1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

For everything related to converting and up keeping diesel engines in an FSJ
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

Here’s a teaser of things to come.

I have two grills for my truck. It’s nice to have a spare. They are so beat up that it would have been really tough to restore them to nice shiny like-new condition. Plus, that wouldn’t really fit the color scheme plans I have. While Brent and Ryan, from BJ’s, were at my shop I bounced some ideas off them that I’ve been considering for my grill work. Teaser- Primered, waiting for paint.
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Raptor Bedliner- First impressions.
Since the floor is going to be covered with sound deadener and carpet I decided to do an acid test on the Raptor. I left it completely exposed to abuse while preparing the inside firewall for primer and paint. I’ve stood, sat, and moved around on it while it was covered in dirt, rust scale, and 60/120 grit sandpaper residue. As near as I can see there isn’t even a scratch on it. I’m impressed. Side note- All I can say about the U-TECH epoxy primer is, “It’s some tough S***. Period!"
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Now, some info ALL FSJ owners need to be aware of.

The very back 6” of the floors were not replaced because the sheetmetal was still in good shape rust-wise. However, in preparing that area for paint I found stress cracks at most of the spot welds where the back of the floor rails are attached to the sheet metal. My conclusion is this must be a high stress area that over time fatigues the metal. Drill the ends of the cracks and tack weld back together. I haven’t seen what the heat did to the primer and Raptor on the bottom side of the floor yet, but I expect I’ll be recovering those spots.
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A couple other things about the original Jeep manufacturing processes. After taking every bit of the cab down to bare metal I’m convinced the original Jeep seam sealer does more harm than good. Almost everywhere it was used the metal had rusted to some degree. It’s a really light, compressible, open cell material that apparently acts as a moisture sponge. Also, the original Jeep paint is some tough stuff. It’s been kind of a pain to strip. It’s so tough that it looks completely fine even when I’ve found a lot of rust under it. So, just be aware. Even though the paint may look fine doesn’t mean bad things aren’t going on under it.
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As of this morning I’m ready to paint the last of the cab, with the exception of the outside of the back wall. It shouldn’t be too far in the future that I’ll be able to put the cab back on the chassis.
Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

Quote:
________________________________________
Originally Posted by SJTD
I have some rust under the sealant in that firewall/cowl joint. The problem was poorly applied sealant at the other side of the joint.

Since the access was bad, having to work through the cowl vent, the baboon with the gun totally missed the seam in some places and it wasn't tooled into the seam at all.

I've been applying Fertan at the top and letting it soak in
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________________________________________

Yeah, those seams had some pretty deep rust on my cab. But even seams that hadn't been exposed to water had surface rust anywhere the sealant had touched metal.

What finally convinced me the sealer acts as a moisture sponge was one spot on the firewall where, as you say, "the baboon with the gun":) , accidently ran a 3" bead of the stuff and didn't clean up after himself. That bead of sealer was 5" from the nearest seam and had surface rust where it had stuck.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

Finally! 3months. That's how long it's taken me to learn bodywork, learn painting, debug my equipment and technic, then take it down to bare metal, dig out, remove, or treat any rust I could possibly reach, THEN get the cab painted. Everything except the outside of the back wall is done.

Everything left on the truck is flat, and most of that is already media blasted.

I've been pretty sick of working on the cab now for about 2 weeks, but I'm glad I did it right.

Today the cab saw its first daylight in its new suit.
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Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Originally postded by twisted frame 03-22-2013 07:58 PM
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Resbum, that looks fantastic. I love seeing that metal work done on the cab and hadn't noticed how much wider the trans tunnel is now. I'd admired the work on the firewall but now I see how it extends along the tunnel.

Very interesting observation about the factory seam sealer being open cell too.
Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

I recently posted this picture.
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Here’s the final outcome of the front end paint job.

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With tinted marker lights propped in place
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Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:10 am, edited 5 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

I’ve been planning on leaving the chrome strip off the front of the hood and having my air filter/turbo intake air come in through the grill and up & over the radiator, to the airbox. To accommodate more air I modified the top of the core support with this scoop. It pretty much doubles the size of the opening.
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All the air from the top of the grill line to the bottom of the hood line should make it to the engine.
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Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Topic author
Resbum
Posts: 466
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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This is the point the truck is at as of this build thread getting moved to FSJNetwork on April 6th, 2013. The next 23 posts are of things that were originally posted earlier in the thread at IFSJA, but haven't been finished and were moved back here.

After these next 23 posts the build thread will pick back up in real-time posting

Resbum
Last edited by Resbum on Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Edit-Note- This was originally posted MUCH earlier in the build.

Battery Mounting Locations

After referring to a bunch of pictures, including these two, and taking a bunch of measurements today, I've decided to mount my batteries inboard of the hood hinges longways facing forward. (2) Deka 727MF's weigh 100lbs and I'd rather have that weight behind the axle instead of in front of it. Especially since the truck may have a HD bumper and winch in its future. I'm going to have to notch the inboard backside of the inner wheelwells a little, but tire clearance won't be a problem at all. Between the spring under frame conversion and extra 1/2 inch of body clearance I've gained 6 1/4 inches of lift. Actually, more like 3 1/4 inches of tire clearance since I'll be running 35" tires.
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By moving the heater under the dash I've freed up the pas side. The battery will go where the heater motor use to be and the downpipe will go where the heater core use to be. I'll just make sure there's a good heat barrier between them. I pulled out my hydroboost and some pictures of hydroboost installs and made sure there's room on the drivers side. The wire harness will most likely come through the firewall in the old wiper motor hole and get routed appropriately. Nothing else comes through the firewall where the battery is going to sit.
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Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:15 am, edited 3 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
Posts: 466
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Edit-Note- This was originally posted MUCH earlier in the build.


Today I took the easy way out on prepping the bed. It was already degreased and pressure washed. We had a break and actually got some sunshine today. I called the media blasting place and they could squeeze me in. So I ran it down, they got the job done, and I got it back into the shop without it getting wet.

The only rust on the bed is in the lower back corners and the floor/seam area where the original spare tire carrier was mounted.(The upper right corner in the picture)

They did the whole bottom & inside, and the lowers and flares. There's one small area that I'll need to address, but everything else was surface rust.
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Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Topic author
Resbum
Posts: 466
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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This was originally posted MUCH earlier in the thread

I got some work on the bed done yesterday. I hit all the seams and areas the media blaster couldn't get to with rust converter.
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This is a closeup of the area that was rusted. I think it developed rust because of a combination of two things. The lower arrows show where the spare tire brackets mounted to the floor. The upper arrow shows where the seam was deformed, allowing water/moisture in, from someone in the past crunching that sheetmetal. You can see how the bottom of the sheetmetal has been pushed up.
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This picture shows some of the rust out I need to fix and the jig I made to straighten out the panel
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Another shot of the area from the inner side
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The jig got it fairly straight. I'll work the metal a little more then smooth it with filler.

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Today the goal is to get the sheetmetal work done on the bottom of the bed so that I can at least hit the bottom of the bed with epoxy primer to get it protected from flash rust.

Ultimately, I want to have all the areas that got blasted epoxy primered by Wednesday. Then I can set the bed aside and get back to working on the chassis and cab when they come back from the school.

Resbum
Last edited by Resbum on Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:00 am, edited 4 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
Posts: 466
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Edit-Note- This was originally posted MUCH earlier in the build.

Got the first coat of epoxy primer on the bottom and sides today. Was a little pissed when I took everything out of the box and realized they'd given me black primer instead of the gray I'd ordered. And, of course, they weren't open today. Oh well.

It's not the prettiest job, but all the areas I sprayed today are going to be under bedliner so I didn't stress too much about it. I used a brush to work it into all the seams, nooks, and cracks before shooting the rest of it with my spray gun. Hopefully the good wheather holds out and I can get another coat on tomorrow before the humidity goes back up.
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Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
Posts: 466
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Edit-Note- This was originally posted MUCH earlier in the build.

Front LED Marker Light Mod into Jeep Housing

Woo hoo. It took 6 weeks for them to finally arrive, but all my LED lights and connectors showed up today. No more changing lightbulbs and polycarbonate lenses, so they should last awhile.
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The taillights and back up lights are going to be easy to retrofit, but I wondered how I would do the front marker lights. Here's where I'm at now. I may make some minor changes. I'll fabricate stainless steel clips to hold them in the housings. For the original Jeep clear lenses I'm going to try one of the polishing kits, then hit them with a light "smoke" coating.
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Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:19 am, edited 3 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
Posts: 466
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Here's how the marker lights turned out.

Lessons learned:
1- the Jeep clear lenses take to the 3M headlight polishing kit really well.
2- Every couple of years I try the "Chrome in a can" spray paint to see if it's improved. Nope, still just looks like silver paint.
3- The tinting spray instructions say to put on 2 to 3 light coats to desired darkness. I found this caused the finish to get less smooth with each layer. One slightly heavier layer, then immediate lay the lense flat, and the coating self-leveled a lot better.
4- The tinting directions said you could top it with clearcoat. I don't know what they use, but the two topcoatings I tried immediately caused the tinting to bubble, splotch up, or lift.
5- The Jeep clear lenses are very Acetone-friendly. I know because I had to use it to strip them 5 times as I learned the above lessons. They looked as clear and polished after the fifth time as they did before the first time.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the final outcome.
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The housing before "Chrome in a can". aka Silver paint
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Before and after using the 3M headlight polishing kit from Autozone.
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The housing after polishing the lense and "Chrome in a can"
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After single, heavier layer of tinting that was allowed to self-level. No clear coat.
This took some practice. I had to strip it twice before I got the right shade in one shot.
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These are just the marker lights and they are PLENTY bright.
With the turn signal lights on also it's twice as bright.
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Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:21 am, edited 4 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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All the Electrical Components

Here's all the electricals. I also still need to plumb in all the air ducts for the heater/defroster.
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Wiring harness I got from BJ's Offroad
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Yeah baby! 10 gauges in the picture and I'm still waiting for the fuel pressure gauge. Let the jokes begin, yeah I might be making up for other shortcomings in my life.:lol: FYI- The VDO Vision series gauges are the most complete series you can find, from any manufacturer, if you want all your gauges to be the same. Even with that, I had to get some of them through the marine series of the Vision gauges
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One of the things I got that I hope will make it easier is 6 gauge wiring harness that VDO sells. To the right is the brake controller for the 5th wheel
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Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Last edited by Resbum on Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Originally posted by lobie 03-14-2012 06:30 PM
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Nice gauges. I really like the way mine turned out.
Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Originally posted by lobie 03-15-2012 06:36 AM
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Quote:
________________________________________
Originally Posted by Resbum
10 gauges in the picture
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10 gauges:

- the 6 standard
- pyrometer
- boost

What are the other 2?
Last edited by Resbum on Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Topic author
Resbum
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

It comes out to 11 with the missing Fuel Pres Gauge. I guess I should have listed them. I’m not just a gauge freak that needs to boost his ego. Every gauge I got I had a reason for.

-4000 RPM Tach for the diesel(found it in the marine series)
-85 MPH speedo. I geared the truck such that there is no reason for more

Critical mechanical monitoring:
-Oil Pressure
-Water Temperature
-Transmission Temperature (Automatic Trans)

Turbo Related:
-Fuel Pressure (important for tuning and monitoring fuel filter)
-Pyrometer (important for tuning and towing)
-Boost

Special Purpose:
+/- 150 Amp Gauge (reads +/- 15 (X10)) and shunt (found it in the marine series)
I’m eventually planning on having an onboard welder. In day to day operations I can monitor it as +/- 15 amps. For welding or other high current needs I can divert it through the shunt and it monitors it multiplied X10. i.e. +/- 150 amps = +/-15 on the gauge

Common gauges:
-Fuel Level
-Volts

I wasn’t expecting to use it yet, but somewhere I have a to-scale layout of how everything is going to be, including turn signals and dummy/warning lights.

Basically, I’m going to make a 5 gauge cluster to ride on the dash, above the normal gauge housing. In it will be the critical monitoring gauges orientated so the needle points straight up in its normal/nominal operating state, regardless of how it orientates the housing. That way, with a glance, if all the needles are pointing straight up you don’t have to read what the value is. If you take a glance down and a needle isn’t pointing straight up, or close to it, you pay it more attention. An old racing/aviation trick. Less time your eyes aren't out the window.

The five gauges I have in the cluster will be:
Oil pres.... Water temp.... Boost.... Pyrometer.... Fuel pres.

The normal cluster will be laid out:

Amp............................................... Trans Temp
...............Tach ............Speedo..........................
Volts............................................. .Fuel............

I’ll probably put in an Air Pressure gauge somewhere for monitoring onboard air and charging the rear air bags.

Resbum
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

Two days ago I hit Gold on the the internet.

For the last eight months I've been considering what to do about all the old dashboard switches and controls. Try and rebuild/use old hardware with questionable life left in them or buy some of the questionable universal switches that are out there.

Then I found Ron Francis Wiring. If any of you are doing work on your vehicle electrical system you need to check them out.

http://www.ronfrancis.com/

Resbum
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Topic author
Resbum
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Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

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Originally posted by Mudbull 03-24-2012 06:55 PM
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… I’m looking forward to the wiring, as I’m debating whether to rewire mine from scratch or use the donors...Good luck!
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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Topic author
Resbum
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Location: North East Oregon

Re: 1970 Gladiator 1 Ton 6BT 12V Cummins Build

Post by Resbum »

Quote:
________________________________________
Originally Posted by Mudbull
… I’m looking forward to the wiring, as I’m debating whether to rewire mine from scratch or use the donors...Good luck!
_______________________________________
_

Definitely do a rewire!!! It's really not that expensive or hard if you plan it out good. I didn't even hesitate. The VERY FIRST TIME I saw the wiring in this truck I knew I was doing it.:D
Originally Posted by Resbum
"What year is my truck?... Which part?" Build thread- http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 290#p18290
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