Got a few more things done in the sprint to be ready for Moab next week!
- Windshield sprayer complete
- Spare tire kit complete
- Steering shaft and quick disconnect replaced
- Cab to frame hardware upgraded
- Gas filler relocated
- Body panels stitch welded (from gas filler relocation and bed bobbing)
- Roll Tonneau cover fabricated
- Shift boot upgraded
- Turn signals reconnected
- Tailgate bumpers installed
Windshield Washer
To finish up where we left off... The 1968(?) bronco windshield wiper setup was installed in the aforementioned location and it works perfect there. A little less capacity than I'd prefer (only 1/2 gallon can be added due to it being at a little more angle than originally designed and leaking out the fill hole if you add more). The pump sprays strong like a bronco that took a few too many sips from the stream. I opted to go 'modern' with my sprayer location vs. through the cowl. I did this for a few reasons - #1 I didn't want to buy the old sprayers, #2 I wanted good spraying performance which I only had to read a few reports about the OE design not living up to modern performance expectations and #3 I'm not afraid to drill a hole or two.
Spare tire kit
I needed a jack and a safe way to lift the truck. This truck has modern superduty F250 axles and hub pattern - so I need to carry the proper kit to lift any corner and un-torque the 8 lugs. I created my own kit, naturally, using a scissor jack with a bottom pad welded to it that is the same footprint as a farm jack. This way I can use a farm jack soft surface foot if needed. I custom made 2x 22" 1/2 drive socket extensions so I can lift this thing without actually being underneath it, because safety. This all fits behind my bench seat which I made custom T-handle bolts for so I can remove a bolt on each side and fold the bench seat down (it didn't have a lever to do this already - I'm not sure what bench seat is in this truck haha).
Steering shaft and quick disconnect
I upgraded my steering shaft to a fresh 3/4" shaft with double D on firewall side. I used a new 3/4" DD universal as well to start off fresh. This allowed me to get ride of the hand-ground DD joint I made on the original shaft which allowed a little slop in the system (about 5-10 deg of 'dead' free play in the steering wheel, okay off road but not what I want for a cruiser on road). In the cockpit I stripped the steering column to just the column - no more turn signal lever or hazard button since they don't do anything anyways (less things to hang up on when offroading anyways!). I added an aluminum disc into the steering column so I don't have to look at the dead bugs that collect there anymore. I upgraded the quick release to a splined style Sweet Mfg racing setup - a very good quality for the money quick release. VERY HAPPY with this upgrade. NO slop anywhere now - only a tiny deadband in the Mopar HD Steering box (maybe 1 deg). The Sweet Mfg quick release is a push to install, depress to release so I can throw it on with one hand now.
Cab to frame hardware
Last year I chickened out on a feature on Steel Bender trail in Moab because of a few things, primarily because I didn't have sliders or bumpers so I knew I would get body damage in the rear as I slid off the rock drop feature and also because my cab to body bolts were simple grade 5 3/8" bolts, pictured below:
Would you trust your life to these bolts holding a heavy, slightly rusty cab to the frame after falling 4ft off a rock? I wouldn't and didn't. So I threw some 7/16" grade 8 bolts and thick washers in there now. #BEEF
Gas filler relocation
Since last year's inaugural run with this truck in Moab I've been filling the gas tank through a relatively ghetto setup in the bed. This presented a few issues and would cause an inconvenience once I put a bed cover on. The main issues were that it was a fragile fill neck standing up in the bed un-guarded so any payload (lumber, coolers, spare tire, tool box) could theoretically shear it off causing gas to leak everywhere. I also had a useless fill neck on the bedside that did absolutely nothing and I value function over form most of the time.
So I cut out the stock fill location and an identical sized square where I wanted it to be placed. Did the swap-a-roo and applied some electric glue and things started to line up better.
The filler neck is also custom - I tig welded that with some 308 SS fill rod. I spent way too much time trying to find an OE filler neck I could hopefully use. I settled on a 1968 Mustang filler neck which was close but no cigar. I cut it up and welded into the correct angle by using a 2" x 2.25" exhaust coupler to neck down to the 2" filler neck size I needed.
Body panels stitch welded
While I was going through all the trouble to cut more holes in my body work I decided to put on my body repair hat (which I don't have) and learn how to stitch body panels back together. A few youtube videos later and some 0.25 filler wire (solid) and a flap disc and things actually looked decent!
After everything was ground smooth I through a coat of primer on and followed it up from some blue paint that doesn't match no matter how far away you stand or what time of day it is. Oh Well - at least it will help fend off rust for a while.
Roll Tonneau cover
I'll start this out by saying - I never took a sewing class in my life. I may have used a sewing machine once to make a pillow cover in a church volunteer project when I was like 8 years old. Learning practical sewing skills has been a big goal of mine because a lot of the outdoor activities I do utilize textile goods - often time very niche and expensive.
I wanted a soft tonneau cover for my bed to keep things dry(er) during multi day camping trips that may experience rain/snow. My bed is a custom length - appx 7ft x 5ft - so nothing that I could find exhists out there for this size cover. The closest I could find was a the 6.5ft Chevy 1500 from late 2000s which was about 6.6ft x 6ft - I didn't see an easy way to make it work except for making a hard cover for the first 0.4ft of the bed which I felt was half-arsed.
I've never had a tonneau cover in my life so I started by researching them and talking with people who have owned them. After this I felt somewhat confident I could try to make one. I purchased a 7ft x 12ft waterproof fabric tarp, a used sewing machine for $100 on craigslist, some heavy duty polyester upholstery thread and dove in!
Most soft tonneau covers use battens across the bed to keep them upright with precipitation weight on them. I ripped some cedar I had to 2" pieces I would use as these battens.
It came out way better than I could have hoped for. I'm officially a semi-skilled sewer now. I used velcro on the front and sides. The rear batten serves as a 'lock-in' mechanism to tension it longitudinally and I use sewn in disc magnets on the rear to hold it to the tailgate. This allows you to easily flip up the rear and lower the tailgate for access to the bed.
Shift boots
With this newfound skill of sewing I felt unstoppable. What else could I make? Well I had one low hanging fruit item in mind... shift boots. Keep in mind I've been using duct taped motorcycle innertubes as my shift boots haha.
So I went to town with some heavy duty synthetic leather and watched a few more youtube videos. What's a French seam? I didn't know either but they sure look cool!
Turn signals
This was on my original phase 2 short list. I got some of the OE front turn signals to replace my 'custom' ones. Thankfully they just snapped in place after a little metal massaging of the tabs. I wired them along with the rear ones to the loom I made and then in the cab I used a single pole, double throw switch on the dash to trigger a left or right turn signal. This is similar to motorcycles and UTVs. No steering cancel to the turn signal but now I have signals!
Tailgate bumpers
I'm not sure if the stock tailgate has a mechanism which prevents it from opening too far and hitting the bumper? I wanted one regardless so I didn't scratch my purdy tailgate. My solution was to put in some rubber bumpers which the tailgate will hit if opening past the 'down' position where it would be if chained. There is little force if any on the bumpers by the tailgate if it's chained down in place but if you are initially opening the tailgate and lower it too far - these bumpers will be your savior.
Trip to Moab
Next I will get the truck cleaned up and loaded up for a multi day camping trip and some day trip outings in Moab. I hope to check the trifecta (poison spider/gold bar rim/golden crack/others) off the list as well as Steel Bender and Pritchett Canyon! Pritchett inspired me to build another rig last time I went with my buddy's so I really hope to at the very least winch my ass through the tough obstacles and wheel what I can!