Alaska red crewcab build thread

Scotty4

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@nelstomlinson steps in the right direction from the sounds of it.

A little recommendation on the Subaru, depending on year/model, the cam position sensor can degrade and cause problems.

You can also have a bad voltage regulator on the alternator which tends to meddle with the main wiring harness and can cause a misfire or what feels like a misfire. Like a gasser with a melted plug cap arcing on the exhaust manifold type feeling.

I changed my alternator, sensors, and added a grounding kit from battery ground to both heads, alt bracket, and throttle body and haven’t had the roughness since.
 

nelstomlinson

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Didn't accomplish anything on the engine rebuild today. I'm kind of stuck waiting on parts. Instead of working on that, I started up my old loader and used it to lift the front of a frame that needs the engine and transmission taken out. A few logs underneath gave me a better working height and access to the underside. I got as far as getting the engine mounting bolts out, and spilling oil and antifreeeze all over the ground. Maybe tomorrow after church I can get the exhaust lines loose. I have some penetrating oil on the bolts, but I might just grind off the bolts. They are nasty rusted!
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nelstomlinson

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Got the engine, transmission and transfer case out of the junker. The transmission is going up to Fairbanks on my next trip for a transmission shop to go through. It probably needs new solenoids, and a few upgrades. It will go into the red truck behind the new engine. Also got the garden ready to plant.
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nelstomlinson

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That's cool news, Wes! Justin has gotten a replacement ring on the way, so as long as I don't mess up anything else, I should be able to make some progress soon.

Today I was able to help a friend hook up a new inverter and a new generator. He now has 240V power and a little closer to code compliant.

Still hoping to get the old engine out of the red truck this weekend.
 

nelstomlinson

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It's always something.
I was going to get the red truck into the shop and start getting it stripped down last weekend. Instead, I found that the shop door is buggered up - one of the lifting cables jumped off its drum somehow. I'll have to borrow scaffolding and dig up some 3/8"+ rods to get up there and unwind the spring tension and redo all that part of the installation. It's an old used 12x14 door that a friend gave me and I installed myself. It's only 12x12 now, since I left off one panel to make it fit my quonset better.

Instead of working on the truck, I got the garden further along.

In totally unrelated news, I bought an old 240D Mercedes. I had planned to NOT get any new projects until I finished one old project, but this was too good to pass up. Maybe I didn't totally fail on the ``now new projects'' plan. It's in better shape than most of my Fords, so I can pretend it's not a project and drive it for a while.
 

nelstomlinson

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Finally some progress! I got the shop door fixed, and got the red truck in and started taking it apart.
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I got the fluids drained, and got the radiator out, and the driver side exhaust unbolted from the manifold. The passenger side exhaust is going to have to wait until a store opens and I can get a much longer 1/2 drive impact extension.
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While I was working up front and underneath, my son stripped most of the stuff out of the cab: seats, trim, headliner and so on. Is there any way to get the crewcab headliner out through the doors? Or will I have to take out the rear window?

The picture above shows the pile of interior trim in the back, the headliner where it's stuck in the cab because it doesn't go out through the doors, and front seats from a '96 Bronco which will go in in place of the front bench.

The replacement for the ring I ruined has arrived, and as soon as the engine is out of this one it will be time to turn back to assembly of the new engine. I really need to get a transmission up to a rebuilder in Fairbanks soon, so that getting a freshened transmission doesn't become a holdup.
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Finally, a picture of the new project. It's on hold for this winter.
 

Scotty4

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Just removed my interior. The headliner can be gently rolled long ways. Well, pull the sides together if facing the windshield. I tweaked it just enough to get it out the door.
 

nelstomlinson

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Just removed my interior. The headliner can be gently rolled long ways. Well, pull the sides together if facing the windshield. I tweaked it just enough to get it out the door.
I'll try that this evening after church. It does have to come out. The red cloth covering is gone, and the thin layer of foam above the cloth is crumbly and needs to be gently wire brushed off by hand. I'll cover it with red vinyl if I can find some, or some kind of red cloth if I can't find vinyl.

There are three holes in the roof at the back. Two were probably for lights, one for an antenna. The one on the drivers side was open, and the insulation on top of the headliner was wet. I'm tossing that stuff, and I'll put some closed cell foam there instead. I need to figure out something that will close those holes. Maybe some knockout covers set in 3M 5200?
 

Scotty4

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All my insulation was wet hence the removal of the interior to fix the rust. I’m patching all my and repainting everything, but I could see marine adhesive working. Would need to monitor it for leaks for a while, hate to see the interior get wet again!
 

nelstomlinson

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If you plan on painting it at some point, you could use fiberglass and bondo.
I do plan to freshen up the paint, someday, maybe, but that sounds too fancy for the roof. The body on this truck is NOT straight, and I doubt I'll spend much time or money on the exterior.

There is no sign of rust anywhere.
 

nelstomlinson

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So, the head liner did bow enough to fit out the door. My wife and I spent the afternoon cleaning out the cab. I had been congratulating myself on how nice the inside was, until we got the vinyl floor mat out of the front. The front foot wells were rusty, and there is a hole rusted through the floorboard by the front corner of the driver's door. Underneath there is no sign of rust, so this is probably all caused by water from melted snow tracked in by the driver. I peeled the door seals off and there was considerable rust damage under the bottom of them, too.

I broke out the grinder and the cup and straight wire brushes for it. Most of the rust is off the truck and up my nose. I'll be blowing out black snot for days now, but at least it's ready for some kind of rust converter. Next time Napa opens up, I'll go in there and see what they have.
 
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