crackin' the whip

Brian really wanted to put the cab together, but since the roof/windshield section is at the sandblasters right now, I had to really push him to work on the truck at all this weekend.....  I just started bringing parts out because I knew there was stuff that could be done.  We needed to find the exact spot for the cowl/firewall section so we could bolt it down......

But, with some pushing, we got the front end mocked up and bolted in place!

 I really wish that hood was flat so you could get the right view of the bodylines..........  I promise that the the hood will be level after it's all straightened out though!  We leveled and tweaked and leveled and leveled and leveled, LOL.  The patio is not level (for drainage), so we had to block under tires to get everything level so we could make sure running boards were level, etc.

We got the cowl/firewall holes drilled/mounted and also the running board supports mounted in their final position too!  So, now we will be able to remove the cowl/firewall for primer when the cab roof section gets back from sandblasting.  We should be able to get it all primed and back together next weekend so we can build the floor (hopefully!!!).  (We don't plan to sandblast/prime these front pieces for a while yet.)

It's great to see it back together, but also a little disheartening to see all those pieces and every. single. one. of them needs bodywork.  But, we'll get there.  Eventually.

awkward

The roof section of the Diamond T is a really awkward (and a little flimsy) of a piece.  We have been scared how we are going to get it to the sandblasters w/o damaging it.  It can't lay on it's top, or it might get dented. It can't lay the other way or risk the windshield surrounds collapsing, it's wider than 4' both directions, so it can't fit in the Suburban.  It has to be trailered.....

So, we built it a little support of it's own.....

We made grooves in the boards for the edge to sit in so the edges didn't splay out.

With it on the new stand, Brian decided to work on the cancer on the back seam......

After wire wheeling it, the spot got larger ::sigh::

so, a larger chunk had to be replaced than we orginally thought:

Somehow I missed getting a pic of the repair, sorry!  I'll get the pic after it's back from the sandblasters, which hopefully will be soon!

mock up

We didn't get a lot accomplished on the truck this last weekend, but sometimes mock up is necessary to encourage/revitalize.  Brian did get some reinforcements welded to the sides of the cowl where the fenders attach though, then we did cab mock up.....Brian didn't want to, but I reminded him that in a build like this, mock up will be done a thousand times.  He said he only wanted to do it 999 times, LOL.  He was glad we did it though :)  So was I!

We've been really worried how we are going to get that roof section to the sand blasters without damaging it - so we decided we are going to build a stand for it that the roof will rest on and the windshield frame will hang over..... So, that is my job this week sometime (to build the stand for it, then hopefully get it to the sandblasters along with about a dozen other pieces).

We realized that we are lacking one vital piece of exterior - we are missing the piece that goes between the cowl/firewall and the door on the driver's side.....and it has body line on it, so it will be tricky to make.  We do have the passenger side piece to copy a mirror image of, so Brian thinks it's ''do-able''. Lets hope so!

It's tore back down now, pieces safely in the shop.  That cowl/firewall section is getting HEAVY with all that 14 and 16g. steel attached to it.  It sure is rigid now though!  Hopefully we don't have to move it around much longer!  (it has bare metal so we don't want to leave it outside).

bell housing cover

We started work on the front part of the tunnel this last weekend - the bell housing cover in 16g.......

cut and tacked in place:

(it is a little long here, it will be cut back just a bit after we make the trans/driveline tunnel)

welding and more welding:

Looking GOOD!

Now, hopefully we get some good weather soon so we can get some parts sandblasted and do some primering!

flying sparks

Brian worked on the Diamond T this weekend - I am still recovering from pneumonia, so I mostly watched/supervised.  I'm good at supervising :)

I do love a good 'flying sparks' pic!

 He made a section of the firewall bump in for engine clearance.  It only needed to come in just an inch or two.

Welding it in place:

smoothing out the welds:

And the cowl/firewall section in place.  It looks GREAT!  He didn't just make it a box - he made the edges angle inward.  It looks like it was meant to be that way!  He also made sure that he left enough around the bell-housing to get to those bolts in the future if it ever needs clutch/trans work......

The firewall looks great, even though my pics don't look so great (sorry, cell phone pics!)

The tricky piece now will be that cone-shaped piece to go over the bell housing.  That is going to be interesting to shape!

Glad to get rid of the old firewall with all those holes in it!

We gathered some pieces to take to the sand-blasters soon - including this piece that is the ''glove box'' (goes on the ceiling where visors go on modern cars).  This piece and the dash cover are my favorite parts of the interior of the truck!  I think that (if at all possible) we will be covering this in deer leather, mmmmmmm.  And maybe flock the inside of the glove box......

We just need to figure out HOW to get the roof section to the sandblasters w/o getting damaged.  It will have to go on a trailer since it's wider than 4' in both directions and won't fit in the back of the Suburban even...... and even my little garbage trailer is only 4' wide.........

I really hope I'm feeling well enough to help more next weekend, I just LOVE to see progress on this project!