Resurrecting my old 91

[DThibault]

I am in the process of bringing back a truck I bought new and put to work on the farm. New England winters have not been kind to the sheet metal but it is the best running Cummins I have had and if you look in the corners of the photos there have been a few. It suffers from the "over the windshield cab rust" and the cab mounts were gone and the rockers, and the fenders and the doors etc, etc. I bought a donor D150 (in the background pic) on the west coast. You wouldn't believe all the rust free stuff I have scavenged from that truck. Everything from the brakes lines all the way to the steering gear, loosen the bolts with a wrench and spin off with your fingers. Unheard of on the east coast. I had to put a different floor hump in the truck to accomodate the 4WD and used that metal to make the cowl patches. I will post more as I go.

 

[DThibault]

So far this new from parts NV4500 I got from Blumenthals and the South Bend clutch hidden behind it along with the poly mounts for the engine, transmission and cab are the only things I've had to purchase other than the donor truck. I used wiring harnesses and a couple of the rear crossmembers, the cab mounts and even the spare tire carrier. The cab is being painted by my neighbor and then I'll take him all the fenders, bed and doors as I put all the guts back in the cab. [/I]

 

[jgillott]

I really enjoy seeing these types of threads. Keep us updated along the way.

 

[rMetzger]

*Homer Simpson voice on* "Shopppp spaaaaaace" (gurgle-drool noise) *HSv off*

Yup. Keep the pix coming!

 

[DThibault]

About the shop, my dream come true. I spent many days outside crawling around under vehicles freezing half to death. I built this building the summer of 2009 and my wife wonders if I'll come in for dinner sometimes. Its been below zero many days this last week and I've got radiant heat in the floor that I keep at about 50 to 55 degrees and then a wood stove for a hot spot. The problem is, if I take a break near the stove in my favorite chair, it could be lights out. I have enough room so I can have a project in one corner that could be ongoing and fix something on the farm without cleaning out a spot to work. The only thing I did wrong is wait 30 years to build it.

 

[AHolt]

Who did you get your poly mounts from.

 

[DThibault]

Welcome to Poly Bushings.com

 

[DVolk]

does any body know if the 80s cabs have the A pillar crack out issue ? what is a easy way to fix it ?

 

[DThibault]

I don't know about the A pillar cracks. Seems like the only ones that crack are the diesels. My red donor gas truck was solid, I just put the reinforcement on as a preventative.

 

[JMDancoe]

DVolk. My 86 gasser (360) was not cracked when we did Retrofit. Both of my brother's 92's were. Funny thing is his 4WD had less cracking than his 2WD. Both had "similar" miles. Of course, he owned the 4WD from day one but bought 2WD used, so don't know how it was treated. The 86 cab had some minor differences from the 92 cab and required some work to use, but nothing major. Tunnel was smaller and the throttle pedal mounts different, for example. So I kept the 86 cab.
______________________
86 / 92 Retrofitted Cummins w/auto 2WD 246,000 miles - 96 Ram 1500 short bed 318 w/auto 4WD 307,000 miles - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4. 0 w/auto 4WD 160,000 miles

 

[RSchwarzli]

Very nice looking build! Funny to see our first gens now at the age that more and more people are starting to restore them.



Reminds me of the 80s when people first started restoring the 60s muscle cars. Was just to get them clean and you put on whatever things you wanted. Was a matter of getting them back on the road and in clean shape again.



I wonder if in 15 years from now you and Iwill be kicked for swapping out the numbers matching transmission and adding poly mounts! Not to mention none of our parts are NOS or date coded! :-laf

 

[Coalsmoke]

Very nice build, looking forward to following it!

 

[MGaisbacher]

looks im not alone rebuilding my 1st gen, I did the same thing a nv4500 swap and bought a western truck ( western truck was the best purchase yet). If you need anything let me know I have mine about all the way back together. good luck!!

 

[DThibault]

I just built a small paint section in the shop. I have been waiting over a year to get the cab painted and now am going to do it in my building with the help of a neighbor that does it part time. More project pics to come soon.

 

[RSchwarzli]

Sweet! That is fantastic. I envy people who can do their own paint. I have no problem spraying but when it comes to sanding... .

 

[HHhuntitall]

Lovin' it. I don't like to paint prep, either..... I can do a mean top coat, but the prep under usually ruins the whole thing!!! I painted a tractor last year outside, and it turned out pretty well. I've got my '85 almost ready, so I may do it myself. The paint booth is the biggie. I don't want dust ruining it, so I've been thinking about hanging some plastic and temporary lights..... how are you building the paint booth area? I was personally thinking a 2x4 frame, about 4x4 apart, to keep the plastic from moving too much, over a window so I can vent the fumes out..... I need more shop space.....

 

[DThibault]

That's just what I did, I built a 2x4 framing into a corner and hung some bottom weighted painting panels so they hung a little off the floor for ventilation. There is no ceiling on it though, just keeping the overspray from flying all over my new walls in the shop. I am putting a fan in a nearby window and we'll turn it on when things get thick. I have an outside breathing apparatus so we don't succumb to the fumes. We'll see how it works. I have everything in pieces so the area doesn't need to be too big and we are starting with the cab on a rotisserie. Can't wait.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Sweet! I want to see some pics when you get some progress!!

 

[RedRamAndy]

You are on the right track with the plastic/poly paint booth. I have done this many times. Plan out your hanging system, get everything for paine ready, and lastly put up the plastic. Buy new tarps, or roll poly. When you unfold the new plastic (on a dry day) it's all nice and staticky. Perfect! This static electricity is your friend. It will literally suck the dust out of the air (overspray too). In one session I painted small sections (3' x 8') of a car without venting. I didn't want to go too far without venting, soas not to build fumes to the point of ignition by my friend Mr. Static. That would be a party foul.

 

[rMetzger]

Any progress?