Ryoken's 89 Crew Cab Tubebed build... aka Mutt....

[ryoken]

*financial advisory, don't be me*




pushing... fug it...

gonna pop tonight on a hydro clutch setup for the NV4500.. without having ANY tranny components.

it's Tennessee diesels kit.. and i feel the need "to get in on that" before they go under/croak, etc... i can always get a rebuilt gear box, clutch, etc..... small company? never know...



as for the tank... couple weeks prolly till some action... need to install it/mock it, order a sender, etc... back to the floating asylum morrow... eleventy doc deals going on, nose cam was cake today tho... gastro guy on thurs.. some sort of esphoguys deal going on...

Hydraulic Clutch Kit

Fits GM 1973 – 1991 straight axle trucks, for NV4500 or NV5600 transmissions

www.tennesseedieselpower.com

 

[ryoken]

updates and thoughts....


been toying with tuning the 2 baffles for 15 mins here and there when I could, went back to he!! this week...


as I suspected, the further I was gonna get into this rubix cube, the harder, and more tedious it would become..


finally got the front/back baffle tuned right.. height was first.. but than the front downward angle was the next rinse/repeat eleventy hundy times to the belt sander episode.. finally got it right..

I'll do 2 healthy stitch plug welds to the top.. like 1.5" long or so..




but where I've been tuning now is the side/side baffle... just a bit snug putting it in place, but what it's doing is just bowing the one wall outward a smidge... needs just a touch up...

*note the poster board shims*





the biggest problem, is that front top angle piece is too tall.... the joint where the two top pieces meet, needs some work....

but I'm gaining on it... just want to do my best with fit up so I'm not pulling/forcing stuff around... sure, I have bar clamps and such, but I'd like it to go smoother than that..

it's all about keeping everything square...




couple observations.. glad i didn't get cray cray on the DA work, cuz it's gonna need a touch-up before the top 2 go on.. all good, figured, and at least it has a head start... gonna wanna burnish the welds with a wire wheel too....





on that note......

I've really been second guessing my steel decision cuz 80' or so of spool gun work turned me into a quivering school grrl...

I actually have about 1/3 of what I would have needed to go alum up against the wall...


but I came to the conclusion today as I will just look at this as the proto-type.. I would do it again 5 yrs down the road in alum if I feel the need for corrosion, weight, etc...


heck, I might even be tigging by than..... or bus roadKill....


and to be honest, I prolly could have muddled thru with the spool... 57 contact tips later.

but the one thing I realized is fixturing would be way more of a challenge without my magnetfest...

 

[ryoken]

painted the frame so i can leave it mounted in Mutt without worries for a while...... tho I'll have to weld strap tabs to it later, and be touched up...

 

[ryoken]

got a 1/2 day in after pool today.... had to change up a bit tho... decided to stitch in the baffles before in-frame mockup... gonna be a bit rougher getting it in/out, as it's a solid 100+ lbs now... but, I'll manage..

I wanted to get the top section squared up to the actual top pieces with the side bowing wall issue, I needed the top clamped in place to bring the walls over.. once the baffles were tacked in place, it's all stable now....

lots of heavy stitches, but the inside needs a good bit more welding... once i locate the fills and it comes back out, i can basically finish it...

hope it's nice next sunday so I can work outside..

 

[ryoken]

2 wks out on the Tennessee diesel order with no track or ship date.. give em till the end of week and start inquiring..

 

[obijuank5]

He's a one man show and makes the special parts himself.

It's a 97 ford f series master and dodge slave if you ever need to replace them.

 

[ryoken]

He's a one man show and makes the special parts himself.

It's a 97 ford f series master and dodge slave if you ever need to replace them.

yeah, i didn't mean for that to come across.. difficult... i figured as much.. just looking for a communication affirmation on that end.. honestly it could show up in 6 wks afaic.. as long as i know it's coming...

and thanks, forgot the spec's on the setup.. iirc, you where the one who suggested it in a 4500 thread i had going elsewhere.. been awhile, just remembered that was a good route to go..

 

[ryoken]

managed to sneak a 1/2 day in for some progress...

spent a couple evenings this week battling a fitment issue with the main top piece...

turns out it was a rhombus or some chit... both sides where parallel, but they weren't 90's... need to cut a new one, not a huge deal..


but I basically finished all the welding in the lower inside, other than the drainplug.. still need to wirewheel, etc...

I also started finishing off the outside.. the 4 upright corners are done... just need to come back and bevel them later...

working on the bottom perimeter now... amazing how fast The LAB™ get's trashed...

here's how that is chamfered.... the chamfer is on the sides.. the 4 wall corners, I was able to keep them an 1/8 back so i had the whole corner to burn in... the bottom i needed the walls sitting on the bottom...

as soon as I rough finish that to 60 DA, I'll be ready to test fit/mock up the fills... still need to contact cement the rubber in the tray first.. also gonna pull Mutt in front of The LAB™ and use the cherry picker to load it in the hole.. I'll pull the spare off..




also started kind of sorting thru my cr*p... try to sell, trash, a bunch of stuff this summer... got a dodge pile going, the fUrd visor.. and a keeper square pile and trash, free...

while being a bachelor affords me all kinds of storage abilities, I abuse it... i have sooooooo much stoopid stuff in my attic.. tons of K5 interior pieces, glass, etc... Chevelle shrouds, trim, etc...

 

[ryoken]

on an unrelated, but related subject... Mutt needs a pair of bats.. my freebie pair of 12 yr old #27 Intrastates, chit the bed over the winter..


for the unknowing, inflation has hit the bat industry hard too, to no surprise... we went from a yr ago being $130ish to boat customers, to $175 this yr...


i have ones i can snag here and there as needed... but buying a pair at $250+ is not in the funding.. #FJB



* as a "just thought of it literally" moment... anything I sell this yr will go directly to 12v swap parts... great idea, get on it..... *

 

[dhcomp]

No fun, but hopefully you can find a set at work soon.

Noticing how much batteries have gone up, and knowing mine get hammered over the winter, I recently installed NOCO maintainers in both trucks.

I ran the NOCO 2x2, which is just a 2a charger/maintainer for 2 batteries, so it was pretty cheap at like $100. Crazy that it was closer to $70 in December.

https://smile.amazon.com/NOCO-GENIUS2X2-Fully-Automatic-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B08F37P7H3/ref=sr_1_3?crid=K9FSFXKFXUM2&keywords=noco+2x2&qid=1649810967&sprefix=noco+2x%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-3

With today's battery prices, it seems like it would be worthy investment to keep things topped off, especially when we spend a lot of time in the 0-30˚F range in the winter.

I just got a 5x2 for the Donzi, and run a 10x4 in the Malibu. Been super happy with them so far.

From what I read, they are about the best maintainer out there.


And on the used battery plan....have been running some used Optima Yellow tops in the Donzi since I got it. They came out of my old work CTO's private hanger, were on an electric plane tugger. I cleaned out the hanger, he asked me to recycle them.....and i decided to test them out before trashing them. Hopefully their new noco maintainer will add some more life.

 

[ryoken]

yeah, I've got my smart 10a noco. couldn't bring em back.. and understandable when I actually dated them.....

we do get a few "shop" bats here and there.. heck, think we have a solid 1/2 dozen right now.. but some can be questionale..

when I worked at Winters I always had pairs of 27's replaced that where fine... thank you... heck, i had 4 here at one point for the bass boat..

it was easy over the winter.. I have 50 in storage that are good.. thanks Mr Essay! he goes in next week, soooooo.



hope i can get a 1/2 day in sat...

I also need a new one in blackie too unfortunately.. that one does ok still if i run the rig daily....

 

[imiceman44]

H

yeah, I've got my smart 10a noco. couldn't bring em back.. and understandable when I actually dated them.....

we do get a few "shop" bats here and there.. heck, think we have a solid 1/2 dozen right now.. but some can be questionale..

when I worked at Winters I always had pairs of 27's replaced that where fine... thank you... heck, i had 4 here at one point for the bass boat..

it was easy over the winter.. I have 50 in storage that are good.. thanks Mr Essay! he goes in next week, soooooo.



hope i can get a 1/2 day in sat...

I also need a new one in blackie too unfortunately.. that one does ok still if i run the rig daily....

Have you tried the desulfater?
I got the Noco desulfater and I revived half of my dead swollen batteries.
Some took 2-3 rounds of overnight charging pulsing and came back to 95%
I also got a few Noco maintainers and I bought them a lot cheaper on Amazon deal days, $25 for 2x2, $65 for an 8x2 and $75 for the 5amp desulfater

 

[ryoken]

H

Have you tried the desulfater?
I got the Noco desulfater and I revived half of my dead swollen batteries.
Some took 2-3 rounds of overnight charging pulsing and came back to 95%
I also got a few Noco maintainers and I bought them a lot cheaper on Amazon deal days, $25 for 2x2, $65 for an 8x2 and $75 for the 5amp desulfater

got a few minutes here... if they where under 5, 6, 7 yrs, I would have given it the college try.. but the one pair was 12.5, the other #24 is over 10... they lived a good life, the 27's where hammered.....


but you bring up a good reminder/idea to me that I'm definitely a good candidate for a maintainer, or 2 these days.. 3 rigs, 1 driver.. might be a perfect x-mas gift...




picked up contact cement after work for the strips... I'll do those tonight...

i MAY get a few hrs in sat.. brain doc fri, and prolly work a 1/2 day sat... sunday bunny stuff...

shootin to get the lower exterior welded/smoothed this weekend...

than hopefully next weekend I'll pull Mutt around and lower that biatch in there...

I'm excited to see it down in there.. even incomplete and temp, as I kind of feel this is a tipping point for the build.... something I planned on since the day I came up with the brain pic for the bed..




the ironic part of this is.. technically, once i yank the gasser, I could now finish the tubebed as the ps stock tank could come out.... do the lower compartment on the ps and put the other drawer in.. finally...

so, in addition to a full 12v swap, I can throw the bed work in to make sure I stay busy....

 

[dhcomp]

but you bring up a good reminder/idea to me that I'm definitely a good candidate for a maintainer, or 2 these days.. 3 rigs, 1 driver.. might be a perfect x-mas gift...

Exactly. The 2x2 comes with removable alligator clamps on it, intending to be used intermittently. The 5x2 and 10x2 are hardwired style.

I modified a 2x2 to mount, but bought a 5x2 the next time around . My goal isn't to bring them back from dead, just buy me some more life, and less winter jump starts!

 

[ryoken]

decided against a fresh hernia.....

glad to see it fits the tray nicely

 

[shady]

Yeah, hernias friggin blow. Tank and tray are sweet though.

 

[ryoken]

I have about 8 to eleventy other maladies ahead of a fresh hernia..

it'll have to wait it's turn...

 

[shady]

I had my last hernia surgery last July, and tore some of the scar tissue around the mesh a month ago. Light duty since then. Hernias can all go to h3ll lol.

 

[ryoken]

I had my last hernia surgery last July, and tore some of the scar tissue around the mesh a month ago. Light duty since then. Hernias can all go to h3ll lol.

I had that double about, sheesh, 4, maybe 5 yrs ago now... bad inguinal, and an old hiatal... the inguinal has never been right since.. scar tissued the he!! out of it doing stooopid stuff too soon.. the net is fine, but..... it always hurts now.. it's like a permanent pulled groin pain...

other than the brain stuff, my rotator cuff is my most pressing issue.. it's pretty freaking bad... but I'm afraid of it ending my "career".. so I do the smart thing and ignore it as long as possible....

 

[ryoken]

I should follow that up with, if I can survive the yr and the docs don't kill me, I'd like to look into getting the shoulder done in the fall maybe.. go out in oct or something, than i have the time thru mid march to heal....