“The 6.9” project thread

[IDIBRONCO]

Laine, honestly, if you're set on rebuilding this truck then I say go ahead and do it. When you do it this time, build the truck that you REALLY want. D60, Turbo engine built to how you want it, everything else that you want. Do it once, do it right. If it takes you a few years, so what? It will your ideal truck when you're done. If it was me, I think that I'd build the frame/suspension first. Then move on to the cab, bed, and the rest of the body. While you're doing this, you will have time to get the engine built. Take your time and make your dream come true!

 

[hacked89]

So yeah, definitely didn’t tell my insurance. I do not plan to at all. The Frame bent like this / where the leaf spring hanger is and goes back to the shackle. The drivers side I beam broke and tucked the tire into the cab, somehow missing the fender. Dented the firewall and then as you said, it broke or bent the body mounts where they go into the cab.

So I figured frame and cab at the most. Everything else is legitimately fine. It’s super weird.

D60 swap the front and can you send a pic of the bent frame? If you don’t want to post it here you can DM me on my garage IG.

 

[Big Bart]

Laine,

If it was me and the frame, suspension, and cab was bent up, know I am not emotionally invested in my truck, I would look for a really nice IDI that is straight and clean and build off that. (Upgrade.) Run it like it is if nice or if my truck had say a better engine, radiator, rear axle, and such swap that out. Faster, easier, and potentially not much more expensive. Your time is worth money, parts are not cheap, and it takes lots of tools. Add up the cost of a frame, cab, suspension parts, new parts, wiring, paint, tools, and your countless hours of time you are likely to spend more than buying one. There is a old saying in the restoration business. How do you make a old classic IDI worth 10k, put 20k in it!

If I could not find a really nice IDI after say 6-12 months of looking I would look for a really nice gasser and build off that. Maybe in your case frame up so you can paint he axles, frame, driveshaft, etc. Move your wiring and dash over too so it is set up like a IDI was new.

As some have mentioned maybe your truck is not as twisted as you think. Maybe someone can fix the frame and you can fix the suspension. (A picture says 1,000 words so post some of the damaged areas for us to ponder.). And it will be good enough for government work as they say. But if the cab is now twisted, the firewall is really bent, you will have a hard time making it all straight. Harder yet putting what you have on a straight new frame. For instance if the cab is bent it will not line up perhaps evenly with the fenders or bed. Now a guy who works a frame/body rack every week for the last 5 years can potentially can make yours 95% straight, you and I are not that guy.

Send some pics so we all know more about the damage. Maybe it is not as bad as you think. Maybe it is. Keep in mind we are not as invested as you, maybe you want to go a different direction and that is fine too. Your truck, your life, and your future.

 

[Laine D]

Got my baby. Cab isn’t near as bad as I thought. I can definitely fix it. I’ll need a frame, it stretched super bad at the driver bump stop and has cracks all over it.

I’m so happy to have it back and I feel so much better about fixing it. I got a line on a frame, I bought axles from a 2003 f350! SUPER excited.

I know it’s not fantastic circumstances but I’m very excited to fix my truck, even if it takes me a year. I’m prepared to do it right, I’m prepared to not drive this for a long time.

 

[Laine D]

Some photos

 

[Laine D]

Now I don’t know if I should Be putting these on the internet but anyways. The cab is kinda beat up but I already hammered a lot of it back. The frame is bent in such a weird way that the body mounts are all crooked on one side. But the cab part of it is good. So I won’t have to cut and weld much, it not anything. The dash and all the interior is still super solid so that tells me I didn’t break any of the mounts. Didn’t rip up and wires or anything. The frame is just really tweaked. But I’m surprised the body isn’t worse.

Sometime this month I’m going to grab a frame and clean it up. At that point I’m just going to run all new fuel lines and make my filter setup way more pretty.

The guy that helped me had a bunch of scrapped out trucks and gave me a t19 with a 1345 case so that was extremely nice. I don’t really need it but I feel like the t19 can be traded for something. Plus it looks to have been opened up and resealed recently so maybe it’s got some work done.

 

[Big Bart]

Thanks for the pics, I was expecting the frame to be worse based on how twisted it looked in your photo at the accident scene. Glad you are on the way to repairing it.

 

[Laine D]

Thanks for the pics, I was expecting the frame to be worse based on how twisted it looked in your photo at the accident scene. Glad you are on the way to repairing it.

Yeah it was super flexed out haha.

 

[asmith]

yeah it really doesnt look too bad. As has been mentioned, these frames flex A LOT! there are times when parking at a jobsite, that my doors rub on the front fenders when opening and closing. as soon as I park on level ground the gaps are fine again. I have a utility bed so I can really see it, but try and watch your bed as you go down the highway. it can move an inch or more out of line with the cab just cruising.

 

[Laine D]

yeah it really doesnt look too bad. As has been mentioned, these frames flex A LOT! there are times when parking at a jobsite, that my doors rub on the front fenders when opening and closing. as soon as I park on level ground the gaps are fine again. I have a utility bed so I can really see it, but try and watch your bed as you go down the highway. it can move an inch or more out of line with the cab just cruising.

Oh yeah, I’ve known that forever. All of my friends get freaked out watching the bed in the mirror, especially if it has stuff in the back. Kinda funny.

 

[Laine D]

I try to be nice but I really hate when you shake hands with somebody, and then they sell the item right after you leave to go grab a truck.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Yep. A handshake and/or a verbal agreement used to mean something. They mean absolutely nothing to FAR too many people these days.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I have to admit backing out of a deal once:
I made a very poorly thought out handshake deal once when I was much younger to buy a pickup. My dad hears the story and calls the guy and told him he was a crook basically and then the guy calls me all mad of course. Since I needed to borrow my dad's money to purchase the vehicle I wasn't able to follow through. It was the right thing to do to NOT get into the deal in the first place, but I learned a lot from that experience and can say I've never made a verbal or handshake deal since then that I didn't follow through on. Integrity is waning these days, I'm glad I can pass that on to my kiddos.
And just to clarify my "dad" was my mentor that I'd only met a year or two before then. He was more a dad to me than anyone else ever was, but not every lesson was taught before I could goof it up, haha.

That was at least 15 years ago. Sad to say I was 24 when I learned that lesson for good! It's good to hear you already know it, Laine.

Man it's cool to see you moving ahead with this like you are. What a wild ride your pickup truck adventure has become!

 

[Big Bart]

Ditto - Words are worthless and do not hold up in court. Contracts are the only way to hold anyone accountable. Sadly many of your neighbors will only help with a property dispute or a neighborly request if it costs them less $20 till your attorney sends them a letter.

Two years ago some Jack Aasss agreed to sell me his outboard motor off CL. I said I am leaving now and will get there in 45 minutes. Loser calls me thirty minutes into the drive to say he just sold to to someone for more money. That loser had zero integrity!

I bought a Rigid pipe threader at a garage sale two years ago for $500. I asked can I buy it now, and pick it up tomorrow.(I was across town and did not have time to go home and unload it before going to a lunch. Lady seemed nice and honest.). She said that would be fine. She texts me (Would not call me.) at 8pm and lies to me saying it was not her dads, it was her son’s. So she cannot sell it, I tell her I already bought it, it’s mine and its not for sale. That she will need to give me my pipe threader because it is now mine. The son was a tech guy so I know she was full of crap, but for half price he either wanted it or told her I somehow was ripping her off. So I had the cops come and they said without a bill of sale there was nothing they would do, I should just sue her. Still PO’d about that one. That loser also had zero integrity.

Lessons learned -
1) Take it with you, possession as they say is 9/10ths of the law.
2) If you have to leave something for pick up later get a bill of sale, it is now legally yours! Denying you what is yours with proof from the seller via a contract or bill of sale is illegal! Had I done this I would have that pipe threader.
3) If you plan to buy say a vehicle on a Sunday and you need to go say get $4,000 in cash or a loan. Give a ”Earnest Deposit“ and write a contract. In the contract state you are giving a “Earnest deposit” of $xx. That the seller agrees to hold the vehicle for x days (Pad it a couple days, in case of illness or other emergency.) and sell it ONLY to you. Seller agrees by accepting said deposit and signing the contract he cannot sell it to anyone else until the contract expires. But if you fail to come and purchase it by xx date, he gets your deposit. Explain to him this contract prevents you from getting your deposit if you do not show up, but also legally prevents him from backing out or selling to another buyer. Have the registered owner sign two copies and countersign. One for you and one for him. If he backs out or worse sells it elsewhere you can sue in small claims court (~$100.00 no attorney required.) for any additional costs you paid to buy a similar vehicle as he is in breech of contract. However do not accept your deposit back if he flakes, he will suggest you agreed to not pursue by taking back the deposit. Tell him to hold it as you will ask for it back in court. The concept here is not to ever go to court, rather hold a person legally to their word. Make the person feel as they might lose more in time and court judgements by taking a better offer and screwing you over.
4) Also if you are in a family business, get everything in writing! I have had 3 friends and my wife be mislead from parents who made big promises with family businesses but when tough times came their parents all took the money and ran, leaving their kids high and dry. Two did not go to college thinking their parents needed help an ultimately had their backs. The parents sold or retired, took all the winnings, thus leaving their kids with only a final paycheck and no education. Having a contract between family members keeps everyone honest and fair. So sad you cannot even trust your family via a hand shake and promise. Family members get entitled when large amount of cash is at stake.

Lastly anyone who is afraid to put something in writing is concerned about not fulfilling their promise and getting sued. Not you getting something you do not deserve. So if a friend wants a loan on a hand shake, a contractor won’t sign a contract, a business partner wants something, or a family member is borrowing money or making family businesses promises be sure to get it in writing. Insist on a contract! If they won’t, it’s time to pass on that loan, find a more reputable contractor, say no to your business parter, or tell your folks it’s time to leave and find a job elsewhere.

Hopefully these examples will help some of you avoid being burned by people with zero integrity. Never be afraid to ask for it in writing!

 

[Laine D]

Hey guys. Just updating. I’m picking up a frame on Saturday.

The absolutely hardest part of this entire thing is going to be finding a zf5 or even a rear housing for mine.

I’ve kinda decided to focus on just getting the frame and body all nice and then I’ll worry about the engine and trans. Parts are quite hard to source right niw