Assembling a Rolling Chassis

 

 

The frame just returned from sandblasting and powder coating and looks great.  After all the repairs, this is literally a new frame that will last another 50 years.

Due to installing a winch later on, the front bumper was bolted on with stainless steel fasteners to allow easy removal.  Bob opted for new C shackles and new heavy duty springs.

The springs are installed and axles dropped in.

The axles were sandblasted and powder coated as well.  Look how clean that rear Dana 41 is inside!

Rear differential installed.

Front axle installed with powder coated spring plates.

New seals are installed in the pinions.

All new brake hardware installed.


The powdercoated brakeline shields are installed.

The key to a good restoration is in the details.  Here is the breather for the front differential.  It is completely disassembled and cleaned.

And here it is installed along with the axle ratio tag.

Next up was installing the brake lines.  The kit we used was from Walcks and is an excellent fit.  All the original brake line hardware including the diff cover brackets and axle tube clip were cleaned and reused.

The original brass T fitting is cleaned and polished, then install with all new rubber hoses.  The retaining clips are cleaned and reinstalled as well.

The rear axle got the same treatment and looks brand new.  Take note of the cloth covering on the brake lines where the original brackets hold it.  This detail is another advantage of the brake line kit from Walcks.

All the steering linkage was stripped, cleaned, and painted.  New tie rod ends were installed and everything bolted together.

The rolling chassis is almost complete as we await some new lug nuts!

A key milestone was met today as Ol' Boy was set down off the jack stands and on to his own wheels!!!

Everything was powder coated, including the rear drawbar and frame reinforcer

The drawbar is bolted up with new hardware.

And to make me feel like I am accomplishing something, I installed the rear PTO.

New knuckle seals are installed with new hardware.

The pedals and bracket were also powder coated and installed with new hardware.  You can also see the start of the wiring harness beginning to be installed.

Next up was the hubs.

The hubs were taken apart and completely cleaned.

The cleaned hubs are installed along with the correct style lock tab washers.

The rear driveshaft gets cleaned and painted, and installed with new u-joints.

Next up it was time to work on the PTO.  This is a Ramsey dual output PTO.  Note the original blue paint under the grease.

What would this project be without the obligatory water coming out?  This caught me by surprise and I was laughing so hard and trying to reach for the camera at the same time.  The funny thing is that there was so much water inside it gave me plenty of time to take the picture!

The inside was coated in a thick mud, so this helped protect everything from the water, so there was no damage.

Here are the PTO parts all cleaned and ready for paint.

Here is what the clean inside looks like

And the completed PTO ready for install.

The original Bendix Joint tags get cleaned up and reinstalled on the axles.