Lots of progress, now all stop!

The last couple weeks have been busy with lots of different activities with the goal of making progress on the project.  I have set a goal to finish the truck.  My plan is to have it on the road by its 70th birthday, which is 1 year from now.  So with that goal in mind, here are the things I have done....

Replaced all the original (and likely corroded) brake lines with newly formed 1/4" nickel-copper brake lines.  I will also install new fuel lines for the motor.  Also replaced all the grease fittings in the frame with brand new fittings so there should be no issues with not being able to push grease into the necessary places. 

Additionally, new U-joints were sourced, I just need to take the driveshafts to a press and replace the old joints with new ones.  I don't think the old ones were failed, but I figured, I'm here, lets do it. 

The one big ticket item that I had to accomplish before the end of the year, mostly because I needed the space was to install the engine in the frame.  Progress, but also because I needed the space in the shop that the engine was taking up.  So I took the engine, installed the bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, and transmission and had a fully assembled engine/transmission assembly sitting on the cart.  But....it was still taking up lots of valuable real estate in the shop with seed coming soon.  So with some preparation, such as refinishing the front engine mount (thanks to a generous fellow stovebolter), the engine was prepared to drop back into the frame.  New hardware to mount everything was acquired. 

The forklift made easy work of picking the engine up off the cart and into the air.  I rolled the frame under the lifted engine and lowered it down.  Then it was dropped directly onto the frame.  Thanks to some line up bars and a little finesse, The engine was sitting in the crossmembers and the new mounting bolts were installed.  Following that, the distributor, coil, and starter were installed, engine oil added to keep the internals lubed and protected, and finally covered with plastic and wrapped to keep the engine clean and protected while it sits around until the the sheet metal is ready to be installed. 

Speaking of sheetmetal, I also worked on the cab.  The cab has been sanded bare and in the shop waiting for more bodywork to be completed.  It too was going to get evicted so I needed to get it protected.  I don't want to have to cover the same tracks again.  So in preparing, I needed to get it in epoxy.  However, there were areas that were still covered in original paint.  So I pulled out the sandblaster and blasted the areas that are being replaced with sheetmetal (drivers cowl, cab corners) and also the firewall, the beltline pinch, any areas that needed extra attention to get clean, the door jambs, dashboard, drip rails, and around the window channels. 

After they were all blasted clean, it was time to cover with epoxy.  All metal areas bared thanks to sander or blaster were coated with a single coat of epoxy primer.  I only gave it one coat because I still had the remainder of the interior of the cab to blast, the roof, and under the floor to do.  But all bare metal has a coating of protection and will remain so until I can move it back into the shop and complete the sandblasting, bodywork, and homestretch to paint. 

So as I type this, the frame is outside under a tarp, and will be moved around back under cover tomorrow, along with the cab.  I will also work on several other sheetmetal items in preparation for paint.  I ran out of sand to blast anymore while working on the cab, so the underside of one hood half is needing to be blasted.  I also will have to blast the inner and outer fenders, the grill, front splash pan, and the doors. 

It may not be completely road-worthy or entirely complete, because my hip pocket is financing this project, but I sure hope to have it back to at least to mostly complete and ready to roll by its birthday.  Need some sponsors to give me parts and make it go quicker, but then I'd have to put stickers all over it and that just wouldn't look right.  I figure I'm 16 months and $6,000 away from being complete. 

I'm kinda at a crossroads though.  I received my first load of seed Friday and my shop is no longer usable for the project.  So I'll be displaced until at least March 1.  I imagine as the weather and time allows, I will work on stuff that I can blast, bump, and prepare outside until I can pull it all back inside.  Frame will stay outside until I'm ready to drop the cab on.

If I get way ahead of schedule, but before I can get everything back inside, I have a few ideas to keep moving toward my goal.  I will have to build a few items to make the process a little easier.  A door holder to hang to doors on for paint.  Maybe work on my paint booth that will become a greenhouse after the painting is done.  Maybe even begin building on the frame for the bed. 

Once I get the shop back, I plan to hammer down on the bodywork and getting it ready to squirt paint.  Most of the small parts are complete and ready to install. 

I'll post some pictures once I get them moved from my phone.