Extended Crew Cab- The SuperDuperDuty family hauler

[4570Man]

I got the motor on the shaft and it’s got 4 bell housing bolts in and the motor mounts are in. It still needs the fuel system changed and the electric plugs worked out. After that this project will be well underway.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Got the trans pulled today. Drained the pan, fluid was black as diesel motor oil. Got replacement trans up into place, and a few bellhousing bolts and crossmember back in place, good enough for now. Miserable day, windy and cold, scattered rain showers... and Im doing this with about half the truck under a lean-to roof off the barn, on pea gravel that the barn cats think is a great litterbox... couple layers of cardboard, and a sheet of plywood helped the gravel issue.

I'll work on the rest of the bellhousing bolts and other items still loose as time permits, but likely to be the weekend before I can get back to it.

 

[civilian]

Greg, are you along the I77 corridor in WV? We came up thru there yesterday and somewhere we saw a 6 door pickup truck. Did not get a good look as to brand, but it was dark in color. Don't know if we were in WV or somewhere further up the road in OH heading to I75. Just wondering. Jon

 

[dieselcrawler]

Jon, I'm near the Ohio river valley, south of Wheeling about 40 miles.

Ive seen pictures of 6 door trucks, but have yet to see one in person. Aside from walking past my own frozen-in-time project in the barn, the closest thing around is an older body style (OBS) <1996 crew cab dually thats been extended like mine, but it still only has 4 doors, and I've not had the chance to look it over closely, just pass it on the road.

 

[dieselcrawler]

On the gas motor crew cab, I've got the trans swapped out, windshield in, state safety inspection done, bigger tires, fender flares, brush guard, all squared away. Seems to be running ok, might need to change the thermostat, as it never gets warmed up good, heater not hot enough.

Plan to drive it to work tomorrow, wife bought me a new tool box for work (Christmas present) and its too big to wrap and drag into the house... its going straight to the plant!

Now to start stripping the diesel extended cab... back doors needed first, plan to remove entire interior since it will be exposed to the elements once the doors come off.

 

[Sysop]

:thumbsup:

Keep at it!

 

[Atchuuu]

Impressive project. Can't wait to see the completion.

 

[dieselcrawler]

The gasser truck got an oil change over the holidays, as well as thermostat... which led to the realization that the cooling system has issues, doesnt heat up right, gets over pressurized as soon as the motor runs, and blows coolant out the reservoir cap. Ive been dumping water or very diluted coolant to it and driving it til it blows. No oil in the water, no water in the oil. Im thinking cracked head at an exhaust valve, but no water loss when sitting or white smoke. Run it til it blows.

Finally got the interior out of the donor extended cab, and the rear doors off... hardware and trim bagged and tagged, and stored until needed. Couple hours last night and a few more today, but it sure feels like progress! Tossed some old seats back in it, not even bolted down, so I can still move it around the driveway.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I went back out to the barn a bit this evening, and stuck the back doors in place. Its obvious how mis-aligned the rear cab section is in relationship to the front, the door latches dont line up... yet.

Next, I need to clear a year's worth of accumulated junk that has gotten piled on and around the cab, and correct the alignment issue.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Another year or more has past... little to no progress... until this past weekend, I got the frame that's donating the rear section to this project stripped of the bed. It's been sitting by the barn since I removed the rear springs for the gas motor truck. Got the junk cleaned off it, the bed off, and its nearly as bare as it can get. It's nice to have the space by the barn cleaned up again... wife is a little happier about that part...