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The $50 F250

Before the crane could get installed some repairs had to happen. Had to Hotwire the power supply to the pendant when I tested it. Not sure what they coated all of this in, but lord it was nasty. Got the broken power supply repair done.
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Next up was the winch being locked up, had to pry the top cover off. The needle bearings were seized the tops of the shafts inside the gearbox.
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Not usually fan of modern mirrors on older trucks, but for this truck I figured the visibility was worth the hit in style points. Got this knocked out using some weld on plates from complete performance and mirrors off a ‘92 K2500 I used to have.

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I figured the $60 to buy the plates was worth it to save me some time making my own. Big mistake. Was supposed to be made for 88-98 Chevy truck mirrors. I had to re drill all of the holes to get the mirrors to fit. And they also weren’t nearly big enough and the mirrors are too far forward for my liking, have to keep the passenger side half extended for it to be in the right spot. After having them on for about a year I’m glad I put these on vs the stockers. Not sure if I’ll ever bother wiring in the lights, but would be nice.
 
Next up it was finally crane time, to make things go a bit faster, avoid poor weather, and not abuse my harbor freight welder quite as much again I ended up back at Wade and his old man Todd’s shop.

Crane getting hoisted from the bed up to its new home

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This compartment is about to be much less roomy.

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This shot shows the 6” C channel frame extensions/bumper base and the 2x4 rectangle crossmembers that’ll support the crane and span both truck frame rails

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Wade gave me some airbags he had stashed that came from a 2500HD, I whipped this quick mount up because the passenger side was going to need it desperately for the trip home.

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Crane support structure inside the service body, 3x3x1/4” angle iron uprights and the top plate is gusseted 1/2” welded into the top of the body. This may look light to some but this is all heavier than suggested by multiple crane manufacturers for this crane size.

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And the end result of a long Saturdays worth of work. Looked goofy with the temporary bumper hanging out there.

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At this point I didnt have the power supply installed but atleast the heavy lifting part was done. The weather was getting better quickly so much more rapid progress was around the corner. That airbag on the passenger rear only had about 70psi in it up until this point.
 
My kid really wants the chevy mirrors. Good to know on the plates. I'll just do a CAD template and make some on the clock at work.
 
Yep you’re far better off making your own. I was annoyed with the “quality” not to mention they didn’t get in a big hurry with shipping either.
 
Before the crane could get installed some repairs had to happen. Had to Hotwire the power supply to the pendant when I tested it. Not sure what they coated all of this in, but lord it was nasty. Got the broken power supply repair done.
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Next up was the winch being locked up, had to pry the top cover off. The needle bearings were seized the tops of the shafts inside the gearbox.
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Not usually fan of modern mirrors on older trucks, but for this truck I figured the visibility was worth the hit in style points. Got this knocked out using some weld on plates from complete performance and mirrors off a ‘92 K2500 I used to have.

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I figured the $60 to buy the plates was worth it to save me some time making my own. Big mistake. Was supposed to be made for 88-98 Chevy truck mirrors. I had to re drill all of the holes to get the mirrors to fit. And they also weren’t nearly big enough and the mirrors are too far forward for my liking, have to keep the passenger side half extended for it to be in the right spot. After having them on for about a year I’m glad I put these on vs the stockers. Not sure if I’ll ever bother wiring in the lights, but would be nice.
These don't look like any 92 anything I know, are you sure a 92 chevrolet truck not 2012 or something?
 
These don't look like any 92 anything I know, are you sure a 92 chevrolet truck not 2012 or something?
They’re 2016+ style but made to fit the GMT400’s, I had them on my ‘92 before I parted it out
 
Yep you’re far better off making your own. I was annoyed with the “quality” not to mention they didn’t get in a big hurry with shipping either.
That sucks for how big they seem amd all the social media and "look at us" stuff I see from them.
 
That sucks for how big they seem amd all the social media and "look at us" stuff I see from them.
It’s made me kinda Leary, I’ll give them more chances again in the future. Just avoid the weld on mirror plates. They do have a bolt on option that’s suppose to be better. But for this old beater I didn’t mind welding to my doors
 
I have a set of weld on plates kicking around. I was going to put them on my f350, I ended up waiting months for them and sold the truck before they ever arrived.
 
The F250 may be getting another ford in the driveway. I promise I’m more of a GM guy but cheap fords just keep throwing themselves at me. With luck someone else will step up and save me from myself. This thing was going too cheap on an online auction, I told myself what I’d be willing to spend and somehow ended up with the high bid. The auction doesn’t close for a week yet so there’s still time. But it if I end up with it there likely will be a thread here about it as well as the roadtrip to go get it. 1979 F150 351 backed by a 4 speed an 205. A tad beat up but no major rot as I’m used to being from the rust belt. A fun old farm cruiser never hurts IMG_1079.jpegIMG_1080.jpegIMG_1081.jpegIMG_1082.jpegIMG_1083.jpeg
 
The F250 may be getting another ford in the driveway. I promise I’m more of a GM guy but cheap fords just keep throwing themselves at me. With luck someone else will step up and save me from myself. This thing was going too cheap on an online auction, I told myself what I’d be willing to spend and somehow ended up with the high bid. The auction doesn’t close for a week yet so there’s still time. But it if I end up with it there likely will be a thread here about it as well as the roadtrip to go get it. 1979 F150 351 backed by a 4 speed an 205. A tad beat up but no major rot as I’m used to being from the rust belt. A fun old farm cruiser never hurts View attachment 518428View attachment 518429View attachment 518430View attachment 518431View attachment 518432
I have acquired plenty of fords, to flip or part out.
Nothing wrong with that.
But my car collection is all gm.
 
Such a cool build! Also those dent sides are going for premium dollars these days. I had a chance to get a 79 F150 short bed with factory orange paint not along ago for a good deal. I wish I would have pulled the trigger. Similar to this one but not as shiney.

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Well sorry it’s been a busy few days, plenty of updating yet to do to this old pig. I will not be roadkilling that ‘79 F150 home as someone thankfully saved me from myself. Current high bid is out of Kansas if memory serves for $2350

But on another online auction note, my 1978 K20 that’s been sitting in the weeds a few years may be getting an interesting repower. Most people will call me dumb, but I’ve been wanting one for awhile. So without further delay, here it is.

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Chevy 292 yanked from a Gleaner combine. It’s one of those often overlooked engines and for just a simple old truck to cruise around it would be quite fun. I miss having a running squarebody around even if it is pretty beat. I’ll know Wednesday but currently have the winning bid at a whopping $10.

And to tease a bit of my weekend projects until I get to a proper update, the ol F250 looks substantially better with the TTB gone

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Drove it home over two hours from Wade’s place where the swap occurred. It’s now functionally 4x4 again and with 4.56’s to help the 351 out. It was dang nice having the front axle functional since the weather was miserable with temps around 0 and snow/wind. I was also worried the extra 2” of height gained from the 60 swap would make it taller than I wanted but I love how it sits now. Will be getting some better rubber hopefully in January after letting the wallet recover a bit.
 
Looking good. I have been wanting a straight 6 truck too. They're just plain cool. Saw a newer hei straight 6 for sale a while back. Really want one in my '72 Chev maybe with a nice flatbed for a sweet DD.
 
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