chevies where the front end is 3 inches wider than the rear.
Yeah, it's definitely got the bulldog thing happening, but it's funny, It may have always been this way, and I just never notice til I started measuring stuff. I always stand on the front tires to wash the windshield, and I don't think it feels any different.
Thanks HRDROKN and Chase,
What you guys are doing is "art", and what most of the rest of us are doing is just trying to make a nice driver. All the details, extras, and "thrill-seeking" in your builds is amazing, but a little out of my league.
FYI my origional goal was 1 month (which ends Sunday) and maybe I'm just being a wet blanket, but I don't think I'll be done :confused013:
Seriously, things are proceeding well, if not a little off the pace I had hoped for. Now that the heavy fab stuff is done, I think the rest I can just bite of one project at a time. The only real question mark at this point is the core support/intercooler. My truck is a 79, but when I origionally built it in 1997, I used a 73-77 grill shell (I just like them better) and it looks like it may be a bit of work to retain .
My new goal is ................... 1 more month.......
We'll see, my predictions are usually about as far off as my first one.
My original goal was 4 months, but as we all know life often gets in the way. Well that and bigger and better plans for the build as well. One of these day I may finish this thing...:S:
I couldn't agree with you more about Hrdrkn and Chasetrucks builds. Not many people are that talented and persistent to do a build like that.
Overbored keep up the consistent pace on you truck and you will be done before you know it. I let mine sit for too long and lost some motivation along the way. But let me tell you it will be a sweet truck when you are done, well worth the effort to build it.
For the 77 grill, there is more room to be attained than you might think. I was very nervous about getting this part done and it wasn't bad at all. I used a dodge 1st gen intercooler and took my time shaving down the back of the grill. I think a superduty intercooler from a 7.3 would fit with a little more work and given the chance to do it over I would have investigated that option a little more.
To trim the grill shell and inserts I used a cordless grinder with a thin cutting wheel. It worked well the plastic inserts would melt just a tiny bit on the cut edge but when it peeled off it left a very clean looking cut. I just trimmed a little at a time because when I measure stuff like that it never works out for me and I figured I could always remove a little more if needed.
I should try and get a few pics of mine to show what kind of space there is. If I remember correctly the main difference between the dodge 1st gen ic and ford is the ford is taller. The dodge 2nd gen ic's put the ic tubes where the stock battery is located.or you can run them through the fenderwell, Neither of which sounded appealing to me.
I had picked up 4 different intercoolers over the last few months.
I had a 2nd gen Dodge (from my donor), a Freightliner FL70(?), and 2005 Dodge, and finally a 2001 Powerstroke which looks to be the best fit.
The little stabilizer frame for the hoodlatch looks to be the biggest obstacle, but I think I can form a new one that will bit in back of the center bar in the grill, if I cheat it into the grill frame itself. I guess we will see.
I got my floor tunnel cover completed, as well as the clutch m/c mount. I did kind of like you did, but instead of welding it to the firewall (mine is already painted body color) I made 2 plates out of 1/8" steel, and thru bolted both the inside and outside of the firewall. I'm using the hydraulics out of a 2000, just because the m/c bolts to the firewall instead of the "twist-in" 94-98 style - it just looked easier:thumbsup:
Anyway, I'll try to finish the clutch setup tomorrow, and get back to the fuel lines.
By the way, did you put a return into the sending unit assembly? I've seen a few done returning into the fill or vent hose, but it seems like that could lead to some foaming issues. I've got to drop the mid tank anyway to get the rest of my hardlines clamped down, so I figured I'd just add it to the sending unit plate.
u ever thought of fabricating up the kits to complete the motor swap and selling them?? (i.e. the crossmember, transmission/transfer support brackets, engine mounts) some would find it useful, especialy those of us who dont have accs to all the tools to cut and weld as much
I'm very flattered to think that anyone would want the stuff I make, especially after seeing the stuff some of the other guys on here have built.
For my setup (moving the motor to the factory Ford centerlines - horizontal - not height) there is a little more screwing around with things (a/c pump clearance especially) than would work with a "kit", although if you didn't use the a/c pump, I imagine most of those problems would go away.
I still have templates for my motormounts, and the engine crossmember, but the rest was just measure and build. Really, all this stuff isn't difficult, it just takes a little bit of planning, and some imagination. I think you would surprise yourself if you got a few buddies to come around to bounce ideas around. You'd be surprised what you could accomplish with a jigsaw and a mig (although a plasma cutter will change the world).
Thanks Chase, I need to show your post to my wife, so she doesn't think I'm the only one who can't seem to make an accurate guess.
By the way, when my donor went up in flames, the dipstick tube melted. I found some nylon air line that is the same size (id/od) and am going to make a new tube out of it. Anybody know what the length of the stock plastic tube is?
On my mystery tablet, I have written down 36 3/4", but I didn't write down if that included the metal ferule that goes in the dipstick end or not:confused013:
Good: A friend of mine gave me a brand new 3" SW Pyrometer (I should say it is a brand new,12 year old, left on the shelf somewhere) that is a really cool old "wings" heavy duty series - p/n 111413
Bad: Apparently SW send all its manufacturing to China 6 or 7 years ago, and this instrument is discontinued, and all the p/n's for the thermocouple kit are as well.
It came with the lead wire assembly, but it need a type "k" thermocouple.
I spent some time on the phone the other day talking to a coulple of SW reps, and Instrument Sales and Service in Portland. Everyone said that since SW moved to the land of the rising sun, getting replacement parts and accessories for this old stuff is next to impossible. So, short of putting a big Fatwa on them, I'll have to try something else.
It seems like every gauge manufacturer out there uses this type of thermocouple, but are they the same? I am about "hundred dollared out" with all these little incidentals, and since it is an old truck, it should have an old pyro.........
Special thanks to Jason at All Out Diesel who came to the rescue with the appropriate thermocouple and plug to make my "new" "old" pyrometer work.
Very helpful, nice guy.
Lately I have been tackling some of the more "unglorious" jobs like...
dropping the fuel tanks and running new supply and return lines (my truck didn't have return lines)
I am using barbed Weatherhead fittings off of the hard lines to short lengths of marine grade fuel hose to the tanks and the selector valve (man that marine grade hose is expensive) in an effort to make everything a little easier to service.
I finishined the trans tunnel to accomodate the factory dodge boots...
there is another cover that goes over the inner boot shown,
and working on my clutch hydraulics...
heres a little better view of the frame to ac pump clearance..
Tomorrow I'm going to work on the throttle pedal/cable, and then I think my interior can go back together.
WOO HOO
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