Looks good ,much rust?
Doesn`t look like it.
Doesn`t look like it.
CK5
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Clifford Project - '88 Cummins CrewCab
- Thread starter fabjunkie
- Start date
rompinstompinmudmonkey
1/2 ton status
There is not a spot of rust anywhere on th truck. The company that makes the custom badges is called billetbadges.com
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Yeah it's pretty much 99.999999% rust free. Ordered what I need to replace the exhaust manifold gaskets. There's one blowing a little smoke.
I was farting around in the garage last night instead of cleaning it like I should and spotted the Mack truck hood bulldog I acquired when I was 12 or so. Someone started a thread on the Cummins forum the other day on custom shifters. When I saw the bulldog, the light bulb came on. I haven't liked the straight shifter that the tranny came with and wanted to make another one that was more like the bent one that was on the Getrag. Anyway, this is what I came up with.
I scrounged up some stuff I had laying around. 3/4" round solid stock, 3/4" square thin wall tubing, and had to go pick up 3/8-16 bolt and a find thread 5/8" bolt.
First cut the 3/4" square to length to fit in bulldog and drill on opposing sides two holes on each side.
The holes are to plug weld the two nuts to have a good attachment to the stick.
This bolt was only used to place the nuts inside the tube for welding.
Next bend up the 3/4" solid stock. I tried heating it in a vise and pulling, not even close. I ended up using the 20ton press and it was like warm butter.
Cut the head off the 5/8" bolt. (Yes I had already cut it in this pic. Set it back for illustration purposes)
And it got welded on straighter than this.
Weld it on and the 3/8" bolt to the other end for the shift knob.
After test fitting in the truck I did add one more bend to bring it back a little more.
With the factory knob.
And the bulldog.
1st Gear
Reverse
It shifts better now and is in a more comfortable position. I think it shifts better because there's more weight to it.
I was farting around in the garage last night instead of cleaning it like I should and spotted the Mack truck hood bulldog I acquired when I was 12 or so. Someone started a thread on the Cummins forum the other day on custom shifters. When I saw the bulldog, the light bulb came on. I haven't liked the straight shifter that the tranny came with and wanted to make another one that was more like the bent one that was on the Getrag. Anyway, this is what I came up with.
I scrounged up some stuff I had laying around. 3/4" round solid stock, 3/4" square thin wall tubing, and had to go pick up 3/8-16 bolt and a find thread 5/8" bolt.
First cut the 3/4" square to length to fit in bulldog and drill on opposing sides two holes on each side.
The holes are to plug weld the two nuts to have a good attachment to the stick.
This bolt was only used to place the nuts inside the tube for welding.
Next bend up the 3/4" solid stock. I tried heating it in a vise and pulling, not even close. I ended up using the 20ton press and it was like warm butter.
Cut the head off the 5/8" bolt. (Yes I had already cut it in this pic. Set it back for illustration purposes)
And it got welded on straighter than this.
Weld it on and the 3/8" bolt to the other end for the shift knob.
After test fitting in the truck I did add one more bend to bring it back a little more.
With the factory knob.
And the bulldog.
1st Gear
Reverse
It shifts better now and is in a more comfortable position. I think it shifts better because there's more weight to it.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
Cool build.
Interesting placement of the shift rod on the Mack dog.
Interesting placement of the shift rod on the Mack dog.
DEMON44
Low-Tech Redneck
I agree the weight helps, I had a short throw shifter on my last nv4500 and I put billet knobs on the tranny and tcase. Made a nice difference in feel as well.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Got Smoke?
1/2 ton status
Any new news with the truck?
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Yeah the shift rod just kind of worked out that way. 
I actually really like it. The position of it makes it kind of like a pistol grip. It fits a hand pretty good. It may be a couple inches too tall, but it's low on the list right now.
So I got laid off a couple weeks ago and took over daddy duty during the day. I still have had a lot of time that I didn't have before. I have a pretty big project ahead of me so I've been trying to wrap up all the little crap that I've been falling behind on.
The garage has been a pit for months so I've been having to work on the truck outside. This sucks in Colorado winter. So it took about a week, but I got everything cleaned up and organized. The single outlet in the middle of the back wall wasn't cutting it so I added a couple double gang outlets on either side of the garage. I had changed the single bulb to an 8' fluorescent last year, but it wasn't enough. So I added two 4" footers in the back. I still need more, but this is lightyears from where I was. Ok so now to get to work...
I've been putting off finishing up the exhaust for a while now. I ended up putting on the muffler and using the piece that is supposed to go over the axle. I just cut one end off that axle piece and kicked it out the side in front of the tire. I gave it somewhat of a teardrop cut than a straight miter.
Oh yeah, the truck fits in the garage!! It has about an inch to spare on the clearance lights. I can get in far enough to close the garage door down on the toolbox.
The death wobble has been getting so bad that I try not to drive anywhere that requires speeds in excess of 35mph.
It got to the point that the beginning of last week I parked it until I could get the track bar on. So Wednesday and Thursday I was able to work on it and would have it done Thursday. Well while tacking the bracket to the pass side of the axle, a spark caught the brake hose and made it pop in my face, then proceed to try to burn the truck down. So the truck is down while I'm waiting on a new hose from Aaron.
I had some flat mount brackets that Aaron cut for me the same as what he used on his truck. Well his crossmember and mine are different so I had to modify them a little bit. I didn't get pictures of what I started with but here is the end result.
Pass. side
Driver Side aka the elephant mount
And on the truck
From the passenger side
From the driver side
I actually really like it. The position of it makes it kind of like a pistol grip. It fits a hand pretty good. It may be a couple inches too tall, but it's low on the list right now. So I got laid off a couple weeks ago and took over daddy duty during the day. I still have had a lot of time that I didn't have before. I have a pretty big project ahead of me so I've been trying to wrap up all the little crap that I've been falling behind on.
The garage has been a pit for months so I've been having to work on the truck outside. This sucks in Colorado winter. So it took about a week, but I got everything cleaned up and organized. The single outlet in the middle of the back wall wasn't cutting it so I added a couple double gang outlets on either side of the garage. I had changed the single bulb to an 8' fluorescent last year, but it wasn't enough. So I added two 4" footers in the back. I still need more, but this is lightyears from where I was. Ok so now to get to work...
I've been putting off finishing up the exhaust for a while now. I ended up putting on the muffler and using the piece that is supposed to go over the axle. I just cut one end off that axle piece and kicked it out the side in front of the tire. I gave it somewhat of a teardrop cut than a straight miter.
Oh yeah, the truck fits in the garage!! It has about an inch to spare on the clearance lights. I can get in far enough to close the garage door down on the toolbox.
The death wobble has been getting so bad that I try not to drive anywhere that requires speeds in excess of 35mph.
It got to the point that the beginning of last week I parked it until I could get the track bar on. So Wednesday and Thursday I was able to work on it and would have it done Thursday. Well while tacking the bracket to the pass side of the axle, a spark caught the brake hose and made it pop in my face, then proceed to try to burn the truck down. So the truck is down while I'm waiting on a new hose from Aaron.I had some flat mount brackets that Aaron cut for me the same as what he used on his truck. Well his crossmember and mine are different so I had to modify them a little bit. I didn't get pictures of what I started with but here is the end result.
Pass. side
Driver Side aka the elephant mount
And on the truck
From the passenger side
From the driver side
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fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Since the truck is down, I figured now was a good time to pull the front seat and carpet and fix the gaping hole in the floor. I picked up some FatMat when I first got the truck but didn't get to it when I was still in Arizona.
Obligatory rust free pic for you rust-belt guys.
Starting the FatMat. It goes down real easy even though it wasn't the warmest out.
There's just something mesmerizing about this picture to me. Two layers from the bottom of the firewall back to the seat mount. One layer under the seat, and a third layer in the pass. footwell over the downpipe. There are numerous small 3-4 layer sections where they overlap. This took up a 50 sqft roll. I have another roll that should be enough for the a single layer on the rear floor and rear wall. I may have to get another 25 sqft or so to do the doors and roof when the time comes. Ignore the ghetto speaker wire, it works for now.
Here's the gaping hole panel.
With the panel in place with two layers also.
I put all the factory tar mat, insulation, and carpet back in. The added thickness of the FatMat didn't seem to affect the fit too much. An added side note. A lot of reviews on this stuff complain about a tar smell. While if I really sniffed it I could smell some tar, but even after baking in the closed truck for a pretty warm day, no smell.
I was left with this hole in the carpet.
So a panel was needed. When I get new carpet I won't need this, just a boot will do.
I sprayed the panels in truck bed liner and stuck it and the seat back in. I'm currently waiting on the new boot to arrive.
That's pretty much it for now. I need to get new shocks as the ones on the front have been hanging, half compressed, for a week and haven't moved so I think it's about time. I might do that waiting on the brake hose, which I think may have gone out today.
Obligatory rust free pic for you rust-belt guys.
Starting the FatMat. It goes down real easy even though it wasn't the warmest out.
There's just something mesmerizing about this picture to me. Two layers from the bottom of the firewall back to the seat mount. One layer under the seat, and a third layer in the pass. footwell over the downpipe. There are numerous small 3-4 layer sections where they overlap. This took up a 50 sqft roll. I have another roll that should be enough for the a single layer on the rear floor and rear wall. I may have to get another 25 sqft or so to do the doors and roof when the time comes. Ignore the ghetto speaker wire, it works for now.
Here's the gaping hole panel.
With the panel in place with two layers also.
I put all the factory tar mat, insulation, and carpet back in. The added thickness of the FatMat didn't seem to affect the fit too much. An added side note. A lot of reviews on this stuff complain about a tar smell. While if I really sniffed it I could smell some tar, but even after baking in the closed truck for a pretty warm day, no smell.
I was left with this hole in the carpet.
So a panel was needed. When I get new carpet I won't need this, just a boot will do.
I sprayed the panels in truck bed liner and stuck it and the seat back in. I'm currently waiting on the new boot to arrive.
That's pretty much it for now. I need to get new shocks as the ones on the front have been hanging, half compressed, for a week and haven't moved so I think it's about time. I might do that waiting on the brake hose, which I think may have gone out today.
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what are you doing for tcase shifter linkage? or did i miss it? How much did that fatmax cost you? I really wanna do this to my crew cab.
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Not really sure on the t-case shifter yet. Been kicking ideas around for a while. Since there is still no front shaft, the shifter is not at the top of the list. I think the fatmat was ~$125 for a 100 sqft kit
rompinstompinmudmonkey
1/2 ton status
You should have your new brake lines on Thursday
Did those brackets for the back seat work?
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Thanks!I haven't messed with the back seat yet. I need to find the hinged seat back brackets so I can lean it forward and get behind it once the current slide brackets are gone.
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
So what a ****ty couple weeks. I got let go two weeks ago. The following weekend my 3 month old was in the hospital with RSV in another state while I was at home. We got her home and finally got that kicked this past week. Then this morning I got a call that my dad had a heart attack and is in the hospital, again in another state. We won't know anything until mid tomorrow so I decided to keep myself busy in the garage again.
Got the brake line in the mail this morning. Had to run out to get some brake fluid and decided to go ahead and get front shocks too. Got some Rancho 5000's but they had to get them in from the warehouse so I went home to get the brakes in order. I took the double shock brackets off, which I now think are not factory, and got it ready for a single setup. For the test drive I drove the truck with no shocks, but now with the trackbar, and it was 95% better as far as the death wobble. I could feel it still wanting to, but it couldn't take off. Funny thing is that it felt pretty much the same with no shocks as with the old ones. Picked up the shocks, went home and threw them on. I'd say the death wobble is now 98% taken care of. It's more of a small bump steer now on really big bumps or potholes. I'll eventually shim the kingpins, but it's great for now.
Got the brake line in the mail this morning. Had to run out to get some brake fluid and decided to go ahead and get front shocks too. Got some Rancho 5000's but they had to get them in from the warehouse so I went home to get the brakes in order. I took the double shock brackets off, which I now think are not factory, and got it ready for a single setup. For the test drive I drove the truck with no shocks, but now with the trackbar, and it was 95% better as far as the death wobble. I could feel it still wanting to, but it couldn't take off. Funny thing is that it felt pretty much the same with no shocks as with the old ones. Picked up the shocks, went home and threw them on. I'd say the death wobble is now 98% taken care of. It's more of a small bump steer now on really big bumps or potholes. I'll eventually shim the kingpins, but it's great for now.
That is a tough couple weeks. Glad the kid is ok and hope the best for your dad. And as always, love the truck
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Man i love this truck. Sorry about your rough times!
Sounds rough Travis.
Hope everything turns out ok for you and your family.
Hope everything turns out ok for you and your family.
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
Thanks guys. They ended up not doing the heart tap as planned on my dad this morning. He keeps spiking a 102.5* fever every four hours and he was complaining his chest hurt a little when breathing so they did a x-ray and he has a little pneumonia too, so they have to get the fever under control before they can check out his heart. Hopefully tomorrow.
Had to get the emissions done on the truck cause my 5 month free ride since buying the truck is coming to an end Monday. Ran it just the way I've been driving it the first time. Max allowed opacity is 35%. They lug it in fourth gear at 60,50, and 40 mph. First test I got 38/36/41% respectively. Swapped the stock fuel pin back in. Drove around for about 20 minutes tweaking here and there. I ended up with the AFC and smoke screw both backed out two turns and I set the throttle stop a little sooner too just for good measure. Second run produced 23/18/21!! Almost cut it half with a couple easy adjustments. Did I mention I love this truck!! Guy doing the test was trying to buy it from me, he was amazed at the 38psi it was boosting..lol. Went and got my tags so I am finally legal!
Had to get the emissions done on the truck cause my 5 month free ride since buying the truck is coming to an end Monday. Ran it just the way I've been driving it the first time. Max allowed opacity is 35%. They lug it in fourth gear at 60,50, and 40 mph. First test I got 38/36/41% respectively. Swapped the stock fuel pin back in. Drove around for about 20 minutes tweaking here and there. I ended up with the AFC and smoke screw both backed out two turns and I set the throttle stop a little sooner too just for good measure. Second run produced 23/18/21!! Almost cut it half with a couple easy adjustments. Did I mention I love this truck!! Guy doing the test was trying to buy it from me, he was amazed at the 38psi it was boosting..lol. Went and got my tags so I am finally legal!
wackojacko85
Registered Member
Great Build!!! Glad you got your tags!
fabjunkie
1/2 ton status
The truck is down again. Being a dumbass I switched tanks and back. Well the selector valve got stuck on the pass tank and that's the one with the dead pump. I can get it started by bleeding the injectors but it has no power and will eventually stall out. Won't start without the bleed job. Pulled the electrical connector from the valve and there's fuel in it so just ordered new sending units without the pumps and selector valve from RockAuto. Hopefully have them by Thursday. Damn it if I can't get more than a few days drive time between repairs. 
